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Objective To investigate the effect of Smad3 on the apoptosis and autophagy of pancreatic cancer cells Panc-1 and BxPC-3, in order to preliminarily verify the effect of Smad3 expression in the progression of pancreatic cancer. Methods Bioinformatics analysis was performed based on GEPIA2 database to explore the correlation of Smad3 with the occurrence, development, and survival of pancreatic cancer. The CRISPR/Cas9 system and short hairpin RNA (sh-RNA) were used respectively to knock out or reduce the expression of Smad3. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blotting were subsequently adopted to detect the changes of Smad3 at mRNA and protein levels. The sh-RNA experimental groups were transferred with ShSmad3-1 and ShSmad3-2 sequences, and the CRISPR/Cas9 experimental group were transferred with Smad3 guide RNA (gRNA) sequence, using Sh-Scramble sequence (Scr) and empty plasmid as the corresponding control groups, respectively. Western blotting was applyed to determine the protein changes of LC3, p62, p38 and p-p38 in the cells. Meanwhile, Smad3 knockdown pancreatic cancer cells were stained with PI-Annexin V kit and then analyzed by flow cytometry. To further prove the effect of Smad3 on pancreatic cancer cells, the pLVX-Smad3 plasmid was used to perform a rescue experiment, and in another assay, the cells were treated with p38 inhibitor SB203580 to observe the changes of related proteins. Results The results of GEPIA2 database and clinical specimen analysis showed that Smad3 was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues (P < 0.05). After transfection of ShSmad3-1 and ShSmad3-2 into pancreatic cancer cells BxPC-3, both the mRNA and protein levels of Smad3 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, 2 Smad3 knockout cell lines were screened out after transferring gRNA into Panc-1. As compared with the control group, Smad3 knockdown remarkably increased the apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells (P < 0.05), and Western blotting also indicated that after Smad3 knockdown or knockout, the protein level of p-p38 was up-regulated (P < 0.05), while those of LC3 and p62 were down-regulated (P < 0.05). Further study found that the protein levels of p62 and LC3 were restored by the rescue assay as well as by the treatment of pancreatic cancer cells with SB203580 (P < 0.01). Conclusion Interference in Smad3 promotes excessive autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells and leads to increased apoptosis, possibly through activation of p38/MAPK signaling pathway.

A nanostructured copper oxide (nCO) coating which can be electrochemically reduced to copper metal is demonstrated as an anti‐reflection coating, enabling interference lithography of three‐dimensionally structured templates on a surface compatible with subsequent electrodeposition steps. The nCO presents a black needle‐like structure which effectively absorbs the incident radiation during interference lithography. Specular and diffused reflectivity measurements confirm nCO has near‐zero reflectivity from at least UV (350 nm) to near IR (700 nm) wavelengths. A particularly important aspect of the nCO is its ability to be reduced to copper metal, enabling electrodeposition inside porous templates fabricated on the nCO. It is demonstrated electrodeposition of copper within 3D templates defined by interference lithography and proximity field nano‐patterning processes, forming mesostructured metals which enhance two‐phase cooling. The resultant 5 µm thick structures exhibited up to 3 times the critical heat flux and 2 times heat transfer coefficient of bare silicon. The structures are optimized via computational tools including Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) and COMSOL Multiphysics. The use of the approach demonstrated here can potentially find application in many areas given the broad importance of mesostructured metals for energy, biomedical, and mechanical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Static life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies fail to consider the temporal profiles of system inputs and outputs (including emission timing), such that they underestimate the benefits of temporarily stored biogenic carbon in bioproducts, such as cotton. This research focuses on greenhouse gas emission timing and applies dynamic emission accounting to the life cycle of cotton woven pants. The significance of temporary biogenic carbon storage and emission timing is illustrated by converting the 2017 Cotton Incorporated static LCA to a dynamic model using the Dynamic Carbon Footprinter (baseline scenario). A reduction in cumulative radiative forcing for dynamic relative to static modeling of 22%, 5%, and 2% are observed at 10-years, 30-years, and 100-years, respectively. Alternative scenarios analyzed include converting cotton woven pants at end of life to bioenergy, to compost, or to building insulation, an alternative cotton production scenario using regenerative agricultural practices, and two pants extended lifetime scenarios. The regenerative agricultural practice scenario provides reductions in cumulative impacts compared to the baseline scenario of 96%, 69%, and 105% after 10, 30, and 100-years, respectively. A 3x extension in the lifetime of pants provides a benefit in reduced cumulative impacts of 31%, 40%, and 41%, after 10, 30, and 100-years, respectively. This case study with cotton demonstrates that dynamic LCA is a useful tool for assessing the benefits of biobased products, and it allows for more nuanced analysis of reductions in climate impacts in both the short- and long-term time horizons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distance a solid biomass feedstock could be used to transport the feedstock when used as biobased fuel is critical information for transportation analysis. However, this information is not available. The break-even transportation distance (BTD) of various fuels from biomass feedstocks and fossil sources was analyzed for truck, rail, and ship transport modes based on bulk density, moisture content, and specific energy. Fourteen different biomass feedstocks, such as crop residues (e.g., corn stover), woody biomass (e.g., wood chips), including thermally pretreated (torrefied) and densified forms (pellets), cattle feedlot compost, and three standard fossil fuels, namely, coal, lignite, and diesel, were considered for BTD analysis and comparison. The BTD values were derived by comparing the energy content of biomass feedstocks with the energy expended in transporting the fuels through selected transportation modes. For ready reference, an alternative derivation of BTD equations and example calculations were also presented. Among the biomass feedstocks, torrefied pellets had the highest BTD (4.16 χ 10[sup 4],12.47 χ 10[sup 4], and 54.14 χ 10[sup 4] km), and cattle feedlot compost had the lowest BTD (1.29 χ 10[sup 4], 3.88 χ 10[sup 4], and 9.23 χ 10[sup 4] km), respectively, for truck, rail, and ship. Higher bulk density and higher specific energy of the biomass feedstocks increased the BTD for all modes of transport. Transport is most efficient when mass-limited. Biomass feedstock bulk densities where transportation becomes mass-limited are 223, 1,480, and 656 kg/m[sup 3] for truck, rail, and ship, respectively. Truck transport is typically mass-limited (payload limit restriction; increased BTD), whereas rail transport is entirely volume-limited (cargo space restriction; decreased BTD), and ship transport is mostly volume-limited for biomass feedstocks and mass-limited for densified biomass feedstocks. Ship transport is the most efficient, followed by rail and truck; on average for the materials (17) studied, rail is 3.1 times and ship is 9.2 times the truck's BTD. Based on the bulk density and higher specific energy of the biomass feedstocks, regardless of the refinery location, interstate truck transport of these feedstocks is not a limiting factor in the bio-refining process., with the studied biomass feedstock BTD per truckload representing between 0.89 and 2.88 times the US perimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]