AIMS: The influence of bacterial species/strains in agitated culture was investigated on the morphology and structure characteristics of bacterial cellulose. METHODS AND RESULTS: Komagataeibacter ...nataicola Y19 and Gluconacetobacter entanii ACCC10215 were inoculated in Hestrin–Schramm (HS) medium and subjected to agitated cultivation. Different kinds of BCs were obtained including flocky asterisk‐like BC by G. entanii ACCC10215 and solid sphere‐like BC by K. nataicola Y19. The SEM results showed that the asterisk‐like BC had larger pores than the solid sphere‐like BC. The FT‐IR and X‐ray diffraction results showed the asterisk‐like BC had lower crystallinity (81·43%), higher cellulose Iα mass fraction (79·74%) and smaller crystallite size. CONCLUSIONS: The different species/strains can influence the morphology and structure characteristics of BC in agitated culture. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: We examined the influence of different species/strains on the morphology, macro‐ and microstructure of BCs produced in agitated culture for the first time, which suggest that different BCs with potential applications could be obtained by choosing different species or strains and fermentation method.
A regulator of the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), α4, has been implicated in a variety of functions that regulate many cellular processes. To explore the role of α4 in human cell transformation and ...tumorigenesis, we show that α4 is highly expressed in human cells transformed by chemical carcinogens including benzo(a)pyrene, aflatoxin B(1), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, nickel sulfate and in several hepatic and lung cancer cell lines. In addition, overexpression of α4 was detected in 87.5% (74/80) of primary hepatocellular carcinomas, 84.0% (21/25) of primary lung cancers and 81.8% (9/11) of primary breast cancers, indicating that α4 is ubiquitously highly expressed in human cancer. Functional studies revealed that elevated α4 expression results in an increase in cell proliferation, promotion of cell survival and decreased PP2A-attributable activity. Importantly, ectopic expression of α4 permits non-transformed human embryonic kidney cells (HEKTER) and L02R cells to form tumors in immunodeficient mice. Furthermore, we show that the highly expressed α4 in transformed cells or human tumors is not regulated by DNA hypomethylation. A microRNA, miR-34b, that suppresses the expression of α4 through specific binding to the 3'-untranslated region of α4 is downregulated in transformed or human lung tumors. Taken together, these observations identify that α4 possesses an oncogenic function. Reduction of PP2A activity due to an enhanced α4-PP2A interaction contributes directly to chemical carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis.
Chemically modified graphene and polyaniline (PANI) nanofiber composites were prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of graphene oxide under acid conditions. The ...obtained graphene oxide/PANI composites with different mass ratios were reduced to graphene using hydrazine followed by reoxidation and reprotonation of the reduced PANI to give the graphene/PANI nanocomposites. The morphology, composition, and electronic structure of the composites together with pure polyaniline fibers (PANI-F), graphene oxide (GO), and graphene (GR) were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid-state 13C NMR, FT-IR, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the chemically modified graphene and the PANI nanofibers formed a uniform nanocomposite with the PANI fibers absorbed on the graphene surface and/or filled between the graphene sheets. Such uniform structure together with the observed high conductivities afforded high specific capacitance and good cycling stability during the charge−discharge process when used as supercapacitor electrodes. A specific capacitance of as high as 480 F/g at a current density of 0.1 A/g was achieved over a PANI-doped graphene composite. The research data revealed that high specific capacitance and good cycling stability can be achieved either by doping chemically modified graphenes with PANI or by doping the bulky PANIs with graphene/graphene oxide.
General relationship between strength and hardness Zhang, P.; Li, S.X.; Zhang, Z.F.
Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials : properties, microstructure and processing,
11/2011, Letnik:
529
Journal Article
Recenzirano
► The hardness is not an intrinsic property but reflects the hardening state in CG. ► The ratio of hardness to strength can also be reflected by indentation morphology. ► The ratio of hardness to ...strength increases with increasing parameter
α. ►
H
V
=
3
σ
UTS
is valid for materials with relatively high strength and better toughness.
