Study of metal-ceramic WC/Cu nano-wear behavior and strengthening mechanism

In view of the inherent poor tribological properties of copper,the reinforcement of copper matrix composites with WC particles presents a promising research area with significant industrial influence.Therefore,in the present study,a molecular dynamics approach is used to simulate the process of repeated friction of diamond grinding balls on WC/Cu composites,and the friction force,friction coefficient,abrasion depth,wear rate,abrasion morphology,von-Mises stress,internal defects,workpiece energy,and performance comparison of different layer thicknesses are systematically investigated in the multiple friction process.It is found that the fluctuation amplitude of friction force,friction coefficient,and abrasion depth are smaller and the fluctuation frequency is larger during the initial friction,whereas near the WC phase,there appears extreme values of the above parameters and the von-Mises stress is highly concentrated while the workpiece energy contonues to increase.In the case of the repeated friction,with the increase of friction times,the friction force,friction coefficient,and abrasion depth fluctuation amplitude increase,the fluctuation frequency decreases,the workpiece energy reaches an extreme value near the WC phase,and a large number of dislocations plug,therefore,the region is strengthened.As the distance between the grinding ball and the WC phase decreases,the more obvious the strengthening effect,the stronger the ability of workpiece to resist the wear will be.

Lentivirus-mediated SMO RNA interference inhibits SMO expression and cell proliferation,and affects the cell cycle in LNCaP and PC3 cancer cell lines

Smoothened （SMO） is an important member of the Hedgehog signaling pathway. We constructed a specific recombinant lentiviral vector for RNA interference,targeting the SMO gene （NM_005631） to observe its effect on SMO expression,cell proliferation and the cell cycle in the human androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cell line,LNCaP,and in the androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line,PC3. Four siRNA sequences were designed and inserted into a lentiviral vector pGCSIL-GFP to construct four recombinant vectors. The vector with the highest interfering efficiency was co-transfected with packaging vectors （pHelper1.0 and pHelper2.0） in 293T cells to assemble lentivirus particles by liposome for infecting LNCaP and PC3 cell lines,respectively. The expression level of SMO mRNA,tumor cell proliferation and cell cycle were measured by quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction （qRT-PCR）,3-（4,5）-dimethylthiahiazo （-z-yl）-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide （MTT） assay and flow eytometry,respectively. Sequence results showed that recombinant lentiviral vectors were constructed successfully.pGCSIL-GFP-723 had the highest interfering efficiency,named Lv-SIL-SMO723 after co-transfection,with which LNCaP and PC3 cell lines were infected. Compared with the control groups,results showed significantly decreased （P〈0.05） SMO mRNA expressions of LNCaP and PC3,lower mean percentage of S-phase cells and higher mean percentage of G_2/M phase cells,as well as obviously slow proliferation （P〈0.01） of LNCaP in the infected group. Yet,the proliferation of PC3 was not altered （P〉0.05）. In conclusion,the recombinant lentivirus particles were able to suppress SMO expression,regulate the cell cycle in the LNCaP and PC3 cell lines and markedly inhibit proliferation of LNCaP cells but not PC3 cells.

Hierarchical porous hard carbon enables integral solid electrolyte interphase as robust anode for sodium-ion batteries

Hard carbon is the most promising anode for sodium-ion battery applications due to the wide availability and low work voltage.However,it often delivers worse electrochemical performance in ester-based electrolytes.Herein,a hierarchically porous loose sponge-like hard carbon with a highly disordered phase,prepared from the biomass of platanus bark,exhibits superior rate performance with a capacity of 165 mAh·g-1 at a high current of1 A·g-1,and high retention of 71.5%after 2000 cycles in an ester-based electrolyte.The effect of the hierarchically porous loose sponge-like structure on the formation dynamics of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI),and related properties,was studied via cyclic voltammetry(CV),galvanostatic intermittent titration technique(GITT),X-ray photoelectron spectroscope(XPS),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)analysis.These results reveal that the hierarchically porous structure can construct continued connecting channels and accelerate the electrolyte transport,which is beneficial to the reaction kinetics of SEI.Moreover,the mesoporous structure is conducive to good contact between electrolyte and materials and shortens the Na+diffusion path,which in turn facilitates the charge transfer kinetics in the material.

