Inclusions properties at 1673 K and room temperature with Ce addition in SS400 steel

Inclusion species formed in SS400 steel with Ce-addition was predicted by thermodynamic calculation. The analysis of the inclusion morphology and size distribution was carried out by applying Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Nano-Fe3O4 particles were also found in cerium-deoxidized and -desulfurized steel and their shapes were nearly spherical. The complex Ce2O3 inclusions covering a layer of 218 nm composed by several MnS particles with similar diffraction pattern. Most importantly, the complex Ce2O3 characterized by using TEM diffraction is amorphous in the steel, indicating that Ce2O3 formed in the liquid iron and then MnS segregated cling to it

Machine learning ensures rapid and precise selection of gold sea-urchin-like nanoparticles for desired light-to-plasmon resonance

Sustainable energy strategies, particularly solar-to-hydrogen production, are anticipated to overcome the global reliance on fossil fuels. Thereby, materials enabling the production of green hydrogen from water and sunlight are continuously designed,; e.g.; , ZnO nanostructures coated by gold sea-urchin-like nanoparticles, which employ the light-to-plasmon resonance to realize photoelectrochemical water splitting. But such light-to-plasmon resonance is strongly impacted by the size, the species, and the concentration of the metal nanoparticles coating on the ZnO nanoflower surfaces. Therefore, a precise prediction of the surface plasmon resonance is crucial to achieving an optimized nanoparticle fabrication of the desired light-to-plasmon resonance. To this end, we synthesized a substantial amount of metal (gold) nanoparticles of different sizes and species, which are further coated on ZnO nanoflowers. Subsequently, we utilized a genetic algorithm neural network (GANN) to obtain the synergistically trained model by considering the light-to-plasmon conversion efficiencies and fabrication parameters, such as multiple metal species, precursor concentrations, surfactant concentrations, linker concentrations, and coating times. In addition, we integrated into the model's training the data of nanoparticles due to their inherent complexity, which manifests the light-to-plasmon conversion efficiency far from the coupling state. Therefore, the trained model can guide us to obtain a rapid and automatic selection of fabrication parameters of the nanoparticles with the anticipated light-to-plasmon resonance, which is more efficient than an empirical selection. The capability of the method achieved in this work furthermore demonstrates a successful projection of the light-to-plasmon conversion efficiency and contributes to an efficient selection of the fabrication parameters leading to the anticipated properties

Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the ovary with torsion

AbstractPeripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (pPNETs) of the ovary are rare monophasic teratomas, and fewer than 100 cases have been reported in the literature. pPNETs mainly involve young women during their reproductive age, therefore, accurate diagnosis followed by multimodal treatment should be taken into consideration for fertility preservation. We report a patient with stage IA pPNET of the ovary presenting with acute abdominal pain secondary to torsion that was successfully managed by fertility-sparing surgery and six courses of combination chemotherapy with vincristine, Adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide. She has had a disease-free survival of >3 years. This brief review demonstrates the clinical course of pPNET and summarizes the literature to show that clinical stage at the time of diagnosis is the most important prognostic factor and that the vast majority of recurrences are observed within 10 years

Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: Risk Factors for Appearance of Imipenem Resistant Strains on Patients Formerly with Susceptible Strains

