Search

Experiments on the relationship between temperature and vapor phase composition (T-y curve) of the Cu-Te and Pb-Te binary systems at 5 Pa were carried out, with distillation temperatures in the range of 900–1370 K and 724–920 K, respectively. The experimental results indicate that copper and lead can be satisfactorily removed from crude tellurium. The recovery rate of tellurium is relatively low due to the formation of a high melting point compound in the liquid phase. The activities of Cu and Pb of the Cu-Te and Pb-Te systems were obtained by function fitting and G-D equation, which are used to predict vapor phase composition. The results show good agreement with the experimental data. The activities and T-y curve of the Fe-Te binary system were calculated using the same method and believed to be reliable. A possible high-purity tellurium production cycle combined with vacuum distillation was also discussed. • Experiments of the Cu-Te and Pb-Te binary systems at 5 Pa were carried out. • The activities of components for the Cu-Te, PbTe and Fe-Te systems were correlated with the Gibbs-Duhem equation. • The temperature vs vapor phase composition curves for the three systems are presented. • The effect of high melting point compounds on tellurium evaporation is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play nonnegligible roles in the metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study is aimed at investigating the biological role of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 in NSCLC metastasis and the underlying regulatory mechanisms. The expression profiles of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 in different NSCLC cell lines were examined. Then, the biological function of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 in NSCLC metastasis was explored by loss-of-function assays in vitro and in vivo. Further, the protective effect of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 on lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF1) was examined using RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Additionally, the role of LEF1 in NSCLC metastasis was investigated. Results indicated that lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 expression was significantly increased in NSCLC cell lines. Functional analysis revealed that knockdown of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 impaired invasion and migration in vitro. Additionally, the ability of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 to promote NSCLC metastasis was also confirmed in vivo. Mechanistically, through direct interaction, lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 maintained LEF1 stability by blocking NARF-mediated ubiquitination. Furthermore, LEF1 knockdown impaired invasion and migration of NSCLC in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, these data highlight the ability of lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 to promote NSCLC metastasis by stabilizing LEF1 and suggest that lncRNA OXCT1-AS1 represents a novel therapeutic target in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this paper is to show that Castelnuovo–Enriques' $P_{12}$ - theorem (a precise version of the rough classification of algebraic surfaces) also holds for algebraic surfaces $S$ defined over an algebraically closed field $k$ of positive characteristic ($\text{char}(k)=p>0$). The result relies on a main theorem describing the growth of the plurigenera for properly elliptic or properly quasielliptic surfaces (surfaces with Kodaira dimension equal to 1). We also discuss the limit cases, i.e., the families of surfaces which show that the result of the main theorem is sharp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the closed subschemes of moduli spaces corresponding to projective varieties which admit an effective action by a given finite group G. To achieve this, we introduce the moduli functor M h G of G -marked Gorenstein canonical models with Hilbert polynomial h , and prove the existence of 𝔐 h [ G ] , the coarse moduli scheme for M h G . Then we show that 𝔐 h [ G ] has a proper and finite morphism onto 𝔐 h so that its image 𝔐 h (G) is a closed subscheme. In the end we obtain the canonical representation type decomposition 𝒟 h [ G ] of 𝔐 h [ G ] and use 𝒟 h [ G ] to study the structure of 𝔐 h [ G ]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is an important public health problem in neurology, which is not only associated with high mortality but also leading to disability. Yet no satisfactory treatment has been developed. The secondary injury that resulted from a number of self-destructive processes such as neuroinflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress, is the key factor contributing to ICH-induced brain damage. Baicalein has been proved to improve neuronal functional recovery in rat model of subarachnoid hemorrhage and ischemic brain damage. To investigate the effect of baicalein on ICH and its underlying mechanism, a collagenase-induced ICH rat model was performed. Baicalein treatment significantly decreased neurological severity score at day 1 and 3 after ICH injury. Our results showed that the lesion volume, the brain water content, the expression levels of four pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4 and IL-6 and TNF-α) and the numbers of apoptotic cells were reduced significantly in ICH rats receiving baicalein treatment, especially in 50 mg/kg baicalein-treated group. Moreover, baicalein increased SOD and GSH-Px activities and down-regulated MDA level of brain tissues in rats. These results suggested that the therapeutic efficacy of baicalein on repairing brain damage is probably caused by suppressing apoptosis, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Baicalein could be developed into a novel drug for clinical treatment of ICH and ICH-related brain injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansive soil is characterized by its unique structural morphology and drastic volume change. With infrastructure increasingly constructed in expansive soil areas, engineering problems caused by the properties of expansive soils have attracted more attention. Cyclic wetting-drying and shear testing were accordingly conducted on an expansive soil from Chengdu area in China. Crack development and shear strength change were analyzed using the Mohr–Coulomb equation for shear strength by fitting the experimental data. The results show the following: (1) With the increase in wetting-drying cycles, the crack ratio increases, the shear strength decreases, and the shear strength parameters gradually decrease at the same rate of change. The applied vertical load reduces the weakening effect of the wetting-drying cycles on the soil structure and strength by restraining the expansion and contraction deformation. (2) By analyzing the number of wetting-drying cycles and the crack images, the crack development (length, direction, etc.) of the expansive soil can be predicted and described. (3) There is a specific linear correlation between the crack ratio and strength that approached a limit value with ongoing wetting-drying cycles. The strength of the expansive soil can therefore be obtained based on crack development, improving the ability of designers to account for the behaviour of expansive soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Echinacea Polysaccharide (EP) alleviated LPS-induced lung injury. • EP decreased LPS-induced inflammation in vivo and in vitro. • EP inhibited LPS-induced cell apoptosis. • EP might suppress the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Lung injury is a common critical life-threatening syndrome. Inflammation is a key factor in the pathogenesis of lung injury. It is reported that Echinacea Polysaccharides (EP) has anti-inflammatory activity. However, the effect of EP on lung injury remains unclear. In our study, murine model of lung injury was induced with 2.5 mg/kg LPS before administration of 5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg EP. EP ameliorated LPS-induced lung pathological damage, along with reduction in lung wet/dry weight ratio and myeloperoxidase activity. EP decreased the number of leukocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and the release of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in LPS-treated lung. EP suppressed LPS-induced apoptosis along with down-regulation of Bcl2-associated X (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3 (CC3), and elevated B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). Besides, RAW 264.7 cells were treated with EP 100 μg/ml for 1 h and then incubated with 1 μg/ml LPS for 24 h. TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β levels were lowered by treatment of EP in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, EP down-regulated the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiating factor 88 (MyD88), p-IκBα, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), p-NF-κB, and up-regulated the inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα) in vivo and in vitro following LPS induction, which is consistent with the effect of TAK-242. In conclusion, EP may alleviate LPS-induced lung injury via inhibiting inflammation, apoptosis and activation of TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]