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After 2 decades of limited growth, living donor liver transplant (LDLT) has been increasingly accepted as a promising solution to the growing organ shortage in the US. With experience, LDLT offers superior graft and patient survival with low rates of rejection. However, not all waitlisted patients have equal access to LDLT, with financial toxicity representing a substantial barrier. Potential living liver donors face indirect, direct, and opportunity costs associated with donation as well as insurance-based discrimination and variable employer leave policies. There are multiple potential national, local, and patient-centered solutions to address some of the cost-related issues associated with living LDLT. These include standardization of employer leave policies, creation of federal and state-led tax relief programs, optimization of National Living Donor Assistance Center use, engagement of independent living donor advocates, creation of financial toolkits, and encouragement of recipient or donor-led fundraising. In this piece, members of the North American Living Liver Donation Group, a consortium of 37 LDLT programs, explore these financial challenges and discuss solutions to achieve financial neutrality, where individuals can donate free from financial constraints or gains. As a community, it is imperative that we confront factors driving financial toxicity to improve equity and access to LDLT.

IMPORTANCE: Benefits of prostate cancer (PCa) screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) alone are largely offset by excess negative biopsies and overdetection of indolent cancers resulting from the poor specificity of PSA for high-grade PCa (ie, grade group [GG] 2 or greater). OBJECTIVE: To develop a multiplex urinary panel for high-grade PCa and validate its external performance relative to current guideline-endorsed biomarkers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: RNA sequencing analysis of 58 724 genes identified 54 markers of PCa, including 17 markers uniquely overexpressed by high-grade cancers. Gene expression and clinical factors were modeled in a new urinary test for high-grade PCa (MyProstateScore 2.0 [MPS2]). Optimal models were developed in parallel without prostate volume (MPS2) and with prostate volume (MPS2+). The locked models underwent blinded external validation in a prospective National Cancer Institute trial cohort. Data were collected from January 2008 to December 2020, and data were analyzed from November 2022 to November 2023. EXPOSURE: Protocolized blood and urine collection and transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic prostate biopsy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Multiple biomarker tests were assessed in the validation cohort, including serum PSA alone, the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial risk calculator, and the Prostate Health Index (PHI) as well as derived multiplex 2-gene and 3-gene models, the original 2-gene MPS test, and the 18-gene MPS2 models. Under a testing approach with 95% sensitivity for PCa of GG 2 or greater, measures of diagnostic accuracy and clinical consequences of testing were calculated. Cancers of GG 3 or greater were assessed secondarily. RESULTS: Of 761 men included in the development cohort, the median (IQR) age was 63 (58-68) years, and the median (IQR) PSA level was 5.6 (4.6-7.2) ng/mL; of 743 men included in the validation cohort, the median (IQR) age was 62 (57-68) years, and the median (IQR) PSA level was 5.6 (4.1-8.0) ng/mL. In the validation cohort, 151 (20.3%) had high-grade PCa on biopsy. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values were 0.60 using PSA alone, 0.66 using the risk calculator, 0.77 using PHI, 0.76 using the derived multiplex 2-gene model, 0.72 using the derived multiplex 3-gene model, and 0.74 using the original MPS model compared with 0.81 using the MPS2 model and 0.82 using the MPS2+ model. At 95% sensitivity, the MPS2 model would have reduced unnecessary biopsies performed in the initial biopsy population (range for other tests, 15% to 30%; range for MPS2, 35% to 42%) and repeat biopsy population (range for other tests, 9% to 21%; range for MPS2, 46% to 51%). Across pertinent subgroups, the MPS2 models had negative predictive values of 95% to 99% for cancers of GG 2 or greater and of 99% for cancers of GG 3 or greater. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, a new 18-gene PCa test had higher diagnostic accuracy for high-grade PCa relative to existing biomarker tests. Clinically, use of this test would have meaningfully reduced unnecessary biopsies performed while maintaining highly sensitive detection of high-grade cancers. These data support use of this new PCa biomarker test in patients with elevated PSA levels to reduce the potential harms of PCa screening while preserving its long-term benefits.

Shear deflection is a key factor to take into consideration since members with smaller web areas are more vulnerable to shear. As a result, this work focuses on using theoretical, experimental, and analytical methods to undertake a parametric analysis to determine the shear deflection of an open web steel beam under non-uniform bending. The ABAQUS software package was used to analyse a total of sixty nonlinear finite element models, and part of the model’s behaviour was tested experimentally. The flange and web slenderness ratios that distinguish the finite element models were noted using a codal comparison. In addition to the overall behaviour, the shear deflection of various member components was calculated and compared to the shear deflection equation provided by Das and Basole and, Timoshenko and Gere. The findings indicated that load versus deflection plots could be produced analytically and experimentally, proving a good link between the two. The current work presents an appropriate adjustment factor for the theoretical shear deflection equation to compute the precise shear deflection behaviour of an open web steel beam. The accuracy of the proposed formulation is proven by an R-squared (R2) value of 0.999. Additionally, the maximum shear deflection limit for the simply supported open web steel beam under non-uniform bending was calculated as part of this study, along with the impact of the span-to-depth ratio on shear deflection. The investigation comes to the further conclusion that the parametric variation significantly affects the shear deflection.

