ANALYSIS ON INFILTRATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF DEFORMABLE POROUS MATAL RUBBER MATERIAL AND PARAMATERS IDENTIFICATION

The effect of deformation of porous material on infiltrative performance is investigated. Based on Darcy theory and Boit principle, the Reynolds equation and mathematical expression of deformable metal rubber （MR） material under laminar flow are obtained according to the change of porosity of metal rubber. It is shown that the throttle of MR material is dependent on its porosity and diameter of metal wires. It will be of great value for the application of MR in throttle field.

Proteomic signatures of infiltrative gastric cancer by proteomic and bioinformatic analysis

BACKGROUND Proteomic signatures of Ming's infiltrative gastric cancer(IGC)remain unknown.AIM To elucidate the molecular characteristics of IGC at the proteomics level.METHODS Twelve pairs of IGC and adjacent normal tissues were collected and their proteomes were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.The identified peptides were sequenced de novo and matched against the SwissProt database using Maxquant software.The differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)were screened using|log2(Fold change)|>1 and P-adj<0.01 as the thresholds.The expression levels of selected proteins were verified by Western blotting.The interaction network of the DEPs was constructed with the STRING database and visualized using Cytoscape with cytoHubba software.The DEPs were functionally annotated using clusterProfiler,STRING and DAVID for Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathways.P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS A total of 7361 DEPs were identified,of which 94 were significantly up-regulated and 223 were significantly down-regulated in IGC relative to normal gastric tissues.The top 10 up-regulated proteins were MRTO4,BOP1,PES1,WDR12,BRIX1,NOP2,POLR1C,NOC2L,MYBBP1A and TSR1,and the top 10 down-regulated proteins were NDUFS8,NDUFS6,NDUFA8,NDUFA5,NDUFC2,NDUFB8,NDUFB5,NDUFB9,UQCRC2 and UQCRC1.The up-regulated proteins were enriched for 9 biological processes including DNA replication,ribosome biogenesis and initiation of DNA replication,and the cellular component MCM complex.Among the down-regulated proteins,17 biological processes were enriched,including glucose metabolism,pyruvic acid metabolism and fatty acidβ-oxidation.In addition,the mitochondrial inner membrane,mitochondrial matrix and mitochondrial proton transport ATP synthase complex were among the 6 enriched cellular components,and 11 molecular functions including reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase activity,acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activity and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide binding were also enriched.The significant KEGG pathways for the up-regulated proteins were DNA replication,cell cycle and mismatch repair,whereas 18 pathways including oxidative phosphorylation,fatty acid degradation and phenylalanine metabolism were significantly enriched among the down-regulated proteins.CONCLUSION The proteins involved in cell cycle regulation,DNA replication and mismatch repair,and metabolism were significantly altered in IGC,and the proteomic profile may enable the discovery of novel biomarkers.

Repeated operations for infiltrative low - grade gliomas without intervening therapy.

OBJECT:Progression of infiltrative low-grade gliomas(LGGs)has been reported previously.The limitations ofsuch studies include diverse histological grading systems,intervening therapy,and the lack of histological confir-mation of malignant tumor progression.The aim of this study was to determine tumor progression in adult patientswith an initial diagnosis of infiltrative LGG who subsequently underwent a repeated operation,but no other inter-vening therapy.The authors examined factors that may be associated with tumor progression.

ERBB1 Is Amplified and Overexpressed in High-grade Diffusely Infiltrative Pediatric Brain Stem Glioma

PURPOSE:This study was conducted to investigate the incidence of ERBB1 amplification and overexpression in samples of diffusely infiltrative (WHO grades Ⅱ-Ⅳ) pediatric brain stem glioma (BSG) and determine the relationship of these abnormalities to expression and mutation of TP53 and tumor grade. Experimental Design: After central pathology review, the incidence of ERBB1 amplification and overexpression was determined in 28 samples (18 surgical biopsy and 10 postmortem specimens) of BSG using quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry,

Prognostic significance of serum inflammation indices for different tumor infiltrative pattern types of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Inflammatory indices are considered to be potential prognostic biomarkers for patients with gastric cancer(GC).However,there is no evidence defining the prognostic significance of inflammatory indices for GC with different tumor infiltrative pattern(INF)types.AIM To evaluate the significance of inflammatory indices and INF types in predicting the prognosis of patients with GC.METHODS A total of 962 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy were retrospectively selected for this study.Patients were categorized into the expansive growth type(INFa),the intermediate type(INFb),and the infiltrative growth type(INFc)groups.The cutoff values of inflammatory indices were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curves.The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to analyze overall survival(OS).The chi-square test was used to analyze the association between inflammatory indices and clinical characteristics.The independent risk factors for prognosis in each group were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses based on logistic regression.Nomogram models were constructed by R studio.RESULTS The INFc group had the worst OS(P<0.001).The systemic immune-inflammation index(P=0.039)and metastatic lymph node ratio(mLNR)(P=0.003)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the INFa group.The platelet-lymphocyte ratio(PLR)(P=0.018),age(P=0.026),body mass index(P=0.003),and postsurgical tumor node metastasis(pTNM)stage(P<0.001)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the INFb group.The PLR(P=0.021),pTNM stage(P=0.028),age(P=0.021),and mLNR(P=0.002)were independent risk factors for prognosis in the INFc group.The area under the curve of the nomogram model for predicting 5-year survival in the INFa group,INFb group,and INFc group was 0.787,0.823,and 0.781,respectively.CONCLUSION The outcome of different INF types GC patients could be assessed by nomograms based on different inflammatory indices and clinicopathologic features.

Effect of α-interferon + gemcitabine combined with infusion chemotherapy on the proliferation and infiltrative growth of advanced bladder cancer

Objective: To study the effect of α-interferon + gemcitabine combined with infusion chemotherapy on the proliferation and infiltrative growth of advanced bladder cancer. Methods: Patients with advanced bladder cancer who accepted bladder infusion chemotherapy in Wuhan Red Cross Hospital between March 2015 and August 2016 were selected and randomly divided into the IFN-α+GEM group and the GEM group who acceptedα-interferon + gemcitabine combined with infusion chemotherapy and single gemcitabine infusion chemotherapy respectively. The contents of bladder cancer markers, cancer cell apoptosis molecules and angiogenesis molecules in urine were detected before treatment and 3 months after treatment. Results: 3 months after treatment, NMP-22, BLCA-4, Apo-A1, HA, CYFRA21-1, ANG, NAC-1, VEGF and bFGF levels in urine of both groups of patients were significantly lower than those before treatment while PTEN, TRAIL, Bim, HSG and p16 levels were significantly higher than those before treatment, and NMP-22, BLCA-4, Apo-A1, HA, CYFRA21-1, ANG, NAC-1, VEGF and bFGF levels in urine of IFN-α+GEM group were significantly lower than those of GEM group while PTEN, TRAIL, Bim, HSG and p16 levels were significantly higher than those of GEM group. Conclusion: α-interferon + gemcitabine combined with infusion chemotherapy can be more effective than single gemcitabine infusion chemotherapy in killing cancer cells and inhibiting the proliferation and infiltrative growth of the cancer cells.

Surrogate modeling for unsaturated infiltration via the physics and equality-constrained artificial neural networks

