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Magnetization, grain size, x-ray diffraction, and dielectric permittivity of BiFeO3 (BFO) and 5 mol% lanthanum-substitution BFO [(Bi0.95La0.05)FeO3] ceramics have been carried out as a function of sintering temperature (910–950^\circC) BFO ceramic exhibits an antiferromagnetic behavior, whose magnetization curve is linear with the field at room temperature. A weak ferromagnetic behavior occurs in (Bi0.95La0.05)FeO3 (BLFO) ceramics at room temperature, in which remanent magnetization increases from 0.008 to 0.14 as sintering temperature raises from 910 to 950^\circC. This phenomenon can be correlated with the growth of grain size of BLFO ceramics, which grows with increasing sintering temperature. The dielectric permittivities of BFO and BLFO are about 33 and 57 at room temperature, respectively. The dielectric losses (\tan\delta) of BFO and BLFO ceramics vary respectively in the ranges of \sim0.2–0.4 and \sim0.002–0.004 below 150^\circC, indicating that 5 mol% La-substitution can efficiently reduce electric conductivity. A frequency-dependent and broad dielectric maximum was observed in both BFO and BLFO ceramics upon heating. This dielectric response is likely triggered by the antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition near the Néel temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) has been commonly used as a dietary protein source for lactating dairy cows. However, there is a paucity of data evaluating the use of DDGS as a partial replacement of forage or grain. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of partially replacing barley silage or barley grain with corn/wheat-based DDGS on dry matter intake (DMI), chewing activity, rumen fermentation, and milk production. Six ruminally cannulated lactating Holstein cows were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Cows were fed the control diet (CON: 45% barley silage, 5% alfalfa hay, and 50% concentrate mix), a low forage (LF) diet or a low grain (LG) diet, in which barley silage or barley grain was replaced by DDGS at 20% of dietary dry matter, respectively. All diets were formulated to contain 18% crude protein and fed as total mixed rations. Compared with CON, cows fed the LF diet had greater DMI (26.0 vs. 22.4kg/d), yields of milk (36.4 vs. 33.0kg/d), milk protein (1.18 vs. 1.05kg/d), and milk lactose (1.63 vs. 1.46kg/d), but milk fat yield was not affected. The LF diet decreased chewing time compared with the CON diet (29.7 vs. 39.1 min/kg of DMI), but did not affect rumen pH and duration of rumen pH below 5.8. Compared with CON, feeding the LG diet tended to increase minimum and maximum rumen pH, but did not affect DMI, milk yield, and milk composition in this study. These results indicate that a partial replacement of barley silage with DDGS can improve the productivity of lactating dairy cows without negatively affecting rumen fermentation and milk fat production. Barley grain can also be partially replaced by DDGS in diets for lactating dairy cows without causing negative effects on productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with other types of acceleration sensors, the rare-earth giant magnetostrictive acceleration sensors have obvious advantages. In order to analyze performance of the giant magnetostrictive acceleration sensors, this paper presents a magneto-mechanical strongly coupled dynamic model for the giant magnetostrictive acceleration sensors, which includes eddy-current effects. Using the proposed model, the time characteristic of the induced voltage for the acceleration sensors is calculated by finite element method (FED). In order to validate the presented model, an experiment of the relation between the induced voltage and time for the acceleration sensors has been done. A comparison between the calculated results and measured ones has been carried out to examine the validity of the proposed model and the FED implementation. It is found that both of them are qualitatively in an agreement. This indicates that the proposed FED model can reflect dynamic response performance of the giant magnetostrictive acceleration sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to screen and identify differential proteins in the urine samples from cows with fatty liver disease (FLD) in order to provide new biomarkers for FLD. In this trial, twenty urine specimen were collected and assigned into two groups. After labelling with an i-TRAQ reagent, differential proteins in the urine samples were separated using two dimensional chromatography, and then identified by tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that 110 differential proteins were screened: 50 were upregulated and 60 were down-regulated in the urine of cows with FLD. Among of these proteins, vitronection (VTN), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocatin (LCN2), prothrombin (F2), and clusterin (CLU) were the key regulatory factors determined by gene function, signaling pathway, and gene networks analysis. So, it is believed that the 4 key regulatory factors may become important biomarkers of FLD, which will provide new clinicopathologic insights into FLD in dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Assume that the intergranular phase (IP) existing between adjacent grains is a weak magnetic phase, and could weaken or interrupt the intergrain exchange-coupling interaction (IECI). Using our proposed cubic-grain anisotropy model, we investigate the effects of IP''s thickness d, and its anisotropy constant K 1(0) on the coercivity of nanocrystalline Nd–Fe–B magnet. Calculation results indicate that the coercivity increases with increasing d, but decreases with increasing K 1(0). When d =1.2nm and K 1(0)=0.5K 1 (K 1 is the common anisotropy constant of the bulk Nd–Fe–B material), our calculated results are consistent with available experimental data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new experimental approach for determining the sheet metal flow stress curve for diffuse necking deformation through the hydraulic bulge expansion (HBE) test is introduced. For this approach, a flat sheet of metal is bulged under the load of hydraulic pressure within the confines of a rigid binder/die tool set of circular die opening. The hydraulic pressure and volume flow rate of the pressurized water entering the die cavity are recorded in real time. Operating under the assumption of thin-walled pressure vessel behavior, the real time data are used to compute the flow stress curve for the material type considered. The novel aspect of the proposed technique is the use of water volume measurement for determining the radius of curvature of the expanding dome. An example flow stress curve for 1.0mm thick DDQ cold rolled sheet steel is shown to be in good agreement with the flow stress curve obtained through the standard uniaxial tension test. One key advantage of this proposed method is that the analyst may determine the diffuse necking portion of the flow stress curve without employing cumbersome techniques associated with uniaxial tensile test methods. Two disadvantages of the proposed method are the uncertainty associated with having to assume a yield surface, and the error associated with having to assume membrane behavior in the work piece. The introduction of this new method will increase researchers’ access to practical methods for obtaining sheet metal flow stress curves. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Stretching dominated Kagome lattices reinforced by carbon fibers were designed and manufactured. The sandwich panels were assembled with bonded laminate skins. The mechanical behaviors of the sandwich panels were tested by out-of-plane compression, in-plane compression and three-point bending. Different failure modes of the sandwich structures were revealed. The experimental results showed that the carbon fiber reinforced lattice grids are much stiffer and stronger than foams and honeycombs. It was found that buckling and debonding dominate the mechanical behavior of the sandwich structures, and that more complaint skin sheets might further improve the overall mechanical performance of the sandwich panels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The prostate-specific gene, TMPRSS2 is fused with the gene for the transcription factor ERG in a large proportion of human prostate cancers. The prognostic significance of the presence of the TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion product remains controversial. We examined prostate cancer specimens from 165 patients who underwent surgery for clinically localised prostate cancer between 1998 and 2006. We tested for the presence of TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion product, using RT-PCR and direct sequencing. We conducted a survival analysis to determine the prognostic significance of the presence of the TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene on the risk of prostate cancer recurrence, adjusting for the established prognostic factors. We discovered that the fusion gene was expressed within the prostate cancer cells in 81 of 165 (49.1%) patients. Of the 165 patients, 43 (26.1%) developed prostate-specific antigen (PSA) relapse after a mean follow-up of 28 months. The subgroup of patients with the fusion protein had a significantly higher risk of recurrence (58.4% at 5 years) than did patients who lacked the fusion protein (8.1%, P<0.0001). In a multivariable analysis, the presence of gene fusion was the single most important prognostic factor; the adjusted hazard ratio for disease recurrence for patients with the fusion protein was 8.6 (95% CI=3.6-20.6, P<0.0001) compared to patients without the fusion protein. Among prostate cancer patients treated with surgery, the expression of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene is a strong prognostic factor and is independent of grade, stage and PSA level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: n-Type (Bi2Te3)0.9–(Bi2− x Cu x Se3)0.1 (x=0–0.2) alloys with Cu substitution for Bi were prepared by spark plasma-sintering technique and their structural and thermoelectric properties were evaluated. Rietveld analysis reveals that approximate 9.0% of Bi atomic sites are occupied by Cu atoms and less than 4.0wt% second phase Cu2.86Te2 precipitated in the Cu-doped parent alloys. Measurements show that an introduction of a small amount of Cu (x⩽0.1) can reduce the lattice thermal conductivity (κ L), and improve the electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient. An optimal dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) value of 0.98 is obtained for x=0.1 at 417K, which is obviously higher than those of Cu-free Bi2Se0.3Te2.7 (ZT=0.66) and Ag-doped alloys (ZT=0.86) prepared by the same technologies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of 2 lots of barley grain cultivars differing in expected ruminal starch degradation on dry matter (DM) intake, ruminal fermentation, ruminal and total tract digestibility, and milk production of dairy cows when provided at 2 concentrations in the diet. Four primiparous ruminally cannulated (123 ± 69 d in milk; mean ± SD) and 4 multiparous ruminally and duodenally cannulated (46 ± 14 d in milk) cows were used in a 4 x 4 Latin Square design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 16-d periods. Primiparous and multiparous cows were assigned to different squares. Treatments were 2 dietary starch concentrations (30 vs. 23% of dietary DM) and 2 lots of barley grain cultivars (Xena vs. Dillon) differing in expected ruminal starch degradation. Xena had higher starch concentration (58.7 vs. 50.0%) and greater in vitro 6-h starch digestibility (78.0 vs. 73.5%) compared with Dillon. All experimental diets were formulated to supply 18.3% crude protein and 20.0% forage neutral detergent fiber. Dry matter intake and milk yield were not affected by treatment. Milk fat concentration (3.55 vs. 3.29%) was greater for cows fed Dillon compared with Xena, but was not affected by dietary starch concentration. Ruminal starch digestion was greater for cows fed high-starch diets compared with those fed low-starch diets (4.55 vs. 2.49 kg/d), and tended to be greater for cows fed Xena compared with those fed Dillon (3.85 vs. 3.19 kg/d). Ruminal acetate concentration was lower, and propionate concentration was greater, for cows fed Xena or high-starch diets compared with cows fed Dillon or low-starch diets, respectively. Furthermore, cows fed Xena or high-starch diets had longer duration that ruminal pH was below 5.8 (6.6 vs. 4.0 and 6.4 vs. 4.2 h/d) and greater total tract starch digestibility (94.3 vs. 93.0 and 94.3 vs. 93.0%) compared with cows fed Dillon or low-starch diets, respectively. These results demonstrate that selection of barley grain can affect milk fat production and rumen fermentation to an extent at least as great as changes in dietary starch concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) plays a central role in oxygen homeostasis. Previously, we reported that the orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 functions in stabilizing HIF-1α. Here, we demonstrate that 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), an activator of the NR4A family members, enhances transcriptional activity of HIF-1. 6-MP enhanced the protein-level of HIF-1α as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The induction of HIF-1α was abolished by the transfection of either a dominant-negative Nur77 mutant or si-Nur77, indicating a critical role of Nur77 in the 6-MP action. The HIF-1α protein level remained up to 60 min in the presence of 6-MP when de novo protein synthesis was blocked by cycloheximide, suggesting that 6-MP induces stabilization of the HIF-1α protein. The fact that 6-MP decreased the association of HIF-1α with von Hippel–Lindau protein and the acetylation of HIF-1α, may explain how 6-MP induced stability of HIF-1α. Further, 6-MP induced the transactivation function of HIF-1α by recruiting co-activator cyclic-AMP-response-element-binding protein. Finally, 6-MP enhanced the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF, and the formation of capillary tubes in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. Together, our results provide a new insight for 6-MP action in the stabilization of HIF-1α and imply a potential application of 6-MP in hypoxia-associated human vascular diseases.Oncogene (2007) 26, 3823–3834. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1210149; published online 4 December 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid tumors in childhood. With the aim of developing a targeting vector for neuroblastoma, we cloned and characterized an enhancer in the 5′-flanking regions of the MASH1 gene by a random-trap method from a 36 kb cosmid DNA. The enhancer-containing clone was identified by the expression of GFP when transfected into neuroblastoma cell lines. The enhancer-luciferase activity is higher in neuroblastoma cell lines, IMR32, BE2 and SH-SY5Y, compared with those in non-neuroblastoma cell lines, U1242 glioma, N417 small cell lung cancer and EOMA hemangioma. The core enhancer was determined within a 0.2 kb fragment, yielding three- to fourfold higher activity than that of the MASH1 promoter alone in IMR32 and BE2. This area possesses GATA- and CREB-binding sites, as well as the E-box. EMSA on this area demonstrated that CREB/ATF could bind the DNA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that N-myc, CREB, and co-activators CBP and PCAF, but not HDAC1, are bound to the core enhancer at the same time as the co-activators and N-myc bind to the promoter. This supports the idea that the commonly overexpressed genes HASH1 and N-myc are regulated in concert, confirming their importance as prognostic markers or targets for therapy.Cancer Gene Therapy (2007) 14, 287–296. doi:10.1038/sj.cgt.7701012; published online 24 November 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, polysulfone (PSF)–Fe3O4 composite ultrafiltration membrane was made by phase-inversion process and its structure of surface and cross-section was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Especially its ultrafiltration performance in magnetic field was studied by determining the variation of rejection to lysozyme. As a result, the addition of nano-sized Fe3O4 particles had an