BACKGROUND: Multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB) is an important nosocomial pathogen usually susceptible to carbapenems; however, growing number of imipenem resistant MDRAB (IR-MDRAB) poses further clinical challenge. The study was designed to identify the risk factors for appearance of IR-MDRAB on patients formerly with imipenem susceptible MDRAB (IS-MDRAB) and the impact on clinical outcomes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A retrospective case control study was carried out for 209 consecutive episodes of IS-MDRAB infection or colonization from August 2001 to March 2005. Forty-nine (23.4%) episodes with succeeding clinical isolates of IR-MDRAB were defined as the cases and 160 (76.6%) with all subsequent clinical isolates of IS-MDRAB were defined as the controls. Quantified antimicrobial selective pressure, "time at risk", severity of illness, comorbidity, and demographic data were incorporated for multivariate analysis, which revealed imipenem or meropenem as the only significant independent risk factor for the appearance of IR-MDRAB (adjusted OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.27). With selected cases and controls matched to exclude exogenous source of IR-MDRAB, multivariate analysis still identified carbapenem as the only independent risk factor (adjusted OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.92). Case patients had a higher crude mortality rate compared to control patients (57.1% vs. 31.3%, p = 0.001), and the mortality of case patients was associated with shorter duration of "time at risk", i.e., faster appearance of IR-MDRAB (adjusted OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.98). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Judicious use of carbapenem with deployment of antibiotics stewardship measures is critical for reducing IR-MDRAB and the associated unfavorable outcome

Antibiotics versus placebo for acute bacterial conjunctivitis

Background Acute bacterial conjunctivitis is an infection of the conjunctiva and is one of the most common ocular disorders in primary care. Antibiotics are generally prescribed on the basis that they may speed recovery, reduce persistence, and prevent keratitis. However, many cases of acute bacterial conjunctivitis are self‐limited, resolving without antibiotic therapy. This Cochrane Review was first published in The Cochrane Library in 1999, then updated in 2006, 2012, and 2022. Objectives To assess the benefits and side effects of antibiotic therapy in the management of acute bacterial conjunctivitis. Search methods We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (The Cochrane Library 2022, Issue 5), MEDLINE (January 1950 to May 2022), Embase (January 1980 to May 2022), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (www.controlled-trials.com), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov), and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases in May 2022. Selection criteria We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which any form of antibiotic treatment, with or without steroid, had been compared with placebo/vehicle in the management of acute bacterial conjunctivitis. This included topical and systemic antibiotic treatments. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently reviewed the titles and abstracts of identified studies. We assessed the full text of all potentially relevant studies and determined the included RCTs, which were further assessed for risk of bias using Cochrane methodology. We performed data extraction in a standardized manner and conducted random‐effects meta‐analyses using RevMan Web. Main results We included 21 eligible RCTs, 10 of which were newly identified in this update. A total of 8805 participants were randomized. All treatments were topical in the form of drops or ointment. The trials were heterogeneous in terms of their eligibility criteria, the nature of the intervention (antibiotic drug class, which included fluoroquinolones [FQs] and non‐FQs; dosage frequency; duration of treatment), the outcomes assessed and the time points of assessment. We judged one trial to be of high risk of bias, four as low risk of bias, and the others as raising some concerns

Women with endometriosis have higher comorbidities: Analysis of domestic data in Taiwan

AbstractEndometriosis, defined by the presence of viable extrauterine endometrial glands and stroma, can grow or bleed cyclically, and possesses characteristics including a destructive, invasive, and metastatic nature. Since endometriosis may result in pelvic inflammation, adhesion, chronic pain, and infertility, and can progress to biologically malignant tumors, it is a long-term major health issue in women of reproductive age. In this review, we analyze the Taiwan domestic research addressing associations between endometriosis and other diseases. Concerning malignant tumors, we identified four studies on the links between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, one on breast cancer, two on endometrial cancer, one on colorectal cancer, and one on other malignancies, as well as one on associations between endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome, one on links with migraine headache, three on links with pelvic inflammatory diseases, four on links with infertility, four on links with obesity, four on links with chronic liver disease, four on links with rheumatoid arthritis, four on links with chronic renal disease, five on links with diabetes mellitus, and five on links with cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.). The data available to date support that women with endometriosis might be at risk of some chronic illnesses and certain malignancies, although we consider the evidence for some comorbidities to be of low quality, for example, the association between colon cancer and adenomyosis/endometriosis. We still believe that the risk of comorbidity might be higher in women with endometriosis than that we supposed before. More research is needed to determine whether women with endometriosis are really at risk of these comorbidities

