Possible Novel Therapy for Malignant Gliomas with Secretable Trimeric TRAIL

Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. Despite intensive clinical investigation and many novel therapeutic approaches, average survival for the patients with malignant gliomas is only about 1 year. Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has shown potent and cancer-selective killing activity and drawn considerable attention as a promising therapy for cancers, but concerns over delivery and toxicity have limited progress. We have developed a secretable trimeric TRAIL (stTRAIL) and here evaluated the therapeutic potential of this stTRAIL-based gene therapy in brain tumors. An adenovirus (Ad-stTRAIL) delivering stTRAIL was injected into intra-cranial human glioma tumors established in nude mice and tumor growth monitored using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ad-stTRAIL gene therapy showed potent tumor suppressor activity with no toxic side effects at therapeutically effective doses. When compared with 1, 3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), a conventional therapy for malignant gliomas, Ad-stTRAIL suppressed tumor growth more potently. The combination of Ad-stTRAIL and BCNU significantly increased survival compared to the control mice or mice receiving Ad-stTRAIL alone. Our data indicate that Ad-stTRAIL, either alone or combined with BCNU, has promise as a novel therapy for malignant gliomas

Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO Nanowire–CdO Composite Nanostructures

ZnO nanowire–CdO composite nanostructures were fabricated by a simple two-step process involving ammonia solution method and thermal evaporation. First, ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown on Si substrate by aqueous ammonia solution method and then CdO was deposited on these ZnO NWs by thermal evaporation of cadmium chloride powder. The surface morphology and structure of the synthesized composite structures were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The optical absorbance spectrum showed that ZnO NW–CdO composites can absorb light up to 550 nm. The photoluminescence spectrum of the composite structure does not show any CdO-related emission peak and also there was no band gap modification of ZnO due to CdO. The photocurrent measurements showed that ZnO NW–CdO composite structures have better photocurrent when compared with the bare ZnO NWs

Nano-mechanical properties of Fe-Mn-Al-C lightweight steels

High Al Low-density steels could have a transformative effect on the light-weighting of steel structures for transportation and achieving the desired properties with the minimum amount of Ni is of great interest from an economic perspective. In this study, the mechanical properties of two duplex low-density steels, Fe-15Mn-10Al-0.8C-5Ni and Fe-15Mn-10Al-0.8C (wt.%) were investigated through nano-indentation and simulation through utilization of ab initio formalisms in Density Functional Theory (DFT) in order to establish the hardness resulting from two critical structural features (ߢ-carbides and B2 intermetallic) as a function of annealing temperature (500 − 1050 ℃) and the addition of Ni. In the Ni-free sample, the calculated elastic properties of kappa-carbides were compared with those of the B2 intermetallic Fe3Al − L12, and the role of Mn in the kappa structure and its elastic properties were studied. The Ni-containing samples were found to have a higher hardness due to the B2 phase composition being NiAl rather than FeAl, with Ni-Al bonds reported to be stronger than the Fe-Al bonds. In both samples, at temperatures of 900 ℃ and above, the ferrite phase contained nano-sized discs of B2 phase, wherein the Ni-containing samples exhibited higher hardness, attributed again to the stronger Ni-Al bonds in the B2 phase. At 700 ℃ and below, the nano-sized B2 discs were replaced by micrometre sized needles of kappa in the Ni-free sample resulting in a lowering of the hardness. In the Ni-containing sample, the entire alpha phase was replaced by B2 stringers, which had a lower hardness than the Ni-Al nano-discs due to a lower Ni content in B2 stringer bands formed at 700 ℃ and below. In addition, the hardness of needle-like kappa-carbides formed in alpha phase was found to be a function of Mn content. Although it was impossible to measure the hardness of cuboid kappa particles in gamma phase because of their nano-size, the hardness value of composite phases, e.g. gamma + kappa was measured and reported. All the hardness values were compared and rationalized by bonding energy between different atoms

Big Data and Causality

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Causality analysis continues to remain one of the fundamental research questions and the ultimate objective for a tremendous amount of scientific studies. In line with the rapid progress of science and technology, the age of big data has significantly influenced the causality analysis on various disciplines especially for the last decade due to the fact that the complexity and difficulty on identifying causality among big data has dramatically increased. Data mining, the process of uncovering hidden information from big data is now an important tool for causality analysis, and has been extensively exploited by scholars around the world. The primary aim of this paper is to provide a concise review of the causality analysis in big data. To this end the paper reviews recent significant applications of data mining techniques in causality analysis covering a substantial quantity of research to date, presented in chronological order with an overview table of data mining applications in causality analysis domain as a reference directory

Structure and mechanical properties of Ni-Cr alloy produced by single roll strip casting

In the present investigation the microstructure and some mechanical properties of Ni-Cr alloy prepared by single roll strip casting (SRSC) were studied. The top surface (surface not in contact with the roll) of the as received sample was rough and lusterless. The grain size of the top surface was significantly larger compared to that of the bottom surface. Grain interior showed dendritic morphology. Etch-pits, formed by dislocation were observed on the top and bottom surfaces of the sample. Scanning electron microstructure revealed continuous corroded region along the grain boundaries. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study confirms the formation of chromium carbide at the grain boundary, which depletes Cr near the grain boundary. The hardness of the top surface is lower compared to the bottom surface. The cross-sectional surface shows much higher hardness compared to top and bottom surface, suggesting anisotropic nature of the alloy. The tensile properties of the sample were affected by chromium carbide precipitation at grain boundaries. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.X1145sciescopu

Influence of carbon content on the microstructure, martensitic transformation and mechanical properties in austenite/epsilon-martensite dual-phase Fe-Mn-C steels

We report on the effects of carbon content on the martensitic transformation and its contribution to the work-hardening behavior of Fe-Mn-C steels during tensile deformation based on analysis by X-ray diffraction, electron backscatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Austenite/epsilon-martensite dual-phase Fe-17Mn-C (wt.%) steels containing different carbon contents (0.01, 0.10, 0.20 wt.%) were investigated before, during and after tensile deformation. Before deformation, the transformation of austenite to thermally induced epsilon-martensite on cooling was suppressed as the carbon content increases. To precisely monitor microstructural changes during deformation, stepwise loading experiments were carried out in combination with electron backscatter diffraction analysis. This approach revealed that with increasing carbon content, the kinetics of transformation of gamma phase to deformation stimulated epsilon-martensite became faster, while that of epsilon-martensite to alpha'-martensite was sluggish. We attribute this controversial effect to an increased gamma grain size by the microstructural refinement of thermally induced epsilon-martensite and the reduction of solid solution strengthening effects by the redistribution of solute carbon. In addition, the dependence of deformation-induced epsilon-martensite on the loading direction differed from that of alpha'-martensite, and the evolution of alpha' morphology was controlled by achieving appropriate levels of strain during stepwise loading. Based on the observations at the surface and inside the bulk after deformation, insights into various deformation-driven displacive phenomena, such as the formation of alpha'-martensite at the nonintersecting parts of two epsilon(initial) bands, the presence of nanotwinned bundles inside austenite, cementite precipitation inside alpha'-martensite, and the origin of the serrated flow in strain stress curves, were obtained. Therefore, the present study is able assist in identifying whether the deformation-induced martensitic transformation varied as a function of carbon content and the resulting fracture behavior, thereby enabling us to understand the work-hardening behavior of these steels. Crown Copyright (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Acta Materialia Inc. All rights reserved.X115858sciescopu