important influence on membrane performance in magnetic field. The rejection to lysozyme declined obviously in magnetic field, however, when the magnetic field was moved away, the rejection made a comeback quickly. While the rejection of the PSF membrane remained invariable in magnetic field. Furthermore, with the increase of the magnetic intensity, the rejection declined more obviously. Hence, the result indicated that it was possible to separate different substances with a composite membrane in turn by altering the magnetic intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We calculate the axial and the induced pseudoscalar form-factors GA(t=-Q2) and GP(t=-Q2) of the nucleons in the framework of the light-cone QCD sum-rules approach up to twist-6 three valence quark light-cone distribution amplitudes, and observe that the form-factors GA(t=-Q2) and GP(t=-Q2) at intermediate and large momentum transfers with Q2>2 GeV2 have significant contributions from the end-point (soft) terms. The numerical values for the axial form-factor GA(t=-Q2) are compatible with the experimental data and theoretical calculations; for example, the chiral quark models and lattice QCD. The numerical values for the induced pseudoscalar form-factor GP(t=-Q2) are compatible with the calculation from the Bethe–Salpeter equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To determine allopurinol treatment patterns and adherence to published standards of care for patients with gout. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective claims analysis in a managed care database included patients 18 years or older, with continuous eligibility for 1 year before and after the start date and 2 or more visits during which the gout disease code (274.xx) was assigned or 1 or more pharmacy prescriptions for a gout-specific medication between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2002 (intake period). Factors associated with compliance with allopurinol therapy were measured based on the medication possession ratio, and adherence to 2 quality-of-care indicators for gout management was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 64.9% of allopurinol users had a modal daily dose or the most commonly observed daily dose of 300 mg/d, median length of therapy was 3 months, and a high proportion of patients had a medication possession ratio of 10% or less. Suggested quality-of-care Indicators for gout had low performance: 53% of patients with renal impairment received a modal daily dose of 300 mg or greater, and 83% of patients who started taking allopurinol did not have their serum urate levels measured within 180 days. Patients with gout flares were less likely to be compliant with allopurinol (odds ratio, 0.50; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.63). Patients with renal impairment at baseline were 3.2 times more likely to undergo serum urate testing than patients without renal impairment (odds ratio, 3.20; 95% confidence Interval, 1.25-8.23). CONCLUSION: There was low compliance with allopurinol therapy for treatment of gout. Patients potentially received suboptimal quality of care as measured by serum urate testing and appropriateness of allopurinol dosing in patients with renal impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study the magnetic moment of the pentaquark state Θ+(1540) as a diquark-diquark-antiquark ( $[ud][ud]\bar{s}$ ) state with the QCD sum rules in an external weak electromagnetic field (EFSR) and the light-cone QCD sum rules (LCSR) respectively. The numerical results indicate that the magnetic moment is about $\mu_{\Theta^ + } = -(0.11\pm 0.02)\mu_N$ for the EFSR and $\mu_{\Theta^ + }\approx-(0.1$ - $0.5)\mu_N$ for the LCSR. As the values obtained from the EFSR are more stable than the corresponding ones from the LCSR, $\mu_{\Theta^ + } = -(0.11\pm 0.02)\mu_N$ is more reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crosswell seismic data recorded at 620–650 m offsets in an oil-bearing sand/shale reservoir formation at the Liaohe Oil Field, northeast China, provide robust evidence for waveguide action by low-velocity reservoir layers. Crosswell-section velocity models derived from survey-well sonic logs and further constrained by observed waveguide seismic wavegroup amplitudes and phases yield plausible evidence for interwell reservoir–sand continuity and discontinuity. A pair of back-to-back Liaohe crosswell vector-seismic surveys were conducted using a source well between two sensor wells at 650 and 620 m offsets along a 200-m-thick reservoir formation dipping 7° down-to-east between depths of 2.5 and 3 km. A downhole orbital vibrator generated seismic correlation wavelets with frequency range 50–350 Hz and signal/noise ratio up to 5:1 over local downhole ambient noise. The sensor wells were instrumented with a mobile 12- to 16-level string of clamped vector-motion sensor modules at 5 m intervals. Using 5 m source depth increments, crosswell Surveys 1 and 2 cover source/sensor well intervals above and through the reservoir of, respectively, 600 m/600 m (13 000 vector traces in 9 common sensor fans) and 300 m/560 m (7000 vector traces in 7 common sensor fans). Survey 1 common sensor gathers show clear, consistent high-amplitude 20 ms waveletgroup lags behind the first-arrival traveltime envelope. Such arrivals are diagnostic of seismic low-velocity waveguides connecting the source and sensor wells. Observed Survey 1 retarded wavegroup depths tally with source and sensor depths in low-velocity layers identified in sonic well logs. Finite-difference acoustic model wavefields computed for waveguide acoustic layers constrained by well-log sonic velocity data match the observed waveguide traveltime and amplitude systematics. Model waveforms duplicate the observed m-scale and ms-scale sensitivity of waveguide spatio-temporal energy localization. Survey 2 crosswell data, in contrast, provide no comparable evidence for waveguide action despite a sensor-well sonic well log similar to that of Survey 1. Instead, acoustic wavefield modelling of Survey 2 data clearly favours an interpreted waveguide model with 10° downdip interrupted by a 75–100 m throw down-fault near the sensor well. The absence of clear waveguide arrivals is adequately explained by dispersal of waveguide energy at the fault discontinuity. Auxiliary well sonic velocity and lithologic logs confirm the model-implied 75–100 m of down-throw faulting near the sensor well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychromatic X-ray microdiffraction is an emerging tool for studying mesoscale structure and dynamics. Crystalline phase, orientation (texture), elastic and plastic strain can be nondestructively mapped in three dimensions with good spatial and angular resolution. Local crystallographic orientation can be determined to ∼0.01° and elastic strain tensor elements can be measured with a resolution of ∼10-4 or better. Complete strain tensor information can be obtained by augmenting polychromatic microdiffraction with a monochromatic measurement of one Laue-reflection energy. With differential-aperture depth profiling, volumes tens to hundreds of micrometers below the surface are accessible so that three-dimensional distributions of crystalline morphology including grain boundaries, triple points, second phases and inclusions can all be mapped. Volume elements below 0.25 μm³ are routinely resolved so that the grain boundary structure of most materials can be characterized. Here the theory, instrumentation and application of polychromatic microdiffraction are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several recent studies have linked human chromosome 1p to essential hypertension (EH) or blood pressure (BP) levels. In an independent population of 148 hypertensive families from China we tested these findings. Thirty highly informative microsatellite markers spanning about 284 cM were genotyped. Qualitative linkage analysis was conducted using non-parametric linkage analysis implemented within the GENEHUNTER 2.0 software, whereas quantitative analysis was performed with the variance-component method integrated in the S.O.L.A.R. 1.7.4. software with an additional Haseman-Elston