miRNA-558 promotes tumorigenesis and aggressiveness of neuroblastoma cells through activating the transcription of heparanase

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Dynamics of Associative Polymers with High Density of Reversible Bonds

We design and synthesize unentangled associative polymers carrying unprecedented high fractions of stickers, up to eight per Kuhn segment, that can form strong pairwise hydrogen bonding of $\sim20k_BT$ without microphase separation. The reversible bonds significantly slow down the polymer dynamics but nearly do not change the shape of linear viscoelastic spectra. Moreover, the structural relaxation time of associative polymers increases exponentially with the fraction of stickers and exhibits a universal yet non-Arrhenius dependence on the distance from polymer glass transition temperature. These results cannot be understood within the framework of the classic sticky-Rouse model but are rationalized by a renormalized Rouse model, which highlights an unexpected influence of reversible bonds on the structural relaxation rather than the shape of viscoelastic spectra for associative polymers with high concentrations of stickers.Comment: 4 figure

Determinants of workers' pro-environmental behaviour towards enhancing construction waste management: Contributing to China's circular economy

Construction waste presents many challenges for sustainable development and ultimately for China's goal of a circular economy. Effective construction waste management (CWM) is necessary to tackle these challenges, the success of which depends in large part on the behaviour of workers. Most previous behavioural research relating to CWM focused on reduction or recycling behaviour, with few studies having examined pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) within organisations. This study therefore conducted research into the key determinants of two types of PEB relating to CWM. A questionnaire survey was conducted on five construction sites in China to identify the critical organisational and personal determinants predicting PEB relating to CWM, including self-enacted PEB and co-worker PEB. One hundred and fifty-two valid questionnaires were collected for data analysis, representing an overall response rate of 30.4%. Results of the analysis reveal that physical stress, environmental awareness, and tedious construction processes are significant predictors of PEB. Based on these results, practical suggestions for enhancing CWM are proposed. The findings of this research could help improve PEB among construction workers and thereby contribute to China's circular economy

Tibetan Macaques with Higher Social Centrality and More Relatives Emit More Frequent Visual Communication in Collective Decision-Making

Animals on the move often communicate with each other through some specific postures. Previous studies have shown that social interaction plays a role in communication process. However, it is not clear whether the affinity of group members can affect visual communication. We studied a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Huangshan Mountain, China, and answered whether and how social centrality or relatives matter in visual signals during group movement using Tobit regression modeling. All individuals emitted the signals of back-glances and pauses in collective movement. The emission of two signals decreased with the number of participants increased. The back-glance and pause signals emitted by the participating individuals were stronger as the position moved backward in the group. Sex, age, and rank had no significant influence on back-glance and pause signals. Individuals with higher social centrality would emit more pause signals, but social centrality had no effect on the back-glance signal. Individuals with more relatives in the group had more back-glance signals, but this had no effect on the pause signal. This study verifies that social centrality and the number of relatives have effects on visual signals in Tibetan macaques. We provide insights into the relationship between communication behaviors and group cooperation in social animals

Effect of Complex Strengthening on the Continuous Cooling Transformation Behavior of High-Strength Rebar

The effects of niobium and composite strengthening on the phase transformation characteristics and precipitation behavior of continuous cooling transformation of high-strength rebar during thermal deformation and subsequent cooling were investigated. The results show that when the cooling rate was within 0.3–5 °C/s, ferrite transformation and pearlite transformation occurred in the experimental steels. The Nb content increased to 0.062 wt.%, and the starting temperature of the ferrite transformation decreased. Meanwhile, the ferrite phase transformation zone gradually expanded, and the pearlite phase transformation zone gradually narrowed with the increase in the cooling rate. When the cooling rate was 1 °C/s, bainite transformation began to occur, and the amount of transformation increased with the increase in the cooling rate. It was found that the main precipitates in the experimental steels were (Nb, Ti, V)C, with an average particle size of about 10–50 nm. When the Nb content was increased to 0.062 wt.% and the cooling rate was increased to 5 °C/s, the ferrite grain size was reduced from 19.5 to 7.5 μm, and the particle size of the precipitate (Nb, Ti, V)C could be effectively reduced. The strength of the steel was significantly improved, but the elongation of the steel was reduced. However, the comprehensive mechanical properties of 0.062 wt.% Nb experimental steel was significantly improved at a cooling rate of 5 °C/s

Research Progress of Corrosion Induced by Second-Phase Particles in Microalloyed High-Strength Rebars—Review

The research progress surrounding second-phase particle-induced corrosion has been expounded through extensive work, including local corrosion (pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion, stress corrosion) of Al2O3, (RE)-AlO3, CaS, MnS, NbC, and other particles in microalloyed high-strength rebars. By summarizing the local corrosion mechanism of these particle-induced rebars, this review further explores the fact that these particles play an inducing role in the local corrosion of microalloyed high-strength rebars, which has guiding significance for research on the induced corrosion of microalloyed high-strength rebars

Unlocking key factors affecting utilization of biomass briquettes in Africa through SWOT and analytic hierarchy process:A case of Madagascar

Due to environmental pollution caused by the excessive use of fossil fuels, developing countries are under considerable pressure to find sources of renewable and clean energy with limited financial resources and inadequate technological capacity. Bioenergy from briquetting sawdust, an organic waste by-product of the lumber industry, is one source of renewable and clean energy that is inexpensive to produce and does not require sophisticated technology. Since Madagascar's main industry is lumber, this study therefore set out to identify the key factors affecting the production and use of biomass sawdust briquettes in that country by integrating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis with a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results indicate that the most critical SWOT factors are lack of knowledge about biomass briquettes, lack of government support, political instability, social acceptance of biomass briquettes, focusing more on other types of renewable energy, and fossil fuel incentives. Suggestions are offered for how to promote the production and use of sawdust briquettes by overcoming critical weaknesses and coping with threats revealed in this study, including providing financial subsidies and tax breaks in Africa.</p

Unlocking key factors affecting utilization of biomass briquettes in Africa through SWOT and analytic hierarchy process:A case of Madagascar

Due to environmental pollution caused by the excessive use of fossil fuels, developing countries are under considerable pressure to find sources of renewable and clean energy with limited financial resources and inadequate technological capacity. Bioenergy from briquetting sawdust, an organic waste by-product of the lumber industry, is one source of renewable and clean energy that is inexpensive to produce and does not require sophisticated technology. Since Madagascar's main industry is lumber, this study therefore set out to identify the key factors affecting the production and use of biomass sawdust briquettes in that country by integrating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis with a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results indicate that the most critical SWOT factors are lack of knowledge about biomass briquettes, lack of government support, political instability, social acceptance of biomass briquettes, focusing more on other types of renewable energy, and fossil fuel incentives. Suggestions are offered for how to promote the production and use of sawdust briquettes by overcoming critical weaknesses and coping with threats revealed in this study, including providing financial subsidies and tax breaks in Africa.</p