In this work, the hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) behavior of X100 pipeline steel was investigated by a combination of tensile test, electrochemical hydrogen permeation measurement and surface ...characterization techniques. The effect of inclusions in the steel on the crack initiation was analyzed. Results demonstrated that the amount of hydrogen-charging into the X100 steel specimen increases with the charging time and charging current density. Hydrogen-charging will enhance the susceptibility of the steel to HIC. The cracks initiate primarily at inclusions, such as aluminum oxides, titanium oxides and ferric carbides, in the steel. The diffusivity of hydrogen at room temperature in X100 steel is determined to be 1.04
×
10
−8
cm
2/s.
Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains a major clinical challenge because of the lack of effective targeted therapy for its treatment. The mechanism underlying how CRPC gains resistance ...toward hormone depletion and other forms of chemotherapy is poorly understood. Research on understanding the factors that drive these processes is desperately needed to generate new therapies to cure the disease. Here, we discovered a fundamental role of S-phase protein kinase 2 (Skp2) in the formation and progression of CRPC. In transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate model, Skp2 depletion leads to a profound repression of prostate tumor growth and distal metastasis and substantially prolonged overall survival. We revealed that Skp2 regulates CRPC through Twist-mediated oncogenic functions including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) acquisitions. Mechanistically, Skp2 interacted with Twist and promoted the non-degradative ubiquitination of Twist. Consequently, Skp2 stabilized Twist protein expression by preventing proteasomal degradation of Twist by β-TrCP. We found that Twist overexpression augments CSC self-renewal and population and that Skp2 inhibition reverts Twist's effects on CSC regulation. Furthermore, genetically depleting or pharmacologically inactivating Skp2 synergistically re-sensitized CRPC cells toward chemotherapies such as paclitaxel or doxorubicin. Together, this study uncovering Skp2-mediated Twist stabilization and oncogenic functions in CRPC offers new knowledge on how CRPC progresses and acquires chemoresistance during tumor progression. It provides proof of principle that Skp2 targeting is a promising approach to combat metastatic CRPC by targeting Twist and CSCs.
The in-situ grain structure and texture evolution during the whole process of friction stir welding (FSW) are clarified. As the base material approached the probe, grains were compressed, forming ...compression zone (CPZ). The grains evolved to fine equiaxed grains mainly through discontinue dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) and twining as it approached the tool. As material in MFZ rotated around the probe, the fraction of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) was reduced, the ratio of twin boundaries increased, and the grain size distribution became wider, while the average grain size was fairly constant despite the increase in strain. After the material was deposited behind the probe, the grains began to grow. Deformation caused by tool shoulder disrupted the twin boundaries and generated some segments of LAGBs. In the post-weld zone, some LAGBs disappeared and new twin boundaries developed as a result of elevated temperatures. The B component {112} 〈110〉 was developed and was sustained in the MFZ with its shear direction being consisted with the local probe rotation. The shear plan of B component maintained approximately 30deg. away from the probe surface. In the weld zone behind the probe, the B component was weakened and evolved to a C component {001}〈110〉.
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•The grain structure and texture evolution during the whole process of friction stir welding are clarified.•As material rotated around the probe, the average grain size was fairly constant despite the increase in strain.•The B component {112}〈110〉 developed and sustained as material rotated around the probe.•In the weld zone behind the probe, the B component was weakened and evolved to a C component {001}〈110〉.
Objective: To analyze and compare therapy responses, outcomes, and incidence of severe hematologic adverse events of flumatinib and imatinib in patients newly diagnosed with chronic phase chronic ...myeloid leukemia (CML) . Methods: Data of patients with chronic phase CML diagnosed between January 2006 and November 2022 from 76 centers, aged ≥18 years, and received initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy within 6 months after diagnosis in China were retrospectively interrogated. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the bias of the initial TKI selection, and the therapy responses and outcomes of patients receiving initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy were compared. Results: A total of 4 833 adult patients with CML receiving initial imatinib (n=4 380) or flumatinib (n=453) therapy were included in the study. In the imatinib cohort, the median follow-up time was 54 interquartile range (IQR), 31-85 months, and the 7-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.2%
Summary
Evidence on whether patients with psoriasis have a higher risk for staphylococcal colonization than healthy controls remains controversial. To synthesize the current literature, we performed ...a systematic review on the prevalence and relative risk (RR) of Staphylococcus aureus colonization in patients with psoriasis. We modified the QUADAS‐2 instrument to assess the reporting quality of individual studies and applied random‐effects models in meta‐analysis. Overall we identified 21 eligible studies, of which 15 enrolled one or more comparison groups. The pooled prevalence of staphylococcal colonization in patients with psoriasis was 35·3% 95% confidence interval (CI) 25·0–45·6 on lesional skin and 39·2% (95% CI 33·7–44·8) in the nares. Patients with psoriasis were 4·5 times more likely to be colonized by S. aureus than healthy controls were on the skin (RR 5·54, 95% CI 3·21–9·57) and 60% more in the nares (RR 1·60, 95% CI 1·11–2·32). Cutaneous and nasal colonization by meticillin‐resistant S. aureus also appeared higher in patients with psoriasis (pooled prevalence 8·6%) than in healthy controls (2·6%), yet the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0·74). In contrast, despite of a similar risk for nasal staphylococcal colonization (RR 0·67, 95% CI 0·38–1·18), patients with psoriasis were less likely to carry S. aureus on lesional skin than atopic patients (RR 0·64, 95% CI 0·40–1·02). In summarizing the current literature, we found that patients with psoriasis were at an increased risk for staphylococcal colonization compared with healthy individuals. Prospective studies on how bacterial loads correlate with disease activity can guide the clinical management of bacterial colonization while preventing the emergence of drug‐resistant strains.