Byline: R. Balamurugan, Jagat. Ram, S. Ganesh, Savleen. Kaur, Parul. Gupta, Ranjan. Behera We describe a novel device, Jagat and Bala Intraocular lens Supporting System (JBISS), an artificial Intraocular lens [...]

The electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is accompanied with the parasitic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) during acidic brine electrolysis, thereby reducing the efficiency of chlorine production. The guiding principles of enhancing the selectivity of the CER are investigated experimentally and computationally in RuO2doped with first-row-transition elements. Computational studies suggest that low-valent dopants (e.g., Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, and Fe) tend to bulk segregate in adsorbate-rich conditions. Further, doping elements with higher d-electrons than Ru (e.g., Cu, Zn, Ni, and Co) in RuO2tends to lower the binding strength of OER intermediates (e.g., HO–, O–, and HOO–), thereby increasing OER overpotential and providing more active sites for the CER. Doping has less effect on the binding strength of CER intermediates (ClO−) than bivalent OER intermediates (O–), resulting in higher CER selectivity. Computational studies suggest that Cu (d9)-doped RuO2shows maximum CER selectivity, as corroborated by experiments with electrodeposited Cu-doped RuO2. Electrodeposited Cu-doped RuO2(2% dopant concentration) shows a maximum CER selectivity of 95% in an acidic medium. However, doping a low valency aliovalent dopant and d-enriched metals also lowers the bridge-oxygen vacancy formation energy, thereby activating lattice-oxygen vacancy-aided water dissociation pathway in doped RuO2and increasing the selectivity of the OER. This results in an optimum doping concentration for maximum CER selectivity, wherein the weakening of surface OER intermediates is achieved without affecting lattice oxygen bond strength. The present work offers insight into catalyst design considering CER and OER selectivity during electrochemical Cl2production.

Inhaling particulate matter such as PM2.5can have a hazardous impact on the human health. In order to predict the PM2.5concentration, Artificial Neural Networks trained with conjugate gradient descent such as Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP), cascade forward neural network, Elman neural network, Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network and Non-linear Autoregressive model with exogenous input (NARX) along with regression models such as Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) consisting of batch gradient descent, stochastic gradient descent, mini-batch gradient descent and conjugate gradient descent algorithms and Support Vector Regression (SVR) were implemented. In these models, the concentration of PM2.5was the dependent variable and the data related to concentrations of PM2.5, SO2, O3and meteorological data including average Maximum Temperature (MAX T), daily wind speed (WS) for the years 2010–2016 in Houston and New York were the independent variables. For the final forecast, several ensemble models of individual neural network predictors and individual regression predictors have been presented.

Open web steel beams are lightweight and economical flexural members designed for transverse as well as lateral loadings. Despite the fact that it is frequently utilised due to its multiple benefits, its behaviour remains unclear. This study focuses on the failure mechanism and the effect of different parameters on the capacity of an open web steel beam under non-uniform bending. Theoretical, experimental, and analytical studies were performed under a single point load applied at the centre of the span in order to study the behaviour of open web steel beams. A total of fifty nonlinear finite element (FE) models were analysed using the ABAQUS software package, and the behaviour of some models was verified experimentally. The local slenderness ratios distinguish different FE models. Results show similar types of failure patterns and load versus deflection graphs were obtained by analytical as well as experimental investigation, demonstrating a strong correlation between experimental and FE modelling. Along with the global behaviour, a different element of the member undergoing the local failure was noticed. The study examines the reasons for the various failure patterns and offers solutions based on observed behaviour patterns. Results conclude that an open web steel beam resolves one of the fundamental problems of lateral torsional buckling in slender flexural members.

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to study the determinant and inverse of the adjacency matrices of weighted and directed versions of Boolean graphs. Our approach is recursive. We describe the adjacency matrix of a weighted Boolean graph in terms of the adjacency matrix of a smaller-sized weighted Boolean graph. This allows us to compute the determinant and inverse of the adjacency matrix of a weighted Boolean graph recursively. In particular, we show that the determinant of a directed Boolean graph is 1. Further, using a classical theorem of Cayley which expresses the determinant of any skew-symmetric matrix as a square of its Pfaffian, we show that for any directed Boolean graph, the characteristic polynomial has all its even degree coefficients strictly positive with the odd ones being zero.

There is a significant improvement in specific strength and wear resistance of metal matrix composites (MMCs) in comparison to unreinforced alloys. Low-density reinforcements such as SiC havethe advantageof beingrelatively inexpensive and readily available abundantly and is cost-effective among the several uneven dispersoids used. Meagre work is carried out on processing of Al2219-SiC MMCs which is the originality of current work. The Al2219 matrix alloy in the current study was reinforced with different weight percentages of SiC (3%, 5%, and 7%), and it was produced by the stir casting process. Its microstructure and physical properties were examined, and it was then compared to the alloy as-cast. A study of SiC reinforced Al2219 MMC characterization and stir casting technology is presented in this paper to illustrate its salient features.

