The pressure and temperature evolution of the Ca3V2O8 crystal structure using powder X-ray diffraction

We present a comprehensive experimental study of the crystal structure of calcium vanadate (Ca3V2O8) under systematic temperature and pressure conditions. The temperature evolution (4-1173 K) of the Ca3V2O8 structural properties is investigated at ambient pressure. The pressure evolution (0-13.8 GPa) of the Ca3V2O8 structural properties is investigated at ambient temperature. Across all pressures and temperatures used in the present work, the Ca3V2O8 crystal structure was determined by Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray diffraction data. The experimental high-pressure data are also supported by density-functional theory calculations. According to the high-pressure results, Ca3V2O8 undergoes a pressure-induced structural phase transition at a pressure of 9.8(1) GPa from the ambient pressure trigonal structure (space group R3c) to a monoclinic structure (space group Cc). The experimentally determined bulk moduli of the trigonal and monoclinic phases are, respectively, B0 = 69(2) GPa and 105(12) GPa. The trigonal to monoclinic phase transition appears to be prompted by non-hydrostatic conditions. Whilst the trigonal and monoclincic space groups show a group/subgroup relationship, the discontinuity in the volume per formula unit observed at the transition indicates a first order phase transition. According to the high-temperature results, the trigonal Ca3V2O8 structure persists over the entire range of studied temperatures. The pressurevolume equation of state, axial compressibilities, Debye temperature (264(2) K), and thermal expansion coefficients are all determined for the trigonal Ca3V2O8 structure

Phase Transitions of BiVO4 under High Pressure and High Temperature

We have studied the occurrence of phase transitions in two polymorphs of BiVO4 under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions by means of X-ray diffraction measurements. The fergusonite polymorph undergoes a phase transition at 1.5(1) GPa and room temperature into a tetragonal scheelite-type structure. The same transition takes place at 523(1) K and ambient pressure. A second phase transition takes place at room temperature under compression at 16(1) GPa. The transition is from the tetragonal scheelite structure to a monoclinic structure (space group P21/c). All observed phase transitions are reversible. The zircon polymorph counterpart also transforms under compression into the scheelite-type structure. In this case, the transitions take place at 4.3(1) GPa and room temperature and at 653(1) K and ambient pressure. The zircon–scheelite transition is nonreversible. The experiments support that the fergusonite–scheelite transformation is a second-order transition and that the zircon–scheelite transformation is a first-order transition. Finally, we have also determined the compressibility and the thermal expansion of the fergusonite, scheelite, and zircon phases

A planetary-scale disturbance in a long living three vortex coupled system in Saturn's atmosphere

The zonal wind profile of Saturn has a unique structure at 60°N with a double-peaked jet that reaches maximum zonal velocities close to 100 ms−1. In this region, a singular group of vortices consisting of a cyclone surrounded by two anticyclones was active since 2012 until the time of this report. Our observation demonstrates that vortices in Saturn can be long-lived. The three-vortex system drifts at u = 69.0 ± 1.6 ms−1, similar to the speed of the local wind. Local motions reveal that the relative vorticity of the vortices comprising the system is ∼2–3 times the ambient zonal vorticity. In May 2015, a disturbance developed at the location of the triple vortex system, and expanded eastwards covering in two months a third of the latitudinal circle, but leaving the vortices essentially unchanged. At the time of the onset of the disturbance, a fourth vortex was present at 55°N, south of the three vortices and the evolution of the disturbance proved to be linked to the motion of this vortex. Measurements of local motions of the disturbed region show that cloud features moved essentially at the local wind speeds, suggesting that the disturbance consisted of passively advecting clouds generated by the interaction of the triple vortex system with the fourth vortex to the south. Nonlinear simulations are able to reproduce the stability and longevity of the triple vortex system under low vertical wind shear and high static stability in the upper troposphere of Saturn.This work was supported by the Spanish MICIIN projects AYA2015-65041-P (MINECO/FEDER, UE), Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-765-13, and UFI11/55 from UPV/EHU. EGM is supported by the Serra Hunter Programme, Generalitat de Catalunya. A. Simon, K. Sayanagi and M.H. Wong were supported by a NASA Cassini Data Analysisgrant (NNX15AD33G and NNX15AD34G). We acknowledge the three orbits assigned by the Director Discretionary time from HST for this research (DD Program 14064, IP A. Sánchez-Lavega). We are very grateful to amateur astronomers contributing with their images to open databases such as PVOL (http://pvol2.ehu.eus/) and ALPO-Japan (http://alpo-j.asahikawa-med.ac.jp/)

Treatment outcomes in patients with large B‐cell lymphoma after progression to chimeric antigen receptor T‐cell therapy

