Anisotropic plasticity mechanisms in a newly synthesised high entropy alloy investigated using atomic simulations and nanoindentation experiments

This work used atomic simulations and nanoindentation experiments to investigate hardness, modulus alongside sub-surface crystal defects and dislocation mediated plasticity mechanisms leading to anisotropic pile up and local entropy variation in high entropy alloys. The experimental campaign began from Thermo-Calc phase prediction of Ni25Cu18.75Fe25Co25Al6.25 HEA which followed experimental synthesis of the material using arc melting method and experimental nanoindentation using a Berkovich indenter under load-controlled conditions. Through MD simulations, the value of hf/hmax in monocrystalline HEA was consistently found to be larger than 0.7 which suggested pile-up behaviour to dominate and sink-in behaviour to be unlikely. In the case of (110) and polycrystalline HEA substrates, the elastic work in the indentation hysteresis loop was seen to be larger than the (100) and the (111) orientations which explains that the (110) orientation substrate showed least elastic modulus and hardness while the (111) monocrystalline HEA showed the highest elastic modulus and hardness. From the simulations, a “lasso” type loop on the (110) orientation and cross-over of shear loops on the other orientations accompanied by dislocations of type 1/6 &lt; 112 &gt; (Shockley), 1/2 &lt; 110 &gt; (perfect), 1/3 &lt; 001 &gt; (Hirth), 1/6 &lt; 110 &gt; (Stair rod) and 1/3 &lt; 111 &gt; (Frank partials) were seen to manifest an early avalanche of competing plasticity events. The defects accompanying these dislocations in the sub-surface were identified to be FCC intrinsic stacking faults (ISF), adjacent intrinsic stacking faults (quad faults), coherent ∑3 twin boundary and a coherent twin boundary next to an intrinsic stacking fault (triple fault). The EBSD analysis applied to the MD data showed that the (210) orientation and the&lt; 110 &gt; family of directions were seemed to be preferable to plastically deform the FCC phased Ni25Cu18.75Fe25Co25Al6.25 HEA.</p

Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Function in Human Cancer: An Overview

Cancer is a disease caused by the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes in two types of genes: tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) and proto-oncogenes. Extensive research has been conducted over the last few decades to elucidate the role of TSGs in cancer development. In cancer, loss of TSG function occurs via the deletion or inactivation of two alleles, according to Knudson’s two-hit model hypothesis. It has become clear that mutations in TSGs are recessive at the level of an individual cell; therefore, a single mutation in a TSG is not sufficient to cause carcinogenesis. However, many studies have identified candidate TSGs that do not conform with this standard definition, including genes inactivated by epigenetic silencing rather than by deletion. In addition, proteasomal degradation by ubiquitination, abnormal cellular localization, and transcriptional regulation are also involved in the inactivation of TSGs. This review incorporates these novel additional mechanisms of TSG inactivation into the existing two-hit model and proposes a revised multiple-hit model that will enable the identification of novel TSGs that can be used as prognostic and predictive biomarkers of cancer

Oblique nanomachining of gallium arsenide explained using AFM experiments and MD simulations

Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) continues to remain a material of significant importance due to being a preferred semiconductor substrate for the growth of quantum dots (QDs) and GaAs-based quantum devices used widely in fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication networks. In this paper, we explored aspects of oblique nanomachining to investigate the improvement in the machining quality as well as to understand plasticity and transport phenomena in GaAs using atomic scale machining experiments and simulations. We studied the influence of the direction vector of the cutting tip (e.g. tip alignment) during the surface generation process in GaAs. We noticed a novel observation that when the AFM tip's cutting edge presented two acute angles (i.e., 30° angles each) between the cutting face and the cutting direction (which can be regarded as an oblique cutting condition), the cutting configuration involved early avalanche of dislocations compared to other tip configurations (e.g., orthogonal cutting). Orthogonal cutting involved the least coefficient of friction but the highest specific cutting energy compared to oblique cutting. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) examination revealed that the shuffle-set slip on the {1 1 1} slip system due to the 〈1 1 0〉 type dislocation paves the way for plasticity during nanometric cutting of GaAs. Overall, a particular condition of oblique cutting was inferred to be the best for nanofabrication of high-quality wafers using an AFM

Lattice QCD workflows

This paper discusses the application of existing workflow management systems to a real world science application (LQCD). Typical workflows and execution environment used in production are described. Requirements for the LQCD production system are discussed. The workflow management systems Askalon and Swift were tested by implementing the LQCD workflows and evaluated against the requirements. We report our findings and future work