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. We find that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class (40.7% of species are globally threatened). The updated Red List Index shows that the status of amphibians is deteriorating globally, particularly for salamanders and in the Neotropics. Disease and habitat loss drove 91% of status deteriorations between 1980 and 2004. Ongoing and projected climate change effects are now of increasing concern, driving 39% of status deteriorations since 2004, followed by habitat loss (37%). Although signs of species recoveries incentivize immediate conservation action, scaled-up investment is urgently needed to reverse the current trends.

Background: Men with persistent risk of Grade Group (GG) ≥ 2 cancer after a negative biopsy present a unique clinical challenge. The validated MyProstateScore test is clinically-available for pre-biopsy risk stratification. In biopsy-naïve patients, we recently validated a straightforward testing approach to rule-out GG ≥ 2 cancer with 98% negative predictive value (NPV) and 97% sensitivity. In the current study, we established a practical MPS-based testing approach in men with a previous negative biopsy being considered for repeat biopsy. Methods: Patients provided post-digital rectal examination urine prior to repeat biopsy. MyProstateScore was calculated using the validated, locked model including urinary PCA3 and TMPRSS2:ERG scores with serum PSA. In a clinically-appropriate primary (i.e., training) cohort, we identified a lower (rule-out) threshold approximating 90% sensitivity and an upper (rule-in) threshold approximating 80% specificity for GG ≥ 2 cancer. These thresholds were applied to an external validation cohort, and performance measures and clinical outcomes associated with their use were calculated. Results: MyProstateScore thresholds of 15 and 40 met pre-defined performance criteria in the primary cohort (422 patients; median PSA 6.4, IQR 4.3–9.1). In the 268-patient validation cohort, 25 men (9.3%) had GG ≥ 2 cancer on repeat biopsy. The rule-out threshold of 15 provided 100% NPV and sensitivity for GG ≥ 2 cancer and would have prevented 23% of unnecessary biopsies. Use of MyProstateScore >40 to rule-in biopsy would have prevented 67% of biopsies while maintaining 95% NPV. In the validation cohort, the prevalence of GG ≥ 2 cancer was 0% for MyProstateScore 0–15, 6.5% for MyProstateScore 15–40, and 19% for MyProstateScore >40. Conclusions: In patients who previously underwent a negative prostate biopsy, the MyProstateScore values of 15 and 40 yielded clinically-actionable rule-in and rule-out risk groups. Using this straightforward testing approach, MyProstateScore can meaningfully inform patients and physicians weighing the need for repeat biopsy.

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are artificial intelligence technologies used in various fields of science and engineering to represent fascinating human behaviours. Engineers frequently deal with incomplete and noisy data, which is one of the areas where neural network (NN) shine. Aim of this study is to use an ANN approach to determine the rotation capacity of open web steel beams. Using a single point load applied at the span's centre, a theoretical, experimental, and analytical study was conducted. Following the results of experimental and analytical comparisons, the ABAQUS software tool was used to assess a total of 88 nonlinear finite element models. Local slenderness ratios of several finite element models differentiate them. Different elements comprising geometrical and mechanical features of open web steel beams were delivered as input to NN models, including flange and web slenderness, depth and breadth of section, load span and angle section. Suggested formulation's accuracy is confirmed by arithmetical regression created using analytical nonlinear finite element modelling and behaviour of the open web steel beam derived analytically was tested experimentally. Based on research and statistical analysis, the current study found that ANN has a great potential for forecasting the rotation capacity of open web steel beams.

Graphical abstract:

Sentiment analysis is a method used in machine learning to identify and examine the sentiments that are concealed in text. Annotated data is a requirement for sentiment analysis. This data is frequently manually annotated, which is a laborious, costly, and time-consuming procedure. In this work, a fully automated sentiment analysis annotation method has been devised to overcome these resource constraints. This work develops the clever and novel Inventive Optimized Deep Ensemble Augmented Learning (IDEAL) sentiment analysis system. Cleaning up the social data input is the first step in this data pretreatment process. This includes validation of missing numbers, spelling correction, noise reduction, and standardization. By implementing the Multi-Model Feature Extraction technique, the attributes Word to Vector, Glove, and Bag of Words are recovered from the social data. The ideal subset of features is then chosen using a novel, state-of-the-art technique called the Intelligent Mother Optimization technique (IMOA), which expedites the classifier's training and testing. Furthermore, the classification of attitudes into three categories—positive, negative, and neutral—is accomplished by a classifier model known as Hybrid Convoluted Bi-directional—Long Short Term Memory. The efficacy of the proposed IDEAL framework is evaluated by comparing it to the conventional sentiment prediction techniques and validating a variety of assessment metrics. The overall findings show that, with a 99% efficiency rate and high sentiment prediction accuracy of up to 99.2%, the suggested IDEAL framework performs better than the competition. This is primarily due to the inclusion of novel mining methodologies.

