Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key stroma cells that play dominant roles in tumor progression. However, the CAFs-derived molecular determinants that regulate colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis and chemoresistance have not been fully characterized. Methods CAFs and NFs were obtained from fresh CRC and adjacent normal tissues. Exosomes were isolated from conditioned medium and serum of CRC patients using ultracentrifugation method and ExoQuick Exosome Precipitation Solution kit, and characterized by transmission electronic microscopy, nanosight and western blot. MicroRNA microarray was employed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in exosomes secreted by CAFs or NFs. The internalization of exosomes, transfer of miR-92a-3p was observed by immunofluorescence. Boyden chamber migration and invasion, cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, plate colony formation, sphere formation assays, tail vein injection and primary colon cancer liver metastasis assays were employed to explore the effect of NFs, CAFs and exosomes secreted by them on epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stemness, metastasis and chemotherapy resistance of CRC. Luciferase report assay, real-time qPCR, western blot, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry staining were employed to explore the regulation of CRC metastasis and chemotherapy resistance by miR-92a-3p, FBXW7 and MOAP1. Results CAFs promote the stemness, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), metastasis and chemotherapy resistance of CRC cells. Importantly, CAFs exert their roles by directly transferring exosomes to CRC cells, leading to a significant increase of miR-92a-3p level in CRC cells. Mechanically, increased expression of miR-92a-3p activates Wnt/β-catenin pathway and inhibits mitochondrial apoptosis by directly inhibiting FBXW7 and MOAP1, contributing to cell stemness, EMT, metastasis and 5-FU/L-OHP resistance in CRC. Clinically, miR-92a-3p expression is significantly increased in CRC tissues and negatively correlated with the levels of FBXW7 and MOAP1 in CRC specimens, and high expression of exosomal miR-92a-3p in serum was highly linked with metastasis and chemotherapy resistance in CRC patients. Conclusions CAFs secreted exosomes promote metastasis and chemotherapy resistance of CRC. Inhibiting exosomal miR-92a-3p provides an alternative modality for the prediction and treatment of metastasis and chemotherapy resistance in CRC.

Mainstream green has recently swept the construction industry throughout the world. Building envelope and material are two important aspects of green building evaluation. As the growing development of new green building concept \"human-orientation design\", raw earth, as a natural, locally sourced, minimally processed, and recyclable material that is very different from concrete, becomes one of the most attractive options. Most architects pay attention to the aesthetic design of the raw earth wall, while other researchers like civil engineers focus on the physical properties of raw earth material itself. Few studies discussed the effect of the raw earth wall in building a thermal environment. This paper firstly conducts a parametric study on the thermal performance of raw earth wall with the consideration of thermophysical properties of materials, application of thermal insulation layer in the wall, and design parameters, i.e. thickness, of each layer of the wall. A naturally ventilated public building in Shanghai is then simulated to discuss the feasibility and the most optimum strategy of raw earth wall applications as building envelope in the sub-tropical high-density cities. Based on comprehensive data analysis, four findings are identified: (1) Compared with common building materials like concrete, raw earth materials have significant advantages in two thermophysical parameters - thermal transmittance and thermal effusivity which directly influence the indoor air temperature; (2) Thickness and structure of both raw earth layer and insulation layer are two important design parameters to meet the requirements of the indoor thermal environment; (3) Raw earth wall performs better than the standardized \"Green Wall\" based on local green building standards; (4) In terms of thermal performance, \"Raw Earth Wall with External Insulation\" is more suitable in subtropics. However, \"Raw Earth Wall with Sandwich Insulation\" is more recommended if pursuing the beauty of raw earth materials, because the thermal performances of \"Raw Earth Wall with Sandwich Insulation\" and Raw Earth Wall with External Insulation\" are almost the same in summer, and very close in winter.

