Search

Let A (n , d) be the size of the maximum binary code of length n and minimum Hamming distance d. A (n , d , w) is defined similarly for binary code with constant weight w. Obviously, finding the value of A (n , d) is equivalent to finding the maximum independent set of the d − 1 th-power of n -dimensional hypercube. Based on this, this paper obtains that A (3 m , 2 m) = 4 , A (m (m + 1) 2 , 2 m − 2 , m) = m + 1 , A (2 m + 1 − 2 , 2 m − 1) = 2 m + 1 , and explores the structure of the maximum code of length 2 m + 2 and minimum Hamming distance 2 m + 1 , where m is an integer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tuning ferromagnetic intergranular phase overcomes coercivity-remanence trade-off. • Both increase of coercivity and remanence is obtained in Ga-doped Nd-Fe-B alloy. • Magnetic field annealing increases remanence with a minor decrease of coercivity. The high-performance of a Nd-Fe-B magnet needs both large coercivity and remanence. However, the coercivity – remanence trade-off leads to a dilemma that the coercivity and the remanence cannot be simultaneously increased, and subsequently reduces the maximum energy product ((BH) max). Here, we use atom probe tomography (APT) and demonstrate a strategy that can simultaneously improve the coercivity (H c i) and the remanence (B r) by tuning the concentration of rare earths (Nd + Pr) and ferromagnetic elements (Fe + Co) of the ferromagnetic intergranular phase in (Nd 0.1023 Pr 0.0256 Fe 0.6832 Co 0.1308 B 0.0581) 99.7 Ga 0.3 melt-spun ribbons. In comparison to the Ga-free alloy, the H c i and the B r both increase to 1369 kA/m by 7.0% and to 0.85 T by 2.4%. Interestingly, the magnetic field annealing treatment (1 T, 623 K for 15 min) further improves the B r to 0.90 T with a minor decrease of the H c i. The (BH) max of 134 kJ/m3 is obtained, 12.6% higher than that of the 0.3 at% Ga-doped as-spun sample. Our findings provide an idea to overcome the coercivity-remanence trade-off and subsequently to design prospective permanent alloys with excellent magnetic properties by modifying the content of rare earths and ferromagnetic elements in the ferromagnetic intergranular phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidences indicate that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) might play important roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. EMT (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) is considered as a critical step in invasion and metastasis of various tumors including bladder cancer (BC). Recent researches have showed that lncRNA H19 is implicated in metastasis through regulating EMT and the reverse MET (mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition). However, underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we screened lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles of BC with microarray assay. We found that H19 and DNMT3B displayed a higher co-expression in BC tissues and cells. Functionally, we demonstrated that H19 could increase proliferation, invasion and migration, regulate EMT as well as rearrange cytoskeleton of BC cells in vitro . Moreover, ectopic expression of H19 promoted tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and pulmonary metastasis in vivo , whereas knockdown of H19 has a contrary role in vivo and in vitro . Mechanistically, we proved that H19 could directly bind to miR-29b-3p (miR-29b) and derepress the expression of target DNMT3B. H19 and miR-29b-3p showed a co-localization. More importantly, up-regulating H19 antagonized miR-29b-3p-mediated proliferation, migration and EMT suppression in BC cells. Furthermore, H19 knockdown partially reversed the function of miR-29b-3p inhibitor on DNMT3B and facilitated miR-29b-3p-induced MET. Taken together, we demonstrated for the first time that H19 might function as ceRNA (competing endogenous RNA) for miR-29b-3p and relieve the suppression for DNMT3B, which led to EMT and metastasis of BC. Our findings highlight a novel mechanism of H19 in progression of BC and provide H19/miR-29b-3p/DNMT3B axis as a promising therapeutic target for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For tailoring the mechanical and magnetic properties of dual-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs), it is crucial to understand the effect of each phase on the overall properties. In this paper, the effects of individual FCC and BCC phases on the mechanical and magnetic properties of the FeCoNi(CuAl)0.8 HEA are investigated by nanoindentation and first-principles calculations. The nano-hardness of the BCC phase is 8.73 GPa, which is nearly double the 4.60 GPa of the FCC phase, which ascribes to spherical nanoprecipitates that are only observed in the BCC phase leading to precipitation hardening. First-principles calculations on the electronic structure show that calculated saturation magnetization (Ms) of the BCC phase is 0.81 T, higher than 0.77 T of the