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Abstract Objective This study aimed to explore the role and regulatory mechanism of lncRNA ZEB1‐AS1 in lung cancer. Methods The expression of ZEB1‐AS1 and miR‐320b was determined by qRT‐PCR. Cell viability, proliferation migration, and invasion were assessed using the CCK‐8, colony‐forming, and Transwell assay. EMT markers were quantified using western blot. The growth of subcutaneous tumor growth and metastatic bone tumors was evaluated in mouse model of lung cancer. Additionally, metastatic bone tumors were examined using H&E staining. Results ZEB1‐AS1 expression was upregulated, while miR‐320b levels were downregulated in lung cancer. Knockdown of ZEB1‐AS1 resulted in a significant suppression of cell viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT in A549 cells. Furthermore, we confirmed the targeting relationship between ZEB1‐AS1 and miR‐320b, as well as between miR‐320b and BMPR1A. Our findings suggested that ZEB1‐AS1 regulated cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion, as well as EMT, in lung cancer cells by targeting the miR‐320b/BMPR1A axis. Moreover, our in vivo experiments confirmed that ZEB1‐AS1 mediated bone metastasis through targeting miR‐320b/BMPR1A axis in mice with lung cancer. Conclusion ZEB1‐AS1 mediated bone metastasis through targeting miR‐320b/BMPR1A axis in lung cancer.

Abstract Molecular dynamics was employed to investigate the radiation damage due to collision cascades in LiAlO2 and LiAl5O8, the latter being a secondary phase formed in the former during irradiation. Atomic displacement cascades were simulated by initiating primary knock-on atoms (PKA) with energy values = 5, 10 and 15 keV and the damage was quantified by the number of Frenkel pairs formed for each species: Li, Al and O. The primary challenges of modeling an ionic system with and without a core–shell model for oxygen atoms were addressed and new findings on the radiation resistance of these ceramics are presented. The working of a variable timestep function and the kinetics in the background of the simulations have been elaborated to highlight the novelty of the simulation approach. More importantly, the key results indicated that LiAlO2 experiences much more radiation damage than LiAl5O8, where the number of Li Frenkel pairs in LiAlO2 was 3–5 times higher than in LiAl5O8 while the number of Frenkel pairs for Al and O in LiAlO2 are ~ 2 times higher than in LiAl5O8. The primary reason is high displacement threshold energies (Ed) in LiAl5O8 for Li cations. The greater Ed for Li imparts higher resistance to damage during the collision cascade and thus inhibits amorphization in LiAl5O8. The presented results suggest that LiAl5O8 is likely to maintain structural integrity better than LiAlO2 in the irradiation conditions studied in this work.

Understanding compositional and microstructural changes in functional intermetallic coatings is of great importance for fusion energy and nuclear materials applications. Tritium (3H) and lithium (6Li, 7Li) transport within a neutron irradiated target rod employing an aluminide-coated austenitic stainless-steel cladding was investigated using state-of-the-art multimodal imaging. Specifically, a scanning electron microscope augmented with focused ion beam (SEM-FIB) was used to prepare lift-out samples of the irradiated coating for microanalysis. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) was used to acquire atomic-scale information on the coating surface microstructure, morphology, and composition. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to determine lift-out dimensions nondestructively. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) revealed the presence of carbonaceous species and unexpected lithium isotopic distributions in the irradiated tubing, suggesting light isotope mobility between internal target components during irradiation. SIMS chemical mapping of aluminide coatings at core midplane and lower core locations of the cladding shows that light isotopic (e.g., 3H, 6Li, 7Li) distributions are different in the irradiated coating. Advance correlative imaging results suggest lithium transport during the tritium production process and give new insights into the fundamental transport mechanism within the target during irradiation and non-equilibrium conditions.

Samples of ∼1 µm films of CeO2 doped with 2 wt% Mo, 1.5 wt% Ru, 0.75 wt% Pd, 0.5 wt% Re and 0.25 wt% Rh grown with pulsed laser deposition were irradiated with I2+ ions (610 °C and 730 °C, 1016 and 5 × 1016 I2+/cm2). For selected samples post-irradiation heat treatment was conducted (900 °C, 1100 °C). The specimens were sectioned with focused ion beam milling and characterized in a transmission electron microscope with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and with atom-probe tomography. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was used to obtain elemental maps showing the distribution of dopants in the specimen after exposure. Some of these maps are discussed in detail in our companion article “Formation of multicomponent alloy particles in doped ceria under I2+ ion irradiation and thermal annealing” in the Journal of Nuclear Materials [1]. Advanced computational analysis could be used to more accurately quantify local compositions. Data is provided for additional regions of interest and one additional irradiation condition.The doped ceria film that was heat treated at 1100 °C delaminated from the substrate in most places. Samples were extracted from the underside of a delaminated piece and analyzed with atom-probe tomography. The resulting data show ceria and a Mo-rich particle and demonstrate that this approach is feasable in principle to study local compositions in a sample exposed to such extreme conditions.

Co-deposition of carbon atoms with hydrogen isotopes and hydrogenated carbon radicals and molecules is recognized as the main mechanism for tritium retention in the graphite walls of the previous tokamak fusion devices. Significant tritium retention would be a serious concern for safe and economic long-term operation of future fusion test reactors and fusion energy systems. Similar deposits are observed on the surface of the engineered components in a tritium-producing assembly, known as a Tritium-Producing Burnable Absorber Rod (TPBAR). Characterization of the deposits can help understand the tritium transport, accumulation history and distribution in TPBARs. This study reports our recent results from the carbonaceous deposits formed on an aluminide-coated cladding in the lower plenum of a TPBAR following thermal neutron irradiation. The observed deposits are amorphous in nature, consisting of flakes of interconnected nanoscale features. They contain primarily double-bonded carbon (e.g., alkene) and carbonyl carbon, as well as a minor fraction of aliphatic carbon, all of which are likely tritiated. A similar co-deposition process that occurred in previous fusion devices is responsible for the formation and growth of the carbonaceous deposits.