method using the SAGE/SIBPAL2 program. We observed suggestive linkage between D1S2890 (1p31, 80.9 cM) and hypertension using the multipoint non-parametric linkage analysis (NPL= 2.19, P= 0.01). In the quantitative analysis we didn't observe a significant excess of identity-by-descent allele sharing between the systolic blood pressure levels and the markers. However, the D1S207 microsatellite marker (1p21) which is located about 107 cM from the telomere of 1p showed weak linkage evidence with the diastolic blood pressure levels (LOD= 1.42). These findings suggest linkage of 1p31 with essential hypertension in the ethnic Chinese, and provide a potential clue for future studies involving candidate genes for hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioactive iodide uptake (RAIU) in thyroid follicular epithelial cells, mediated by the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), is the first rate-limiting step in iodide accumulation which provides a mechanism for effective radioiodide treatment for patients with thyroid cancer. We hypothesize that NIS gene transfer to non-thyroid tumor cells will enhance intracellular radioiodide accumulation and result in better tumor control. Here, we performed non-invasive tumor imaging and [sup 131]I therapy studies using rats bearing intracerebral F98 gliomas that have been retrovirally transduced with human NIS. Our results show that: (1) NIS is expressed in the intracerebrai F98/NIS gliomas; (2) F98/NIS gliomas can be imaged by [sup 99]mTcO[sub 4] (whose uptake is also mediated by NIS) and [sup 123]I scintigraphy; (3) significant amounts of radioiodide were retained in the tumors at 24 h after 1231 injection; (4) RAIU and NIS expression in the thyroid gland can be reduced by feeding a thyroxine-supplemented diet; and (5) survival time was increased in rats bearing F98/hNIS tumors by [sup 131]I treatmerit. These studies warrant further investigating tumor imaging and therapeutic strategies based on NIS gene transfer followed by radioiodide administration in a variety of human cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced immunogenicity has been reported following transfection of a variety of immunogenic tumors with the B7.1 co-stimulatory molecule. The purpose of the present study was to determine if transfection of a weakly immunogenic rat brain tumor, the F98 glioma, with the gene encoding B7.1 could enhance its immunogenicity. F98 cells were transfected with a plasmid containing the B7.1 gene, and stable transfectants (F98/B7.1) were obtained. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed the expression of B7.1 and MHC class I antigens on the cell surface. To investigate the effects of B7.1 expression on the tumorigenicity of the F98 glioma, Fischer rats were implanted intracerebrally with either F98 (wild-type) or F98/B7.1 transfected cells. No significant differences in survival times were noted. Mean survival times of 21.8 and 24.0 days were observed for the respective groups at a challenge dose of 10³ cells. These differences in survival time were not significant. To determine if expression of B7.1 enhanced the immunogenicity of the F98 glioma, rats were vaccinated weekly for 3 weeks with 10[sup 7] mitomycin C-treated F98 or F98/B7.1 cells injected subcutaneously and then challenged intracerebrally with F98 cells 1 week later. Unvaccinated animals or those that received wild-type F98 cells as a vaccine had a survival time (mean ± s.d.) of 22.3 ± 1.5 days following tumor challenge versus 20.0 ± 1.7 days for rats that had been vaccinated with F98/B7.1. Although we recognize that it might be possible to design more effective vaccination regimes, nevertheless, our data indicate that transfection of the B7.1 gene into the F98 rat glioma did not enhance its immunogenicity, and that other approaches will be required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite films for underwater sound absorption applications are presented. Films were fabricated by a spin coating method and characterized using XPS, FTIR, TGA, SEM, tensile testing, and elastic cold-neutron scattering. The XPS results reveal the addition of surfactant and carboxyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT-COOH) increased the components of C and O atoms by 4.12% and 2.81%, respectively, compared to the native PDMS film. The addition of MWCNT-COOH and surfactants to the PDMS also significantly improved the thermal stability (700 °C) of the nanocomposite material compared to pure PDMS. Tensile property measurements of PDMS nanocomposites indicate that the addition of 2 wt% of MWCNT-COOH significantly improves the elastic modulus by 48% compared to the pure PDMS. The addition of surfactant nonetheless decreases the Young's modulus by 34% compared to pure PDMS, due to changes in the microstructure of the PDMS matrix. The advantage of the decreased Young's modulus is to avoid acoustic impedance mismatch. The surface morphology detected by SEM indicates that the surfactant can improve the dispersion of MWCNT-COOH in the PDMS films. Further, the elastic cold-neutron scattering results demonstrate the diffusive motions near the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the nanocomposite films, providing in-depth details of the dynamic alignment of the inclusions within the material matrix. The PDMS/MWCNT-COOH/surfactant nanocomposite exhibited a sound absorption coefficient of 0.25, which was far higher than the PDMS control materials. This positive result indicates these PDMS nanocomposite films have promising future underwater sound absorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunotherapy has been found to be efficient in a variety of cancers and, therefore, may be a promising strategy for breast cancer (BC), particularly due to the limited therapeutic options currently available for triple-negative BC (TNBC). However, heterogeneity of tumor mutation burden (TMB), immune gene expression and mismatch repair (MMR) gene activity across BC subtypes has not been well characterized. In the present study, a comprehensive analysis of TMB, expression levels of immune cell type marker genes, and expression levels of MMR-associated genes was performed. A total of 5 MMR-associated genes, including MLH1, MLH3, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2, were analyzed. Patients that harbored at least two MMR genes with expression levels in the lower 10% percentile across the cohort were considered as potentially aberrant (lost expression). Hormone receptor (HR)-negative BC is associated with a higher TMB and immune gene expression compared with HR-positive BC [TMB, estrogen receptor (ER)-negative vs. ER-negative, 55 vs. 32, respectively; P=4.1×10−13; progesterone receptor (PR)-negative vs. PR-positive, 53 vs. 31, respectively; P<2.2×10−16]. By contrast, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative BC tended to have a lower TMB and decreased immune gene expression compared with HER2-positive BC (TMB, HER2-negative vs. HER2-positive, 36 vs. 48, respectively; P=0.02). Furthermore, aberrant expression of MMR genes was found to be more common in HR-negative compared with HR-positive BC (P<0.001). Significantly higher expression levels of each immune marker gene of four major immune cell types were found in patients who were HR-negative compared with patients who were HR-positive (P<0.001). The findings of the present study suggest that HR-negative or HER2-positive BC exhibits elevated TMB and immunogenic activity, and immunotherapeutic options are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary fibrosis has been reported as a common complication of severe COVID-19, especially in patients who have undergone ARDS or mechanical ventilation treatment. As innate lymphocytes, NK cells play important roles in antiviral immunity and inhibit the progression of organ fibrosis. The exploration of key NK populations will clarify their role in the progression of COVID-19 and provide crucial cues for the treatment of post-COVID pulmonary fibrosis. Single-cell transcriptome data from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of COVID-19 patients and healthy donors were analyzed on normalized