191 research outputs found
Molecular Dynamics Study of Bamboo-like Carbon Nanotube Nucleation
MD simulations based on an empirical potential energy surface were used to
study the nucleation of bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (BCNTs). The simulations
reveal that inner walls of the bamboo structure start to nucleate at the
junction between the outer nanotube wall and the catalyst particle. In
agreement with experimental results, the simulations show that BCNTs nucleate
at higher dissolved carbon concentrations (i.e., feedstock pressures) than
those where non-bamboolike carbon nanotubes are nucleated
Betti numbers for numerical semigroup rings
We survey results related to the magnitude of the Betti numbers of numerical
semigroup rings and of their tangent cones.Comment: 22 pages; v2: updated references. To appear in Multigraded Algebra
and Applications (V. Ene, E. Miller Eds.
On Syzygies for Rings of Invariants of Abelian Groups
It is well known that results on zero-sum sequences over a finitely generated abelian group can be translated to statements on generators of rings of invariants of the dual group. Here the direction of the transfer of information between zero-sum theory and invariant theory is reversed. First it is shown how a presentation by generators and relations of the ring of invariants of an abelian group acting linearly on a finite-dimensional vector space can be obtained from a presentation of the ring of invariants for the corresponding multiplicity free representation. This combined with a known degree bound for syzygies of rings of invariants yields bounds on the presentation of a block monoid associated to a finite sequence of elements in an abelian group. The results have an equivalent formulation in terms of binomial ideals, but here the language of monoid congruences and the notion of catenary degree is used
Expression of SDF-1Ξ± and nuclear CXCR4 predicts lymph node metastasis in colorectal cancer
Although stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1Ξ± and its receptor CXCR4 are experimentally suggested to be involved in tumorigenicity, the clinicopathological significance of their expression in human disease is not fully understood. We examined SDF-1Ξ± and CXCR4 expression in colorectal cancers (CRCs) and their related lymph nodes (LNs), and investigated its relationship to clinicopathological features. Specimens of 60 primary CRCs and 27 related LNs were examined immunohistochemically for not only positivity but also immunostaining patterns for SDF-1Ξ± and CXCR4. The relationships between clinicopathological features and SDF-1Ξ± or CXCR4 expression were then analysed. Stromal cell-derived factor-1Ξ± and CXCR4 expression were significantly associated with LN metastasis, tumour stage, and survival of CRC patients. Twenty-nine of 47 CXCR4-positive CRCs (61.7%) showed clear CXCR4 immunoreactivity in the nucleus and a weak signal in the cytoplasm (nuclear type), whereas others showed no nuclear immunoreactivity but a diffuse signal in the cytoplasm and at the plasma membrane (cytomembrane type). Colorectal cancer patients with nuclear CXCR4 expression showed significantly more frequent LN metastasis than did those with cytomembrane expression. Colorectal cancer patients with nuclear CXCR4 expression in the primary lesion frequently had cytomembrane CXCR4-positive tumours in their LNs. In conclusion, expression of SDF-1Ξ± and nuclear CXCR4 predicts LN metastasis in CRCs
Interdependency of subsurface carbon distribution and graphene-catalyst interaction.
The dynamics of the graphene-catalyst interaction during chemical vapor deposition are investigated using in situ, time- and depth-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and complementary grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations coupled to a tight-binding model. We thereby reveal the interdependency of the distribution of carbon close to the catalyst surface and the strength of the graphene-catalyst interaction. The strong interaction of epitaxial graphene with Ni(111) causes a depletion of dissolved carbon close to the catalyst surface, which prevents additional layer formation leading to a self-limiting graphene growth behavior for low exposure pressures (10(-6)-10(-3) mbar). A further hydrocarbon pressure increase (to βΌ10(-1) mbar) leads to weakening of the graphene-Ni(111) interaction accompanied by additional graphene layer formation, mediated by an increased concentration of near-surface dissolved carbon. We show that growth of more weakly adhered, rotated graphene on Ni(111) is linked to an initially higher level of near-surface carbon compared to the case of epitaxial graphene growth. The key implications of these results for graphene growth control and their relevance to carbon nanotube growth are highlighted in the context of existing literature.R.S.W. acknowledges a Research Fellowship from St. Johnβs College, Cambridge. S.H.
acknowledges funding from ERC grant InsituNANO (No. 279342) and EPSRC under grant
GRAPHTED (Ref. EP/K016636/1). We acknowledge the Helmholtz-Zentrum-Berlin Electron
storage ring BESSY II for provision of synchrotron radiation at the ISISS beamline and we thank
the BESSY staff for continuous support of our experiments. This research was partially
supported by the EU FP7 Work Programme under grant Graphene Flagship (No. 604391). PRK
acknowledges funding the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust. H.A. and C.B. acknowledge J.-Y.