A 2.5-dimensional Analytical Model of Cold Leveling for Plates with Transverse Wave Defects

Waves occurring in cold-rolled plates or sheets can be divided into longitudinal and transverse waves. Classical leveling theories merely solve the problem of longitudinal waves, while no well accepted method can be employed for transverse waves. In order to investigate the essential deformation law of leveling for plates with transverse waves, a 2.5-dimensional （2.5- D） analytical approach was proposed. In this model, the plate was transversely divided into some strips with equal width; the strips are considered to be in the state of plane strain and each group of adjacent strips are assumed to be deformation compatible under stress. After calculation, the bending deformation of each strip and the leveling effect of overall plate were obtained by comprehensNe consideration of various strips along with the width. Bending of roller is a main approach to eliminate the transverse waves, which is widely accepted by the industry, but the essential effect of bending of roller on the deformation of plates and the calculation of bending of roller are unknown. According to the 2.5-D analytical model, it can be found that, for plates, it is neutral plane offsetting and middle plane elongation or contraction under inner stress that can effectively improve plate shape. Taking double side waves as an example, the appropriate values of bending of roller were obtained by the 2.5-D analytical model related to different initial unevenness, which was applicable to the current on-line adjusting of bending of roller in rolling industry.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a new approach for improvement of early diagnosis and risk stratification of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer （PCa） is the second most common male cancer worldwide and the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men. Early detection and risk stratification is the most effective way to improve the survival of PCa patients. Current PCa biomarkers lack sufficient sensitivity and specificity to cancer. Metabolite biomarkers are evolving as a new diagnostic tool. This review is aimed to evaluate the potential of metabolite biomarkers for early detection, risk assessment, and monitoring of PCa. Of the 154 identified publications, 27 and 38 were original papers on urine and serum metabolomics, respectively. Nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） is a promising method for measuring concentrations of metabolites in complex samples with good reproducibility, high sensitivity, and simple sample processing. Especially urine-based NMR metabolomics has the potential to be a cost-efficient method for the early detection of PCa, risk stratification, and monitoring treatment eff^cacy.

Precision Medicine:What Challenges Are We Facing?

Following the publication of the US National Research Council （N RC） report ＂ Toward PrecMon Medicine.＂ Building a Knowledge Network for Biomedical Research and a New Taxonomy of Diseases＂ in 2011 [1], several nations have announced that their national research programs would definitely head toward this direction. Now,

Fabrication of hierarchical polycaprolactone/gel scaffolds via combined 3D bioprinting and electrospinning for tissue engineering

It is a severe challenge to construct 3D scaf- folds which hold controllable pore structure and similar morphology of the natural extracellular matrix （ECM）. In this study, a compound technology is proposed by com- bining the 3D bioprinting and electrospinning process to fabricate 3D scaffolds, which are composed by orthogonal array gel microfibers in a grid-like arrangement and inter- calated by a nonwoven structure with randomly distributed polycaprolactone （PCL） nanofibers. Human adipose- derived stem cells （hASCs） are seeded on the hierarchical scaffold and cultured 21 d for in vitro study. The results of cells culturing show that the microfibers structure with controlled pores can allow the easy entrance of cells and the efficient diffusion of nutrients, and the nanofiber webs layered in the scaffold can significantly improve initial cell attachment and proliferation. The present work demon- strates that the hierarchical PCL/gel scaffolds consisting of controllable 3D architecture with interconnected pores and biomimetic nanofiber structures resembling the ECM can be designed and fabricated by the combination of 3D bioprinting and electrospinning to improve biological per- formance in tissue engineering applications.

Consistent Alterations of Human Fecal Microbes After Transplantation into Germ-free Mice

Fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)of human fecal samples into germ-free(GF)mice is useful for establishing causal relationships between the gut microbiota and human phenotypes.However,due to the intrinsic differences between human and mouse intestines and the different diets of the two organisms,it may not be possible to replicate human phenotypes in mice through FMT;similarly,treatments that are effective in mouse models may not be effective in humans.In this study,we aimed to identify human gut microbes that undergo significant and consistent changes(i.e.,in relative abundances)after transplantation into GF mice in multiple experimental settings.We collected 16S rDNA-seq data from four published studies and analyzed the gut microbiota profiles from 1713 human–mouse pairs.Strikingly,on average,we found that only 47%of the human gut microbes could be re-established in mice at the species level,among which more than 1/3 underwent significant changes(referred to as“variable taxa”).Most of the human gut microbes that underwent significant changes were consistent across multiple human–mouse pairs and experimental settings.Consequently,about 1/3 of human samples changed their enterotypes,i.e.,significant changes in their leading species after FMT.Mice fed with a controlled diet showed a lower enterotype change rate(23.5%)than those fed with a noncontrolled diet(49.0%),suggesting a possible solution for rescue.Most of the variable taxa have been reported to be implicated in human diseases,with some recognized as the causative species.Our results highlight the challenges of using a mouse model to replicate human gut microbiota-associated phenotypes,provide useful information for researchers using mice in gut microbiota studies,and call for additional validations after FMT.An online database named FMT-DB is publicly available at http://fmt2mice.humangut.info/#/.