expression matrices of all cells screened. After annotation according to the marker genes, NK cells were extracted for further clustering and subsequent analyses of gene expression profiling, gene set enrichment, and molecular interaction. Reduced-dimensional clustering showed that NK cells in BALF were divided into 10 subpopulations. Compared with healthy persons, NK cells in the lungs of COVID-19 patients showed higher activated features and up-regulation of IFN-related genes. However, the GZMs+PRF1+ subpopulation was only 30% of the total NK cells and highly expressed apoptotic genes of Bax and BCL2L11 in severe patients, which may lead to insufficiency and poor cytotoxicity. In severe patients, AREG+ subpopulation was enriched in the lungs and decreased the expression of TNFSF10, FasL, and CCR2, which indicated under-recruitment and impaired antifibrosis function. Our data showed that NK cells decreased in BALF of severe COVID-19 patients, especially the effector/cytotoxic NK subset very significantly decreased. The impaired activity of antifibrotic NK cells may be associated with collagen deposition and senescent cell accumulation in the lungs with severe SARS-COV-2 infection. Improving the antiviral function and antifibrosis ability may be valid measures to prevent severe COVID-19 and reduce fibrosis complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first comprehensive study on additive manufacturing of a high-melting near-eutectic Mo–Si–B alloy by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). An overview about the ambient and high temperature material properties of a Mo-16.5Si-7.5B alloy is given. Therefore, the near-eutectic Mo–Si–B alloy was gas atomized and the powder was analyzed. After developing suitable process parameters for the generation of crack-free samples, the microstructure of the L-PBF material was analyzed in detail using SEM/EDS and EBSD analyses. In terms of mechanical properties, the brittle-to-ductile transformation temperature (BDTT) and the creep rate at a potential application temperature were determined. • Crack free Mo–Si–B alloy with high density processed with L-PBF. • Microstructure in thermodynamic equilibrium. • Brittle-ductile transition temperature is around 1150 °C. • Creep properties of additive manufactured Mo–Si–B samples are between powder metallurgic and cast samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical technique for integrating the fully elliptic Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes and diffusion equations has been used to investigate the effect of ambient density stratification on the flow characteristics of a vertical force plume in a cross-flow of a stably linear stratified environment. A two-equation k -ε turbulence model is employed to simulate the turbulent transport quantities and to close the solving problem. Some basic flow features and a structure for the interaction of the buoyant jets with a density-stratified cross-flow are obtained. The results show that the ambient stratification tends to inhibit the flow development of the buoyant source and to encourage the formation of secondary and third vortex pairs in the jet cross section as a plume flowing downstream. It then results in causing the jet-flow oscillation from its maximum height-of-rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the coordination behaviour of Ni2+ and Co2+ in choline chloride–carboxylic acid (malonic, succinic, glutaric, glycolic and lactic acid) deep eutectic solvents (DES's) using UV/Vis and FT-IR spectroscopy is reported. In all systems Co2+ was observed to form the [CoCl 4 ]2−. This species was also observed for solutions of CoCl 2 and CoO in a choline chloride–lactic acid deep eutectic solvent. Ni2+ showed more complex chemistry, with speciation being dictated by whether the carboxylic acid was mono- or di-acidic. The [NiCl 4 ]2− species was dominant in DES's containing dicarboxylic acids, but in DES containing monocarboxylic acids, an octahedral species was present alongside the tetrachloronickelate ion. FT-IR confirms that the acid is involved in coordinating to the metal centre. This is the first time this behaviour has been reported in the literature, and sheds light on the relative strength of the interactions between metals and solvent molecules in DES. The research presented here, in relation to previously reported works, highlights the importance of process conditions on metal speciation in DES. Of particular importance is the presence of water, as this can effect Co2+ and Ni2+ speciation even when the same DES is used. Our data show no difference in Co2+ speciation when using either chloride or oxide as the metal ion source. • Co2+ and Ni2+ speciation was investigated in choline chloride–carboxylic acid DES. • Co2+ formed [CoCl 4 ]2− species in all systems studied. • Ni2+ formed [NiCl 4 ]2− species in DES containing dicarboxylic acid HBD's. • Monocarboxylic acid HBD's coordinate with Ni2+ in DES. • Oxide or chloride metal source had no effect on Co2+ speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (non-SCLC) benefits from first-line treatment with first generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, drug resistance is inevitable through different mechanisms and is dominated by the acquisition of the T790M mutation within EGFR, which occurs in ~50% of cases. The present study reports the case of a patient originally diagnosed with stage IA lung adenocarcinoma, with a recurrent tumor lesion in each side of the lungs following the surgical removal of the primary tumor. Erlotinib treatment of the recurrent tumors eliminated the tumor on the right side of the lung and resulted in the histological transformation of the tumor on the left side to SCLC following 6 years of treatment. Genetic profiling of the SCLC lesions using targeted next-generation sequencing identified different genetic alterations from the primary tumor, characterized by the newly acquired copy number loss of tumor protein p53 and transcriptional coreceptor 1, and the copy number gain of SRY-box 2. Continuation of treatment with chemotherapy and erlotinib demonstrated moderate disease control for ~1 year prior to the outbreak of a new lung lesion. Liquid biopsy profiling of circulating tumor DNA revealed the acquisition of KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase (KRAS) p.G12C mutation, indicating the occurrence of another resistance mechanism to erlotinib. During erlotinib treatment, the lung adenocarcinoma progressed through two atypical mechanisms, notably from the transformation to SCLC and the acquisition of the KRAS mutation to surpass EGFR inhibition. However, the combinational and interchanging usage of chemotherapy and TKI resulted in persistent and effective disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 90% of thyroid cancer belongs to the papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas based on pathological subtypes. Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma are generally associated with a good prognosis. In contrast, other pathological subtypes such as poorly-differentiated and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (PDTC and ATC) have a poor clinical outcome with a short life expectancy. To identify the genetic variations and biomarkers that may potentially distinguish the aggressive form of thyroid cancer, we performed a retrospective analysis of the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 50 patients who mainly displayed aggressive thyroid cancer using next-generation sequencing of 416 solid tumor-related genes. We adopted extensive bioinformatic analysis to vigorously remove germline single-nucleotide polymorphism and systematic sequencing errors, and report here that mutation in DNMT3A gene was significantly enriched in patients with PDTC or ATC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Doping zeolites with Fe and/or Ni increases the rate of coke formation. • The strength of acid sites is a core parameter for the formation of catalyst coke. • FeNi/ZSM-5 presents multifunctional characteristics, new and similar to Fe and Ni. • The chemical composition of coke and upgraded liquid show significant