Preparation, biological characterization and preliminary human imaging studies of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA

PurposeIn this study, DOTA-IBA was radiolabeled with 68Ga and we determined the optimum labelling conditions and assessed the biological properties of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA. We investigated the biodistribution of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA in normal animals and undertook PET/CT imaging in humans. Finally, we explored the feasibility 68Ga-DOTA-IBA as a bone imaging agent and demonstrated its potential for the therapeutic release of 177Lu/225Ac-DOTA-IBA.MethodsThe controlled variables method was used to assess the impact of variables on the radiochemical purity of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA. The biological properties of 68Ga-DOTA-IBA were investigated.68Ga-DOTA-IBA micro-PET/CT imaging was performed on animals. Volunteers were recruited for 68Ga-DOTA-IBA imaging and data were compared to 99mTc-MDP imaging studies to calculate the target to non-target ratio (T/NT) of the lesions.ResultsThe prepared 68Ga-DOTA-IBA had a radiochemical purity of >97% and demonstrated good biological properties with a good safety profile in normal mice. PET/CT imaging of the animals showed rapid blood clearance with high contrast between the bone and stroma. Human imaging showed that 68Ga-DOTA-IBA could detect more lesions compared to 99mTc-MDP and had a higher targeted to untargeted ratio.Conclusions68Ga-DOTA-IBA is an osteophilic radiopharmaceutical that can be synthesized using a simple labelling method. 68Ga-DOTA-IBA has high radiochemical purity and is stable in vitro stability. It is rapidly cleared from the blood, has low toxicity and has strong targeting to the bone with long retention times. We also found that it is rapidly cleared in non-target tissues and has high contrast on whole-body bone imaging. 68Ga-DOTA-IBA PET/CT has potential as a novel bone imaging bone modality in patients with metastatic disease

Status and future of the soft X-ray free-electron laser beamline at the SHINE

The Shanghai High repetition rate XFEL and Extreme light facility (SHINE) is under construction and aims at generating X-rays between 0.4 and 25 keV with three FEL beamlines at repetition rates of up to 1 MHz. The soft X-ray FEL beamline, FEL-II, will be ready for commissioning in 2025. It is designed to cover the photon energy from 0.4 to 3 keV, in which the baselines of the FEL operation modes are self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE), self-seeding, echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG), and polarization control. Therefore, a high repetition-rate external seed laser, large period length modulator, soft X-ray monochromator, planar undulator, and elliptically polarized undulator have been adopted in the FEL-II beamline. Several potentials such as an ultra-short pulse mode and a multi-color mode are also foreseeable without significant equipment changes in the follow-up operation. A dual-period undulator design is suggested for the echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) commissioning, and it has great potential to break through the unreachable energy of the fully coherent X-ray in the future. The FEL-II beamline will deliver SASE radiation and fully coherent radiation in all the wavelengths of interest

The CXCL16-CXCR6 axis in glioblastoma modulates T-cell activity in a spatiotemporal context

IntroductionGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) pathobiology is characterized by its significant induction of immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, predominantly mediated by immunosuppressive tumor-associated myeloid cells (TAMCs). Myeloid cells play a pivotal role in shaping the GBM microenvironment and influencing immune responses, with direct interactions with effector immune cells critically impacting these processes.MethodsOur study investigates the role of the CXCR6/CXCL16 axis in T-cell myeloid interactions within GBM tissues. We examined the surface expression of CXCL16, revealing its limitation to TAMCs, while microglia release CXCL16 as a cytokine. The study explores how these distinct expression patterns affect T-cell engagement, focusing on the consequences for T-cell function within the tumor environment. Additionally, we assessed the significance of CXCR6 expression in T-cell activation and the initial migration to tumor tissues.ResultsOur data demonstrates that CXCL16 surface expression on TAMCs results in predominant T-cell engagement with these cells, leading to impaired T-cell function within the tumor environment. Conversely, our findings highlight the essential role of CXCR6 expression in facilitating T-cell activation and initial migration to tumor tissues. The CXCL16-CXCR6 axis exhibits dualistic characteristics, facilitating the early stages of the T-cell immune response and promoting T-cell infiltration into tumors. However, once inside the tumor, this axis contributes to immunosuppression.DiscussionThe dual nature of the CXCL16-CXCR6 axis underscores its potential as a therapeutic target in GBM. However, our results emphasize the importance of carefully considering the timing and context of intervention. While targeting this axis holds promise in combating GBM, the complex interplay between TAMCs, microglia, and T cells suggests that intervention strategies need to be tailored to optimize the balance between promoting antitumor immunity and preventing immunosuppression within the dynamic tumor microenvironment

The distribution of partially exchangeable random variables

In this article, we derive the distribution of partially exchangeable binary random variables, generalizing the distribution of exchangeable binary random variables and hence the binomial distribution. The distribution can be viewed as a mixture of Markov chains. We introduce rectangular complete monotonicity and show that partial exchangebility can be characterized by rectangular complete monotonicity. The distribution aided with rectangular complete monotonicity can be used to analyze serially correlated data common in many areas of science.Complete monotonicity Exchangeability Mixture of Markov chains Partial exchangeability Serial correlation