FCC phase. An approximate yield strength and Ms can be estimated by summing the volume-fraction-weighted contributions from each phase, and are in good agreement with experimental values. It indicates that the overall mechanical and magnetic properties of the dual-phase HEAs can be tailored by tuning the volume fraction of the individual phase. Our findings are helpful to design prospective dual-phase HEAs with both good mechanical properties and soft magnetic performance by adjusting the content of each phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To define and predict early recurrence (ER) in patients with gastric cancer (GC) who underwent radical gastrectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: The present study included 573 patients who underwent NAC followed by curative resection for GC between January 2014 and December 2019. The patients were randomly divided into the training (n = 382) and validation (n = 191) cohorts in a 2:1 ratio. The optimal cut-off value of recurrence-free survival for defining ER was determined based on post-recurrence survival (PRS). Risk factors for ER were identified by logistic regression. A nomogram was further constructed and evaluated. Results: The optimal cut-off value for defining ER was 12 months. Overall, 136 patients (23.7%) experienced ER and had significantly shorter median PRS (4 vs. 13 months, P < 0.001). In the training cohort, factors independently associated with ER included age (P = 0.026), Lauren classification (P < 0.001), preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (P = 0.029), ypN staging (P < 0.001), major pathological regression (P = 0.004), and postoperative complications (P < 0.001). A nomogram integrating these factors exhibited higher predictive accuracy than the ypTNM stage alone in both the training and validation cohorts. Moreover, the nomogram enabled significant risk stratification in both cohorts; only the high-risk patients could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (ER rate: 53.9% vs. 85.7%, P = 0.007). Conclusion: A nomogram involving preoperative factors can accurately predict the risk of ER and guide individualized treatment strategies for GC patients following NAC, which may assist in clinical decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims. MicroR-23b-3p (miR-23b-3p) has been found to be abnormally expressed in a variety of malignant tumors and to play a role in tumor inhibition or promotion. However, the regulatory mechanism of miR-23b-3p in COAD remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-23b-3p expression in COAD cells and to explore its role and regulatory mechanism in the growth of COAD. Materials and Methods. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure miR-23b-3p expression in COAD tissues and cell lines. After transfecting miR-23b-3p mimics into two human COAD cell lines (SW620 and LoVo), the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) assays were used to detect cell proliferation, the Transwell assay was used to measure cell migration and invasion capacity, and flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell apoptosis in vitro. In addition, a luciferase reporter assay was used to determine whether miR-23b-3p targets NFE2L3. The downstream regulatory mechanisms of miR-23b-3p action in COAD cells were also investigated. For in vivo tumorigenesis assay, COAD cells stably overexpressing miR-23b-3p were injected subcutaneously into the flank of nude mice to obtain tumors. Results. Significantly decreased expression of miR-23b-3p was detected in COAD tissues and cell lines. Exogenous miR-23b-3p expression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis of COAD cells in vitro. Nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 3 (NFE2L3) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-23b-3p. In addition, reintroduction of NFE2L3 partially abolished the anticancer effects of miR-23b-3p on COAD cells. Furthermore, miR-23b-3p overexpression hindered the growth of COAD cells in vivo. Conclusion. miR-23b-3p inhibited the oncogenicity of COAD cells in vitro and in vivo by directly targeting NFE2L3, suggesting the importance of the miR-23b-3p/NFE2L3 pathway in the development of COAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy worldwide with a high mortality rate. lncRNA SFTA1P is highly expressed in HCC. We aimed to study the role of SFTA1P in HCC and its relationship with miR-4766-5p. Materials and Methods: The levels of SFTA1P in HCC tissues and cell lines were determined. Relationship between SFTA1P and clinical features and prognosis was studied. The influence of SFTA1P on HCC cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis was studied in vitro. Rescue experiments were conducted after the binding site between SFTA1P and miR-4766-5p confirmed by dual-luciferase assay. The protein expression of AKT, p-AKT, mTOR and p-mTOR in HCC cells with knockdown of SFTA1P was