Machine learning(ML)provides a new surrogate method for investigating groundwater flow dynamics in unsaturated soils.Traditional pure data-driven methods(e.g.deep neural network,DNN)can provide rapid predictions,but they do require sufficient on-site data for accurate training,and lack interpretability to the physical processes within the data.In this paper,we provide a physics and equalityconstrained artificial neural network(PECANN),to derive unsaturated infiltration solutions with a small amount of initial and boundary data.PECANN takes the physics-informed neural network(PINN)as a foundation,encodes the unsaturated infiltration physical laws(i.e.Richards equation,RE)into the loss function,and uses the augmented Lagrangian method to constrain the learning process of the solutions of RE by adding stronger penalty for the initial and boundary conditions.Four unsaturated infiltration cases are designed to test the training performance of PECANN,i.e.one-dimensional(1D)steady-state unsaturated infiltration,1D transient-state infiltration,two-dimensional(2D)transient-state infiltration,and 1D coupled unsaturated infiltration and deformation.The predicted results of PECANN are compared with the finite difference solutions or analytical solutions.The results indicate that PECANN can accurately capture the variations of pressure head during the unsaturated infiltration,and present higher precision and robustness than DNN and PINN.It is also revealed that PECANN can achieve the same accuracy as the finite difference method with fewer initial and boundary training data.Additionally,we investigate the effect of the hyperparameters of PECANN on solving RE problem.PECANN provides an effective tool for simulating unsaturated infiltration.

Effect of slope angle on fractured rock masses under combined influence of variable rainfall infiltration and excavation unloading

Intense precipitation infiltration and intricate excavation processes are crucial factors that impact the stability and security of towering and steep rock slopes within mining sites.The primary aim of this research was to investigate the progression of cumulative failure within a cracked rock formation,considering the combined effects of precipitation and excavation activities.The study was conducted in the Huangniuqian eastern mining area of the Dexing Copper Mine in Jiangxi Province,China.An engineering geological investigation was conducted,a physical model experiment was performed,numerical calculations and theoretical analysis were conducted using the matrix discrete element method(Mat-DEM),and the deformation characteristics and the effect of the slope angle of a fractured rock mass under different scenarios were examined.The failure and instability mechanisms of the fractured rock mass under three slope angle models were analyzed.The experimental results indicate that as the slope angle increases,the combined effect of rainfall infiltration and excavation unloading is reduced.A novel approach to simulating unsaturated seepage in a rock mass,based on the van Genuchten model(VGM),has been developed.Compared to the vertical displacement observed in a similar physical experiment,the average relative errors associated with the slope angles of 45,50,and 55were 2.094%,1.916%,and 2.328%,respectively.Accordingly,the combined effect of rainfall and excavation was determined using the proposed method.Moreover,the accuracy of the numerical simulation was validated.The findings contribute to the seepage field in a meaningful way,offering insight that can inform and enhance existing methods and theories for research on the underlying mechanism of ultra-high and steep rock slope instability,which can inform the development of more effective risk management strategies.

Association of tumor budding with clinicopathological features and prognostic value in stage III-IV colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Tumor budding(TB)has emerged as a promising independent prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer(CRC).The prognostic role of TB has been extensively studied and currently affects clinical decision making in patients with stage I and II CRC.However,existing prognostic studies on TB in stage III CRC have been confined to small retrospective cohort studies.Consequently,this study investigated the correlation among TB categories,clinicopathological features,and prognosis in stage III-IV CRC to further enhance the precision and individualization of treatment through refined prognostic risk stratification.AIM To analyze the relationship between TB categories and clinicopathological characteristics and assess their prognostic value in stage III-IV CRC to further refine the prognostic risk stratification of stage III-IV CRC.METHODS The clinical data of 547 CRC patients were collected for this retrospective study.Infiltration at the front edge of the tumor buds was counted according to the 2016 International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference guidelines.RESULTS Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis demonstrated that chemotherapy(P=0.004),clinical stage IV(P<0.001),≥4 regional lymph node metastases(P=0.004),left-sided colonic cancer(P=0.040),and Bd 2-3(P=0.002)were independent prognostic factors in patients with stage III-IV CRC.Moreover,the density of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes was higher in Bd 1 than in Bd 2-3,both in the tumor stroma and its invasive margin.CONCLUSION TB has an independent predictive prognostic value in patients with stage III-IV CRC.It is recommended to complete the TB report of stage III-IV CRC cases in the standardized pathological report to further refine risk stratification.

A prognosis model for predicting immunotherapy response of esophageal cancer based on oxidative stress-related signatures

Oxidative stress(OS)is intimately associated with tumorigenesis and has been considered a potential therapeutic strategy.However,the OS-associated therapeutic target for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)remains unconfirmed.In our study,gene expression data of ESCC and clinical information from public databases were downloaded.Through LASSO-Cox regression analysis,a risk score(RS)signature map of prognosis was constructed and performed external verification with the GSE53625 cohort.The ESTIMATE,xCell,CIBERSORT,TIMER,and ImmuCellAI algorithms were employed to analyze infiltrating immune cells and generate an immune microenvironment(IM).Afterward,functional enrichment analysis clarified the underlying mechanism of the model.Nomogram was utilized for forecasting the survival rate of individual ESCC cases.As a result,we successfully constructed an OS-related genes(OSRGs)model and found that the survival rate of high-risk groups was lower than that of low-risk groups.The AUC of the ROC verified the strong prediction performance of the signal in these two cohorts further.According to independent prognostic analysis,the RS was identified as an independent risk factor for ESCC.The nomogram and follow-up data revealed that the RS possesses favorable predictive value for the prognosis of ESCC patients.qRT-PCR detection demonstrated increased expression of MPC1,COX6C,CYB5R3,CASP7,and CYCS in esophageal cancer patients.In conclusion,we have constructed an OSRGs model for ESCC to predict patients’prognosis,offering a novel insight into the potential application of the OSRGs model in ESCC.

Metadherin promotes stem cell phenotypes and correlated with immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND Metadherin(MTDH)is a key oncogene in most cancer types,including hepato-cellular carcinoma(HCC).Notably,MTDH does not affect the stemness pheno-type or immune infiltration of HCC.AIM To explore the role of MTDH on stemness and immune infiltration in HCC.METHODS MTDH expression in HCC tissues was detected using TCGA and GEO databases.Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the tissue samples.MTDH was stably knocked down or overexpressed by lentiviral transfection in the two HCC cell lines.The invasion and migration abilities of HCC cells were evaluated using Matrigel invasion and wound healing assays.Next,we obtained liver cancer stem cells from the spheroids by culturing them in a serum-free medium.Gene expression was determined by western blotting and quantitative reverse transcri-ption PCR.Flow cytometry,immunofluorescence,and tumor sphere formation assays were used to characterize stem-like cells.The effects of MTDH inhibition on tumor growth were evaluated in vivo.The correlation of MTDH with immune cells,immunomodulators,and chemokines was analyzed using ssGSEA and TISIDB databases.RESULTS HCC tissues expressed higher levels of MTDH than normal liver tissues.High MTDH expression was associated with a poor prognosis.HCC cells overex-pressing MTDH exhibited stronger invasion and migration abilities,exhibited a stem cell-like phenotype,and formed spheres;however,MTDH inhibition attenuated these effects.MTDH inhibition suppressed HCC progression and CD133 expression in vivo.MTDH was positively correlated with immature dendritic,T helper 2 cells,central memory CD8^(+)T,memory B,activated dendritic,natural killer(NK)T,NK,activated CD4^(+)T,and central memory CD4^(+)T cells.MTDH was negatively correlated with activated CD8^(+)T cells,eosinophils,activated B cells,monocytes,macrophages,and mast cells.A positive correlation was observed between the MTDH level and CXCL2 expression,whereas a negative correlation was observed between the MTDH level and CX3CL1 and CXCL12 expression.CONCLUSION High levels of MTDH expression in patients with HCC are associated with poor prognosis,promoting tumor stemness,immune infiltration,and HCC progression.

