Investigations of Zeolite Growth by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

Zeolites are microporous materials that have been used extensively in various fields. A better understanding on their crystallization process is important for their investigations. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful tool for studying the growing traces on the crystal surface, providing information regarding the relation between surface events and framework structure. This thesis mainly focuses on the surface investigation of several zeolites and microporous materials. ZSM-11 single crystals were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions, and their crystallization process was monitored by AFM, PXRD, SEM, and SSNMR. SAPO-34 prepared under both HTS and DGC conditions showed morphological differences that are related to their growing conditions. Finally, SAPO-37 crystals were examined and showed different terminal structures. Studies on ZSM-39 revealed different growth rates on the two types of faces of the crystal

An Economic Growth Model with Optimal Growth Rate and Individual Years of Schooling

An economic growth model with individual years of schooling is present. It is proved that there exist optimal individual years of schooling for fixed wage growth rate. On the other hand, the economy has balance growth path for given individual years of schooling. Finally, we prove that there exist optimal individual years of schooling and economic growth rate such that the individual lifetime utility reaches maximum and the economy grows on a balance growth path

Aberrant expression of decoy receptor 3 in human breast cancer: relevance to lymphangiogenesis

AbstractBackgroundDecoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a decoy receptor against Fas ligand belonging to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, is overexpressed in some forms of cancer. It was recently reported that DcR3 could protect endothelial cells from apoptosis, implying a potential role in the development of vessels, whereas its role in the lymphangiogenesis remains unclear. In the present study, we studied the DcR3 expression and its relationship with the lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) to investigate if it played a role in the lymph metastasis of human breast cancer.Materials and methodsReal-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were performed to measure the messenger RNA and protein expression of DcR3 in the breast cancer tissues, noncancerous counterparts, and axillary lymph node from 63 patients. LMVD in these specimens was assessed by counting the D2-40 labeled–microvessels. Furthermore, the correlations between DcR3 expression and LMVD and other clinicopathologic parameters were analyzed.ResultsDcR3 was overexpressed in the breast cancer tissue of 58 patients (92.1%) and was also expressed in vascular endothelial cells and tumor cells in the lymph nodes. LMVD in cancer tissue and lymph nodes were both positively correlated to the aberrant expression of DcR3.ConclusionsThe relevance between DcR3 overexpression and LMVD revealed the existence of possible links between DcR3 and lymphangiogenesis. Based on these findings, it is important to further explore the regulation of lymphangiogenesis operated by the reverse tumor necrosis factor signaling of DcR3

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Morphological Studies of Organometal Halide Thin Films for Perovskite Solar Cells

Thin film solar cells are important for making photovoltaic technologies affordable and easily fabricated. The main objective of research into thin film solar cells is to achieve high-energy convert efficiency with easy manufacturing methods and accessible elements. Thin film solar cells based on organometal halide perovskites have demonstrated outstanding efficiency among photovoltaics. The morphologies of solution-processed perovskite thin films, such as uniformity of thickness and surface coverage, have been shown to be important factors for device performance. Perovskite thin films were prepared with uniform thickness and full coverage by using vapour deposition methods. The morphology features and crystal quality of the perovskite thin films were examined to optimize the preparation conditions. Influence of the annealing temperatures was investigated to shed light on the stability of perovskite films in post-preparation treatment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to capture high-resolution morphology changes during annealing treatment and film formation.M.A.S

Current perspectives on cell-assisted lipotransfer for breast cancer patients after radiotherapy

Abstract Background Cell-assisted lipotransfer (CAL), a technique of autologous adipose transplantation enriched with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), has the potential to improve cosmetic outcomes at irradiated sites. However, many concerns have been raised about the possibility of ADSCs increasing oncological risk in cancer patients. With the increasing demand for CAL reconstruction, there is an urgent need to determine whether CAL treatment could compromise oncological safety after radiotherapy, as well as to evaluate its efficacy in guiding clinical decisions. Methods A PRISMA-compliant systematic review of the safety and efficacy of CAL in breast cancer patients after radiotherapy was conducted. The PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were comprehensively searched from inception to 31 December 2021. Results The search initially yielded 1185 unique studies. Ultimately, seven studies were eligible. Based on the limited outcome evidence, CAL did not increase recurrence risk in breast cancer patients but presented aesthetic improvement and higher volumetric persistence in a long-term follow-up. Although breast reconstruction with CAL also had oncological safety after radiotherapy, these patients needed more adipose tissue and had relatively lower fat graft retention than the non-irradiated patients (P < 0.05). Conclusions CAL has oncological safety and does not increase recurrence risk in irradiated patients. Since CAL doubles the amount of adipose required without significantly improving volumetric persistence, clinical decisions for irradiated patients should be made more cautiously to account for the potential costs and aesthetic outcomes. There is limited evidence at present; thus, higher-quality, evidence-based studies are required to establish a consensus on breast reconstruction with CAL after radiotherapy

The Role of Chronological Age, Health, and Basic Psychological Needs for Older Adults’ Travel Intention

This study examined how demographic information, chronological age, older adults&rsquo; physical and mental health, and basic psychological needs affected travel intention. The survey samples were collected from 577 adults, all over 60 years of age. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. First, demographic information with chronological age was used for primary analysis. The outcome indicated that chronological age was negatively associated with travel intention while all other demographic variables were not. Secondly, when physical and mental health condition variables were added, physical health positively affected travel intention while chronological age still negatively affected travel intention. Thirdly, psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) for travel were included in the final analysis. The outcome showed that all psychological needs variables had a significant impact on travel intention for those with a physical health condition. However, chronological age was not a significant factor in travel intention during this analysis. This study shows that chronological age is not always an important factor that affects older adults&rsquo; travel intention when other health and psychological variables are considered. This study provides some practical implications and tips for travel industry managers who are targeting the aging population