Overexpression of β1 integrin contributes to polarity reversal and a poor prognosis of breast invasive micropapillary carcinoma

© Liu et al. Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) of the breast is a highly aggressive breast cancer. Polarity reversal exemplified by cluster growth is hypothesized to contribute to the invasiveness and metastasis of IMPC. In this study, we demonstrate that levels of β1 integrin and Rac1 expression were greater in breast IMPC than in invasive breast carcinoma of no specific type and paraneoplastic benign breast tissue. We show that silencing β1 integrin expression using the β1 integrin inhibitor AIIB2 partially restored polarity in IMPC primary cell clusters and downregulated Rac1. Thus, overexpression of β1 integrin upregulates Rac1. Univariate analysis showed that overexpression of β1 integrin and Rac1 was associated with breast cancer cell polarity reversal, lymph node metastasis, and poor disease-free survival in IMPC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that polarity reversal was an independent predictor of poor disease-free survival. These findings indicate that overexpression of β1 integrin and the resultant upregulation of Rac1 contribute to polarity reversal and metastasis of breast IMPC, and that β1 integrin and Rac1 could be potential prognostic biomarkers and targets for treatment of breast IMPC

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

The smart releasing behavior of a microcapsule based on chemical self-healing system caused by chemical trigger activation

A novel chemical self-healing system based on microcapsule technology for cementitious composites is established in Guangdong Key Laboratory of Durability for Coastal Civil Engineering, Shenzhen University. The key issue of this system is how to release the healing material and how to activate the healing mechanism. In this paper, the study is focused on the releasing behavior. The smart releasing behavior of healing material in the microcapsule is characterized by EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid) titration method. The experimental results show that releasing procedure of the corrosion inhibitor covered with PS is a function of the time, and is controlled by the wall thickness of the microcapsule. Moreover, the pH value affects the release rate of corrosion inhibitor. With the increasing of pH value, the releasing rate will increase greatly

A study on the steel corrosion protection of a microcapsule based self-healing cementitious system by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Based on microcapsule technology, a new type of self-healing system for cementitious composites is established. The performance of the system was characterized by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of steel bars immersed in a simulated concrete environment. The results demonstrate strong inhibition of chloride-induced corrosion when microcapsules are added to the solution. A novel equivalent circuit model, which takes into account the inductive effect arising from the generation of corrosion products on the steel bar surface, is proposed to explain the protection performance of the microcapsules against steel bar corrosion in a concrete environment

Rotterdam The Hague, NL

The Cities of Making 'Cities Report', offers an insight into urban manufacturing in three global cities - Brussels, London and Rotterdam. Each city has had a distinctive industrial heritage and is interpreting the future of manufacturing in very different ways. This report exposes unique qualities of each and common trends that may be relevant to many other European cities who are grappling with the future place of making. This chapter looks at the region comprising Rotterdam and The Hague, a richly productive landscape characterised by a vast port, intensive greenhouse based agriculture and urban areas. The recent economic and urban development of this region has resulted in a spatial configuration with unique characteristics, strongly interwoven with each other. Firstly, demand for space has led to the transformation of the region, which has been sculpted, made fit for specific purpose, with barely inches of unproductive land. Secondly, modernist principles introduced new functional zones with segregated areas specialising in mechanical manufacturing, chemical processing, logistics, to housing and leisure, resulting in a particular composition of building and urban areas. Thirdly, as a consequence of ongoing planning and adaptation of this productive environment, socio-economic stratification with a strong spatial manifestation continues to be noticed to this day. The region hosts a vast range of manufacturing. Many of these have emerged from the port and access to goods, resources and an international market such as chemical processing and machine production. Newer forms of manufacturing are spinning out of centres of innovation such as bio-technology and sensors and are showing that the city’s productive base is moving further and further away from the port. As the port itself changes and becomes increasingly automated, it leaves behind vast areas of land. While projected housing demand is putting pressure on the available vacant port areas, there are movements towards districts with new forms of production. Challenged by climate change and international competition, ambitions have been set for a radical transition towards a new economic models such as the Next Economy. The stakes are high for both private and public actors to focus on building out clean energy, resilient high-tech solutions, and radical innovation. However a range of visions and the strategic sectors have resulted in confusion about what should be stimulated and what the city’s new economic profile, regardless of what actually lands on the ground. In the absence of clarity and a holistic approach, the pressure mounts. Providing the desirable Next Economy workforce – those with higher incomes, education, and demands – with suitable housing and attractive urban environments puts in question the region’s economic, social and environmental stability.OLD Urban Composition

Prehydration of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) clinker at different relative humidities

The use of CSA cement in practice has been hindered by its unstable performance and short shelf-life caused by the prehydration of CSA clinker. In this study, the effect of ambient humidity on the prehydration rate and process of CSA clinker was investigated. The prehydration degree, ageing progress, and the dynamic change of mineral composition of CSA clinker exposed to five different relative humidities (ranging from 23% to 98%) for up to 180 days were studied. Experiments revealed that the ambient humidity of 60% RH can be considered a threshold value for storage of CSA clinker. Exposure of CSA clinker to RH higher than 60% will not only result in a significant decrease of hydraulic reactivity, but also in agglomeration of the clinker. Although the exposure of CSA clinker to RH lower than 60% has little effect on the hydraulic reactivity, the main hydration peak was found to be slightly delayed with the increase of RH.Accepted Author ManuscriptMaterials and Environmen

Preparation of mono-sized epoxy/MF microcapsulesin the appearance of polyvinyl alcohol as co-emulsifier

For epoxy microcapsules embedded in concrete as mechanic-triggered self-healing adhesive, globular shape with uniform size is the basic requirement to ensure the solid shell broken and the liquid core released at a designed stress. In this paper, monodispersed melamine\u96formaldehyde (MF) resin-walled epoxy E-51 microcapsules were successfully fabricated in an in situ polycondensation process, in which a certain amount of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution was added as coemulsifier to control the microcapsules\u92 shape and size. Detail investigation shows, with the cooperation of PVA, the microcapsule morphologies and size distribution were ease to be adjusted by the parameters such as emulsifying agents, agitation rate, pH value and acidification time

The effect of processing parameters on the formation of epoxy/UF resin microcapsules

Epoxy E-51/UF resin microcapsules were prepared by traditional two-stepped in situ polymerization method and processing parameters affecting the final microcapsules\u92 shape and size were carefully studied in the aim to obtain microcapsule with ideally spherical shape and uniform size. It\u92s found the polycarboxylate surfactant of SMA (styrene-maleic anhydride) is better than the monomolecule sulfate surfactant of SDBS (dodecylbenzenesulphonate) in the emulsification of Epoxy E-51, because the microcapsules from epoxy E-51/SMA emulsion possess good sphericity and clear surface. On the second step of reaction, U/F mole ratio should be controlled in 1.5~2:1 region, and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) or m-dihydroxybenzene are strongly recommended to be added to strengthen the shell. For a higher encapsulation ratio, acidification time should be controlled in 2~3h and the end-point pH value of the curing reaction should be controlled at 2~2.5, respectively. The core/shell ratio (weight) is optimal at 2:1 and reaction temperature at 60-65°C

Preparation and characterization of poly (urea-formaldehyde) walled dicyclopentadiene microcapsules

Poly (urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) shelled dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) microcapsules were prepared by in-situ polymerization technology for self-healing concrete applications. It’s found, during the process, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) behaves better in emulsification of DCPD than other surfactant of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and styrene maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA), and the addition of ammonia chloride (NH4Cl) as PUF curing catalyst accidentally leads to a smooth surface of the microcapsule.Structural EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience