Larger Cell Size Research Articles

Study on the Homogeneity of Large-Size Blade Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Thermoelectric Coupling Model Simulation

To improve the energy density of lithium-ion battery packs, lithium-ion batteries are gradually advancing towards large-size structures, which has become one of the dominant development trends in the battery industry. With large-size blade lithium-ion batteries as the research object, this paper develops a high-precision electro-thermal coupling model based on the relevant parameters obtained through basic performance experiments, explores the mechanism of battery inhomogeneity from a simulation perspective, and further proposes a design management method. First of all, the optimal intervals of capacity and temperature, as well as the characteristics of the inhomogeneity distribution for large-size cells, are determined by essential performance and inhomogeneity tests; subsequently, the electrochemical and thermal characteristics of the large-size battery are described precisely through a 3D thermoelectric coupling mechanism model, and the inhomogeneity of the temperature distribution is obtained through simulation; eventually, the optimized cell connection method and thermal management strategy are proposed based on the validated model. As indicated by the findings, the above solutions effectively ease the inhomogeneity of large-size cells and significantly boost the performance of large-size cells under different operating conditions.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell surface display technology: Strategies for improvement and applications.

Microbial cell surface display technology provides a powerful platform for engineering proteins/peptides with enhanced properties. Compared to the classical intracellular and extracellular expression (secretion) systems, this technology avoids enzyme purification, substrate transport processes, and is an effective solution to enzyme instability. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is well suited to cell surface display as a common cell factory for the production of various fuels and chemicals, with the advantages of large cell size, being a Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) organism, and post-translational processing of secreted proteins. In this review, we describe various strategies for constructing modified S. cerevisiae using cell surface display technology and outline various applications of this technology in industrial processes, such as biofuels and chemical products, environmental pollution treatment, and immunization processes. The approaches for enhancing the efficiency of cell surface display are also discussed.

Study influence of honeycomb structural parameters on impact force responses using reduced order modelling

An electric vehicle is heavier than an internal combustion engine vehicle due to batteries and its enclosure. Weight reduction is one of electric vehicle design target. Honeycomb material can be used in the battery enclosure design as it has light weight and good energy absorption capability. However, it is necessary to understand the mechanical behaviour of honeycomb under impact load. This paper aims to study the effects of honeycomb cell size and wall thickness under impact loading on energy absorption and weight using a reduced order model. The reduced order model was established from a set of finite element simulation data. The prediction capability of the reduced order model was accurate with less than 5 % error. It was employed to predict the initial peak force, the mean force and mass of honeycomb with various sets of the cell size and wall thickness. The study observed that the initial peak force increased linearly with both cell size and wall thickness. For a very thin wall thickness the cell size had little effect. However, with a very small cell size, the effect of wall thickness on the initial peak force was little when comparing with honeycomb with a large cell size. The mean force also increased with increasing cell size at a decreasing rate for the same thickness. Once the maximum mean force was reached, the mean force decreased with increasing cell size for all thickness. However, for all cell size, the mean force increased parabolically with the wall thickness. The mass linearly increased with increasing cell size and the wall thickness. Then, the optimum parameter was suggested 5 mm cell size and 0.1 mm thickness which gave the lowest initial peak force with highest mean force and lightest mass.

Influence of Ethanol on Porous Anodic Alumina Growth in Etidronic Acid Solutions at Various Temperatures.

Etidronic acid, used in aluminum anodization, has a great potential for the fabrication of porous anodic alumina (PAA) with large cell sizes (>540 nm). PAAs are particularly suited to applications in optics and photonics where large-scale periodicity corresponding to visible or infrared light is needed. Additionally, such PAAs should be characterized by long-range pore ordering. However, to obtain regular pore arrangement in an etidronic electrolyte, the anodization should be performed at high electric fields using relatively high temperatures, which makes the process challenging in terms of its stability. To stabilize the process, the electrolyte can be modified with ethanol. In this work, the impact of ethanol on pore geometry and a level of pore ordering is systematically analyzed. It is shown that the additive tends to reduce pore ordering. Moreover, by changing the anodizing temperature and the amount of ethanol, it is possible to tune the porosity of the PAA template. At 20 °C, porosity drops from 14% in PAA grown in a pure water-based electrolyte to ca. 8% in PAA fabricated in the 1:3 v/v EtOH:H2O electrolyte. The larger PAA thickness obtained for the same charge density strongly suggests that PAA formation efficiency increases in the 1:3 v/v EtOH:H2O mixture.

