Phase Equilibria in Nb-Si-Mo Ternary Alloys at 1 273 K and 2 073 K

AbstractPhase equilibrium in Nb-Si-Mo ternary alloys (<37.5 at.% Si) at 1 273 K and 2 073 K is investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The partial isothermal section at 1 273 K, which contains four single-phase regions, five two-phase regions and two three-phase regions, is basically the same as that at 1 973 K. However, when the temperature increases to 2 073 K, the three-phase region of Nbss+α-(Nb(Mo))5Si3+β-(Nb, Mo)5Si3 obviously moves towards the Nb-rich corner. This suggests that Nb-Si-Mo ternary alloys remain stable at least up to 1 973 K

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Ezetimibe Analogs as Possible Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors

In order to investigate the SAR of Ezetimibe analogs for cholesterol absorption inhibitions, amide group and electron-deficient pyridine ring were introduced to the C-(3) carbon chain of Ezetimibe. Eight new derivatives of the 2-azetidinone cholesterol absorption inhibitors have been synthesized, and all of them were enantiomerically pure. All the new compounds were evaluated for their activity to inhibit cholesterol absorption in hamsters, and most of them showed comparable effects in lowering the levels of total cholesterol in the serum

Serum microRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common form of thyroid cancer. Several studies have proposed serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as novel biomarkers for diagnosing PTC. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis aiming to investigate the overall diagnostic accuracy of serum miRNAs in PTC detection. Three online databases including PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library were searched up to 1 May 2021. We systematically reviewed studies evaluating the value of serum miRNAs in diagnosing PTC, and then summarized the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC), sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio to assess the accuracy of serum miRNAs for the discrimination between patients with PTC and patients with benign thyroid nodules and healthy controls. We included 32 studies from 6 articles. Overall, there were 463 PTC patients, 334 patients with benign thyroid nodules, and 104 healthy controls. The results showed that the summary sensitivity and specificity were 76% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%‒83%) and 86% (95% CI: 80%‒91%), respectively, and that the summary AUROC was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86‒0.91), when serum miRNAs were used for discriminating between PTC patients and those with benign nodules. On the other hand, the summary sensitivity and specificity of serum miRNAs for discriminating between PTC patients and healthy controls were 82% (95% CI: 77%‒86%) and 84% (95% CI: 76%‒90%), respectively, and the summary AUROC was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86‒0.92). We found that serum miRNAs have good diagnostic performance for the discrimination between patients with PTC and patients with benign nodules and healthy controls, and thus have considerable potential as novel minimally invasive tools for detecting PTC

Upregulation of SMAD4 inhibits thyroid cancer cell growth via MAPK/JNK pathway repression

Purpose: To investigate whether the effect of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4) on thyroid cancer cell survival was via the MAPK/JNK pathway. Methods: Papillary thyroid cancer (TPC)-1 cells were cultured and transfected with SMAD4 overexpression plasmid or siRNA to achieve SMAD4 overexpression or knockdown, respectively. In TPC-1 cells, the mRNA and protein expression levels of SMAD4, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were quantified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured using MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. MAPK and JNK inhibitors (U0126 and SP600125) were used for rescue experiments. The sensitivity of TPC-1 cells to chemotherapeutic drugs, cisplatin and doxorubicin, was also assessed. Results: A reduction in viability and an enhancement in apoptosis (p &lt; 0.01) were found when SMAD4 was overexpressed in TPC-1 cells. Knockdown of SMAD4 elicited opposite results (p &lt; 0.01). Overexpression of SMAD4 caused a decrease in the activation of MAPK and JNK, as evidenced by lower levels of phosphorylated MAPK and phosphorylated JNK (p &lt; 0.05). Results from rescue experiments indicate that the increase in cell viability after SMAD4 knockdown was reversed by MAPK/JNK inhibitors (p &lt; 0.05 and p &lt; 0.01). Finally, overexpression of SMAD4 increased cytotoxic susceptibility of thyroid cancer cells to cisplatin/doxorubicin. Conclusion: These results indicate that SMAD4 inhibits thyroid cancer cell growth via inactivation of MAPK/JNK pathway. Overexpression of SMAD4 also increased thyroid cancer cell sensitivity to cisplatin/doxorubicin

Direct fabrication of high-performance high speed steel products enhanced by LaB6

A direct fabrication technology (DFT) without smelting has been developed for fabricating sophisticated high speed steel products with low pollution, near-net shaping and short process. The steel consisting of (wt.%): 6.4W, 5.0Mo, 4.2Cr, 3.1V, 8.5Co and 1.28C, was fabricated as exemplary material. The activated and reactive sintering of green compacts under vacuum with low activation energy, redox reaction enhanced diffusion and the construction of concentration gradient of alloying elements around pores, promotes the nearly full densification (>\ua099.40%). Also, the DFT steels show high purity and superior mechanical properties. Minor strengthening agent LaB (0.1\ua0wt.%), which is easily to be accurately introduced in DFT, obviously increases the hot hardness, temper resistance, bend strength and toughness of DFT M3:2. The strengthening effect of boron atoms and La-rich complexes are proposed to directly result in the high hot hardness and temper resistance of LaB containing steel

Risk factors predicting a higher grade of subarachnoid haemorrhage in small ruptured intracranial aneurysm (< 5 mm)