similarities. • A polymerization reaction pathway over metal-doped zeolites was identified. Abstract Using metal-doped zeolites in catalytic pyrolysis of biomass is a well-known approach to promote the formation of certain compounds. One of the major technical issues with such catalysts is their rapid deactivation due to coke formation. However, little is known about how metal-doping influences the characteristics of coking, such as coking rate and its composition. In this study, four different materials were experimentally evaluated based on their catalytic activity and coking characteristics: HZSM-5, Fe/ZSM-5, Ni/ZSM-5 and FeNi/ZSM-5. The materials were prepared and characterized followed by screening in a bench-scale setup for in-situ catalytic pyrolysis. The mass balance and composition of pyrolysis products including catalyst coke were analyzed. It was found that metal-doping increases the concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons in the liquid product from 59.0 to 82.8% of GC/MS peak area, especially monoaromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs) and naphthalenes. Fe mainly increases the selectivity of MAHs whereas Ni additionally promotes naphthalenes. FeNi/ZSM-5 reflects the combined effect of Fe- and Ni-doped catalysts. Regarding the catalyst coke composition, metal-doped catalysts present an increased concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons. For each catalyst, the chemical composition of the coke reflects the catalytic activity seen in vapor upgrading. Based on the findings in this work, a reaction pathway for metal-doped ZSM-5 and HZSM-5 is proposed. The results also show that metal-doping increases the formation of catalyst coke, mainly due to a higher concentration of strong acid sites. Also, the severity of coking was found to be dependent on the strength of acid sites. The coke yield increased from 3.5 wt% in the case of HZSM-5 to maximum 7.2 wt% over Fe/ZSM-5. At the same time metal-doping reduces the temperature of catalyst regeneration and catalyzes the oxidation of coke. Overall, this work presents a comparative study between catalyst activity and deactivation during thermochemical conversion of biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore whether leaf area of developing leaves was regulated by systemic irradiance signal from mature leaves, we investigated the leaf area, leaf anatomy, photosynthesis, auxin, gibberellin, and cytokinin contents of new developing leaves in soybean growing under conditions of shaded mature leaves (MS), shaded whole plants (WS), and under full sunlight (NS). The results showed that developing leaves under MS exhibited the higher leaf area and leaf mass than that of WS. Blade thickness, palisade tissue thickness, sponge tissue thickness, cell size, cell numbers, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, and cytokinin content of developing leaves under MS were lower, while auxin and gibberellin contents were higher than that of NS. These results indicate that the leaf area, leaf anatomy, and photosynthesis of developing leaves were regulated by the shading environment of mature leaves. Growth hormones may possibly act as candidate signal substances to systemic regulation of leaf area development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations are congenital lesions causing intracranial haemorrhage or permanent disability especially in young people. We investigated whether the vast majority or all brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations are associated with detectable tumour-related somatic mutations. In a cohort of 31 patients (21 with brain and 10 with spinal arteriovenous malformations), tissue and paired blood samples were analysed with ultradeep next generation sequencing of a panel of 422 common tumour genes to identify the somatic mutations. We used droplet digital polymerase chain reaction to confirm the panel sequenced mutations and identify the additional low variant frequency mutations. The association of mutation variant frequencies and clinical features were analysed. The average sequencing depth was 1077 ± 298×. High prevalence (87.1%) of KRAS/BRAF somatic mutations was found in brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations with no other replicated tumour-related mutations. The prevalence of KRAS/BRAF mutation was 81.0% (17 of 21) in brain and 100% (10 of 10) in spinal arteriovenous malformations. We detected activating BRAF mutations and two novel mutations in KRAS (p.G12A and p.S65_A66insDS) in CNS arteriovenous malformations for the first time. The mutation variant frequencies were negatively correlated with nidus volumes of brain (P = 0.038) and spinal (P = 0.028) arteriovenous malformations but not ages. Our findings support a causative role of somatic tumour-related mutations of KRAS/BRAF in the overwhelming majority of brain and spinal arteriovenous malformations. This pathway homogeneity and high prevalence implies the development of targeted therapies with RAS/RAF pathway inhibitors without the necessity of tissue genetic diagnosis.10.1093/brain/awy307_video1awy307media15978667388001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronous multiple primary malignant tumors (MPMTs) are rare in young adults. Genomic profiling of synchronous MPMTs has not been systematically investigated to elucidate their genetic associations, but may be important to assist diagnosis and guide appropriate treatment strategy. In the present study, mutation profiling was performed using targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) on 416 cancer-related genes in synchronous triple primary tumors of the lung, kidney and thyroid in a 32-year-old female patient. The patient was diagnosed with moderately differentiated lung adenocarcinoma (T2aN0M0; stage IB), renal clear cell carcinoma (T1aN0M0; stage I), and thyroid papillary carcinoma (T1N1aM0, stage III) by pathological assessments. Clinically actionable mutations in EGFR and BRAF genes were identified in the lung and the thyroid lesions, respectively. Three tumors demonstrated distinct genomic profiles, suggesting that all tumors were independent primary tumors, which was consistent with histopathological assessment. Three potential germline cancer susceptibility mutations were shared between this patient and her father who was diagnosed with lung cancer. The present results demonstrated that, in the context of identical germline background and environmental exposure, multiple synchronous tumors in the same patient may have distinct mutation profiles and can be driven by distinct molecular events. Combination therapies may need to be considered during treatment decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exchange bias (EB) effect in aligned Co/CoO core–shell nanowires with high aspect ratio was studied. Large EB fields of about 2.2 and 1 kOe in easy axis and hard axis, respectively, were obtained after field cooling. We demonstrate that both antiferromagnetic (AFM) grains and the interfacial spin glass make strong contribution to the observed EB, which is demonstrated with both the cooling field dependence of the EB field and the training effect at different temperatures. The difference in the thermal activation temperature for these two magnetic states leads to a bimodal distribution of the blocking temperature which, in combination with the interplay between the fluctuating spin-ordered AFM grains and the demagnetizing field of Co core, is likely to explain the anomalous drop of coercivity at the temperature in range from 200 to 110 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Large Eddy Simulation (LES) based fire field model that incorporates pyrolysis modelling has been developed. This model is specifically designed for flame propagation of wildland fire scenarios. It uniquely embraces the radiation heat feedback from the flame, gaseous combustion and soot products towards the fuel bed surface. It also considers the detailed chemical kinetics for combustion, primary soot incipient and oxidant for soot formation, turbulent microscopic fuel–air mixing which are fully coupled, interactive and non-linear. Numerical simulation has