High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma with Effusion as the Initial presentation

Abstract Introduction/Objective Malignant effusion is usually caused by metastatic carcinoma. Lymphoma is often not included in the differential diagnoses. Here, we describe two cases of young females with no significant past medical history, presenting with fluid overload. Methods/Case Report The first case is a 41-year-old female with abdominal ascites and pleural effusion. Microscopic examination of the ascitic fluid showed intermediate to large lymphoid cells with irregular nuclear contours and fine chromatin. Flow cytometry showed CD10-positive lambda restricted B-cells. She had retropectoral mass biopsy showing sheets of intermediate to large-sized lymphoma cells with abundant apoptotic bodies and necrosis. The lymphoma cells are positive for CD20, CD10, BCL-2, BCL-6, and C-MYC (~50%,) while negative for TdT and cyclin D1. Proliferative index by Ki-67 stain is ~80%). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis demonstrated rearrangements of BCL2/18q (80%) and MYC/8q (82%). The patient had a diagnosis of high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL-2 gene rearrangements. The second case is a 43-year-old woman with abdominal pain. She was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and underwent cholecystectomy. Peritoneal fluid showed numerous neoplastic cells with irregular nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and cytoplasmic vacuoles. Flow cytometry demonstrated CD10-positive B-cells with lambda restriction. The cells were positive for CD10, CD20, BCL-2, BCL-6, and PAX5, and negative for CD34, cyclin D1, HHV-8, and TDT. EBER ISH was negative. The proliferation index by Ki67 stain was >90%. FISH studies showed MYC, BCL2 and BCL6 gene arrangements. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a complex karyotype. A diagnosis of HGBL with triple-hit rearrangements was rendered. Despite receiving aggressive chemotherapy, the patient expired 8.5 months after the diagnosis. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) NA. Conclusion HGBL is an aggressive and often stage IV disease. It should be considered in the differential diagnoses of malignant effusions. Flow cytometry and FISH analysis of the body fluid specimen are essential to reach an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner.

Case Series: Large B-cell Lymphoma with IRF4 Rearrangement Involving the Lung and the Tonsil in Two Different Patients

Abstract Introduction/Objective Large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) with IRF4 rearrangement is a new entity described in the 2017 WHO classification. It is characterized by a monotonous proliferation of medium to large sized cells with strong expression of IRF4/MUM1 and IRF4 rearrangement. It accounts for only 0.05% of all diffuse LBCLs and affects predominantly children and young adult with median age of 12 years. The reported sites of disease include lymph nodes of head and neck, Waldeyer ring and gastrointestinal tract. Here, we report two cases of Large B-cell Lymphoma with IRF4 rearrangement in two female patients, 73-year old and 71-year old respectively. The first patient presented with a lung nodule, while the second presented with right palatine tonsillitis. Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, immunohistochemistry and Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization were used to characterize the lesions. H&E stained sections of the lung nodule biopsy from the first patient showed diffuse proliferation of medium- to large-sized cells (Figures A and B). Immunohistochemistry shows tumor cells are positive for CD20 (figure C), CD10, BCL6, and IRF4/MUM1(figure D). FISH study shows that tumor cells carry the IRF4 rearrangement but are negative for MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 translocations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of LBCL with IRF4 rearrangement reported involving the lung in an older patient. H&E stained sections of the right palatine tonsil from the second patient shows effacement of the normal architecture which is replaced by sheets of large lymphoid cells. Immunohistochemistry shows tumor cells positive for CD20, CD10, BCL-6, BCL-2, MUM-1, C-MYC, and Ki-67 (80%). FISH study shows that tumor cells carry the IRF4 rearrangement which is consistent with a diagnosis of LBCL with IRF4 rearrangement. Methods/Case Report NA. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) NA. Conclusion NA.