What's already known about this topic?
Staphylococcus aureus colonizing the skin of patients with psoriasis may trigger or worsen the disease activity.
What does this study add?
By summarizing the current literature, we found that patients with psoriasis were at a significantly increased risk of staphylococcal colonization on lesional skin and in the anterior nares compared with healthy controls.
Patients with psoriasis also seemed to have a similar risk of staphylococcal colonization to patients with atopic diseases.
Linked Comment: Hay. Br J Dermatol 2017; 177:894–895.
An ultra-wideband 3.1-10.6-GHz low-noise amplifier employing a broadband noise-canceling technique is presented. By using the proposed circuit and design methodology, the noise from the matching ...device is greatly suppressed over the desired UWB band, while the noise from other devices performing noise cancellation is minimized by the systematic approach. Fabricated in a 0.18-mum CMOS process, the IC prototype achieves a power gain of 9.7 dB over a -3 dB bandwidth of 1.2-11.9-GHz and a noise figure of 4.5-5.1 dB in the entire UWB band. It consumes 20 mW from a 1.8-V supply and occupies an area of only 0.59 mm 2
Measuring the performance of national wastes is essential for ensuing the environmental protection and moving toward the circular economy objective. To cope with the uncertainty involving in many ...circular indicators, this study first proposed a fuzzy game approach network data envelopment analysis model for the waste management evaluation. The proposed model considers maximizing the potential joint efficiencies of the production and recycling processes simultaneously from the centralized control and circular economy perspective. A real-case study on assessing the waste management performance of European Union countries is provided. The factor efficiency analysis and associated ranks of the process efficiencies provide a guidance for identifying the factor dominance in the production and recycling processes. A comparison of the proposed method with other approaches is also included. Our results provide the European Union policy makers a valuable information to move waste management up the European Union waste hierarchy by allowing reusing, recycling, and recovering energy from the waste.
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A high-speed friction lap welding (FLW) technique for directly joining of aluminum to polymer is presented in this paper. Experimental results show that a consistent bond quality at ...the joint interface has been achieved at welding speeds as high as 5 m/min, which can be attributed to the formation of new C-O-Al bonds observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), in addition to mechanical interlocking. Lap-shear tests were performed for evaluating joint shear strengths of the welded samples corresponding to different welding conditions. It was found that as long as an interfacial threshold temperature was attained, the actual interface bond strengths are essentially the same regardless of welding temperature and welding speed.
Anhedonia is associated with reward-processing deficits of the dopamine system, which may increase the risk of depression. Nevertheless, few previous studies have examined the influence of hedonic ...tone on event-related potential (ERP) measures of reward processing in major depressive disorder. A simple gambling task was used to elicit feedback negativity (FN), an ERP component elicited by feedback indicating gain versus loss, in 27 patients with major depression and 27 healthy participants. We found that participants with depression were characterized by reduced FN responses, especially towards monetary gains, but not losses, compared with healthy individuals. In addition, the amplitude of FN to gain feedback in participants with depression was related to anhedonia severity and depressive symptoms. These findings indicate an association between low hedonic capacity and reduction in FN. As a neural measure of reward sensitivity, FN may be generated in part by reward-related activity.
•Depressed patients demonstrated reduced feedback negativity (FN).•The FN amplitude to gain in depressed patients was related to anhedonia severity and depressive symptoms.•Trait anhedonia may exert a direct influence on the neutral activities to feedback processing.
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