Integrated Analyses of Copy Number Variations and Gene Expression in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Numerous efforts have been made to elucidate the etiology and improve the treatment of lung cancer, but the overall five-year survival rate is still only 15%. Identification of prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer using gene expression microarrays poses a major challenge in that very few overlapping genes have been reported among different studies. To address this issue, we have performed concurrent genome-wide analyses of copy number variation and gene expression to identify genes reproducibly associated with tumorigenesis and survival in non-smoking female lung adenocarcinoma. The genomic landscape of frequent copy number variable regions (CNVRs) in at least 30% of samples was revealed, and their aberration patterns were highly similar to several studies reported previously. Further statistical analysis for genes located in the CNVRs identified 475 genes differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissues (p<10−5). We demonstrated the reproducibility of these genes in another lung cancer study (p = 0.0034, Fisher's exact test), and showed the concordance between copy number variations and gene expression changes by elevated Pearson correlation coefficients. Pathway analysis revealed two major dysregulated functions in lung tumorigenesis: survival regulation via AKT signaling and cytoskeleton reorganization. Further validation of these enriched pathways using three independent cohorts demonstrated effective prediction of survival. In conclusion, by integrating gene expression profiles and copy number variations, we identified genes/pathways that may serve as prognostic biomarkers for lung tumorigenesis

Thermodynamic Calculation among Cerium, Oxygen, and Sulfur in Liquid Iron

Thermodynamic calculation has been applied to predict the inclusion formation in molten SS400 steel. When the Cerium addition in liquid iron is 70 ppm and the initial Oxygen and Sulphur are both 110 ppm, the formation of oxides containing Cerium would experience the transformation from Ce2O3 to CeO2 and also the formation of sulfides containing Cerium would experience the transformation from CeS to Ce2S3 and then to Ce3S4. Below 2000 K the most thermodynamic stable matter is CeO2 and the less thermodynamic stable inclusion is CeS. Only when the amount of [O] is extremely low and the amount of [S] and [Ce] is relatively high, Ce2S3 has the possibility to form

Double Perovskite LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 Coated with Sea Urchin-like Gold Nanoparticles Using Electrophoresis as the Photoelectrochemical Electrode to Enhance H2 Production via Surface Plasmon Resonance Effect

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and the hetero-junction structure play crucial roles in enhancing the photocatalytic performances of catalysts for the water-splitting reaction. In this study, a series of double perovskites LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 was synthesized. LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 particles were then decorated with sea urchin-like Au nanoparticles (NPs) with the average size of approximately 109.83 &plusmn; 8.48 nm via electrophoresis. The d-spacing became narrow and the absorption spectra occurred the redshift phenomenon more when doping increasing Ni mole concentrations for the raw LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 samples. From XPS analysis, the Ni atoms were inserted into the lattice of the matrix, resulting in the defect of the oxygen vacancy, and NiO and Fe2O3 were formed. This hybrid structure was the ideal electrode for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production. The photonic extinction of the Au-coated LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 was less than 2.1 eV (narrow band gap), and the particles absorbed more light in the visible region. According to the Mott&ndash;Schottky plots, all the LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 samples were the n-type semiconductors. Moreover, all the band gaps of the Au-coated LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 samples were higher than 1.23 eV (H+/H2). Then, the hot electrons from the Au NPs were injected via the SPR effect, the coupling effect between LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 and Au NPs, and the more active sites from Au NPs into the conduction band of the semiconductor, improving the hydrogen efficiency. The H2 efficiency of the Au-coated LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 measured in ethanol was approximately ten times larger than the that of Au-coated LaFe1&minus;xNixO3 measured in 1-butanol at any testing temperature because ohmic and kinetic losses occurred in the latter solvent. Thus, the activation energies of ethanol at any testing temperature were smaller. The maximum real H2 production was up to 43,800 &mu;mol g&minus;1 h&minus;1 in ethanol. The redox reactions among metal ions, OH*, and oxides were consecutively proceeded under visible light illumination