Growth Characteristics of <italic>Hemerocallis thunbergii</italic> Baker Seedlings depending on Cell Size in Sowing using Plug Trays

Background and objective: This study was conducted to determine the appropriate cell size, and days after sowing seeds by examining the growth of Hemerocallis thunbergii Baker (HTB) seedlings using plug trays.Methods: The growth of seedlings was examined after sowing seeds in four types of plug trays (143, 70, 18, 13 mL/cell). The sown trays were placed in a greenhouse for three repetitions per treatment. The seedling growth were measured at intervals of one month after sowing.Results: The leaf width and root length increased in proportion to the cell size, and at 90 days after sowing the highest leaf number was observed in the 143 mL/cell plug tray, followed in order by 18, 13, and 70 mL/cell plug tray. The longest leaf length was found in the 70 mL/cell plug trays, followed in order by the 70, 18, 143, and 13 mL/cell plug trays, but there was no significant difference except in 13 mL/cell plug trays. By analyzing the plant water content (PWC) of the shoots and roots, it was found that the PWC of the root system increased as the cell size increased, compared to that of the shoots, and there was a significant difference according to the cell size.Conclusion: Compared with the 143 mL cell plug tray, which had the largest cell size among the other treatment groups, the leaf number increased only for the 18 mL cell plug tray, there was no significant difference from 143 mL cell plug tray, and the leaf length was rather longer. Therefore, considering the actual production period and economic efficiency of raising the seedlings, it is considered that nursery period of 60 days or more is appropriate for HTB based on 18 mL/cell in sowing in plug trays.

Utilization of supercritical CO2 for controlling the crystal phase transition and cell morphology of isotactic polybutene-1 foams

Isotactic polybutene-1 (iPB-1) is a semi-crystalline polymer with multiple crystal forms. In this work, we found a novel method to obtain and adjust the expansion ratio and bimodal cellular structures of iPB-1 foams with annealing and foaming using supercritical CO2. The form I′ can be obtained via the supercritical CO2 annealing, and the ratio of form I and I′ can be adjusted by controlling simply the annealing time. The effects of crystal form ratio on the thermal behavior, rheological behavior and cell morphology of foams were analyzed. Energy storage modulus (G′) and complex viscosity (|η*|) decrease with the increased content of form I. Crystal form I′ has a lower foaming temperature window and bubble growth resistance than form I, resulting in larger cell diameter and expansion ratio. The bimodal cell structure can be observed in the samples with 1:1 form I′/form I, where the average large and small cell size are 122 and 40 µm at 109 °C and 10 MPa CO2, respectively. To regulate the cell distribution, various ratios of mixed crystal phases were applied to investigate their effect on the foaming behavior and bimodal cells structure at different temperatures. Even with a similar expansion ratio, significantly different cell distributions of bimodal cell structure can be easily prepared by simply adjusting the content of form I′, which can broaden the application range of iPB-1 foams.

A Co-Axial Microtubular Flow Battery Cell with Ultra-High Volumetric Power Density

Flow batteries are a promising energy storage solution. However, the footprint and capital cost need to be further reduced for flow batteries to be commercially viable. The flow cell, where electron exchange takes place, is a central component in flow batteries. Improving the volumetric power density of the flow cell (W/Lcell) can reduce the size and cost of flow batteries. While significant progress has been made on flow battery redox, electrode and membrane materials to improve energy density and durability, conventional flow batteries based on planar cell configuration exhibit a large cell size with multiple bulky accessories such as flow distributors, resulting in low volumetric power density. In this talk, I will introduce a new co-axial microtubular (CAMT) flow battery cell configuration that significantly improves volumetric power density by reducing the membrane-to-membrane distance by almost 100 times and eliminating completely the bulky flow distributors. Using zinc-iodide chemistry as a demonstration, our CAMT cell shows peak charge and discharge power densities of 1322 W/Lcell and 306.1 W/Lcell compared to average charge and discharge power densities of < 60 W/Lcell and 45 W/Lcell of conventional planar flow battery cells. The battery cycled for more than 220 hours, corresponding to > 2,500 cycles at off-peak conditions. Furthermore, the CAMT cell has been demonstrated to be compatible with zinc-bromide, quinone-bromide, and all-vanadium chemistries. The CAMT flow cell represents a device-level revolution to enhance the volumetric power of flow batteries and potentially reduce the size and cost of the cells and the entire flow battery.Publication:https://chemrxiv.org/engage/chemrxiv/article-details/62070e98bd05a04ae103fa7e Figure 1

Isolation of ferret astrocytes reveals their morphological, transcriptional, and functional differences from mouse astrocytes.