Background: Deleted in liver cancer-1 (DLC-1) is a tumour suppressor gene that is inactive in liver carcinogenesis. It encodes a ρ-guanosine triphosphatase-activating protein (ρ-GAP) and maps to one of the deleted regions (8p21.3–22). Little is known, however, about the methylation status of the DLC-1 promoter in myeloma cells. Aim: To identify whether methylation of DLC-1 was associated in pathogenesis of multiple myeloma. Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect DLC-1 transcripts in RPMI 8226, U266, OPM-2 and XG-2 cell lines. The methylation status was determined by methylation-specific PCR followed by bisulphite DNA sequencing in these four cell lines and in the bone marrow of 14 patients with multiple myeloma and 4 normal patients. DLC-1 mRNA expression in cells with or without treatment with 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) or trichostatin A (TSA) was investigated by real-time RT-PCR. Results: RPMI 8226 and U266 showed complete methylation and XG-2 showed partial methylation. DLC-1 was expressed only in OPM-2 cell lines that showed no methylation. DLC-1 methylation was shown in 11 of 14 (78%) patients with multiple myeloma and none of the normal controls. The exposure of cell lines to 5-aza-CdR or TSA resulted in the up regulation of DLC-1 gene expression. Conclusions:DLC-1 methylation is often present in multiple myeloma and has a key role in DLC-1 silencing.

The effects of service environment and pre-deformation on the fatigue behaviour of 2524 alloy were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fatigue tests. The results indicate that the fatigue crack-growth rate (FCGR) of the alloy in an aqueous environment increases with temperature ranging from 0 to 90 °C. At the same stress intensity factor range (Δ K ), the FCGR of the alloy in an argon environment is the smallest, followed by that in air, and a 3.5% NaCl fog environment, while that in an exfoliation corrosion (EXCO) solution is the largest. A pre-deformation of 2% can significantly enhance the fatigue crack propagation resistance of this alloy in argon, air, and 3.5% NaCl fog environments, while 5% pre-deformation weakens the fatigue crack propagation resistance of the alloy accordingly. The pre-deformation effect on the FCGR of alloy in the EXCO solution environment is limited.

L-band Electron Accelerator has been widely utilized for industrial irradiation. In this paper, we designed a constant-impedance, disk-loaded structure which operates on 2π/3 mode. CST and SUPERFISH code were used for the design of bunching and accelerating cavities respectively. The geometrical parameters of the cavities were studied, and optimized RF parameters were obtained. We calculated the beam dynamics which presented that the electrons can be accelerated to 50 MeV. The model cavities have been fabricated and tested. Some valuable experimental results were obtained, which can provide a beneficial datum for the design and manufacture of L-band travelling-wave accelerating structures of 50 MeV LINAC.

We show both numerically and experimentally that a dissipative type of Akhmediev-breathers (ABs) and Peregrine solitons (PSs) can be formed in a fiber laser, and their features could be well described by the laser Ginzburg-Landau equation. Moreover, we show that laser gain bandwidth limitation effect can arrest the dissipative ABs. Consequently, a stable one-dimensional periodic pulse train or periodic PS crystal structure can be formed. A kind of movable 'PSs' has also been obtained in our fiber laser. The solitons have a PS-like profile but exhibit similar features as those of the dissipative solitons formed in a mode locked fiber laser.

l-Carnitine, a key element in fatty acid metabolism and energy production, is biosynthesized from gamma-butyro-betaine by the catalysis of gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase (BBOX1). We cloned three different 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) alternative polyadenylation (APA) transcripts of the BBOX1 gene with different 3'UTR length (GenBank Accession Nos. KX431577, KX431578, KX431579). Two polymorphisms, NM_001101881.2: g.1797_1798insTGC and g.1935T>C, were revealed in 3'UTR of BBOX1 gene. They created or disrupted a restriction site for endonuclease BbvI and HincII, respectively. Moreover, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) g.1935T>C can create or disrupt polyadenylation signals PAS3 resulting in the presence of APA3 transcript variant. Marker-trait association analyses showed that the BBOX1-BbvI and BBOX1-HincII loci were significantly associated with muscle fibre diameter, shear force, net meat weight, and carcass weight (P < 0.01). Moreover, we also found a significant association of combined genotypes with cooking loss, muscle fibre diameter, shear force, net meat weight, and carcass weight (P < 0.01). The results of this study provide the evidence that polymorphisms in BBOX1 gene are associated with meat quality and carcass traits in Chinese Red cattle, and may be used as a candidate for marker assisted selection in beef cattle breeding program.