Over 60% of relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) patients who receive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells will experience disease progression. There is no standard next line of therapy and information in this setting is scarce and heterogeneous. We analyzed 387 R/R LBCL patients who progressed after CAR T cells from July 2018 until March 2022 in Spain and the United Kingdom. Median overall survival (OS) was 5.3 months, with significant differences according to the interval between infusion and progression (6 months [not reached]). After progression, 237 (61%) patients received treatment. Focusing on the first subsequent therapy, overall (complete) response rates were 67% (38%) for polatuzumab-bendamustine-rituximab (POLA), 51% (36%) for bispecific antibodies (BsAb), 45% (35%) for radiotherapy (RT), 33% (26%) for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), 25% (0%) for lenalidomide (LENA), and 25% (14%) for chemotherapy (CT). In terms of survival, 12-month progression-free survival and OS was 36.2% and 51.0% for POLA, 32.0% and 50.1% for BsAb, 30.8% and 37.5% for RT, 29.9% and 27.8% for ICI, 7.3% and 20.8% for LENA, and 6.1% and 18.3% for CT. Thirty-two (14%) patients received an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant with median OS not reached after a median follow-up of 15.1 months. In conclusion, patients with R/R LBCL who progress within the first 2 months after CAR T-cell therapy have dismal outcomes. Novel targeted agents, such as polatuzumab and BsAbs, can achieve prolonged survival after CAR T-cell therapy failure

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Pressure Effects on the Optical Properties of NdVO₄

We report on optical spectroscopic measurements in pure NdVO4 crystals at pressures up to 12 GPa. The influence of pressure on the fundamental absorption band gap and Nd3+ absorption bands has been correlated with structural changes in the crystal. The experiments indicate that a phase transition takes place between 4.7 and 5.4 GPa. We have also determined the pressure dependence of the band-gap and discussed the behavior of the Nd3+ absorption lines under compression. Important changes in the optical properties of NdVO4 occur at the phase transition, which, according to Raman measurements, corresponds to a zircon to monazite phase change. In particular, in these conditions a collapse of the band gap occurs, changing the color of the crystal. The changes are not reversible. The results are analyzed in comparison with those deriving from previous studies on NdVO4 and related vanadates

High-Pressure Behavior of Ca2SnO4, Sr2SnO4, and Zn2SnO4

The pressure-induced structural evolution of Ca2SnO4, Sr2SnO4, and Zn2SnO4 has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction up to 20 GPa using the ALBA synchrotron radiation source and density functional theory calculations. No phase transition was observed in Ca2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4 in the investigated pressure range. The observation in Zn2SnO4 solves contradictions existing in the literature. In contrast, a phase transition was observed in Sr2SnO4 at a pressure of 9.09 GPa. The transition was characterized as from the ambientcondition tetragonal polymorph (space group I4/mmm) to the low-temperature tetragonal polymorph (space group P42/ncm). The linear compressibility of crystallographic axes and room-temperature pressure−volume equation of state are reported for the three compounds studied. Calculated elastic constants and moduli are also reported as well as a systematic discussion of the high-pressure behavior and bulk modulus of M2SnO4 stannates

High-Pressure X-ray Diffraction and DFT Studies on Spinel FeV₂O₄

We have studied the behaviour of the cubic spinel structure of FeV2O4 under high-pressure by means of powder X-ray diffraction measurements and density-functional theory calculations. The sample was characterized at ambient conditions by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction experiments. One of the main findings of this work is that spinel FeV2O4 exhibits pressure-induced chemical decomposition into V2O3 and FeO around 12 GPa. Upon pressure release, the pressure-induced chemical decomposition appears to be partially reversible. Additionally, in combination with density-functional theory calculations, we have calculated the pressure dependence of the unit-cell volumes of both the spinel and orthorhombic FeV2O4 crystal structures, whose bulk moduli are B0 = 123(9) and 154(2) GPa, respectively, finding the spinel FeV2O4 to exhibit the lowest bulk modulus amongst the spinel oxides. From experimental results, the same information is herein obtained for the cubic structure only. The Raman modes and elastic constants of spinel FeV2O4 have also obtained the ambient conditions

Discovering HIV related information by means of association rules and machine learning

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is still one of the main health problems worldwide. It is therefore essential to keep making progress in improving the prognosis and quality of life of affected patients. One way to advance along this pathway is to uncover connections between other disorders associated with HIV/AIDS-so that they can be anticipated and possibly mitigated. We propose to achieve this by using Association Rules (ARs). They allow us to represent the dependencies between a number of diseases and other specific diseases. However, classical techniques systematically generate every AR meeting some minimal conditions on data frequency, hence generating a vast amount of uninteresting ARs, which need to be filtered out. The lack of manually annotated ARs has favored unsupervised filtering, even though they produce limited results. In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised system, able to identify relevant ARs among HIV-related diseases with a minimal amount of annotated training data. Our system has been able to extract a good number of relationships between HIV-related diseases that have been previously detected in the literature but are scattered and are often little known. Furthermore, a number of plausible new relationships have shown up which deserve further investigation by qualified medical experts