Astrocytes play key roles in supporting the central nervous system structure, regulating synaptic functions, and maintaining brain homeostasis. The number of astrocytes in the cerebrum has markedly increased through evolution. However, the manner by which astrocytes change their features during evolution remains unknown. Compared with the rodent brain, the brain of the ferret, a carnivorous animal, has a folded cerebral cortex and higher white to gray matter ratio, which are common features of the human brain. To further clarify the features of ferret astrocytes, we isolated astrocytes from ferret neonatal brains, cultured these cells, and compared their morphology, gene expression, calcium response, and proliferating ability with those of mouse astrocytes. The morphology of cultured ferret astrocytes differed from that of mouse astrocytes. Ferret astrocytes had longer and more branched processes, smaller cell bodies, and different calcium responses to glutamate, as well as had a greater ability to proliferate, compared to mouse astrocytes. RNA sequencing analysis revealed novel ferret astrocyte-specific genes, including several genes that were the same as those in humans. Astrocytes in the ferret brains had larger cell size, longer primary processes in larger numbers, and a higher proliferation rate compared to mouse astrocytes. Our study shows that cultured ferret astrocytes have different features from rodent astrocytes and similar features to human astrocytes, suggesting that they are useful in studying the roles of astrocytes in brain evolution and cognitive functions in higher animals.

EXTRANODAL NK/T-CELL LYMPHOMA: A CASE REPORT

To present a case of a rare and challenging disease with an atypical presentation. Methods: Data were collected on eletronical and physical medical records. A 44-year-old-man was referred to the hematology clinic with a 6-month history of a painlesscutaneous plaque, that progressed to an extensive erythematous tumour lesion with central ulceration and necrosis. During this period, the patient experienced unexplained fever, night sweats and weight loss. His baseline labortatory parameters were normal, including complete blood counts, renal function, calcium and lactate dehydrogenase. A skin biopsy was performed and revealed diffuse infiltration of the skin by medium and large-sized cells with irregularly contoured nuclei, homogenous chromatin, minute nucleolus and scarce cytoplasm, extending from the papillary dermis to the subcutaneous tissue. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the cells expressed CD3, CD56 and CD5 and were negative for CD20, CD4, CD8, CD7 and CD30. In situ hybridization for EBV-encoded small RNA (EBER) showed diffuse positivity, which supported the diagnosis of Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Positron emission tomography scan (PET/CT) showed an expansive tumour lesion above the right elbow, with SUV of 21. There were no other sites of glycolytic hypermetabolism, including lymph nodes and nasal region. Bone marrow biopsy was not performed. He was treated with 5 cycles of SMILE chemotherapy (methylprednisolone, methotrexate, ifosfamide, L-asparaginase and etoposide) and achieved complete remission. He was then submitted to related allogeneic stem cell transplantation, followed by consolidation radiotherapy at the tumor site and remains alive and in remission of the lymphoma 25 months after the procedure, with mild cutaneous and hepatic chronic graft versus host disease. Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma is characterized by vascular damage, necrosis, cytotoxicphenotype and EBV association, with median patient age of 44-54 years. The most common involved site is the upper aerodigestive tract, specially the nasal area. Extranasal dissemination can occur with the skin involvement being one of the most frequent sites and associated with a worse prognosis. Other unfavourable prognostic factors include advanced-stage disease, high KI-67 proliferation index (40-65%) and high circulating EBV DNA levels. Treatment is based on staging. Radiotherapy is the backbone of treatment of localized disease, often combined with chemotherapy. In advanced disease, multiagent chemotherapy, with asparaginase containing regimes are used, followed by consolidation with allogeneic stem cell transplantation when feasible. We presented a NK/ T-cell lymphoma case with a rare and exuberant cutaneous presentation that was successfully treated with aggressive chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation.

Chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT/TRiC) is a novel therapeutic and diagnostic target for neuroblastoma.