Aim. To identify the risk factors for clinical and radiographic grades of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) in small (&lt; 5 mm) intracranial aneurysms (SIAs). Material and methods. We retrospectively analysed patients with SIAs treated in our centre between February 2009 and June 2018. The clinical status was graded using the Hunt and Hess (H&amp;H) score and the radiological severity of SAH was graded by Fisher grades (FG). The risk factors were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. A total of 160 patients with ruptured SIAs (&lt; 5 mm) were included. In univariate analysis, smoking (P = 0.007), alcohol use (P = 0.048), aspirin use (P = 0.001), and higher size ratio (SR) (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with a higher H&amp;H grade (3–5) in SIAs; and smoking (P = 0.019), aspirin use (P = 0.031), inflow angle &lt; 90 degrees (P = 0.011), and aneurysm size (P = 0.039) were significantly associated with a higher FG score (3–4). In the adjusted multivariate analysis, previous SAH (OR, 12.245, 95% CI, 2.261–66.334, P = 0.004), aspirin use (OR, 4.677, 95% CI, 1.392–15.718, P = 0.013), alcohol use (OR, 3.392, 95% CI, 1.146–10.045, P = 0.027), inflow angle &lt; 90 (OR, 3.881, 95% CI, 1.273–11.831, P = 0.017), and higher SR (OR, 6.611, 95% CI, 2.235–19.560, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for a higher H&amp;H grade in ruptured SIAs; smoking (OR, 2.157, 95% CI, 1.061–4.384, P = 0.034), and inflow angle &lt; 90 degrees (OR, 2.603, 95% CI, 1.324–5.115, P = 0.006) were independent risk factors for a higher FG (3–4). Conclusions. This study revealed that inflow angle &lt; 90 degrees and size ratio, but not absolute size, may highly predict poorer grade of SAH in SRA. Aspirin use, previous SAH, and alcohol use were significantly associated with a higher H&amp;H grade in ruptured SIAs, and smoking was a significant predictor of poorer FG

Rare earth engineering in RMn6_6Sn6_6 topological kagome magnets

Exploration of the topological quantum materials with electron correlation is at the frontier of physics, as the strong interaction may give rise to new topological phases and transitions. Here we report that a family of kagome magnets RMn$_6$Sn$_6$ manifest the quantum transport properties analogical to those in the quantum-limit Chern magnet TbMn$_6$Sn$_6$. The topological transport in the family, including quantum oscillations with nontrivial Berry phase and large anomalous Hall effect arising from Berry curvature field, points to the existence of massive Dirac fermions. Our observation demonstrates a close relationship between rare-earth magnetism and topological electron structure, indicating the rare-earth elements can effectively engineer the Chern quantum phase in kagome magnets.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Relationship between sheep feces scores and gastrointestinal microorganisms and their effects on growth traits and blood indicators

Fecal scores are crucial for assessing the digestive and gastrointestinal status of animals. The Bristol fecal scoring system is a commonly used method for the subjective evaluation of host feces, there is limited research on fecal scoring standards for fattening Hu sheep. In this study, Hu sheep were collected for rumen, rectum, and colon contents for 16S rDNA sequencing. 514 Hu sheep feces were scored based on the Bristol fecal scoring system, and production performance at each stage was measured. Finally, we developed the scoring standard of the manure of Hu sheep in the fattening period (a total of five grades). The result shows that moisture content significantly increased with higher grades (p &lt; 0.05). We analyzed the relationship between fecal scores and production traits, blood indices, muscle nutrients, and digestive tract microorganisms. The growth traits (body weight, body height, body length, average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) during 80–180 days), body composition traits of the F3 group, and the carcass traits were found to be significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) than those of the F1 and F2 groups. There was no significant difference in gastrointestinal microflora diversity among all groups (p &gt; 0.05). Significant differences were observed in Aspartate aminotransferase, Glucose, Total bilirubin, and Red Blood Cell Count between groups (p &lt; 0.05). The mutton moisture content in group F4 was significantly higher than in the other groups, and the protein content was also the lowest (p &lt; 0.05). The results of the correlation analysis demonstrated that Actinobacteria, Peptostreptococcaceae, Acidaminococcales, Gammaproteobacteria, and Proteobacteria were the significant bacteria affecting fecal scores. In addition, Muribaculaceae and Oscillospiraceae were identified as the noteworthy flora affecting growth performance and immunity. This study highlights the differences in production traits and blood indicators between fecal assessment groups and the complex relationship between intestinal microbiota and fecal characteristics in Hu sheep, suggesting potential impacts on animal performance and health, which suggest strategies for improved management

Market dynamics, innovation, and transition in China's solar photovoltaic (PV) industry: a critical review

China's photovoltaic (PV) industry has undergone dramatic development in recent years and is now the global market leader in terms of newly added capacity. However, market diffusion and adoption in China is not ideal. This paper examines the blocking and inducement mechanisms of China's PV industry development from the perspective of technological innovation. By incorporating a Technological Innovation System (TIS) approach, the analysis performed here complements the previous literature, which has not grounded itself in a theoretical framework. In addition, to determine the current market dynamics, we closely examine market concentration trends as well as the vertical and horizontal integration of upstream and downstream actors (74.8% and 36.3%). The results of applying the TIS framework reveal that poor connectivity in networks, unaligned competitive entities and a lack of market supervision obstruct the development of China's PV industry. Therefore, we maintain that inducement mechanisms are required to instigate learning-by-doing capacities, which may help overcome blocking mechanisms and offset functional innovation deficiencies. In addition, policy implications are proposed for promoting the development of the PV industry in China