miR-16-5p Is a Stably-Expressed Housekeeping MicroRNA in Breast Cancer Tissues from Primary Tumors and from Metastatic Sites

For quantitative microRNA analyses in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, expression levels have to be normalized to endogenous controls. To investigate the most stably-expressed microRNAs in breast cancer and its surrounding tissue, we used tumor samples from primary tumors and from metastatic sites. MiRNA profiling using TaqMan^® Array Human MicroRNA Cards, enabling quantification of 754 unique human miRNAs, was performed in FFPE specimens from 58 patients with metastatic breast cancer. Forty-two (72%) samples were collected from primary tumors and 16 (28%) from metastases. In a cross-platform analysis of a validation cohort of 32 FFPE samples from patients with early breast cancer genome-wide microRNA expression analysis using SurePrintG3 miRNA (8 × 60 K)^® microarrays from Agilent^® was performed. Eleven microRNAs could be detected in all samples analyzed. Based on NormFinder and geNorm stability values and the high correlation (rho ≥ 0.8) with the median of all measured microRNAs, miR-16-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-126-3p, and miR-222-3p are suitable single gene housekeeper candidates. In the cross-platform validation, 29 human microRNAs were strongly expressed (mean log2-intensity > 10) and 21 of these microRNAs including miR-16-5p and miR-29a-3p were also stably expressed (CV < 5%). Thus, miR-16-5p and miR-29a-3p are both strong housekeeper candidates. Their Normfinder stability values calculated across the primary tumor and metastases subgroup indicate that miR-29a-3p can be considered as the strongest housekeeper in a cohort with mainly samples from primary tumors, whereas miR-16-5p might perform better in a metastatic sample enriched cohort.     

Phase Transformations and Grain Growth in β-stabilized TiAl Alloys

Solid-state phase transformations and grain growth of an intermetallic γ-TiAl alloy were investigated in-situ using high-temperature laser scanning confocal microscopy (HTLSCM). During isothermal annealing in the single β-phase region, significant grain coarsening was observed. On cooling beneath the β-transus temperature with different rates, a CCT diagram was evaluated for the initiation of β to α phase transformation and changes in the morphology were observed.     

Experimentelle Untersuchung zur Tropfenbildung in kontinuierlich betriebenen Rotor‐Stator‐Maschinen

Rotor‐stator‐machinery is characterized in continuous operation by a homogeneous power input and a defined residence time. The influence of the equipment configuration and process design in the laminar flow regime was considered little till now. In order to fill this knowledge gap, the process behavior of this type of device was systematically investigated experimentally under axial flow conditions, as well as an energetic optimization of the machine configuration was performed.     

Synthesis of Hard Materials by Field Activation: The Synthesis of Solid Solutions and Composites in the TiB2–WB2–CrB2 System

The synthesis of solid solutions of (Ti,W,Cr)B₂ from elemental reactants using the field-activated, pressure-assisted synthesis method and employing the SPS apparatus was investigated. The nature of the products depended on temperature; they were nearly pure solid solutions at 1900°C with minor amounts of β-WB. The product density and microhardness depended on the temperature of synthesis for the same value of applied pressure (64 MPa). Samples with the highest density (94%) corresponded to a hardness of 22.7 GPa. When annealed at 1500°C, the solid solutions decomposed, precipitating a (W,Ti,Cr)B₂ phase in a spinodal form. In addition, β-WB precipitates in the form of thin (0.4–5.3 nm) layers were observed. They existed in a 60°/120° orientation to the (Ti,W,Cr)B₂ matrix, in agreement with previous observations. Highly faceted, small (nanosized) pores associated with the β-WB precipitates were also observed.     

Blast furnace slags as functional fillers on rheological,thermal, and mechanical behavior of thermoplastics

Blast furnace slags (BFS) is a secondary byproduct of iron industry, which has a combination of acidic and basic oxides and show a complex, multiphase structure. If appropriately tailored, BFS could be an effective functional filler, improving the property profile of thermoplastics such as polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). As a raw material, the proposed filler may introduce both economic and ecological advantages, as it is considered an inexpensive secondary product rather than a natural resource. The current study aims at investigating the effect of incorporating BFS as a micro‐sized filler on the rheological, thermal, and mechanical behavior of PP and PS. BFS types in this study are air‐cooled, crystalline, and amorphous, grounded types. Both types are ground into 71, 40, and 20 μm batches and introduced in 10, 20, and 30 weight fractions via melt kneading. Mixtures are then formed into 4‐mm and 2‐mm thick plates via compression molding. Slight increase in rheological factors is observed with increasing filler loading. BFS hinders the crystallization of PP, resulting in slight increase of crystallization temperatures (T_c) and lowering of crystallization enthalpy (ΔH_c). No significant effect of filler on transition temperatures (T_g) is reported. Mechanically, BFS increases the tensile modulus of PP, but decreases its strength. For PS formulations, a modest toughening effect is observed by slag filler. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43021.     

Investigation of the Sharkskin melt instability using optical Fourier analysis

An optical method allowing the characterization of melt flow instabilities typically occurring during an extrusion process of polymers and polymer compounds is presented. It is based on a camera-acquired image of the extruded compound with a reference length scale. Application of image processing and transformation of the calibrated image to the frequency domain yields the magnitude spectrum of the instability. The effectiveness of the before mentioned approach is shown on Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) compounds, covering a wide range of silica filler content, extruded through a Göttfert capillary rheometer. The results of the image-based analysis are compared with the results from the sharkskin option, a series of highly sensitive pressure transducers installed inside the rheometer. A simplified version of the code used to produce the optical analysis results is included as supplementary material. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48806.     

Gene expressions of Collagen type I,ALP and BMP-4 in osteo-inductive BCP implants show similar pattern to that of natural healing bones

Osteo-inductive materials give rise to ectopic bone formation in vivo either in muscles or in subcutaneous tissue. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is totally unclear. To investigate the expression pattern of bone related genes in osteo-inductive materials, we performed quantitative PCR (qPCR) to detect the expressions of type I collagen, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) in biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramics implanted in dorsal muscle of dogs. Bone formation in mandibular alveolus defects served as controls showing the expression patterns of these genes in natural healing bones. Histological examinations were performed to show the bone formation in osteo-inductive BCP implants. Data of qPCR indicated that all tested genes had a similar expression pattern with two peaks during the bone formation either in BCP implants or natural healing bones. Type I collagen and ALP were expressed at lower levels with delayed peak in BCP implant than that in natural healing bone. Higher BMP-4 expression level was detected in BCP ceramic implant than in natural healing bone at all the time points. These results demonstrated that expression patterns of bone-related genes in the inductive bone formation are similar to that of natural healing bone formation. As these three genes are important parameters for osteoblast activity in bone formation, our data provide clue to uncover the molecular mechanism of bone formation in osteo-inductive materials.