Chaperonin containing TCP1 (CCT/TRiC) is a multi-subunit protein folding complex that enables the cancer phenotype to emerge from the mutational landscape that drives oncogenesis. We and others linked increased expression of CCT subunits to advanced tumor stage and invasiveness that inversely correlates with cancer patient outcomes. In this study, we examined the expression of the second CCT subunit, CCT2, using genomic databases of adult and pediatric tumors and normal tissues, and found that it was highly expressed in pediatric cancers, showing a significant difference compared to normal tissues. Histologic staining confirmed that CCT subunits are highly expressed in tumor tissues, which was exemplified in neuroblastoma. Using two neuroblastoma cells, MYCN-amplified, IMR-32 cells, and non-amplified, SK-N-AS cells, we assessed baseline levels for CCT subunits and found expressions comparable to the highly invasive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line, MDA-MB-231. Exogenous expression of CCT2 in both SK-N-AS and IMR-32 cells resulted in morphological changes, such as larger cell size and increased adherence, with significant increases in the CCT substrates, actin, and tubulin, as well as increased migration. Depletion of CCT2 reversed these effects and reduced cell viability. We evaluated CCT as a therapeutic target in IMR-32 cells by testing a novel peptide CCT inhibitor, CT20p. Treatment with CT20p induced cell death in these neuroblastoma cells. The use of CCT2 as a biological indicator for detection of neuroblastoma cells shed in blood was examined by spiking IMR-32 cells into human blood and using an anti-CCT2 antibody for the identification of spiked cancer cells with the CellSearch system. Results showed that using CCT2 for the detection of neuroblastoma cells in blood was more effective than the conventional approach of using epithelial markers like cytokeratins. CCT2 plays an essential role in promoting the invasive capacity of neuroblastoma cells and thus offers the potential to act as a molecular target in the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostics for pediatric cancers.

Cutaneous Involvement of Extranodal NK/T Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type, a Clinical and Histopathological Mimicker of Various Skin Diseases

Background: Extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENK/T) with cutaneous involvement has various histopathological findings and diverse clinical manifestations. Methods: A retrospective study of cutaneous involvement of ENK/T lymphoma between 2006 and 2018 was conducted. Results: Twenty-two cases were eligible for this study. Twelve cases could be proven as secondary cutaneous involvement by ENK/T lymphoma, while the remaining could not be confirmed as primary cutaneous ENK/T lymphoma. The histopathological patterns included dermal and subcutaneous nodular infiltration pattern in 11/22 cases (50%), lobular panniculitis pattern in 6/22 cases (27.3%), interface dermatitis pattern in 4/22 cases (18.2%), and granulomatous dermatitis pattern in 1/22 case (4.5%). The median follow-up was 18.3 months. Overall, the one-year and five-year survival rates were 31.3% and 13.3%, respectively. Conclusions: A variety of histopathological patterns of cutaneous involvement by ENK/T lymphoma should be differentiated from other cutaneous lymphomas, dermatitis, and infection. When atypical medium or large-sized lymphoid cells are encountered within skin lesions, pathologists should realize these lesions can be ENK/T lymphoma, especially in cases with coexisting tumor necrosis or angioinvasion. A complete evaluation of the upper aerodigestive tract is mandatory to identify the occult primary site of ENK/T lymphoma before establishing primary cutaneous ENK/T lymphoma.

Coordination of gene expression with cell size enables Escherichia coli to efficiently maintain motility across conditions

To swim and navigate, motile bacteria synthesize a complex motility machinery involving flagella, motors, and a sensory system. A myriad of studies has elucidated the molecular processes involved, but less is known about the coordination of motility expression with cellular physiology: In Escherichia coli, motility genes are strongly up-regulated in nutrient-poor conditions compared to nutrient-replete conditions; yet a quantitative link to cellular motility has not been developed. Here, we systematically investigated gene expression, swimming behavior, cell growth, and available proteomics data across a broad spectrum of exponential growth conditions. Our results suggest that cells up-regulate the expression of motility genes at slow growth to compensate for reduction in cell size, such that the number of flagella per cell is maintained across conditions. The observed four or five flagella per cell is the minimum number needed to keep the majority of cells motile. This simple regulatory objective allows E. coli cells to remain motile across a broad range of growth conditions, while keeping the biosynthetic and energetic demands to establish and drive the motility machinery at the minimum needed. Given the strong reduction in flagella synthesis resulting from cell size increases at fast growth, our findings also provide a different physiological perspective on bacterial cell size control: A larger cell size at fast growth is an efficient strategy to increase the allocation of cellular resources to the synthesis of those proteins required for biomass synthesis and growth, while maintaining processes such as motility that are only needed on a per-cell basis.

Delineation of proteome changes driven by cell size and growth rate.