Identification and validation of a pyroptosis-related prognostic model for colorectal cancer based on bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data

BACKGROUND Pyroptosis impacts the development of malignant tumors,yet its role in colorectal cancer(CRC)prognosis remains uncertain.AIM To assess the prognostic significance of pyroptosis-related genes and their association with CRC immune infiltration.METHODS Gene expression data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and single-cell RNA sequencing dataset GSE178341 from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO).Pyroptosis-related gene expression in cell clusters was analyzed,and enrichment analysis was conducted.A pyroptosis-related risk model was developed using the LASSO regression algorithm,with prediction accuracy assessed through K-M and receiver operating characteristic analyses.A nomo-gram predicting survival was created,and the correlation between the risk model and immune infiltration was analyzed using CIBERSORTx calculations.Finally,the differential expression of the 8 prognostic genes between CRC and normal samples was verified by analyzing TCGA-COADREAD data from the UCSC database.RESULTS An effective pyroptosis-related risk model was constructed using 8 genes-CHMP2B,SDHB,BST2,UBE2D2,GJA1,AIM2,PDCD6IP,and SEZ6L2(P<0.05).Seven of these genes exhibited differential expression between CRC and normal samples based on TCGA database analysis(P<0.05).Patients with higher risk scores demonstrated increased death risk and reduced overall survival(P<0.05).Significant differences in immune infiltration were observed between low-and high-risk groups,correlating with pyroptosis-related gene expression.CONCLUSION We developed a pyroptosis-related prognostic model for CRC,affirming its correlation with immune infiltration.This model may prove useful for CRC prognostic evaluation.

Predicting Infiltrative Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patient Outcome Post-TACE:MR Bias Field Correction Effect on 3D-quantitative Image Analysis

Background and Aims:To investigate the impact of MR bias field correction on response determination and survival prediction using volumetric tumor enhancement analysis in patients with infiltrative hepatocellular carcinoma,after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE).Methods:This study included 101 patients treated with conventional or drug-eluting beads TACE between the years of 2001 and 2013.Semi-automated 3D quantification software was used to segment and calculate the enhancing tumor volume(ETV)of the liver with and without bias-field correction on multi-phasic contrast-enhanced MRI before and 1-month after initial TACE.ETV(expressed as cm3)at baseline imaging and the relative change in ETV(as%change,ETV%)before and after TACE were used to predict response and survival,respectively.Statistical survival analyses included Kaplan-Meier curve generation and Cox proportional hazards modeling.Q statistics were calculated and used to identify the best cut-off value for ETV to separate responders and non-responders(ETV cm3).The difference in survival was evaluated between responders and non-responders using Kaplan-Meier and Cox models.Results:MR bias field correction correlated with improved response calculation from baseline MR as well as survival after TACE;using a 415 cm3 cut-off for ETV at baseline(hazard ratio:2.00,95%confidence interval:1.23-3.26,p=0.01)resulted in significantly improved response prediction(median survival in patients with baseline ETV<415 cm3:19.66 months vs.≥415 cm3:9.21 months,p<0.001,log-rank test).A≥41%relative decrease in ETV(hazard ratio:0.58,95%confidence interval:0.37-0.93,p=0.02)was significant in predicting survival(ETV≥41%:19.20 months vs.ETV<41%:8.71 months,p=0.008,log-rank test).Without MR bias field correction,response from baseline ETV could be predicted but survival after TACE could not.Conclusions:MR bias field correction improves both response assessment and accuracy of survival prediction using whole liver tumor enhancement analysis from baseline MR after initial TACE in patients with infiltrative hepatocellular carcinoma.

SOX11 as a potential prognostic biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma linked to immune infiltration and ferroptosis