Raty and B. Legrand for fruitful discussions.This is the final published version. It's also available from ACS at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja505454v
A semi-empirical molecular orbital study of freestanding and fullerene-encapsulated Mo nanoclusters
CXCR4/CXCL12 expression and signalling in kidney cancer
CXCL12 (SDF-1), a CXC-chemokine, and its specific receptor, CXCR4, have recently been shown to be involved in tumourgenesis, proliferation and angiogenesis. Therefore, we analysed CXCL12Ξ±/CXCR4 expression and function in four human kidney cancer cell lines (A-498, CAKI-1, CAKI-2, HA-7), 10 freshly harvested human tumour samples and corresponding normal kidney tissue. While none of the analysed tumour cell lines expressed CXCL12Ξ±, A-498 cells were found to express CXCR4. More importantly, real-time RTβPCR analysis of 10 tumour samples and respective adjacent normal kidney tissue disclosed a distinct and divergent downregulation of CXCL12Ξ± and upregulation of CXCR4 in primary tumour tissue. To prove that the CXCR4 protein is functionally active, rhCXCL12Ξ± was investigated for its ability to induce changes of intracellular calcium levels in A-498 cells. Moreover, we used cDNA expression arrays to evaluate the biological influence of CXCL12Ξ±. Comparing gene expression profiles in rhCXCL12Ξ± stimulated vs unstimulated A-498 kidney cancer cells revealed specific regulation of 31 out of 1176 genes tested on a selected human cancer array, with a prominent stimulation of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation and apoptosis. The genetic changes reported here should provide new insights into the developmental paths leading to tumour progression and may also aid the design of new approaches to therapeutic intervention
4D synchrotron X-ray tomographic quantification of the transition from cellular to dendrite growth during directional solidification
Solidification morphology directly impacts the mechanical properties of materials; hence many models of the morphological evolution of dendritic structures have been formulated. However, there is a paucity of validation data for directional solidification models, especially the direct observations of metallic alloys, both for cellular and dendritic structures. In this study, we performed 4D synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging (three spatial directions plus time), to study the transition from cellular to a columnar dendritic morphology and the subsequent growth of columnar dendrite in a temperature gradient stage. The cellular morphology was found to be highly complex, with frequent lateral bridging. Protrusions growing out of the cellular front with the onset of morphological instabilities were captured, together with the subsequent development of these protrusions into established dendrites. Other mechanisms affecting the solidification microstructure, including dendrite fragmentation/pinch-off were also captured and the quantitative results were compared to proposed mechanisms. The results demonstrate that 4D imaging can provide new data to both inform and validate solidification models
In ovarian cancer the prognostic influence of HER2/neu is not dependent on the CXCR4/SDF-1 signalling pathway
HER2/neu overexpression is a driving force in the carcinogenesis of several human cancers. In breast cancer the prognostic influence of HER2/neu was shown to be at least partly based on increased metastatic potential mediated by the chemokineβchemokine receptor pair SDF-1(CXCL12)/CXCR4. We wanted to evaluate the influence of HER2/neu on ovarian cancer prognosis and to investigate whether compromised survival would correlate with CXCR4 expression and/or SDF-1 abundance. Therefore, we analysed HER2/neu, CXCR4, and SDF-1 in 148 ovarian tumour samples by means of immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays. Overexpression of HER2/neu was found in 27.6% of ovarian cancer tissues and in 15% of ovarian borderline tumours. In ovarian cancer patients, overexpression of HER2/neu correlated closely with overall survival (univariate hazard ratio (HR) 2.59, P=0.005; multiple corrected HR 1.92, P=0.074). In contrast, CXCR4 expression and SDF-1 abundance had no impact on overall survival, and both parameters were not correlated with HER2/neu expression. As expected, cytoplasmic CXCR4 expression and SDF-1 abundance correlated closely (P<0.0001). Our results confirm a univariate influence of HER2/neu expression on overall survival, which was completely independent of the expression of CXCR4 and the abundance of SDF-1, implying significant differences between the HER2/neu downstream pathways in ovarian cancer compared with breast cancer
Absence of Association between N-Acetyltransferase 2 Acetylator Status and Colorectal Cancer Susceptibility: Based on Evidence from 40 Studies
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: N-Acetyltransferase (NAT) 2 is an important enzyme involved in the metabolism of different xenobiotics, including potential carcinogens, whose phenotypes were reported to be related to individual susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the results remain conflicting. To assess the relationship between NAT2 phenotypes and CRC risk, we performed this meta-analysis. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify all case-control or cohort studies of NAT2 acetylator status on the susceptibility of CRC by searching of PubMed and EMBASE, up to May 20, 2011. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. RESULTS: A total of over 40,000 subjects from 40 published literatures were identified by searching the databases. No significantly elevated CRC risk in individuals with NAT2 slow acetylators compared with fast acetylators was found when all studies pooled (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.87-1.04, I(2) = 52.6%). While three studies contributed to the source of heterogeneity were removed, there was still null result observed (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.90-1.03, P = 0.17 for heterogeneity, I(2) = 17.8%). In addition, we failed to detect any associations in the stratified analyses by race, sex, source of controls, smoking status, genotyping methods or tumor localization. No publication bias was observed in this study. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that the NAT2 phenotypes may not be associated with colorectal cancer development
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