The cross-section classification is an important topic in flexural steel member design since it tackles a cross-section's susceptibility to local buckling and specifies design resistance. As a result, work focuses on determining the classification limits for various classes of open web steel beams. A comprehensive investigation considering theoretical analysis, experimentation, and data analysis to assess the impact of a solitary point load applied at the beam's midpoint. Based on findings of the different studies, a total of eighty-eight nonlinear finite element models were examined using the ABAQUS software programme. The different finite element models are distinguished by their local slenderness ratios. Most of the steel design regulations consider the influence of the “individual plate rule”, “restricted load pattern rule”, and “monotonic rule” for cross section classification and neglect the effect of interactive behaviour. From the literature, it is found that classification should be done at the member level rather than at the cross-sectional level. To address this issue, open web steel beams were classified using the box section as a base. The classification limits for distinct classes of open web steel beams were derived at the member level, taking into account the interaction of different failure modes and local buckling modes. This suggestion is based on the effects of local and local-to-overall interaction buckling modes, which are not explicitly addressed by current design rules. Based on existing research and statistical assessment of test data, the current study provides suitable classification limits and rotation capacity formulations for open web steel beams.

In this work, we have developed a versatile three-in-one single beam visible colorimeter for undergraduate laboratory courses. The battery and mains electricity supply (utility power), wired and wireless data logging, and 3D-printed components are three important highlights of the developed visible colorimeter. The system is based on a low-cost ARDUINO UNO microcontroller and can measure the absorbance of the liquid samples in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. For on-field measurements, the present colorimeter can work on a small 9 V battery. Therefore, the present portable colorimeter can be used for different field studies. In addition to this, the system can also work on a mains electricity supply for benchtop measurements. The measurement results can be displayed on an OLED display or can be recorded using an open-source data acquisition tool on personal computers/laptops. In addition to this, measured data can be transmitted using a Bluetooth module to Android phones. For this, an open-source Android application was developed using the MIT App Inventor web application. For rapid prototyping of the system, all components of the visible colorimeter are designed and developed using 3D-printing technology. The functioning of the colorimeter was tested by measuring the absorbance of aqueous KMnO4and K2Cr2O7samples, and experimental results were compared with the commercially available single beam visible colorimeter. The measurement difference between the present colorimeter and commercial spectrophotometer was less than 4%, suggesting the satisfactory performance of the colorimeter. Therefore, students can use the present system to understand some basic concepts of the colorimeter.

Crystal facet engineering is one of the promising strategies to tune the band edge positions and surface electrochemistry of a material, which are essential to improve photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Materials with low-crystal symmetry structures demonstrate facet-dependent properties due to asymmetric coordination, and facet engineering can modulate PEC properties. In this regard, different facets [e.g., (002), (121), and (040)] of the monoclinic–scheelite polymorph of BiVO4(low-crystal symmetry structure) have been grown by controlling the thickness (deposition time) of thin films [22 nm (10 s) to 265 nm (50 s)] by the electron beam deposition technique. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis suggest the presence of different exposed planes that display different EC and PEC activity. PEC water splitting measurements suggest that the 110 nm/30 s thin-film sample, that is, the (040) facet, has the highest current density, that is, 0.29 mA/cm2(under light) and 0.068 mA/cm2(under dark) at 1.8 V versus RHE. However, the applied bias photon to current efficiencies (ABPEs) of both the thin films, that is, (040)/30 s and (121)/40 s facets, are nearly equal, whereas (121)/40 s has enhanced electrical and solar power-to-hydrogen (ESPH) conversion efficiencies compared to the (040)/30 s facet sample. Band edge positions computed via density functional simulations of exposed surfaces suggest that different facets have different band edge positions, thereby offering different driving forces to perform oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The relation between efficiency (ABPE and ESPH) and driving force suggests that the enhanced PEC performance of the (040) facet of BiVO4is due to the increased driving force to perform OER, whereas the improved efficiency of (121)/40 s can be due to enhanced surface catalytic activity. The highest catalytic activity of the (040)/30 s sample is due to low electron–hole recombination in the bulk and maximum charge injection at the surface.

Handcrafted footwear is a vital segment of leather industries worldwide. Among all handcrafted footwear, Kolhapuri handcrafted footwear is notable for its craft and design in India. This article presents design intervention in hand-sewn footwear of Kolhapur, India, to improve the well-being (in terms of better posture, and force exertion) of artisans and productivity (in terms of reduced time of task/work). Observations on field indicate that the sole (base and heel) cutting operation requires considerable manual effort and time. This motivated this study on the need for a design intervention to reduce/eliminate manual effort required in Kolhapuri footwear manufacturing without affecting craftsmanship. Evaluation of manual sole-cutting activity was performed using production and ergonomics techniques (i.e. task-time, two-handed process chart, posture and force exertion). Based on this identification of most felt needs, a novel design for Sole-cutting machine is conceptualized, developed and evaluated using production and ergonomics techniques. The evaluation of design intervention indicated its effectiveness in sole-cutting operations. This novel footwear Sole-cutting machine mounted as a workstations satisfy the ergonomics characteristics and end-user requirements of artisans, thereby improving their well-being.