Effectiveness of pharmacological treatments for severe agitation in real-world emergency settings: protocol of individual-participant-data network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Severe psychomotor agitation and aggression often require immediate pharmacological intervention, but clear evidence-based recommendations for choosing among the multiple options are lacking. To address this gap, we plan a systematic review and individual-participant-data network meta-analysis to investigate their comparative effectiveness in real-world emergency settings with increased precision. METHODS We will include randomized controlled trials investigating intramuscular or intravenous pharmacological interventions, as monotherapy or in combination, in adults with severe psychomotor agitation irrespective of the underlying diagnosis and requiring rapid tranquilization in general or psychiatric emergency settings. We will exclude studies before 2002, those focusing on specific reasons for agitation and placebo-controlled trials to avoid concerns related to the transitivity assumption and potential selection biases. We will search for eligible studies in BIOSIS, CENTRAL, CINAHL Plus, Embase, LILACS, MEDLINE via Ovid, PubMed, ProQuest, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO-ICTRP. Individual-participant data will be requested from the study authors and harmonized into a uniform format, and aggregated data will also be extracted from the studies. At least two independent reviewers will conduct the study selection, data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment using RoB 2, and applicability evaluation using the RITES tool. The primary outcome will be the number of patients achieving adequate sedation within 30 min after treatment, with secondary outcomes including the need for additional interventions and adverse events, using odds ratios as the effect size. If enough individual-participant data will be collected, we will synthesize them in a network meta-regression model within a Bayesian framework, incorporating study- and participant-level characteristics to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. In cases where individual-participant data are unavailable, potential data availability bias will be explored, and models allowing for the inclusion of studies reporting only aggregated data will be considered. We will assess the confidence in the evidence using the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA) approach. DISCUSSION This individual-participant-data network meta-analysis aims to provide a fine-tuned synthesis of the evidence on the comparative effectiveness of pharmacological interventions for severe psychomotor agitation in real-world emergency settings. The findings from this study can greatly be provided clearer evidence-based guidance on the most effective treatments. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42023402365

Genetic-neuro-fuzzy system for grading depression

Main aim of this study is to develop a software prototype tool for grading and diagnosing depression that will help general physicians for first hand applications. Identification of key symptoms responsible for depression is also another important issue considered in this study. It involves collection of data taken from patients through doctors. Due to several reasons, collection of data in Indian scenario is extremely difficult and thus this tool will be very handy and useful for general physicians working at remote locations. Also, it is possible to collect a data pool through this software model. An intelligent Neuro-Fuzzy model is developed for this purpose. Performance of the said model has been optimized through two approaches. In Approach 1, where a back-propagation algorithm has been considered and in Approach 2, Genetic Algorithm has been used. The model is trained with 78 data and validated with 10 data. Approach 2 superseded Approach 1 in terms of diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, it can be said that the soft computing-based diagnostic models could assist the doctors to make informed decisions. Data for training and validation for this purpose has been collected during 2004–2005 from a Government mental hospital in India

Internal hernia associated with perforated Meckel's diverticulum

Internal hernia resulting from a perforated Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is an extremely rare complication of MD. A child presenting with signs of obstruction and concomitant sepsis is typically presumed to have perforated acute appendicitis, until proven otherwise intra-operatively. The following case illustrates the importance of recognizing the need for emergent surgery when confronted with an acute abdomen of uncertain etiology and maintaining a broad differential whilst doing so

Ethanolic Cashew Leaf Extract: Antimicrobial Activity, Mode of Action, and Retardation of Spoilage Bacteria in Refrigerated Nile Tilapia Slices

Phenolic compounds from cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) leaves were extracted using ethanol with the aid of ultrasonication. Three independent variables, including ultrasound amplitude, time, and ethanol concentration, were used for response surface methodology (RSM) along with the central composite design (CCD). Under the optimized condition (70% amplitude; 40 min; 80% ethanol), the extraction yield and total phenolic contents were 24.50% and 431.16 mg GAE/g dry extract, respectively. Cashew leaf extract (CLE) had the lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) against Shewanella sp. than P. aeruginosa. The release of K+ and Mg2+ ions from damaged cell membranes with a coincidental decrease of TTC dehydrogenase activity were augmented when treated with CLE. In addition, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image revealed deformations and perforation of cell walls of bacteria treated with CLE. The dominant compounds in CLE were amentoflavone, quercetin, and its glycosides. Based on microbial challenge test, the growth of P. aeruginosa and Shewanella sp. inoculated in tilapia slices were inhibited by CLE at 400 and 600 ppm within 15 days of refrigerated storage