Objective:SOX11 is expressed in numerous malignancies,including hepatocellular carcinomas(HCC),but its oncogenic function has not been elucidated.Here,we performed a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma(LIHC)dataset to investigate the function of SOX11 in tumorgenesis.Methods:SOX11 expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)were validated by immunohistochemistry(IHC).Co-expression,differential expression,and functional analyses utilized TCGA-LIHC,Timer 2.0,Metascape,GTEx,and LinkedOmics databases.Associations with immune infiltration,ferroptosis,and immune checkpoint genes were assessed.Genetic changes were explored via CBioPortal.Logistic regression,receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC),Kaplan-Meier analysis,and nomogram modeling evaluated associations with HCC clinicopathological features.SOX11’s impact on proliferation and migration was studied in HepG2 and HuH7 cell lines.Results:SOX11 was significantly elevated in HCC tumors compared to controls.SOX11-associated genes exhibited differential expression in pathways involving extracellular membrane ion channels.Significant associations were found between SOX11 levels,immune infiltration,ferroptosis,and immune checkpoint genes in HCC tissue.SOX11 levels correlated with HCC stage,histologic grade,and tumor status,and independently predicted overall and disease-specific survival.SOX11 expression effectively distinguished between tumor and normal liver tissue.Spearman correlations highlighted a significant relationship between SOX11 and ferroptosis-associated genes.Decreased SOX11 levels in HepG2 and HuH7 cells resulted in reduced proliferation and migration.Conclusions:SOX11 was found to represent a promising biomarker within HCC diagnosis and prognosis together with being a possible drug-target.

Modelling the water diversion of a sustainable cover system under humid climates

Extreme rainfall significantly threatens the safety of the landfill cover system,especially under humid climates.This study aims to provide design recommendations for a sustainable landfill cover system consisting of a low-permeability soil layer underlying a two-layer capillary barrier for humid climates.First,the numerical back-analysis was conducted for verification against a series of flume model tests.Then,a parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of inclination angle,particle size and layer thickness on the lateral diversion length(DL)of the three-layer cover system under the 100-year return period rainfall of humid climates.The results show that the water lateral DL of the cover system can be greatly enhanced by increasing the inclination angle from 3°to 18°.Moreover,the bottom layer of the cover system with a coarser d10 was more susceptible to the impact of the heavy rainfall,while this can be alleviated by increasing the thickness of the bottom layer.A dimensionless number,defined as the ratio of thickness and d_(10) of the bottom layer,is proposed for designing lateral diversion of the three-layer cover system under humid climates.To preserve the maximum DL,it is suggested that the proposed dimensionless number should be larger than 95 and 110 for the design of rainfall events with 50-year and 100-year return periods for humid climates,respectively.

GIS-based prediction method of shallow landslides induced by heavy rainfall in large mountainous areas

Rainwater runoff that does not infiltrate the soil during heavy rainfall may increase slope instability. The effect of runoff is usually neglected in conventional rainfall-induced slope failure analysis to simplify the model. To analyze the effect of runoff on slope stability, this study simultaneously simulated the effects of surface runoff and rainfall infiltration on bank slopes in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. A shallow slope failure method that can be used to analyze runoff was proposed based on the modified Green-Ampt model, the simplified Saint-Venant model, and the infinite slope model. In this model, the modified Green–Ampt model was used to estimate the rainfall infiltration capacity and the wetting front depth. The eight-flow(D8) method and the simplified Saint-Venant model were selected to estimate the distribution of runoff. By considering the wetting front depth as the slip surface depth, the factor of safety of the slope could be determined using the infinite slope stability model. A comparison of the different models reveals that runoff can escalate the instability of certain slopes, causing stable slopes to become unstable. Comparison of the unstable areas obtained from the simulation with the actual landslide sites shows that the model proposed in this study can successfully predict landslides at these sites. The slope instability assessment model proposed in this study offers an alternative approach for estimating high-risk areas in large mountainous regions.

Three-year field study on grass growth and soil hydrological properties in biochar-amended soil

Field monitoring was conducted to investigate and quantify the long-term effects of peanut shell biochar on soil-grass interaction over three years.Three 10 m5 m grassed plots were constructed in completely decomposed granitic soil.Two of them were amended,respectively,with 5%and 10%biochar contents(m^(3)/m^(3))for grass growth,while the third was without biochar amendment.During the threeyear monitoring,plant characteristics,saturated water permeability(k_(s))of grassed soil and soil suction were measured.The monitored results show that the grass leaf area index(LAI)and root length density(RLD)with biochar amendment were improved by 38%and 200%,respectively.In the grassed plot without biochar,a threshold RLD existed with a value of 1.7 cm/cm^(3),beyond which k_(s) raised pronouncedly.The threshold RLD increased by 52%when biochar content increased from 0%to 10%.This implies that biochar may restrict the increase in k_(s) of grassed soil due to the rise in the threshold RLD.The presence of biochar and grass can retain over 100%higher suction after heavy rainfalls,while 54%lower peak suction under evapotranspiration(ET)compared with the non-amended plot.Biochar can alleviate the negative effects on hydraulic properties caused by plant growth and reduce ET-induced excessive water loss.A 5%peanut shell biochar content is recommended for the long-term management of vegetated earthen infrastructures.