Both hardness and strength are the important properties of materials, and they often obey the three times empirical relationship in work-hardened metals and some bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). But the relationships between strength and hardness are quite different for those coarse-grained (CG) and ultrafine-grained materials, brittle BMGs and ceramics. In the present work, some Cu alloys with different microstructures, Zr-, Co-based BMGs and Al
2O
3 were employed to analyze the general relationship between hardness and strength. Several different relationships could be gotten from the experimental results of different materials available, and three types of indentation morphologies were observed. Indentation with “sink-in” morphology always represents a state of material and one third of hardness is in the range from yield strength to ultimate tensile strength. The other two indentation morphologies induced the fully hardening of material, so hardness could represent the intrinsic mechanical property of materials. The ratios of hardness to strength are found to be affected by the piled-up behaviors and their ability of shear deformation. Combined effect of the two aspects makes hardness approximately be three times of strength in the work-hardened crystalline materials and the shearable BMGs, but higher than three times of strength in the brittle-, annealed BMGs and ceramics.
Abstract Background Gastric cancer is one of most common malignancies in the world. Currently the prognostic prediction is entirely based on the TNM staging system. In this study, we evaluated ...whether metastatic lymph node ratio (rN) at the time of surgery would improve the prognostic prediction in conjunction with the TNM staging system. Methods This retrospective study includes 745 patients, who had been referred for surgery due to gastric cancer between 1995 and 2007 and had at least 15 lymph nodes examined at the time of surgery without preoperative treatment. Clinicopathologic features and overall survival were analyzed using univariate and multivariate modes to identify the risk factors for overall survival. Results Median overall survival of all patients analyzed is 57.8 months and 5-year overall survival is 49.5%. Tumor site, macroscopic type, pTNM stage, and rN stage are identified as independent prognostic factors. Increased positive lymph node ratio correlates with shorter survival in all patients and in each T and N stage. In stage III gastric cancer patients, rN stage shows additional prognostic value on overall survival ( p < 0.001). Conclusions rN stage is a simple and promising prognostic factor of gastric cancer after surgery in addition to the TNM stage system especially in stage III patients. But the independent prognostic value of rN stage in stage I, II and IV gastric cancer is yet to be determined.
► In spring maize growing period of a sub-humid area, fallow field with wheat straw mulch had a fallow efficiency of 35%. ► Fallow field mulched with plastic sheets had a fallow efficiency of 46.1%. ...► Largest water loss by evaporation occurred during the hottest part of summer. ► Maize plant canopy significantly reduced evaporation due to uptake of soil water and shading of the soil surface.
A field experiment was conducted in a dry sub-humid area to study the effect of plastic sheet mulch and wheat straw mulch on water loss by evaporation (E) under fallow and cropped conditions and water use by transpiration (T) under cropped conditions. Results showed that during the entire spring maize (Zea mays L.) growing period with 305.1mm water of precipitation and irrigation from April 22 to August 28, fallow plots mulched with wheat straw conserved 106.9mm water in the 0–200cm soil layer with a fallow efficiency of 35% while those mulched with plastic sheets conserved 140.6mm water with a fallow efficiency of 46.1%. Although plastic film and wheat straw mulch significantly reduced water loss by E compared to non-mulch that had typically a fallow efficiency of 10–15%, water loss by E was still serious, with the largest water losses occurring during the hottest part of summer (July and August). During this period, it was difficult to reduce E, even when mulch was properly applied. In contrast, water losses due to E were much lower when maize plants were grown on the plots. In this case, maize plants continuously took up water from soil, leading to a reduction in the amount of soil water available for E. The large canopy shaded the soil surface and reduced water loss by evaporation. Only 20mm, or 6.3% water was estimated lost by evaporation for maize grown on plots covered with plastic mulch. We developed a regression equation between shoot dry matter and transpiration amounts from plastic sheet mulched plots to estimate water loss by E in non-mulched and wheat straw mulched plots. Results showed that non-mulched plots lost 30.2% and wheat straw mulched plots lost 24.5% of the water received during the maize-growing season to E.
The accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) has been observed in solid tumors and is correlated with tumor progression; however, the underlying mechanism is still poorly understood. ...In this study, we identified a mechanism by which tumor cells induce MDSC accumulation and expansion in the bladder cancer (BC) microenvironment via CXCL2/MIF-CXCR2 signaling. Elevated expression of CXCL2 and MIF and an increased number of CD33
MDSCs were detected in BC tissues, and these increases were significantly associated with advanced disease stage and poor patient prognosis (P<0.01). A positive association was observed between CXCL2 or MIF expression and the number of tumor-infiltrating CD33
MDSCs (P<0.01). Subsequently, we demonstrated that CD45
CD33
CD11b
HLA-DR
MDSCs from fresh BC tissues displayed high levels of suppressive molecules, including Arg1, iNOS, ROS, PDL-1 and P-STAT3, and stronger suppression of T-cell proliferation. Interestingly, these CD45
CD33
CD11b
HLA-DR
MDSCs exhibited increased CXCR2 expression compared with that in peripheral blood from BC patients or healthy controls (P<0.05). Chemotaxis assay revealed that bladder cancer cell line J82 induced MDSC migration via CXCL2/MIF-CXCR2 signaling in vitro. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that J82-induced MDSC trafficking and CXCR2 expression were associated with increased phosphorylation of p38, ERK and p65. Conversely, inhibition of the phosphorylation of p38, ERK or p65 decreased J82-induced MDSC trafficking and CXCR2 expression. CXCL2/MIF-stimulated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor kappa B pathways in MDSCs was MyD88 dependent. Overall, our results identify the CXCL2/MIF-CXCR2 axis as an important mediator in MDSC recruitment and as predictors and potential therapeutic targets in BC patients.
We report a study of the processes of e^{+}e^{-}→K^{+}D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and K^{+}D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} based on e^{+}e^{-} annihilation samples collected with the BESIII detector operating at BEPCII at five ...center-of-mass energies ranging from 4.628 to 4.698 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 3.7 fb^{-1}. An excess of events over the known contributions of the conventional charmed mesons is observed near the D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0} mass thresholds in the K^{+} recoil-mass spectrum for events collected at sqrts=4.681 GeV. The structure matches a mass-dependent-width Breit-Wigner line shape, whose pole mass and width are determined as (3982.5_{-2.6}^{+1.8}±2.1) MeV/c^{2} and (12.8_{-4.4}^{+5.3}±3.0) MeV, respectively. The first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. The significance of the resonance hypothesis is estimated to be 5.3 σ over the contributions only from the conventional charmed mesons. This is the first candidate for a charged hidden-charm tetraquark with strangeness, decaying into D_{s}^{-}D^{*0} and D_{s}^{*-}D^{0}. However, the properties of the excess need further exploration with more statistics.
Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) platelets were pillared with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method with acetonitrile as the carbon source ...and nickel nanoparticles as the catalyst, aimed to prepare graphene-based materials with a high surface area and a good electrical conductivity. Characterization data showed that the composite materials with RGO layers pillared by CNTs formed a robust three-dimensional (3D) porous structure of specific surfaces as high as 352 m2/g. The amount and length of the CNT pillars connecting the RGO layers were controlled by changing the amount of the nickel metal catalyst and the time of CVD. The CNT-pillared RGO composite materials exhibited an excellent visible light photocatalytic performance in degrading dye Rhodamine B because of the unique porous structure and the exceptional electron transfer property of graphene. Such CNT−RGO composites represent a new family of innovative carbon materials for visible-light-activated photocatalysis.
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