Increasing cell size drives changes to the proteome, which affects cell physiology. As cell size increases, some proteins become more concentrated while others are diluted. As a result, the state of the cell changes continuously with increasing size. In addition to these proteomic changes, large cells have a lower growth rate (protein synthesis rate per unit volume). That both the cell’s proteome and growth rate change with cell size suggests they may be interdependent. To test this, we used quantitative mass spectrometry to measure how the proteome changes in response to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, which decreases the cellular growth rate and has only a minimal effect on cell size. We found that large cell size and mTOR inhibition, both of which lower the growth rate of a cell, remodel the proteome in similar ways. This suggests that many of the effects of cell size are mediated by the size-dependent slowdown of the cellular growth rate. For example, the previously reported size-dependent expression of some senescence markers could reflect a cell’s declining growth rate rather than its size per se. In contrast, histones and other chromatin components are diluted in large cells independently of the growth rate, likely so that they remain in proportion with the genome. Finally, size-dependent changes to the cell’s growth rate and proteome composition are still apparent in cells continually exposed to a saturating dose of rapamycin, which indicates that cell size can affect the proteome independently of mTORC1 signaling. Taken together, our results clarify the dependencies between cell size, growth, mTOR activity, and the proteome remodeling that ultimately controls many aspects of cell physiology.

PLASMABLASTIC LYMPHOMA WITH SECONDARY ORAL MANIFESTATION: A CASE REPORT

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PbL) is an uncommon and aggressive B-cell malignancy highly prevalent among individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We report the case of a 26-year-old male patient, recently diagnosed with both HIV and PbL after 10 days of daily fever episodes, bilateral sharp pain in the frontal region of the face, and swelling of the right periorbital region. During hospitalization for the first chemotherapy cycle, a purple nodular lesion on the right anterior superior gingiva and ulceration of the right hard palate were observed by the dental team. An incisional biopsy was performed. Microscopically, the tumor showed diffuse proliferation of medium- to large-sized atypical cells with plasmacytic differentiation, which were strongly positive for CD138/MUM-1, focally positive for CD10/BCL2, and negative for CD20/CD3/CD56/CD30/BCL6. Ki-67 labeling index was 90% and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr encoded RNA revealed infection of most peripheral blood lymphocytes cells by Epstein-Barr virus. The final diagnosis was PbL with oral involvement. Plasmablastic lymphoma (PbL) is an uncommon and aggressive B-cell malignancy highly prevalent among individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We report the case of a 26-year-old male patient, recently diagnosed with both HIV and PbL after 10 days of daily fever episodes, bilateral sharp pain in the frontal region of the face, and swelling of the right periorbital region. During hospitalization for the first chemotherapy cycle, a purple nodular lesion on the right anterior superior gingiva and ulceration of the right hard palate were observed by the dental team. An incisional biopsy was performed. Microscopically, the tumor showed diffuse proliferation of medium- to large-sized atypical cells with plasmacytic differentiation, which were strongly positive for CD138/MUM-1, focally positive for CD10/BCL2, and negative for CD20/CD3/CD56/CD30/BCL6. Ki-67 labeling index was 90% and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr encoded RNA revealed infection of most peripheral blood lymphocytes cells by Epstein-Barr virus. The final diagnosis was PbL with oral involvement.

Histological and molecular analysis of cellular leiomyoma with sclerosis: linked to HMGA2 overexpression.

HMGA2 overexpression is found in 10-15% of leiomyomas (LM). HMGA2 overexpression is common in variants of hydropic, intravenous and lipo-LM. Cellular or highly cellular LM (CLM) is a LM variant with a less well-defined molecular nature. In this study, we identified and examined 52 hypercellular LM with sclerotic collagen, herein defined as cellular leiomyoma with sclerosis (CLM-S). CLM-S shows large tumour size (average 12.2 cm) and characteristic histology of tumour cells, arranged in cellular fascicles, sheets and trabeculae with abundant dense, pink sclerotic extracellular matrix in bands and nodules and increased vascularity. Tumour cells are uniform with small, round-oval nuclei and scant, pale-eosinophilic to vacuolated cytoplasm reminiscent of pericytes. The differential diagnosis of CLM-S includes conventional CLM, endometrial stromal tumours and perivascular epithelioid cell tumour. Immunohistochemical profile [HMGA2, fumarate hydratase, smooth muscle markers, Melan A and HMB-45] and molecular alterations [by HMGA2 mRNA reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), HMGA2 fluorescence in-situ hybridisation and MED12 sequencing] were analysed in comparison to matched myometrium and CLM controls. Remarkably, 96% (50 of 52) of CLM-S demonstrated diffuse positive immunoreactivity for HMGA2 and up to an 80-fold increase in HMGA2 mRNA, determined by RT-PCR. FISH analysis with break-part probes at intron 3 and the 5' UTR detected HMGA2 rearrangements in 47% (18 of 38) of CLM-S. All CLM-S retained expression of fumarate hydratase. No MED12 mutations were found in any CLM-S. Our findings show that CLM-S has unique and characteristic histomorphology probably driven by HMGA2 overexpression.