Membrane protein efflux pumps confer antibiotic resistance by extruding structurally distinct compounds and lowering their intracellular concentration. Yet, there are no clinically approved drugs to inhibit efflux pumps, which would potentiate the efficacy of existing antibiotics rendered ineffective by drug efflux. Here we identified synthetic antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) that inhibit the quinolone transporter NorA from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). Structures of two NorA–Fab complexes determined using cryo-electron microscopy reveal a Fab loop deeply inserted in the substrate-binding pocket of NorA. An arginine residue on this loop interacts with two neighboring aspartate and glutamate residues essential for NorA-mediated antibiotic resistance in MRSA. Peptide mimics of the Fab loop inhibit NorA with submicromolar potency and ablate MRSA growth in combination with the antibiotic norfloxacin. These findings establish a class of peptide inhibitors that block antibiotic efflux in MRSA by targeting indispensable residues in NorA without the need for membrane permeability.

Living donor liver transplantation has expanded in recent years, particularly in North America. As experience with this procedure has matured over the last 25 years, centers are increasingly faced with potential living donors who are more medically complex. As donors move through the evaluation process, completing the informed consent process continues to be challenged by a paucity of granular data demonstrating long‐term outcomes and overall safety specifically in the otherwise “healthy” living liver donor population. Two recently published studies examined long‐term outcomes post‐living liver donation using Korean registry data and reported similar results, with excellent overall survival when compared to appropriately matched controls. However, the authors of these studies were presented differently, with one reporting an alarmist view based on one aspect of a suboptimal analysis approach using an inappropriate comparator group. Herein, the North American Living Liver Donor Innovation Group (NALLDIG) consortium discusses these two studies and their potential impact on living liver donation in North America, ultimately highlighting the importance of scientific integrity in data presentation and dissemination when using transplant registry data. The North American Living Liver Donor Innovation Group discusses the critical importance of accurate analysis and reporting of registry‐based studies, emphasizing the topic of living donation where the potential to exert a negative impact on donors' understanding of risk and willingness to donate is high.

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a sedative used in combination with other drugs in neonates and infants undergoing cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). This study aimed to evaluate the disposition of DEX after administration to the ex vivoCPB circuits following different bolus doses and continuous infusion of DEX, including the effect of circuit coating, temperature, and modified ultrafiltration (MUF). Cardiopulmonary bypass circuits were setup ex vivoand primed with reconstituted blood. Dexmedetomidine was administered to the circuit (as a single bolus or single bolus along with continuous infusion). The circuit was allowed to equilibrate during the first 5 minutes, blood samples were collected at multiple time points (5–240 minutes). Blood samples were processed to collect plasma and analyzed for DEX with a validated assay. The majority of DEX sequestration in ex vivoCPB circuits occurred within the first 15 minutes. The percent of DEX remained in plasma pre-MUF (16–71%) and post-MUF (22–92%) varied depending on the dose and dosing scheme. Modified ultrafiltration significantly increased the plasma concentration of DEX in 19 of 23 circuits by an average of 12.1 ± 4.25% (p< 0.05). The percent sequestration of DEX was lower in CPB circuits at lower DEX doses compared to higher doses. A combination of DEX initial loading dose and continuous infusion resulted in steady concentrations of DEX over 4 hours. At therapeutically relevant concentrations of DEX (485–1,013 pg/ml), lower sequestration was observed in ex vivoCPB circuits compared to higher doses. The sequestration of DEX to circuits should be considered to achieve the optimal concentration of DEX during CPB surgery.

Background: Canarypox virus, ALVAC, does not replicate in infected mammalian cells and has potential as a vector for gene therapy in the treatment of cancer. Purpose: Recombinant viruses carrying DNA sequences encoding interleukin 2 (ALVAC-IL-2), interferon gamma (ALVAC-IFN [Gamma]), tumor necrosis factor-[Alpha]: (ALVAC-TNF-[Alpha]), or the co-stimulatory molecule B7-1 (ALVAC-B7-1) were investigated as agents for the treatment of a newly defined mouse prostate tumor model. Methods: RM-1 mouse prostate cancer cells, which are syngeneic (i.e., same genetic background) to C57BL/6 mice, were used. The expression of foreign gene products in vitro in infected RM-1 cells was measured by immunoprecipitation, bioassay, or flow cytometry. The effects of foreign gene product expression on RM-1 tumor cell growth in C57BL/6 mice were measured after subcutaneous injection (in the back) of 5 x [10.sup.5] uninfected or infected cells; measurements included determinations of time to a measurable tumor size, tumor size as a function of time, and survival. The induction of protective immunity by uninfected and infected RM-1 cells was tested by injection of lethally irradiated (70 Gy) cells and subsequent challenge with uninfected cells. The generation of cytotoxic T cells was monitored by use of a [sup.51]Cr release assay. Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice were used to determine whether T or B lymphocytes were involved in ALVAC vector-mediated antitumor responses. Data were analyzed by use of Pearson's modification of the chi-squared test and Kaplan-Meier survival methods. Reported P values are two-sided. Results: The level of foreign gene product expression in ALVAC-infected RM-1 cells was dependent on the multiplicity of virus infection used; a multiplicity of five viruses per infected cell was chosen for subsequent experiments. RM-1 tumor growth in C57BL/6 mice was not affected by tumor cell expression of IL-2 alone, IFN [Gamma] alone, or B7-1 alone; however, expression of TNF-[Alpha] alone significantly delayed tumor growth at early time points (compared with parental ALVAC-infected tumors, P = .0001 at day 21 and P = .037 at day 28). Tumor cell expression of both TNF-[Alpha] and IL-2 completely inhibited tumor growth in 60%-100% of treated mice. No protection against subsequent tumor challenge was detected in mice previously exposed to RM-1 cells expressing both TNF-[Alpha] and IL-2. Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity toward RM-1 cells was not observed in C57BL/6 mice that rejected tumors. Tumor cell expression of TNF-or and IL-2 also resulted in tumor growth inhibition in SCID mice. Conclusions: RM-1 mouse prostate cancer cells are readily infected by ALVAC vectors, and foreign gene products are efficiently expressed. Inhibition of RM-1 tumor growth by tumor cell expression of TNF-[Alpha] and IL-2 appears to involve nonspecific antitumor activity.

