| 1. |
- Hu, Qing-Miao, et al.
(författare)
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Composition dependent elastic modulus and phase stability of Ni2MnGa based ferromagnetic shape memory alloys
- 2012
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Ingår i: SCI CHINA TECHNOL SC. - 1674-7321. ; 55:2, s. 295-305
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ni2MnGa based ferromagnetic alloys are ideal candidates for applications such as actuators, magnetic refrigerators or magnetostrictive transducers due to their attractive properties such as magnetic field induced shape memory effect and large magnetocaloric effect. The properties of these alloys (e.g., the martensitic transformation temperature T (M) ) sensitively depend on the composition. Understanding the composition dependence of these properties so as to design the alloy as desired is one of the main research topics in this area. In recent years, we have investigated the composition dependent elastic modulus and phase stability of Ni2MnGa-based alloys by using a first-principles method, in hope of clarifying their connection to the properties of these alloys. In this article, we review the main results of our investigations. We show that the tetragonal shear modulus C' is a better predictor of the composition dependent T (M) than the number of valence electrons per atom (e/a) since the general T (M) similar to C' correlation works for some of the alloys for which the T (M) similar to e/a correlation fails, although there exist several cases for which both the general T (M) similar to C' and T (M)similar to e/a correlations break down. Employing the experimentally determined modulation function, the complex 5-layer modulated (5M) structure of the martensite of Ni2MnGa and the Al-doping effect on it are studied. We find that the shuffle and shear of the 5M structure are linearly coupled. The relative stability of the austenite and the martensites is examined by comparing their total energies. The non-modulated martensite beta aEuro(3)aEuro(2) with the tetragonality of the unit cell c/a > 1 is shown to be globally stable whereas the 5M martensite with c/a < 1 is metastable. The critical Al atomic fraction over which the martensitic transformation between the 5M martensite and austenite cannot occur is predicted to be 0.26, in reasonable agreement with experimental findings.
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| 2. |
- Shi, Leming, et al.
(författare)
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The MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC)-II study of common practices for the development and validation of microarray-based predictive models
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nature Biotechnology. - 1087-0156. ; 28:8, s. 827-838
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gene expression data from microarrays are being applied to predict preclinical and clinical endpoints, but the reliability of these predictions has not been established. In the MAQC-II project, 36 independent teams analyzed six microarray data sets to generate predictive models for classifying a sample with respect to one of 13 endpoints indicative of lung or liver toxicity in rodents, or of breast cancer, multiple myeloma or neuroblastoma in humans. In total, >30,000 models were built using many combinations of analytical methods. The teams generated predictive models without knowing the biological meaning of some of the endpoints and, to mimic clinical reality, tested the models on data that had not been used for training. We found that model performance depended largely on the endpoint and team proficiency and that different approaches generated models of similar performance. The conclusions and recommendations from MAQC-II should be useful for regulatory agencies, study committees and independent investigators that evaluate methods for global gene expression analysis.
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| 3. |
- Wang, Mo-Jin, et al.
(författare)
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Downregulation of microRNA-124 is an independent prognostic factor in patients with colorectal cancer
- 2013
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Ingår i: International Journal of Colorectal Disease. - Springer Verlag (Germany). - 0179-1958. ; 28:2, s. 183-189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeRecently, microRNA-124 (miR-124) has been demonstrated as a potential tumor suppressor in several types of cancers. However, the role of miR-124 in colorectal cancer remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the clinicopathological significance of miR-124 expression in colorectal cancer.MethodsQuantitative real-time PCR was used to analyze miR-124 expression in 96 colorectal cancers and individual-matched normal mucosa samples. The expression of miR-124 was assessed for associations with clinicopathological characteristics using chi-square test. The survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method. The influence of each variable on survival was examined by the Cox multivariate regression analysis.ResultsThe miR-124 expression was significantly downregulated in colorectal cancer compared to normal mucosa (P = 0.001). In colorectal cancer, miR-124 decreased expression correlated significantly with the grade of differentiation (P = 0.021). Univariate survival analysis showed that the downregulated miR-124 was significantly correlated with worse prognosis, both in terms of overall survival (P = 0.017) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.014). Further, the downregulated miR-124 was demonstrated as a prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio, HR = 4.634; 95 % confidence interval, CI, 1.731–12.404; P = 0.002) and DFS (HR = 4.533, 95 % CI 1.733–11.856, P = 0.002), independently of gender, age, location, maximum tumor size, depth of invasion, differentiation, and TNM stage.ConclusionsMiR-124 may play a certain role in the development of colorectal cancer. The downregulation expression of miR-124 is an independent prognostic factor in patients with colorectal cancer.
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| 4. |
- Cao, Yang, et al.
(författare)
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Validation of a survey methodology for gastroesophageal reflux disease in China
- 2008
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Ingår i: BMC Gastroenterology. - 1471-230X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUNDGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causes a wide range of clinical symptoms and potentially serious complications, but epidemiological data about GERD in China are limited. The aim of this pilot study was to develop and validate a methodology for the epidemiological study of GERD in China.METHODSRegionally stratified, randomized samples of Shanghai residents (n = 919) completed Mandarin translations of the Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ), GERD Impact Scale, Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia (QOLRAD) questionnaire and 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Reliability and construct validity were tested by appropriate statistical analyses.RESULTSThe response rate was 86%. The test-retest reliability coefficients for the RDQ, GERD Impact Scale, QOLRAD and SF-36 were 0.80, 0.71, 0.93 and 0.96, respectively, and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were 0.86, 0.80, 0.98 and 0.90, respectively. Dimension scores were highly correlated with the total scores for the QOLRAD and SF-36, and factor analysis showed credible construct validity for the RDQ, GERD Impact Scale and SF-36. The RDQ GERD score was significantly negatively correlated with QOLRAD dimensions of food and drink problems and social functioning, and was significantly negatively correlated with all dimensions of the SF-36. All eight of the SF-36 dimensions were significantly correlated with the QOLRAD total score.CONCLUSIONThis study developed and tested a successful survey methodology for the investigation of GERD in China. The questionnaires used demonstrated credible reliability and construct validity, supporting their use in larger epidemiological surveys of GERD in China.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Hu, Qing-Miao, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetoelastic effects in Ni2Mn1+xGa1-x alloys from first-principles calculations
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121. ; 81:6, s. 064108-1-064108-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The magnetic coupling between Mn atoms on Ga sublattice (Mn-Ga) and Mn atoms on Mn sublattice (Mn-Mn) in Ni2Mn1+xGa1-x alloy and its effect on the elastic modulus of the alloy are investigated by the use of first-principles methods. It is shown that, for x = 0.25, the state with antiparallel Mn-Ga-Mn-Mn magnetic coupling is slightly more stable than that with parallel coupling, whereas for x = 0.10, both magnetic states are almost degenerated. For both antiparallel and parallel Mn-Ga-Mn-Mn magnetic couplings, the bulk modulus (B) of Ni2Mn1+xGa1-x deviates from the general e/a-B relationship with e/a being the number of valence electrons per atom. The shear modulus C' versus the martensitic transformation temperature T-M for Ni2Mn1+xGa1-x with antiparallel Mn-Ga-Mn-Mn magnetic coupling is in line with the general C'-T-M relationship for Ni2MnGa-based alloys, in contrast to the case of parallel Mn-Ga-Mn-Mn magnetic coupling.
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| 7. |
- Hu, Qing-Miao, et al.
(författare)
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Site occupancy, magnetic moments, and elastic constants of off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa from first-principles calculations
- 2009
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121. ; 79:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The site occupancy and elastic modulus of off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa alloys are investigated by the use of the first-principles exact muffin-tin orbital method in combination with coherent-potential approximation. The stable site occupancy at 300 K is determined by comparing the free energies of the alloys with different site-occupation configurations. It is shown that, for most of the off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa, the "normal" site occupation is favorable, i.e., the excess atoms of the rich component occupy the sublattice(s) of the deficient one(s). Nevertheless, for the Ga-rich alloys, the excess Ga atoms have strong tendency to take the Mn sublattice no matter if Mn is deficient or not. Based on the determined site occupancy, the elastic moduli of the off-stoichiometric Ni2MnGa are calculated. We find that, in general, the bulk modulus increases with increasing e/a ratio (i.e., the number of valence electrons per atom). The shear moduli C-' and C-44 change oppositely with e/a ratio: C-' decreases but C-44 increases with increasing e/a. However, the Mn-rich Ga-deficient alloys deviate significantly from this general trend. The correlation of calculated elastic moduli and available experimental martensitic transformation temperatures (T-M) demonstrates that the alloy with larger C-' than that of the perfect Ni2MnGa generally possesses lower T-M except for Ni2Mn1+xGa1-x.