Force analysis and fatigue life evaluation of oil well pump valve cover

In the beam pumping system, the broken valve cover of the oil well pump frequently leads to oil well failure. This paper examined the alternating load of the oil well pump valve cover and predicted its fatigue life. First, the fluid–structure coupling simulation model of valve ball motion was established through the fluid dynamics simulation software Fluent to investigate the velocity of the valve ball impacting the valve cover. Based on the simulation results about the impact velocity of the valve ball, the mechanical model of the valve ball impacting the valve cover was constructed through ANSYS/LS-DYNA software, and the impact stress and change rule of the valve cover were analyzed. Then, the S-N fatigue curve of the common material of the valve cover was experimentally obtained. Based on the impact stress simulation results of the valve cover and the fatigue curve of the common material of the valve cover, the modified Miner’s Rule was applied to evaluate the fatigue life of the oil well pump valve cover. The results showed that the impact stress of the valve cover was positively related to the impact velocity of the valve ball, and the fatigue life of the 17-4 PH valve cover was longer than that of other materials. The above results not only provide a theoretical basis for the performance improvement and material selection of the valve cover but also contribute to the optimization of production parameters of the oil well

A Horizontal Distribution Model of Static Ice Cover Generated by Static and Dynamic Water Considering the Heat Transfer of Riverbanks

The thermal factor is the main reason for winter ice cover with a low Froude number flow, and the heat transfer to narrow and deep river banks accelerates ice cover formation and ice thickness change. The freezing of water flow to freezing thickening is a nonisothermal-flow phase transition process coupled with the water flow temperature, environment and riverbank. Here, the Nusselt number and viscous dissipation are used to consider the flow velocity influence on icing, and a thermodynamic model of static ice cover horizontal distribution considering riverbed heat transfer is established. The initial ice time, freezing time and static ice cover thickness formed by static and dynamic water calculated by the model were consistent with measured data. The model reflects the horizontal growth process of the static ice cover, which was significant for narrow and deep channels. The horizontal distribution of the static ice cover was thin in the center and thick on both sides. The maximum horizontal thickness difference of −20 °C indoor freezing for 24 h reached 15% of the central ice thickness. Compared with the degree-day method for calculating ice thickness, the numerical model and dimensionless formula better reflect the growth law and horizontal distribution characteristics of static ice cover and provide a theoretical basis for safe water conveyance under ice cover in winter and ice cover formation in reservoirs and lakes in cold regions

An investigation into evaluating laptop computers using The Triple Bottom Line (Environmental)

Laptop computer is essential in the university among students and staff members; however, there is little information provided on the economic, environmental, and social assessments when it comes to purchasing laptop computers. This report investigates the analysis of environmental impacts on the laptop computers in order to select the environmentally friendly technology. The environmental impacts are analyzed by looking into the manufacturing process, energy consumption of laptop, and the disposal of the laptop computers. This report makes an thorough examination of laptop’s energy consumption in use, the manufacturing phases, and the necessity and benefit of recycling laptops. In addition, a survey is completed to investigate the reason of purchasing a new laptop and the average lifespan of a laptop. Advantages and disadvantages of the individual brands are illustrated, and will follow with a recommendation into the selection of laptops in terms of its environmental aspect. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Applied Science, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat

Temporal and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Flood Disasters with Different Intensities in Arid-Semiarid Region in Northern Xinjiang, China

Floods have devastating environmental and socioeconomic consequences. Flood disaster management is critical for the long-term management of water resources and agriculture in arid areas. Using the data on the number of deaths, destroyed homes, collapsed sheds, livestock deaths, and the crops affected area caused` by 1394 regional floods in Northern Xinjiang (As a typical arid-semiarid region of NorthWest China) from 1981 to 2019, the ratio-weight method and the dimensionless linear summation method was used to calculate the actual disaster damage exponent of flood disaster events. The damage exponent is further used to categorize the severity of disaster events into four grades: normal, moderate, severe, and extremely severe. The analysis results indicated that Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture experienced the highest frequency of catastrophic occurrences, while Ili River Valley experienced the highest intensity. The flood happened most often in Wenquan County. And Yining County suffered the worst calamity. The occurrence frequency and intensity of disasters from Grades 1 to 3 exhibited a unimodal distribution, with the majority and most vital occurrences in July, whereas the occurrence frequency and intensity of Grade 4 disasters followed a bimodal distribution, with the most occurrences in July and the strongest in April. The annual frequency of heavy rain and flood disasters in Northern Xinjiang increased by 7.7 times every 10 years, indicating a significant linear increase trend. The yearly occurrences of Grades 1 and 2 also increased linearly, by 5.2 and 2.0 times per decade, respectively. There was no linear tendency to increase or decrease flood disasters in Grades 3 and 4. The analysis and division of actual disaster damage are conducive to flood risk management, efficient prevention, and reducing disaster losses

Time-expanded method improving throughput in dynamic renewable networks

In the Dynamic Rechargeable Networks (DRNs), the existing studies usually consider the spatio-temporal dynamics of the harvested energy so as to maximize the throughput by efficient energy allocation. However, the network dynamics have seldom been considered simultaneously including the time variable link quality, communication power and battery charge efficiency. Furthermore, the wireless interference brings extra challenge. To take these dynamics into account together, this paper studies the quite challenging problem, the network throughput maximization in the DRNs, by proper energy allocation while considering the additional affection of wireless interference. We introduce the Time-Expanded Graph (TEG) to describe the above dynamics in a feasible easy way, and then look into the scenario where there is only one pair of source-target firstly. To maximize the throughput, this paper designs the Single Pair Throughput maximization (SPT) algorithm based on TEG while considering the wireless interference. In the case of multiple pairs of source-targets, it's quite complex to solve the network throughput maximization problem directly. This paper introduces the Garg and Könemanns framework and then designs the Multiple Pairs Throughput (MPT) algorithm to maximize the overall throughput of all pairs. MPT is a fast approximation solution with the ratio of 1-3ϵ, where 0 < ϵ < 1 is a small positive constant. This paper also conducts the extensive numerical evaluation based on the simulated data and the data collected by our real system. The numerical simulation results demonstrate the throughput improvement of our algorithms. © 2021 IEEE