been performed to study the effect of slope angle on the flame propagation characteristic of pine needle fuel beds. The fire spread rate and temperature predictions are within 12% accuracy in comparison to experimental data. Owing to the unbalanced air entrainment drew by the flame combustion for the inclined slope angle cases, it can be observed from the visualised flame that it was tilted to the unburned portion of the board. This behaviour strongly promotes the radiative heat transfer from the flame onto the fuel bed, which led to a rapid increase in pyrolysis rate thus accelerated the overall flame spread on the board surface. This physical phenomenon was successfully captured by the pyrolysis model and was found to be significantly more accurate in predicting the fire spread rate for slope angles higher than 20° (error of 11.12%) when compared to empirical flame tracking methods (error of 87.19%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuary protection is a fundamental part of watershed management. However, land reclamation activities affect species distribution patterns and cause ecological degradation. To improve watershed management, we studied the distribution patterns of three typical salt marsh species and their interspecific interactions along groundwater table depth and salinity gradients using an index of Field Box Dimension and a Relative Interaction Index. We also simulated the groundwater gradient after two typical land reclamation activities, sea reclamation and embanking, after ten years. Our results showed that sea reclamation will change the location of the groundwater salinity peak along a land-to-sea transect and that there is no salinity peak after embanking. Vegetation distribution patterns also differed, from a zonal pattern (in salt marsh) to a mosaic pattern (after embanking). The decrease in the salinity gradient of the non-core area is an important cause for the differences we found in vegetation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: ALK‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been proven effective for treating ALK‐positive non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although patients present with variable responses and disease progression courses. The detailed underlying molecular mechanisms require further investigation to yield a better prognosis. Methods: Targeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS) mutation profiling was performed on samples from 42 NSCLC patients confirmed positive for ALK rearrangements by fluorescence in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry who experienced disease progression after crizotinib treatment. Results: ALK rearrangements were not confirmed in six patients (14%) with other potential oncogenic drivers identified by NGS, who therefore did not respond to crizotinib and had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) compared to NGS ALK ‐positive patients. Fifteen ALK activating mutations were detected in 8 out of 26 post‐treatment samples (31%), among which ALK L1196M and G1269A were the most common acquired mutations detected in half of the patients with ALK activating mutations. Dynamic monitoring of the genetic evolution in one patient revealed both spatial and temporal heterogeneity of resistant mechanisms during different ALK‐TKI treatment courses. Activation of ALK downstream or bypass pathways was detected in patients without ALK activating mutations, such as genetic alterations in PIK3CA, MET, and KRAS. Interestingly, we identified two patients with acquired mutations in the DNA mismatch repair gene POLE, which resulted in a dramatically increased tumor mutation burden, and might contribute to the poor response to crizotinib. Conclusions: Heterogeneous resistant mechanisms have been identified and correlate to diverse responses to crizotinib. Comprehensive and dynamic mutation profiling is required to better predict clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the synthesis of iron oxide composite particles via an inverse miniemulsion method. Importance of encapsulating magnetic nanoparticles in silica as an approach in the development of magnetic nanoparticles for technological and biomedical applications; Means of controlling the coating of silica on magnetic nanoparticle cores; Patterns of x-ray diffraction for the iron oxide nanoparticles; Ways to prevent composite particles from aggregation.

In-DRAM processing circuit is able to reduce operation time and power consumption than the traditional CPU + MEMORY system in performing the complicated computation such as convolution. These benefits are gained by bitwise and parallel processing of the in-DRAM convolution circuit. To realise the in-DRAM circuit, an inter-bank processing circuit is proposed with bitwise summation/ comparison circuit for performing convolution inside DRAM. Compared to the intra-bank bitwise operation, the inter-bank circuit can significantly reduce the power consumption and the number of row activation cycles to accomplish convolution. For the number of cycles, the inter-bank circuit takes only 65 cycles for calculating 16 × 16 feature map. On the contrary, the intra-bank needs as many as 192 cycles. In terms of power consumption, the inter-bank circuit consumes smaller power by 35% than the intra-bank. In the proposed in-DRAM processing circuit, no complicated multiplier and adder are needed in performing the convolution. The Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology (MNIST) recognition rate of the proposed bitwise processing circuit can be as high as 97.28%, indicating very little loss due to the ternary kernels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Fibrosis‐4 index (FIB‐4) is a surrogate marker for hepatic fibrosis in hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers. Aim: To investigate whether FIB‐4 index stratifies the risks of adverse liver events. Methods: A total of 2075 treatment‐naïve, noncirrhotic the patients with chronic HBV infection were included. Most of them (82.1%) were HBeAg‐negative patients and their baseline FIB‐4 levels were explored to stratify the risks of cirrhosis, cirrhosis‐related complications and liver‐related mortality. Results: During a mean follow‐up period of 15.47 years, we found a higher baseline FIB‐4 index was associated with increased incidence rates of cirrhosis in addition to the common host and viral factors. Patients with FIB‐4 >1.29, compared to those with FIB‐4 <1.29, were associated with increased risks of cirrhosis, cirrhosis‐related complications and liver‐related mortality with the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of 6.19 (4.76‐8.05), 6.88, (3.68‐12.86) and 7.79, (4.54‐13.37) respectively. Within the first 3 years of follow‐up, FIB‐4 remained stable and its kinetics were consistently associated with the develoopment of adverse liver events. Furthermore, FIB‐4 index of 1.29 was able to stratify all the risks of adverse liver events even in HBeAg‐negative patients with a low risk of disease progression (HBV DNA <2000 IU/mL, HBsAg <1000 IU/mL and ALT <40 U/L). Only 1 patient with FIB‐4 index <1.29 developed cirrhosis but not other events within 15 years of follow‐up. Conclusions: In noncirrhotic patients with chronic HBV infection, a higher FIB‐4 index was associated with increased risks of adverse liver events. FIB‐4 index <1.29 is useful for the prediction of the lowest risks of disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatigue specimens of A508-3 steel were irradiated in the swimming-pool test reactor in China Institute of Atomic Energy, the fluence was 3 × 10 19 n/cm 2 at 300 °C, then low-cycle fatigue tests were carried out at ambient temperature, with the fatigue strain range is 0.32–1.8%. The results indicate that, irradiated A508-3 specimens exhibit cyclic softening and instability behavior during the test, and the cyclic softening rate increased with strain range increased; fatigue life decreased from 1.7 × 10 5 to about 5 × 10 2 , as the strain range increased from 0.32% to 1.8%, the fatigue life of A508-3 steel increased after the neutron irradiation; fatigue fracture initiated at the surface of specimen, and more