GLW7.1, a Strong Functional Allele of Ghd7, Enhances Grain Size in Rice.

Grain size is a key determinant of both grain weight and grain quality. Here, we report the map-based cloning of a novel quantitative trait locus (QTL), GLW7.1 (Grain Length, Width and Weight 7.1), which encodes the CCT motif family protein, GHD7. The QTL is located in a 53 kb deletion fragment in the cultivar Jin23B, compared with the cultivar CR071. Scanning electron microscopy analysis and expression analysis revealed that GLW7.1 promotes the transcription of several cell division and expansion genes, further resulting in a larger cell size and increased cell number, and finally enhancing the grain size as well as grain weight. GLW7.1 could also increase endogenous GA content by up-regulating the expression of GA biosynthesis genes. Yeast two-hybrid assays and split firefly luciferase complementation assays revealed the interactions of GHD7 with seven grain-size-related proteins and the rice DELLA protein SLR1. Haplotype analysis and transcription activation assay revealed the effect of six amino acid substitutions on GHD7 activation activity. Additionally, the NIL with GLW7.1 showed reduced chalkiness and improved cooking and eating quality. These findings provide a new insight into the role of Ghd7 and confirm the great potential of the GLW7.1 allele in simultaneously improving grain yield and quality.

A comparative study on mica waste‐filled natural rubber foam composites made out of creamed and centrifuged latex

AbstractA comparative study on processed mica waste (PMW) filled natural rubber latex foams (NRLF) made out of centrifuged latex and creamed latex was conducted. The morphological, mechanical, and degradability properties of the composites were studied. The PMW was incorporated at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 phr loading. Morphological studies revealed that both types of composites possess open‐cell structures. However, creamed latex based foam rubber composites showed foam structures with much larger cell sizes. PMW loading showed similar influences on the properties of the foam composites, irrespective of the latex type used. Increasing filler loading increases tensile strength, modulus at 100% elongation, tear strength, compression set, shrinkage, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties and reduces elongation at break and extractable protein content while offering a slightly dark color to the composites. It was also found that the creamed latex based foam rubber exhibits lesser extractable protein content and slightly inferior properties in tensile strength, shrinkage properties and color compared to centrifuged latex based foam rubber. However, it was shown that type of latex does not influence biodegradability, antibacterial properties, and color retention. Thermogravimetric analysis results confirmed the thermal resistance and reinforcing ability of mica in both NRLF composites.

24.4% industrial tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cells with ozone-gas oxidation Nano SiOx and tube PECVD prepared in-situ doped polysilicon

Ozone-gas oxidation (OGO) technology, capable of integrating into tube plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technology, is developed to prepare the Nano SiO x layer for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells in this work. The effects of gas flow, oxidation temperature, and annealing temperature on passivation quality are investigated. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates that OGO SiO x possesses a Si 4+ proportion of about 20%, higher than the nitric acid oxidized (NAOS) SiO x and plasma-assisted N 2 O oxidation (PANO) SiO x . The implied open-circuit voltage ( iV oc ) of the hydrogenated lifetime sample is promoted to more than 740 mV with the highest value of 748 mV, corresponding to a lowest single-sided saturation current density ( J 0,s ) of 3.1 fA/cm 2 . The contact resistivity extracted from the Cox-Strack method is < 9 mΩ cm 2 as the annealing temperature is more than 840 °C. Finally, we prepared the large-sized TOPCon solar cells with an average efficiency of 24.37% and a maximum efficiency of 24.41%, respectively. The above work shows that the tube PECVD technology integrated with ozone gas oxidation has the potential for the mass-production TOPCon industry. • Ozone-gas oxidation (OGO) technology is integrated into tube PECVD technology. • OGO SiO x and P-doped a-Si:H can be prepared by the same graphite-boat carrier. • OGO SiO x shows a high proportion of Si 4+ without ion bombardment. • The highest iV oc of 748 mV corresponding to the lowest J 0,s of 3.1 fA/cm 2 . • Average efficiency of 158.75 mm TOPCon cells reaches ∼24.4%.