Reduction in the cost of renewable electricity has enhanced the viability of the electrochemical CO2reduction reaction (CO2RR) to chemicals. Ethylene is an economically desired product, and Cu is the only cathode that produces C2H4at reasonable faradaic efficiencies. Altering the binding strength of the key intermediate (CO2−) to favor the reaction pathway to ethylene offers an opportunity to enhance its selectivity further. We explore the influence of ionic liquid cations on ethylene/CO2RR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities on polycrystalline Cu. Alkylated imidazolium, pyrazolium, pyrrolidinium, and ammonium tetrafluoroborates were chosen because of their range of Bader charges on their N atom(s) and pKavalues. Among all cations, the tetraethylammonium cation with moderate Bader charge on N and high pKaof hydration showed the highest ethylene/CO2RR and lowest HER activities, respectively. From density functional theory calculations, it is concluded that the moderate stabilization of the critical intermediate (*COO−) and the decrease in hydrogen binding energy are the reasons for the enhancement of ethylene/CO2RR and suppression of HER activities, respectively.

ABSTRACTIn this paper we investigate the Steady magnetohydrodynamic flows with inclined magnetic field between two parallel porous plates are considered. Magnetohydrodynamic is the study of the relationship between magnetic fields and moving conducting fluids. The main concern is to analytically investigate the structure of the solution by using similarity transformation, whose solution deals with increasing fluid flow with inclined magnetic field force helps to restrain this reserve flow and analytical expression for the fluid velocity obtained is expressed in terms of Hartmann number. The magneto hydrodynamic channel flows plays a significant role in a variety of fields has many applications in engineering and technology such as MHD power generator, petroleum industry, polymer technology, cooling system, accelerations, aerodynamics heating used. The problem is reduced to a third order linear differential equation which depends on a Suction Reynolds number Rand M1for which an exact solution is obtained.

ABSTRACTThe Model is developed as the Steady Magnetohydrodynamic flow with an angular velocity between parallel porous plates. The problem is solved analytically by using similarity transformation, whose solution deals with increasing fluid flow with an angular velocity. The applications of the problem are in Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) power generators, cooling system, aerodynamics heating, polymer technology, petroleum industry. The objective of this paper is to analyse the Steady Magnetohydrodynamic flow of viscous fluid with an angular velocity between parallel porous plates when the fluid is being withdrawn through both the walls of the channel at the same rate. The problem is reduced to a third order linear differential equation which depends on a Suction Reynolds number Rand M1for which an exact solution is obtained.

The Model is created as the Unsteady magnetohydrodynamic stream with an angular velocity between two parallel permeable plates are considered. The issue is understood logically by utilising closeness change, whose arrangement manages expanding liquid stream with an angular velocity. The applications in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control generators, cooling framework, streamlined features warming, polymer innovation, oil industry are utilised. The goal of this paper is to break down the Steady magnetohydrodynamic stream of thick liquid with a precise speed between parallel permeable plates when the liquid is being pulled back through both the dividers of the channel at a similar rate. The issue is diminished to a third request straight differential condition which relies upon a Suction Reynolds number R and M1for which a correct arrangement is gotten.

The QoS (quality of service) of Manet is depending various factors but it is highly rely on quality of links between the routes. The ratio of link failure reduces the throughput performance which is directly affecting the QoS. The most industrial units provide various services which can be accessed through mobile adhoc network. This supports the industrial entities and users to access the services through various mobile devices. As the nodes of Manet moves in different speed at various directions, the frequency of link failure will be always higher. However, to support data transmission, number of routing protocols has been discussed earlier (REF-26), but suffer to achieve higher QoS performance. To improve the quality of route selection towards maximization of QoS, a novel probabilistic link availability based traffic free route selection algorithm is presented in this paper. The method uses the location information, mobility speed, direction of various nodes in the measurement of probability in link availability. Also, the value of traffic at each node, neighbors of each node, and the frequency of transmission in each hop to measure the QoS Support Measure. The method first identifies the list of routes according to the broadcast mechanism and learns the topological information and traffic details. Using the details learned, the method identifies the list of routes and probable feature routes. For each route identified, the method estimates QoS support measure to choose a traffic free route at any time. Finally a single route has been selected to achieve high performance transmission in Manet.

ABSTRACTThe capsid protein of dengue virus strain 2 (DENV2C) promotes nucleic acid structural rearrangements using chaperone activity. However, the role of DENV2C during the interaction of RNA elements in the conserved 5’ untranslated region (5’UTR) to the 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR) is still unclear. Thus, we investigated the effect of DENV2C on the annealing mechanism of two RNA hairpin elements from the 5’UTR to their complementary sequences during (+)/(-) ds-RNAformation and (+) RNA circularization. DENV2C was found to switch the annealing pathway for RNA elements involved in (+)/(-) ds-RNA formation, but not for RNA elements related to (+) RNA circularization. In addition, we also determined that DENV2C modulates intrinsic dynamics and reduces kinetically trapped unfavourable conformations of the 5’UTR sequence. Thus, our results provide mechanistic insights by which DENV2C chaperones the interactions between RNA elements at the 5’ and 3’ ends during genome recombination, a prerequisite for DENV replication.

AbstractPulmonary sequestration is a rare bronchopulmonary foregut anomaly that occurs when a portion of the lung derives its blood supply from an aberrant vessel rather than the customary tracheobronchial supply. The sequestration can be classified as intralobar or extralobar. Most patients with intralobar sequestration are asymptomatic. Among symptomatic patients, presentations vary greatly, from fever, cough with expectoration, exertional dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, and hemoptysis to eventual lung abscess or empyema. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography/computed tomography angiography is performed to determine the origin of the anomalous blood supply as well as the pathological manifestations involving the lobes. We present a patient with diagnosed intralobar sequestration who developed pulmonary tuberculosis of the sequestered lung tissue. The patient was successfully managed with long-term antitubercular therapy and left lower lobectomy with ligation of the anomalous vessel.

Incorporation of suitable lanthanide (Ln3+) ions into semiconducting WO3can be useful to produce host-sensitized luminescence for solid-state lighting applications. Codoping of another Ln3+ion can assist in transferring energy from the host to the activator Ln3+ion to produce bright luminescence depending upon the electronic structure of the doped system. As a case study, Eu3+and Tb3+ion–doped WO3phosphors (WO3:Tb3+xEu3+y, x= 0–0.05 and y= 0–0.20) have been prepared over a wide range of doping concentrations to investigate the role of the Tb3+ion as a sensitizer and realize host-sensitized emission from Eu3+ions. The steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) data for WO3:Tb3+xEu3+y(x= 0–0.05 and y= 0–0.10) samples confirm that Tb3+ions assist in excitation of Eu3+ions via sequential energy transfers from the host to Tb3+ions followed by Tb3+to Eu3+ions. The energy transfer process is controlled by optimizing their doping concentrations, and a single-phase white-light-emitting phosphor with a composition WO3:Tb3+0.05Eu3+0.0005has been developed. The electronic band structures and projected density of state plots for the WO3:Tb3+0.03125Eu3+00.03125system obtained using density functional theory (DFT)-based simulations confirm the formation of impurity states due to Eu3+and Tb3+ions within the forbidden gap of WO3. Based on the TRPL and DFT data, it is confirmed that the Tb3+ions act as a bridge between the conduction band edge of WO3and excited states of Eu3+ions to transfer energy and facilitate characteristic emission from europium species.

ABSTRACTThis paper deals with the problem of steady laminar flow of an electrically conducting viscous incompressible fluid flow between two parallel porous plates of a channel in the presence of a transverse magnetic field with bottom injection and top suction. Uniform vertical flow is generated driven by a pressure gradient Vertical velocity is constant everywhere in the field flow, i.e. v = vw = constant. The solution for small and large Reynolds number is discussed and the graph of a velocity profile for flow between a parallel porous plate with bottom injection and top suction is discussed.

The presence of Na in Ni-promoted MoS2provides an interesting case study as Na gets inadvertently incorporated during the reverse micelle synthesis of the nanocatalyst. The effect of Na in Ni-promoted MoS2during hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) is investigated here through combined experiment and density functional theory (DFT) studies. Computations suggest that Na replaces otherwise more HDS active Ni sites, which are likely to be present as metal atoms on S edge or on metallic edge sites of MoS2(100). The presence of Na dopant instead of Ni results in the molecular hydrogen dissociation step becoming more endothermic, leading to the lowering of HDS catalytic activity. The HDS of DBT decreases with an increase of Na concentration in Ni-promoted MoS2. However, the concentration of Na has a nonmonotonic effect on the selectivity of different mechanistic pathways of HDS. The selectivity toward a cost-effective direct desulfurization (DDS) pathway increases up to an optimal Na concentration, after which the selectivity decreases as observed from experiments and corroborated by DFT studies. However, DDS selectivity always remains higher, which is the critical feature of Na incorporation in Ni-promoted MoS2.