Microstructure and ablation behavior of Zr-based ultra-high-temperature gradient composites

To obtain high-performance Zr-based ultra-high-temperature composites,Zr-based ultra-high-temperature gradient composites were prepared by changing the laying method of the infiltrant via reactive melt infiltration.The effects of different infiltrant laying methods on the microstructure and ablative properties of Zr-based ultrahigh-temperature gradient composites were investigated.The results showed that the gradient structure of the Zr-based ultrahigh-temperature gradient composites differed when the composition ratio of the infiltrant was changed.When the thicknesses of the Zr/Mo/Si layers were 6/4/12 mm and 8/2/12 mm,the SiMoZrC solid solution content in the samples increased and decreased along the infiltration direction,respectively.The gradient samples were ablated in an oxyacetylene flame at 3000°C for 40 s.The ablation resistance of the sample was the highest when the infiltrant was a powder and the thickness of the Zr/Mo/Si layer was 6/4/12 mm.

NAD+associated genes as potential biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD+)plays an essential role in cellular metabolism,mitochondrial homeostasis,inflammation,and senescence.However,the role of NAD+-regulated genes,including coding and long non-coding genes in cancer development is poorly understood.We constructed a prediction model based on the expression level of NAD+metabolism-related genes(NMRGs).Furthermore,we validated the expression of NMRGs in gastric cancer(GC)tissues and cell lines;additionally,β-nicotinamide mononucleotide(NMN),a precursor of NAD+,was used to treat the GC cell lines to analyze its effects on the expression level of NMRGs lncRNAs and cellular proliferation,cell cycle,apoptosis,and senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP).A total of 13 NMRGs-related lncRNAs were selected to construct prognostic risk signatures,and patients with high-risk scores had a poor prognosis.Some immune checkpoint genes were upregulated in the high-risk group.In addition,cell cycle,epigenetics,and senescence were significantly downregulated in the high-risk group.Notably,we found that the levels of immune cell infiltration,including CD8 T cells,CD4 naïve T cells,CD4 memory-activated T cells,B memory cells,and naïve B cells,were significantly associated with risk scores.Furthermore,the treatment of NMN showed increased proliferation of AGS and MKN45 cells.In addition,the expression of SASP factors(IL6,IL8,IL10,TGF-β,and TNF-α)was significantly decreased after NMN treatment.We conclude that the lncRNAs associated with NAD+metabolism can potentially be used as biomarkers for predicting clinical outcomes of GC patients.

Effect of microalloying on wettability and interface characteristics of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with W substrate

The infiltration casting method is widely employed for the preparation of ex-situ composite materials.However,the production of composite materials using this method must necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the wettability and interface characteristics between the reinforcing phase and the bulk metallic glasses(BMGs).This work optimized the composition of Zr-based BMGs through microalloying methods,resulting in a new set of Zr-based BMGs with excellent glass-forming ability.Wetting experiments between the Zr-based BMGs melts and W substrates were conducted using the traditional sessile drop method,and the interfaces were characterized utilizing a scanning electron microscope(SEM)equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The work demonstrates that the microalloying method substantially enhances the wettability of the Zr-based BMGs melt.Additionally,the incorporation of Nb element impedes the formation of W-Zr phases,but the introduction of Nb element does not alter the extent of interdiffusion between the constituent elements of the amorphous matrix and W element,indicating that the influence of Nb element on the diffusion of individual elements is minute.