Fortified soil was made up of a mixture at a mass ratio 4/1000–6/1000 of sponge and natural soil according to the results of column experiment. The fortified soil had bigger porosity and higher hydraulic conductivity than the natural soil. The columns packed with 900 mm of the fortified soil endured a flow rate equivalent to 100 L/m2/d of septic tank effluent and the average chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, and phosphorus removal rates were around 92%, 75% and 96%, respectively. After 100 weeks of operation, the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the fortified soil kept higher than 0.2 m/d. The bigger porosity of sponge improved the effective porosity, and the bigger specific surface area of sponge acted as an ideal support for biomat growth and ensured the sewage treatment performance of the fortified soil. The comparable performance was due to a similar and sufficient degree of soil clogging genesis coupled with bioprocesses that effectively purified the septic tank effluent given the adequate retention times.

An approach for nanoscale 3-D tomography of organic carbon (OC) and associated mineral nanoparticles was developed to illustrate their spatial distribution and boundary interplay, using synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM). The proposed 3-D tomography technique was first applied to in situ observation of a laboratory-made consortium of black carbon (BC) and nanomineral (TiO2, 15 nm), and its performance was evaluated using dual-scan (absorption contrast and phase contrast) modes. This novel tool was then successfully applied to a natural OC–mineral consortium from mountain soil at a spatial resolution of 60 nm, showing the fine structure and boundary of OC, the distribution of abundant nano-sized minerals, and the 3-D organo-mineral association in situ. The stabilization of 3500-year-old natural OC was mainly attributed to the physical protection of nano-sized iron (Fe)-containing minerals (Fe oxyhydroxides including ferrihydrite, goethite, and lepidocrocite), and the strong organo-mineral complexation. In situ evidence revealed an abundance of mineral nanoparticles, in dense thin layers or nano-aggregates/clusters, instead of crystalline clay-sized minerals on or near OC surfaces. The key working minerals for C stabilization were reactive short-range-order (SRO) mineral nanoparticles and poorly crystalline submicron-sized clay minerals. Spectroscopic analyses demonstrated that the studied OC was not merely in crisscross co-localization with reactive SRO minerals; there could be a significant degree of binding between OC and the minerals. The ubiquity and abundance of mineral nanoparticles on the OC surface, and their heterogeneity in the natural environment may have been severely underestimated by traditional research approaches. Our in situ description of organo-mineral interplay at the nanoscale provides direct evidence to substantiate the importance of mineral physical protection for the long-term stabilization of OC. This high-resolution 3-D tomography approach is a promising tool for generating new insight into the interior 3-D structure of micro-aggregates, the in situ interplay between OC and minerals, and the fate of mineral nanoparticles (including heavy metals) in natural environments.

An experimental method of evaluating the fatigue behavior of alloys in different particle environments was designed, and the effects of four kinds of particles (i.e., graphite, CaO, Al 2 O 3 , and MnO 2 ) on the crack propagating behavior of 7N01-T6 behaviour alloys were investigated. The results show that the particles deposited on the crack surface exert significant influence on the fatigue crack propagation behavior thereof. This influence strongly depends on the elastic moduli of the particles ( E p ). As E p is less than that of aluminium alloy ( E Al ), the particle accelerates the fatigue-crack-growth rate (FCGR) in the alloys due to the lubrication of the particles on the mating fracture surfaces. When the difference between E p and E Al is small, the particle effect on the FCGRs of the alloys is small due to the counteraction between the decrease in friction and the promotion on the crack closure of mating fracture surfaces. When E p is greater than E Al , the particles slow down the FCGRs of the alloys on account of significant crack closure effect. As E p is much greater than E Al , the particles increase the FCGRs because of the increasing stress concentration at the crack tip.