Osteochondral Integrated Scaffolds with Gradient Structure by 3D Printing Forming

Recently in the area of biological manufacturing and rapid prototyping manufacturing, the bone scaffolds based on the additive manufacturing in repairing bone defects have been paid more and more attention. In the process of preparation, path planning directly affects the structure, performance as well as the final bone cell culture conditions. Due to the special natural bone scaffold structural characteristic, the traditional rapid prototyping(RP) path planning is not fully suitable for the preparation of bone scaffolds. In this paper, based on the 3D printing extrusion forming technology, a method of path planning for osteochondral integrated scaffolds with gradient structure is put forward, which provides a theoretical basis for bone-scaffold modeling and practical preparation. The implementation of the path planning processing system makes it possible to process data automatically from the initial stereo lithography(STL) model of the actual bone defect part by computer X-ray tomography technique(CT) scan or modeling,to generate the path code and to generate the final machining information after post-processing. This work provides some guidelines for independent research and development of automation equipment for biological manufacturing preparation and software technology.The experiment and test results have verified the validity of the path planning method and the good properties of the bone scaffolds with gradient structures.

Cutaneous region bleeding drainage for 35 swollen boil patients

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of swollen boil treated by cutaneous region drainage.Methods:35 swollen boil patients were selected and treated with cutaneous region bleeding drainage by applying bloodletting first and then cupping on the head of boil part. A course of treatment included 3 times, and the efficacy was assessed after 2 courses.Results:After treatment, 30 clinical cases were cured, 4 improved, and 1 unhealed. The total effective rate was 97.1%.Conclusions:Significant therapeutic effect of the cutaneous region drainage was found in curing swollen boil.

Selection for Cheaper Amino Acids Drives Nucleotide Usage at the Start of Translation in Eukaryotic Genes

Coding regions have complex interactions among multiple selective forces,which are manifested as biases in nucleotide composition.Previous studies have revealed a decreasing GC gradient from the 5′-end to 3′-end of coding regions in various organisms.We confirmed that this gradient is universal in eukaryotic genes,but the decrease only starts from the~25th codon.This trend is mostly found in nonsynonymous(ns)sites at which the GC gradient is universal across the eukaryotic genome.Increased GC contents at ns sites result in cheaper amino acids,indicating a universal selection for energy efficiency toward the N-termini of encoded proteins.Within a genome,the decreasing GC gradient is intensified from lowly to highly expressed genes(more and more protein products),further supporting this hypothesis.This reveals a conserved selective constraint for cheaper amino acids at the translation start that drives the increased GC contents at ns sites.Elevated GC contents can facilitate transcription but result in a more stable local secondary structure around the start codon and subsequently impede translation initiation.Conversely,the GC gradients at four-fold and two-fold synonymous sites vary across species.They could decrease or increase,suggesting different constraints acting at the GC contents of different codon sites in different species.This study reveals that the overall GC contents at the translation start are consequences of complex interactions among several major biological processes that shape the nucleotide sequences,especially efficient energy usage.

GAAD: A Gene and Autoimmiune Disease Association Database

Autoimmune diseases （ADs） arise from an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. More than a hundred of ADs have been described in the literature so far. Although their etiology remains largely unclear, various types of ADs tend to share more associated genes with other types of ADs than with non-AD types. Here we present GAAD, a gene and AD association database. In GAAD, we collected 44,762 associations between 49 ADs and 4249 genes from public databases and MEDLINE documents. We manually verified the associations to ensure the quality and credibility. We reconstructed and recapitulated the relationships among ADs using their shared genes, which further validated the quality of our data. We also provided a list of significantly co-occurring gene pairs among ADs;with embedded tools, users can query gene co-occurrences and construct customized cooccurrence network with genes of interest. To make GAAD more straightforward to experimental biologists and medical scientists, we extracted additional information describing the associations through text mining, including the putative diagnostic value of the associations, type and position of gene polymorphisms, expression changes of implicated genes, as well as the phenotypical consequences, and grouped the associations accordingly. GAAD is freely available at http：//gaad.medgenius.info.