First-line treatments for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer with immune checkpoint inhibitors plus chemotherapy: a China-based cost-effectiveness analysis

ObjectiveTo determine the cost-effectiveness of imported immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as atezolizumab and durvalumab, and domestic ICIs like serplulimab and adebrelimab, in combination with chemotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in China.MethodsUsing a 21-day cycle length and a 20-year time horizon, a Markov model was established to compare the clinical and economic outcomes of five first-line ICIs plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone, as well as against each other, from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Transition probabilities were estimated by combining the results of the CAPSTONE-1 trial and a published network meta-analysis. Cost and health state utilities were collected from multiple sources. Both cost and effectiveness outcomes were discounted at a rate of 5% annually. The primary model output was incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). A series of sensitivity analyses were preformed to assess the robustness of the model.ResultsIn the base-case analysis, the addition of first-line ICIs to chemotherapy resulted in the ICERs ranged from $80,425.31/QALY to$812,415.46/QALY, which exceeded the willing-to-pay threshold set for the model. When comparing these first-line immunochemotherapy strategies, serplulimab plus chemotherapy had the highest QALYs of 1.51286 and the second lowest costs of $60,519.52, making it is the most cost-effective strategy. Our subgroup-level analysis yielded results that are consistent with the base-case analysis. The sensitivity analysis results confirmed the validity and reliability of the model.ConclusionIn China, the combination of fist-line ICIs plus chemotherapy were not considered cost-effective when compared to chemotherapy alone. However, when these fist-line immunochemotherapy strategies were compared with each other, first-line serplulimab plus chemotherapy consistently demonstrated superiority in terms of cost-effectiveness. Reducing the cost of serplulimab per 4.5 mg/kg would be a realistic step towards making first-line serplulimab plus chemotherapy more accessible and cost-effective

Monolithic quantum-dot distributed feedback laser array on silicon

Electrically-pumped lasers directly grown on silicon are key devices interfacing silicon microelectronics and photonics. We report here, for the first time, an electrically-pumped, room-temperature, continuous-wave (CW) and single-mode distributed feedback (DFB) laser array fabricated in InAs/GaAs quantum-dot (QD) gain material epitaxially grown on silicon. CW threshold currents as low as 12 mA and single-mode side mode suppression ratios (SMSRs) as high as 50 dB have been achieved from individual devices in the array. The laser array, compatible with state-of-the-art coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) systems, has a well-aligned channel spacing of 20 0.2 nm and exhibits a record wavelength coverage range of 100 nm, the full span of the O-band. These results indicate that, for the first time, the performance of lasers epitaxially grown on silicon is elevated to a point approaching real-world CWDM applications, demonstrating the great potential of this technology

Nonlocal Variational Model for Saliency Detection

We present a nonlocal variational model for saliency detection from still images, from which various features for visual attention can be detected by minimizing the energy functional. The associated Euler-Lagrange equation is a nonlocal p-Laplacian type diffusion equation with two reaction terms, and it is a nonlinear diffusion. The main advantage of our method is that it provides flexible and intuitive control over the detecting procedure by the temporal evolution of the Euler-Lagrange equation. Experimental results on various images show that our model can better make background details diminish eventually while luxuriant subtle details in foreground are preserved very well

Effect Of Nd-Doping On The Optical Properties Of Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Nanopowders

Nd-doped and Nd/Si-codoped yttrium aluminum garnet powders were synthesized via a solvothermal method using ethanol as the solvent. The photoluminescence spectra of the powders revealed that the intensity of the emission increased with Nd-doping concentration initially and then decreased with further increase in Nd concentration. The powder containing 3.5 atm% Nd exhibited the highest light emission intensity. The fluorescence lifetime of the yttrium aluminum garnet powders was also measured as a function of Nd-doping concentration. The results were fitted with an empirical equation. Copyright © 2008 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved

Effect Of Mechanical Milling On Photoluminescence Of Γ-Alumina Nanoparticles

The effect of mechanical alloying on the photoluminescence behavior of γ-Al 2O 3 nanopowder was studied. Two emission peaks centered at 343 and 378 nm and a broad emission band ranging between 400-600 nm have been observed. It is found that the intensity of the two emission peaks decreases with ball-milling time, while that the broad band remains un-change. These results suggested that the two peaks are resulted from the surface defects that analogs of F + centers, while the broad band is resulted from impurity. Copyright © 2008 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved

Synthesis Of Nd/Si Codoped Yag Powders Via A Solvothermal Method

We report the synthesis of single-phased Nd/Si-doped yttrium aluminum garnet powder via a solvothermal method by using ethanol as the solvent. The obtained powder exhibits a spherical shape, no agglomeration, and an average particle size of ∼300 nm, suitable for conventional powder processing. The effect of heat treatment on the lattice parameter and optical properties of the powder is also studied. The results are discussed in terms of Nd/Si solubility. © 2006 The American Ceramic Society

Initial Corrosion Behavior of a Copper-Clad Plate in Typical Outdoor Atmospheric Environments

A copper-clad printed circuit board (PCB-Cu) was subjected to long-term exposure test under typical Chinese atmospheric environments to study corrosion failure mechanisms. The corrosion behavior was investigated by analyzing electrochemical impedance, scanning Kelvin probes, stereo and scanning electron microscopes, and energy-dispersive spectra. Results showed that the initial surface potential was unevenly distributed. The outdoor PCB-Cu samples suffered severe corrosion caused by dust particles, contaminated media, and microorganisms after long-term atmospheric exposure. The initial localized corrosion was exacerbated and progressed to general corrosion for samples in Turpan, Beijing, and Wuhan under prolonged exposure, whereas PCB-Cu in Xishuangbanna was only slightly corroded. The tendency for electrochemical migration (ECM) of PCB-Cu was relatively low when applied with a bias voltage of 12 V. ECM was only observed in the PCB-Cu samples in Beijing. Contaminated medium and high humidity synergistically affected ECM corrosion in PCB-Cu materials

Dynamic zero-COVID strategy in controlling COVID-19 in Shanghai, China: A cost-effectiveness analysis

Background: The sustainability and generalizability of China’s dynamic zero-COVID strategy on eliminating SARS-CoV-2 transmission has casted doubt globally, mainly because it has exacted high social and economic cost. This study aimed to estimate the disease burden during the first wave of Omicron in China and compared the cost-effectiveness of implementing a Real-world strategy (adjusted dynamic zero-COVID strategy) with two simulated strategies (routine and stricter dynamic zero-COVID strategy) to inform appropriate strategies for COVID-19 pandemic control. Methods: A dynamic state-transition simulation model was developed to compare the health and cost outcomes between different dynamic zero-COVID strategies. Omicron-related healthcare costs were estimated from the societal perspective. Epidemiological parameter values were derived from data of real-world or generated by model calibration; costs and effectiveness parameter values were informed either by local data or published literature. The primary outcomes were total social cost, disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) and net monetary benefit (NMB). Deterministic sensitivity analyses (DSA) and scenario analyses were performed to assess the model robustness. Results: The first wave of Omicron in Shanghai resulted in 47,646 DALYs lost and 415 billion RMB losses. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of 173,630 RMB (the GDP per capita of Shanghai in 2021) per DALY saved, the Real-world strategy was considered as the most cost-effective strategy due to its highest NMB (−407 billion). Results from DSA confirmed the robustness of our findings. Conclusion: Our finding supported the Real-world strategy taken by the Shanghai Municipal Government between March 1 and May 21, 2022 to control the first wave of Omicron outbreak. Moreover, our results indicated that whether the Stricter dynamic zero-COVID strategy is worth implementing at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak mainly depended on the infection rate of COVID-19 among primary contacts. Our analysis provides important evidence to inform policy makers to make appropriate decisions regarding COVID-19 pandemic management

Corrosion Behavior of Silver-Plated Circuit Boards in a Simulated Marine Environment with Industrial Pollution

The electrochemical corrosion behavior of a silver-plated circuit board (PCB-ImAg) in a polluted marine atmosphere environment (Qingdao in China) is studied through a simulated experiment. The morphologies of PCB-ImAg show some micropores on the surface that act as the corrosion-active points in the tests. Cl− mainly induces microporous corrosion, whereas SO2 causes general corrosion. Notably, the silver color changes significantly under SO2 influence. EIS results show that the initial charge transfer resistance in the test containing SO2 and Cl− is 9.847 × 103, while it is 3.701 × 104 in the test containing Cl− only, which demonstrates that corrosion accelerates in a mixed atmosphere. Polarization curves further show that corrosion potential is lower in mixed solutions (between −0.397 V SCE and −0.214 V SCE) than it in the solution containing Cl− only (−0.168 V SCE), indicating that corrosion tendency increases with increased HSO3− concentration