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Establishing family relationships, such as parentage and sibling relationships, is fundamental in biological research, especially in wild species, as they are often important to understanding evolutionary, ecological, and behavioral processes. [...]

With improved tools for collecting genetic data from natural and experimental populations, new opportunities arise to study fundamental biological processes, including behavior, mating systems, adaptive trait evolution, and dispersal patterns. [...]

BackgroundEndothelial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse pathologies ranging from vascular and immune diseases to cancer. TNF-α is one of the mediators of endothelial dysfunction through the activation of transcription factors, including NF-κB. While HUVEC (macrovascular cells) have been largely used in the past, here, we documented an NF-κB gene signature in TNFα-stimulated microvascular endothelial cells HMEC often used in tumor angiogenesis studies.Methodology/principal findingsWe measured mRNA expression of 55 NF-κB related genes using quantitative RT-PCR in HUVEC and HMEC. Our study identified twenty genes markedly up-regulated in response to TNFα, including adhesion molecules, cytokines, chemokines, and apoptosis regulators, some of them being identified as TNF-α-inducible genes for the first time in endothelial cells (two apoptosis regulators, TNFAIP3 and TNFRSF10B/Trail R2 (DR5), the chemokines GM-CSF/CSF2 and MCF/CSF1, and CD40 and TNF-α itself, as well as NF-κB components (RELB, NFKB1 or 50/p105 and NFKB2 or p52/p100). For eight genes, the fold induction was much higher in HMEC, as compared to HUVEC. Most importantly, our study described for the first time a connection between NF-κB activation and the induction of most, if not all, of these genes in HMEC as evaluated by pharmacological inhibition and RelA expression knock-down by RNA interference. Moreover, since TNF-α is highly expressed in tumors, we further applied the NF-κB gene signature documented in TNFα-stimulated endothelial cells to human breast tumors. We found a significant positive correlation between TNF and the majority (85 %) of the identified endothelial TNF-induced genes in a well-defined series of 96 (48 ERα positive and 48 ERα negative) breast tumors.Conclusion/significanceTaken together these data suggest the potential use of this NF-κB gene signature in analyzing the role of TNF-α in the endothelial dysfunction, as well as in breast tumors independently of the presence of ERα.

CoCrFeMnNi is a prototype fcc-structured high-entropy alloy. Numerous efforts have been paid to strengthen CoCrFeMnNi, by replacing Mn with other elements for an enhancement of the solid solution strengthening. 4d transition metals, including Zr, Nb, and Mo, are of interest for this purpose, since they have much larger atomic radii than that of Mn. However, Nb and Mo are known to have a low solid solubility in fcc-structured CoCrFeNi. Compared to Nb and Mo, Zr has an even larger atomic radius. The solid solubility of Zr in fcc-structured CoCrFeNi was investigated in this work, combining both experimental studies and thermodynamic calculations. In addition, based on previous results and new results obtained here, methods to predict the solid solubility in CoCrFeNiMx (M=Zr, Nb, and Mo) alloys were developed. Particularly, the average d-orbital energy level, Md, was re-evaluated in the present work, for an improved predictability of the solid solubility in fcc-structured high entropy alloys containing 4d transition metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs), comprising group IV (Ti, Zr, Hf), V (V, Nb, Ta), and VI (Cr, Mo, W) refractory elements, can be potentially new generation high-temperature materials. However, most existing RHEAs lack room-temperature ductility, similar to conventional refractory metals and alloys. Here, we propose an alloy design strategy to intrinsically ductilize RHEAs based on the electron theory and more specifically to decrease the number of valence electrons through controlled alloying. A new ductile RHEA, Hf0.5Nb0.5Ta0.5Ti1.5Zr, was developed as a proof of concept, with a fracture stress of close to 1 GPa and an elongation of near 20%. The findings here will shed light on the development of ductile RHEAs for ultrahigh-temperature applications in aerospace and power-generation industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/objectives: Outcomes of T2N0 lung cancer patients treated with stereotactic radiotherapy are not well known. Methods and materials: We conducted a single institution retrospective review of patients with T2N0 NSCLC who were treated with SBRT. The local, regional, distant control rates were calculated from available clinical data. Survival outcomes were determined using the Kaplan Meier method. Results: Fifty-six patients met our selection criteria. The two-year local control rate was 84.2%. The two and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and OS were 31.9% and 15.3% and 39.9% and 12.1%, respectively. Centroid BED10 > 150Gy was associated with improved DFS, (p = 0.014), and OS on univariable analysis (p=0.0132). Conclusions: SBRT provides good local control for T2N0 NSCLC, but systemic failure remains problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]