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| 8. |
- Kim, Chan-Hee, et al.
(författare)
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A three-step proteolytic cascade mediates the activation of the peptidoglycan-induced toll pathway in an insect
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 0021-9258. ; 283:12, s. 7599-7607
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The recognition of lysine-type peptidoglycans (PG) by the PG recognition complex has been suggested to cause activation of the serine protease cascade leading to the processing of Spätzle and subsequent activation of the Toll signaling pathway. So far, two serine proteases involved in the lysine-type PG Toll signaling pathway have been identified. One is a modular serine protease functioning as an initial enzyme to be recruited into the lysine-type PG recognition complex. The other is the Drosophila Spätzle processing enzyme (SPE), a terminal enzyme that converts Spätzle pro-protein to its processed form capable of binding to the Toll receptor. However, it remains unclear how the initial PG recognition signal is transferred to Spätzle resulting in Toll pathway activation. Also, the biochemical characteristics and mechanism of action of a serine protease linking the modular serine protease and SPE have not been investigated. Here, we purified and cloned a novel upstream serine protease of SPE that we named SAE, SPE-activating enzyme, from the hemolymph of a large beetle, Tenebrio molitor larvae. This enzyme was activated by Tenebrio modular serine protease and in turn activated the Tenebrio SPE. The biochemical ordered functions of these three serine proteases were determined in vitro, suggesting that the activation of a three-step proteolytic cascade is necessary and sufficient for lysine-type PG recognition signaling. The processed Spätzle by this cascade induced antibacterial activity in vivo. These results demonstrate that the three-step proteolytic cascade linking the PG recognition complex and Spätzle processing is essential for the PG-dependent Toll signaling pathway.
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| 9. |
- Li, Chun-Mei, et al.
(författare)
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First-principles investigation of the composition dependent properties of Ni2+xMn1-xGa shape-memory alloys
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121. ; 82:2, s. 024201-1-024201-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The composition dependent lattice parameter, phase stability, elastic moduli, and magnetic transition temperature of the Ni2+xMn1-xGa shape-memory alloys are studied by using the first-principles exact muffin-tin orbital method in combination with the coherent potential approximation. The lattice parameter and tetragonal shear modulus of the cubic L-21 austenite phase decreases linearly with increasing concentration x of excess Ni atoms. The heats of formation of both cubic L-21 and tetragonal beta''' phases and their difference increase with x, indicating decreasing stability of the cubic and tetragonal phases and increasing driving force for the L-21 to beta''' martensitic transition. Investigating the electronic density of states, we find that the Ni-induced decreasing phase stability can mainly be ascribed to the weakening of the covalent bonding between minority spin states of Ni and Ga. Using the computed parameters, the composition dependence of the martensitic transition temperature is discussed. The theoretical Curie temperature, estimated from the Heisenberg model in combination with the mean-field approximation, is larger for the beta''' phase than for the L-21 phase. For both phases, the Curie temperature decreases nearly linearly with increasing x.
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| 10. |
- Li, Chun-Mei, et al.
(författare)
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First-principles study of the elastic properties of In-Tl random alloys
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121. ; 82:9, s. 094201
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The composition-dependent lattice parameters and elastic constants of In1-xTlx(0<x <= 0.4) alloy in face-centered-cubic (fcc) and face-centered-tetragonal (fct) crystallographic phases are calculated by using the first-principles exact muffin-tin orbitals method in combination with coherent-potential approximation. The calculated lattice parameters and elastic constants agree well with the available theoretical and experimental data. For pure In, the fcc phase is mechanically unstable as shown by its negative tetragonal shear modulus C'. With Tl addition, C' of the fcc phase increases whereas that of the fct phase decreases, indicating that the fcc phase becomes mechanically more stable and the fct phase becomes less stable. In addition, the structural energy difference between the fcc and fct phases decreases with x. Both of these effects account for the observed lowering of the fcc-fct martensitic transition temperature upon Tl addition to In. The density of states indicates that the stability of the fct phase relative to the fcc one at low temperatures is due to the particular electronic structure of In and In-Tl alloys.
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