determined by Western blotting. A tumor study in nude mice was conducted in order to assess the effects of SFTA1P on tumor growth characteristics. Results: SFTA1P was up-regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. SFTA1P expression was closely related to tumor size, vascular invasion and TNM stage. Knockdown of SFTA1P inhibited HCC cell viability, migration and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis. MiR-4766-5p was a target of SFTA1P and knockdown of SFTA1P could decrease the protein expression of p-AKT and p-mTOR. Rescue experiments showed that miR-4766-5p mimics could attenuate the promoting role of SFTA1P on HCC cell viability, invasion and migration, and inhibiting role on cell apoptosis. Moreover, we used nude mice models and also found that the knockdown of SFTA1P reduced tumor volume and weight. Conclusion: lncRNA SFTA1P could promote tumor development in HCC by down-regulating miR-4766-5p expression via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. It may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Vitamin D3 has been implicated in multiple reproductive events, whereas the effect of its bioactive metabolite 1α, 25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH) 2D3) on transcriptome profile of the placenta is unclear. The aim of this article is to determine transcriptome‐wide profile caused by 1,25(OH) 2D3 in human placental trophoblast cells. Methods: We performed RNA sequencing after stimulation of HTR‐8/SVneo cells with 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 nM 1,25(OH)2D3 for 24 h, identified differentially expressed genes by edgeR package (version 3.38.4), and analyzed Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways by webtool Metascape. Also, common genes and specific genes in different concentrations of 1,25(OH) 2D3 were identified. Results: There were 180, 158, 161, and 174 differentially expressed genes after 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 nM 1,25(OH) 2D3 stimulation, respectively. KEGG pathway analysis displayed that "lipid and atherosclerosis" were significantly enriched at 0.1 and 1 nM 1,25(OH)2D3, while "cytokine‐cytokine receptor interaction," "TGF‐beta signaling pathway" and "hippo signaling pathway" were significantly enriched in 1, 10, and 100 nM 1,25(OH)2D3. CYP24A1 was a significantly expressed common gene. UCP3 was significantly expressed in low concentrations and might affect energy metabolism. TCF24, EIF3CL, ABCD2, EPHA7, CRLF1, and SECTM1 were specific genes at physiological concentration. Similarly, SPDYE1, IQUB, IL18R1, and ZNF713 were considered as specific genes at supraphysiological concentration. Conclusions: 1,25(OH)2D3 mainly affected the expression of CYP24A1 gene in HTR‐8/SVneo cells. Specific genes accounted for the majority of differentially expressed genes at different concentrations. However, their functions need to be further confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidences indicate that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a vital role in modulating gene expression. However, the mechanisms underlying circRNAs remain largely elusive. Here, we screened circRNA and mRNA expression profiles of bladder carcinoma (BC) using microarray analysis. We found that circRNA-MYLK and VEGFA were significantly up-regulated and co-expressed in BC. Importantly, circRNA-MYLK levels were related to the progression of stage and grade of BC. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that circRNA-MYLK could directly bind to miR-29a and relieve suppression for target VEGFA, which activated VEGFA/VEGFR2 signaling pathway. Functionally, we found that ectopically expressing circRNA-MYLK accelerated cell proliferation, migration, tube formation of HUVEC and rearranged cytoskeleton. Moreover, up-regulating circRNA-MYLK promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Whereas circRNA-MYLK knockdown decreased cell proliferation, motility, and induced apoptosis. Finally, up-regulating circRNA-MYLK promoted the growth, angiogenesis and metastasis of BC xenografts. Taken together, this study demonstrated for the first time that circRNA-MYLK might function as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-29a, which could contribute to EMT and the development of BC through activating VEGFA/VEGFR2 and downstream Ras/ERK signaling pathway. Our data suggest that circRNA-MYLK would be a promising target for BC diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (Nd 10.23 Pr 2.56 Fe 68.32 Co 13.08 B 5.81) 100-x Nb x (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3) ribbons were prepared by melt-spinning at a wheel speed of 15 m/s. The effects of Nb addition on the microstructure and the magnetic properties of the ribbons were investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the ribbons show that the Nd 2 (Fe, Co) 14 B (2:14:1) phase is observed in all samples indicating that Nb addition does not change the phase constitution. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show that Nb addition can dramatically reduce the average grain size from 52 ± 5 nm of the Nb-free alloy to 12 ± 2 nm of the Nb-containing x = 3 alloy. Based on the atom probe tomography (APT) result, we identify different mechanisms for grain refinement at different Nb content. When x = 0.5, the distribution of Nb is uniform at the intergranular phase and Nb addition promotes the segregation of rare-earth Nd and Pr at the thick ferromagnetic intergranular phase (≈ 10 nm), which leads to decreasing the average grain size to 38 nm. With further increasing Nb addition to x = 2, the existence of Nb-rich precipitations (2–4 nm in width) at the grain boundaries effectively reduces the grain size to 16 nm. The remanence (B r) and the maximum energy product ((BH) max) are obviously increased by Nb addition and the maximum of the B r and the (BH) max is obtained in the (Nd 10.23 Pr 2.56 Fe 68.32 Co 13.08 B 5.81) 98 Nb 2 (x = 2) alloy. The values of the B r and the (BH) max are 0.90 T and 138 kJ/m3, 8.4% and 22.1% higher than that of the Nb-free alloy. It ascribes to the grain refinement, the changes of the distribution and the composition of the ferromagnetic intergranular phase by Nb addition. Our findings provide a new method of designing prospective permanent alloys with increased magnetic properties by reducing the grain size and tuning the distribution and chemical composition of the intergranular phase. • Different mechanisms for grain refinement at different Nb content is proposed. • Nb addition changes the distribution and composition of the intergranular phase. • Nb addition increases the remanence and the maximum energy product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FeCoNi(CuAl) 0.8 high-entropy alloy (HEA) consists of both face-centered cubic (FCC) phase and body-centered cubic (BCC) phase which allows for a fine tuning of the magnetic properties by controlling the concentration, morphology, and distribution of each phase. In this work, we report the effect of Ho addition on the microstructure, magnetic domains, and alternating current (AC) magnetic properties. FeCoNi(CuAl) 0.8 Ho 0.05 (x = 0.05) HEA exhibits the optimum AC magnetic property with the minimum AC coercivity, hysteresis loss, eddy current loss and total loss among samples studied at both 50 Hz and 950 Hz. Ho addition increases the volume fraction of BCC phase. SEM-EDX results show that Cu and Ho elements are aggregated together at boundaries in Ho-containing alloys. Magnetic domain structure shows that stripe domains are observed in FCC phase and BCC phase with different domain width. Finely spaced domain in BCC phase leads to low eddy current loss. No domain pattern at boundaries is observed indicating that boundaries can hinder motion of domain resulting in an increase of the energy loss. Our findings provide a valid approach toward optimizing the desired physical properties of HEA magnets by adding a small fraction of rare earth element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu-rich precipitates were observed in the FeCoNiCuAl high-entropy alloy (HEA). In this paper, the microstructure of Cu-rich precipitates in the as-cast and annealed HEA was studied. A novel mechanism for the formation and microstructural evolution of Cu-rich precipitates has been discovered. In the solidification of alloy preparation, sphere-like precipitates with 9R close-packed (9R) or body-centred cubic (BCC) structures were formed. It was noteworthy that several sphere-like precipitates self-assembled into a large rod-like precipitate when they were close to each other. After the annealing treatment, the Cu-rich precipitates grew and part of them formed a core-shell structure. Cu atoms in the matrix adsorbed on the surface of the original precipitates to form the 9R structure shell, and the original precipitates underwent a phase transformation to form the twin face-center tetragonal (FCT) structure core. In addition, a large number of nano-clusters with sizes of about 3–8 nm were dispersed in the BCC matrix. The magnetic and mechanical properties of HEA were greatly affected by the annealing treatment. The σ max , σ 0.2 , H V , and B r of the alloy were improved 22.5%, 76.7%, 14.2% and 17.7% by annealing treatment, respectively. This work lays the foundation for further improving the mechanical and magnetic properties of HEAs by adjusting the amount, distribution, and structure of the precipitates. • Some precipitates were self-assembled by 9R or BCC precipitates. After annealing, core-shell precipitates and nano-clusters formed. • After annealing treatment, some precipitates grow into core-shell structure. • After annealing treatment, a lot of nano-clusters were dispersed in the BCC matrix. • The magnetic parameters B r and Vickers hardness of the alloy were improved by annealing treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]