Crystal growth involves an increasein the average size of crystals even during Ostwald ripening, wherein larger crystals grow at the expense of smaller crystals. In contrast, we observed particle size reductiondue to rupture during the growthof polycrystalline LnF3(Ln = Lu, Y, La) nanoparticles. We rationalize this by the feature of the growing crystal to evolve toward the most stable native crystal form via several metastable intermediate non-native amorphous or crystalline structures with a significant change in density, resulting in high misfit strain and generation of stress within the single nanoparticle. The stress promotes the propagation of already existing flaws in the crystal, leading to the rupture of nanocrystals and a subsequent decrease in crystallite size. Results from finite element elastic simulations also support the propagation of flaws leading to nanocrystal rupture if the fracture toughness of the materials is low. The ligand plays an essential role in the observation of this phase of crystal growth by retarding the growth kinetics.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) into chemicals can store renewable electricity and simultaneously control global warming. Albeit inexpensive copper electro-catalyzes CO2to hydrocarbons at reasonable rates, it suffers from low selectivity due to high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. Although an increase in bulk pH suppresses HER activity, this leads to a CO2reaction with hydroxide and the formation of bicarbonate and carbonate ions. In contrast, we demonstrate selective HER suppression by functionalizing Cu electrocatalysts with pyridine molecules without a commensurate reduction in CO2RR activity. Density functional theory (DFT) based computational results suggest that the decrement in the H binding energy and blockage of step edge atoms (which are the most active sites for the HER) by pyridine molecules are the reasons for selective suppression of the HER activity on the copper surface after pyridine functionalization. Further, an insignificant decrease in CO binding is the reason behind the lack of suppression of the CO2RR activity. This study provides pointers towards better electrocatalyst design for the CO2RR.

Nanotechnology is an emerging outlet of nanoscience in which the atoms are encompassed in nanoscale dimensions and become more receptive compared with their distinctive counterparts. Recently, the utilization of synthetic designs and physicochemical approaches has received special attention; nevertheless, the generation of noxious impressions on the eco-system has raised serious concerns of the scientific community worldwide. Presently, environment-friendly green synthesis routes are promising venues for the arrangement of Metal/Metal Oxide (M/MO) nanostructured materials by using plants and their corresponding alliances. This revolution is predominantly recompensing as far as the reduction of toxic emissions and wastes is concerned. Accordingly, material scientists have adopted various renewable naturally-occurring eco-friendly materials, and biogenic processes to fabricate the functional M/MO nanostructured materials. The current review article recapitulates and assimilates the present state of knowledge on different strategies for biogenic fabrication of M/MO nanostructured materials.

Ultra-thin graphene has been receiving significance in the diverse sections of material science, owing to its exceptional physicochemical and thermo-mechanical characteristics. Currently, the fabrication of high-grade graphene in an economical target and green procedures area is a massive concern. Among the diverse techniques, chemical-mediated fabrication is believed to be the finest process since it is simple, scalable, and of low-cost; however, it involves noxious or hazardous chemical reducers for producing functional graphene-based Nanocomposites (NCs). Therefore, around the globe, scientists are endeavoring to adopt the bioinspired techniques to manufacture the functional reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) and reduced Graphene Oxide-Metal/Metal Oxide (rGO-M/MO) NCs. Hence, keeping this issue in mind, the present review article summarize and integrates the current state of knowledge about the diverse bioinspired strategies developed to obtain rGO and rGO-M/MO NCs and their photocatalytic, antibacterial, and cytotoxic assessments.

We demonstrate an approach towards modulating electrocatalysis in an ultrathin RuO2oxygen electrocatalytic overlayer viaoptimal charge transfer between the support and the electrocatalyst. The governing heuristics for the choice of support that would result in ‘climbing up’ the volcano curve for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts are delineated. Ultrathin Ru is deposited on metal coated over porous carbon supports, denoted by M/C, where M = Au, Cu, Pt, Ti and Ru, followed by the electrochemical oxidation of the Ru overlayer, which makes it possible for the support to retain its metallic character without getting oxidized to the less conductive metal oxide. An increase in the specific activity of thin RuO2is achieved with Au/C and Pt/C-supports against the Ru/C-support. The consolidated experimental and computational results suggest that the increase of the specific activity and subsequent ‘climbing up’ the volcano map for OER electrocatalysts is due to the interfacial charge transfer and support-induced electrocatalyst faceting. With the increase of the thickness, the support effect on the electrocatalyst activity gets reduced and only the conductivity of the support plays a dominant role in determining the OER activity.

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the biodiesel prepared from non-edible Linum usitatissimum oil tested in compression ignition engine for its viability option over the petrodiesel. The present study investigated the effects of a fraction of biodiesel in the blends in the events of variation of compression ratio on performance, combustion and emission characteristics and compared with baseline fuel PD operated at rated compression ratio 17.5:1. It is reported that at CR 16, the maximum BTE improvement observed was 26.73% for LB30.The maximum gain in BSFC for LB10 was 3–12% higher. The EGT increases with load, biodiesel contents and decreases with CRs. The emission of CO, HC, and CO2reduced with an increase in CRs except penalty in the discharge of NOx by maximum 30.8% for LB30 at CR18. Thus higher blends, i.e. LB20 and LB30 can also be used as an alternative fuel in a partially modified diesel engine i.e. at CR 18.