Antiferromagnetism at T > 500 K in the layered hexagonal ruthenate SrRu2O6

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license.-- et al.We report an experimental and computational study of the magnetic and electronic properties of the layered Ru(V) oxide SrRu2O6 (hexagonal, P3¯1m), which shows antiferromagnetic order with a Néel temperature of 563(2) K, among the highest for 4d oxides. Magnetic order occurs both within edge-shared octahedral sheets and between layers and is accompanied by anisotropic thermal expansivity that implies strong magnetoelastic coupling of Ru(V) centers. Electrical transport measurements using focused-ion-beam¿induced deposited contacts on a micron-scale crystallite as a function of temperature show p-type semiconductivity. The calculated electronic structure using hybrid density functional theory successfully accounts for the experimentally observed magnetic and electronic structure, and Monte Carlo simulations reveal how strong intralayer as well as weaker interlayer interactions are a defining feature of the high-temperature magnetic order in the material.The work is funded by EPSRC through Grant No. EP/L000202.Peer Reviewe

A region segmentation method to measure multiple features using a tactile scanning probe

Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have been widely used in industry to precisely measure parts for inspection or quality control. One of the main barriers to using a CMM touch-trigger probe is the cumbersome programming work required to identify the probing points and for scan path planning. In this paper, we propose a practical data-segmentation method to continuously measure multiple features of the workpiece using a scanning probe. This approach takes advantage of the fast data-capture capability of the scanning probe and, subsequently, the point dataset is segmented using the information extracted from the CAD model of the part. This methodology does not require tedious programming and all desired measurement results can be obtained from a single scan. The principle of the method is presented, and the feasibility of the method is experimentally verified on a bridge-type Hexagon DEA Global CMM equipped with a Leitz LSP-X1 probe. The proposed method avoids manual operation errors and generates more sampling points than traditional methods; therefore, theoretically providing lower measurement uncertainty. The test results also indicate that the new method using a scanning probe is easy to implement and can save more than 90% measurement time in comparison with a conventional touch-trigger method

The Complexity of the Practice of Ecosystem-Based Management.

In the United States, there are more than 20 federal agencies that manage over 140 ocean statutes (Crowder et al., 2006). A history of disjointed, single sector management has resulted in a one-dimensional view of ecosystems, administrative systems, and the socio-economic drivers that affect them. In contrast, an ecosystem-based approach to management is inherently multi-dimensional. Ecosystem-based approaches to management (EBM) are at the forefront of progressive science and policy discussions. Both the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP, 2004) and the Pew Oceans Commission (POC, 2003) reports called for a better understanding of the impact of human activities on the coastal ocean and the result was President Obama’s National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes (2010). EBM is holistic by seeking to include all stakeholders affected by marine policy in decision-making. Stakeholders may include individuals from all levels of government, academia, environmental organizations, and marine-dependent businesses and industry. EBM processes require decision-makers to approach marine management differently and more comprehensively to sufficiently require a more sophisticated conceptual understanding of the process and the people involved. There are implicit cognitive, interpersonal, and intra-personal demands of EBM that are not addressed by current literature. This research seeks to understand the mental demands of EBM. A constructive developmental framework is used to illuminate how decision-makers reason or make sense of the ideals and values underlying EBM, the mutual relationships that must be built among natural resource management agencies, and the personal experiences and emotions that accompany change

Surgery or Non-surgical Treatment of <= 8 mm Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Population-Based Study

Background: Timing for intervention of small indeterminate pulmonary nodules has long been a topic of debate given the low incidence of malignancy and difficulty in obtaining a definite preoperative diagnosis. We sought to determine survival outcomes of surgical and non-surgical managements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ≤8 mm, which may provide a reference for prospective decision-making for patients with suspected NSCLC. Method: A total of 1,652 patients with Stage IA NSCLC ≤8 mm were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and categorized into surgery and non-surgery groups. Chi-square test, t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the baseline characteristics between groups. Survival curves were depicted using Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Adjustment of confounding factors between groups was performed by propensity score matching. Results: The surgery and non-surgery groups included 1,438 and 208 patients, respectively. Patients in surgery group demonstrated superior survival outcome than patients in non-surgery group both before [overall survival (OS): HR, 16.22; 95% CI, 11.48–22.91, p < 0.001; cancer-specific survival (CSS): HR, 49.6; 95% CI, 31.09–79.11, p < 0.001] and after (OS: HR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.40–4.05, p < 0.001; CSS: HR, 3.85; 95% CI, 2.74–5.40, p < 0.001) propensity score matching. The 30-day mortality rates were 3.1 and 12.0% in surgery and non-surgery groups, respectively. Multivariate analysis suggested age, sex, race, tumor size, grade, pathological stage were all independent prognostic factors in patients with ≤8 mm NSCLC. A comparison of surgical resections revealed a survival superiority of lobectomy over sub-lobectomy. In terms of CSS, no statistically significant difference was found between segmentectomy and wedge resection. Conclusion: The current SEER database showed better prognosis of surgical resection than non-surgical treatment in patients with ≤8 mm NSCLC. However, the factors that should be essentially included in the proper propensity-matched analysis, such as comorbidity, cardiopulmonary function and performance status were unavailable and the true superiority or inferiority should be examined further by ongoing randomized trial, especially comparing surgery and stereotactic body irradiation

Deciphering intratumor heterogeneity and temporal acquisition of driver events to refine precision medicine

The presence of multiple subclones within tumors mandates understanding of longitudinal and spatial subclonal dynamics. Resolving the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of subclones with cancer driver events may offer insight into therapy response, tumor evolutionary histories and clinical trial design

Antiferromagnetism at T > 500 K in the Layered Hexagonal Ruthenate SrRu2O6

We report an experimental and computational study of magnetic and electronic properties of the layered Ru(V) oxide SrRu2O6 (hexagonal, P-3 1m), which shows antiferromagnetic order with a N\'eel temperature of 563(2) K, among the highest for 4d oxides. Magnetic order occurs both within edge-shared octahedral sheets and between layers and is accompanied by anisotropic thermal expansivity that implies strong magnetoelastic coupling of Ru(V) centers. Electrical transport measurements using focused ion beam induced deposited contacts on a micron-scale crystallite as a function of temperature show p-type semiconductivity. The calculated electronic structure using hybrid density functional theory successfully accounts for the experimentally observed magnetic and electronic structure and Monte Carlo simulations reveals how strong intralayer as well as weaker interlayer interactions are a defining feature of the high temperature magnetic order in the material.Comment: Physical Review B 2015 accepted for publicatio

Current Applications and Future Development of Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting in Diagnosis, Characterization, and Response Monitoring in Cancer

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled non-invasive cancer diagnosis, monitoring, and management in common clinical settings. However, inadequate quantitative analyses in MRI continue to limit its full potential and these often have an impact on clinicians' judgments. Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) has recently been introduced to acquire multiple quantitative parameters simultaneously in a reasonable timeframe. Initial retrospective studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using MRF for various cancer characterizations. Further trials with larger cohorts are still needed to explore the repeatability and reproducibility of the data acquired by MRF. At the moment, technical difficulties such as undesirable processing time or lack of motion robustness are limiting further implementations of MRF in clinical oncology. This review summarises the latest findings and technology developments for the use of MRF in cancer management and suggests possible future implications of MRF in characterizing tumour heterogeneity and response assessment