individual cracks formed on the specimens of higher strain range compared with the specimens of lower strain range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farnesyltransferase inhibitors have been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of tumours. In sepsis, the binding of programmed death 1 (PD-1) to programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) promotes lymphocyte apoptosis and decreases cytokine expression, thus affecting survival rates. The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway plays an important role in chronic viral infection, bacterial infection and sepsis. However, the precise immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory functions of this pathway remain poorly understood. In our previous study, the induction of sepsis by caecal ligation and puncture (CLP) resulted in increased farnesyltransferase activity and farnesylated protein levels in the spleen relative to sham treatment. However, the effect of inhibition of farnesyltransferase activity on overall survival rates in patients with sepsis and the specific signalling pathway involved remain to be investigated. In this study, mice with CLP-induced sepsis were treated with farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI-277), and PD-L1 expression on septic spleen lymphocytes was examined. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that PD-L1 is expressed constitutively on lymphocytes and that PD-L1 protein expression was up-regulated strongly following CLP. FTI-277 down-regulated PD-L1 mRNA and protein expression on septic spleen lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was associated closely with nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). In addition, the significant damping effect of FTI-277 on the PD-L1 signal promoted interferon (IFN)-γ secretion, interleukin (IL)-2 production and splenocyte proliferation in response to anti-CD3+CD28+ antibodies in mice. Furthermore, FTI-277 reduced spleen lymphocyte apoptosis in septic mice. Therefore, FTI-277 regulates spleen lymphocyte activity via the PD-L1 signalling pathway, with significant anti-inflammatory effects attributable to suppression of the NF-κB pathway. Farnesyltransferase represents a valuable therapeutic target for the treatment of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of the mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEA) on nutrient availability, serum enzyme activities, and genital organ indices of growing-laying hens, and the mitigating effects of a montmorillonite clay adsorbent Calibrin-A (CA) was also evaluated. The experiment was conducted for 49 d using 720 70-day-old Hy-Line Brown growing-laying hens. Hens fed a corn-soybean meal-whey basal diet or ZEA-contaminated diets with or without CA. The treatments were as follows: (1) (Control); (2) Control + 0.15% CA; (3) ZEA0.4; and (4) ZEA0.4 + 0.15% CA. Zearalenone contaminated diet had no effect (P > 0.05) on apparent metabolic rate. In hens fed the ZEA0.4 diet, serum aspartate amino transferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities had significantly increased compared with control (P < 0.05). Relative oviduct weight and relative ovary weight were heavier in hens fed the ZEA0.4 diet than in the control group (P < 0.05). Degeneration and atrophy of the ovarian tissues was also found in hens fed the ZEA0.4 diet. The result reflects granular film of developing follicles in ovarian follicular wall portion and the intima separate theca folliculi. Addition of clay adsorbent in the ZEA0.4 diet showed a positive protective effect on ZEA toxicity. In hens fed a basal diet with clay alone, there was no significant impact (P > 0.05) on any variable compared to the control. In conclusion, feeding a 0.4 mg/kg ZEA0.4 diet for 49 days might result in deleterious effects on growing-laying hens, and the addition of CA can effectively neutralize the detrimental effects of ZEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water sustainability in megacities is a growing challenge with far-reaching effects. Addressing sustainability requires an integrated, multidisciplinary approach able to capture interactions among hydrology, population growth, and socioeconomic factors and to reflect changes due to climate variability and land use. We developed a new systems modeling framework to quantify the influence of changes in land use, crop growth, and urbanization on groundwater storage for Beijing, China. This framework was then used to understand and quantify causes of observed decreases in groundwater storage from 1993 to 2006, revealing that the expansion of Beijing's urban areas at the expense of croplands has enhanced recharge while reducing water lost to evapotranspiration, partially ameliorating groundwater declines. The results demonstrate the efficacy of such a systems approach to quantify the impacts of changes in climate and land use on water sustainability for megacities, while providing a quantitative framework to improve mitigation and adaptation strategies that can help address future water challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonresonant N K, O K, C K, and S L2,3 X-ray emission spectra of the 20 most common proteinogenic amino acids in their solid zwitterionic form are reported. They represent a comprehensive database that can serve as a reliable basis for the X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XES) studies of peptides and proteins. At the most important N and O K edges, clear similarities and differences between the spectra of certain amino acids are observed and associated with the specific chemical structure of these molecules and their functional groups. Analysis of these spectra allows the generation of spectral fingerprints of the protonated amino group, the deprotonated carboxylic group, and, using a building block approach, the specific nitrogen- and oxygen-containing functional groups in the side chains of the amino acids. Some of these fingerprints are compared to the spectra of reference compounds with the respective functional groups; they exhibit reasonable similarity, underlining the validity of the spectral fingerprint approach. The C K and S L2,3 XES spectra are found to be specific for each amino acid, in accordance with the different local environments of the involved C and S atoms, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercropping often results in increasing production than sole per unit land area, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Plants showed different physiological characteristics in intercropping and sole. However, less information was shown the relationships between plant aboveground biomass (AB), phosphorus accumulation (PB) and remobilization and the yield advantage. Here, field experiments were designed as split plot and carried out in 2012 and 2013 with three P levels (0, 40 and 80 kg P ha-1) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/ maize (Zea mays L.) relay intercropping and sole. The study measured grain yield, AB and P accumulation and remobilization of wheat. Averaged grain yield of intercropping wheat increased 3.9 Mg ha-1 in 2012 and 2.7 Mg ha-1 in 2013 compared with that of the corresponding sole and the grain yield of intercropping wheat changed with the border row (BR) > the inner row (IR) > the sole wheat (SR), the grain yield in BR was contributed by 58.2% to intercropping wheat. The PA was consistent with AB accumulation, which in intercropping was higher than that in sole over the entire growing season. Close correlations between yield and AB remobilization and P remobilization were observed. The yield of BR was higher from 39.3% to 88.0% than that of SR wheat, as mainly attributed to more AB and P accumulation across the whole growing season and more remobilization from pre-anthesis to grain filling stage. More than 40 kg P ha-1 did not result in any further increasing in yield and did not enhanced the physiological processes associated with AB and P remobilization, indicating that P fertilizer and agronomic management should be intensified synchronously in field to achieve high yield and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]