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The article presents a case study of a 49-year-old unmarried woman complaining of her abnormal uterine bleeding. It states that a large, fungating, vascular mass from the anterior wall of the uterine corpus was revealed during the uterine corpus and she was diagnosed with uterine perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa). The patient underwent myomectomy due to her desire to preserve the uterus.

A complete literature review and critical evaluation of the Mg-Ga binary system are presented. All stable phases known in this system were thermodynamically modeled in the framework of CALPHAD. Liquid phase was modeled using the Modified Quasichemical Model in the pair approximation which takes into account short-range ordering. α-(Mg) solid solution of hcp structure was modeled as a substitutional solution. All intermetallic phases Mg5Ga2, Mg2Ga, MgGa, MgGa2, Mg2Ga5, as well as Ga-rich phase, were treated as stoichiometric compounds. Gas phase was assumed to behave as an ideal solution. Thermodynamic optimization was carried out by evaluating enthalpic and entropic contributions to the Gibbs free energy of all phases independently. It showed that the optimized model parameters along with the model equations could reproduce the available and reliable experimental data in the Mg-Ga system. Representation of partial excess Gibbs free energy of Mg in Ga-rich liquid was improved compared to the previous thermodynamic modeling. Low pressure phase equilibria in this system were analyzed using the developed thermodynamic model, and it was compared with a recent observation of an Mg nanopillar fabricated by Ga+ ion beam in a focused ion beam (FIB), followed by in-situ heating in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Reported surface melting of Mg nanopillar in the TEM column pressure (~10-10 bar) is attributed to the fact that decreasing pressure enhanced sublimation of Mg from the Mg nanopillar significantly, leaving Ga-rich liquid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thermodynamic model has been developed in the framework of the modified quasichemical model in the quadruplet approximation to permit the calculation of solubilities of various gaseous species (sulfide, sulfate, nitride, carbide, water, etc.) in molten slags. The model calculates the solubilities solely from knowledge of the thermodynamic activities of the component oxides and the Gibbs energies of the pure liquid components (oxides, sulfides, sulfates, etc.). In the current article, it is shown that solubilities of sulfur as sulfide in Al2O3-CaO-FeO-Fe2O3-MgO-MnO-SiO2-TiO2-Ti2O3 multicomponent slags, which are predicted from the current model with no adjustable model parameters, are in good agreement with all available experimental data. The article also provides a thorough review of experimental sulfide capacity data for this system. The model applies at all compositions from pure oxides to pure sulfides and from basic to acidic slags. By coupling this database with other evaluated databases, such as those for molten metal and gaseous phases, and with general software for Gibbs energy minimization, practically important slag/metal/gas/solid equilibria can be computed such as S-distribution ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computerized thermodynamic databases for solid and liquid metals, slag, and solid oxide phases in the Al2O3-CaO-CoO-CrO-Cr2O3-FeO-Fe2O3-MgO-MnO-NiO-SiO2 system (with dissolved S and P) have been developed by critical evaluation/optimization of various available phase equilibrium and thermodynamic data. The databases contain parameters of models specifically developed for molten slags, liquid steel, and solid oxide solutions such as spinel, pyroxenes, olivine, monoxide (wustite, periclase, lime), corundum, etc. By means of the optimization process, model parameters are found which reproduce various thermodynamic and phase equilibrium data within experimental error limits. Furthermore, the models permit extrapolation into regions of temperature and composition where data are not available. The databases are automatically accessed by user-friendly software that calculates complex equilibria involving slag, metals, refractories, and gases simultaneously, for systems with many components, over wide ranges of temperature, oxygen potential, and pressure. A short review of the available databases is presented. The critical evaluation/optimization procedure is outlined using the Al2O3-CaO-FeO-Fe2O3-MgO-SiO2 and Al2O3-CaO-MnO-SiO2 systems as examples. Several applications of the databases to deoxidation, dehydrogenation, and dephosphorization of iron and to inclusion control in steel are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between self-reported exposure status to second-hand smoke and urinary cotinine level in pregnant nonsmokers. Materials and Methods: We recruited pregnant nonsmokers from the prenatal care clinics of a university hospital and two community health centers, and their urinary cotinine concentrations were measured. Results: Among a total of 412 pregnant nonsmokers, the proportions of self-reported exposure to second-hand smoke and positive urinary cotinine level were 60.4% and 3.4%, respectively. Among those, 4.8% of the participants who reported exposure to second-hand smoke had cotinine levels of 40 ng/mL (the kappa value = 0.029, p = 0.049). Among those who reported living with smokers (n = 170), "smoking currently permitted in the whole house" (vs. not permitted at home) was associated with positive urinary cotinine in the univariable analysis. Furthermore, this variable showed a significant association with positive urinary cotinine in the stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis [Odds ratio (OR), 15.6; 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 2.1-115.4]. Conclusion: In the current study, the association between self-reported exposure status to second-hand smoke and positive urinary cotinine in pregnant nonsmokers was poor. "Smoking currently permitted in the whole house" was a significant factor of positive urinary cotinine in pregnant nonsmokers. Furthermore, we suggest that a complete smoking ban at home should be considered to avoid potential adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes due to second-hand smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive databases for the thermodynamic and volumetric properties of magnesium alloys have been prepared by critical evaluation, modeling, and optimization of available data. Software has been developed to access the databases to calculate equilibrium phase diagrams, heat effects, etc., and to follow the course of equilibrium or Scheil-Gulliver cooling, calculating not only the amounts of the individual phases, but also of the microstructural constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior knowledge of the effectiveness of new observation instruments or new data streams for air quality can contribute significantly to shaping the policy and budget planning related to those instruments and data. In view of this, one of the main purposes of the development and application of the Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSE) is to assess the potential impact of new observations on the quality of the current monitoring or forecasting systems, thereby making this framework valuable. This study introduces the overall OSSE framework established to support air quality forecasting and the details of its individual components. Furthermore, it shows case study results from Northeast Asia and the potential benefits of the new observation data scenarios on the PM2.5 forecasting skills, including the PM data from 200 virtual monitoring sites in the Gobi Desert and North Korean non-forest areas (NEWPM) and the aerosol optical depths (AOD) data from South Korea's Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS AOD). Performance statistics suggest that the concurrent assimilation of the NEWPM and the PM data from current monitoring sites in China and South Korea can improve the PM2.5 concentration forecasts in South Korea by 66.4% on average for October 2017 and 95.1% on average for February 2018. Assimilating the GEMS AOD improved the performance of the PM2.5 forecasts in South Korea for October 2017 by approximately 68.4% (~78.9% for February 2018). This OSSE framework is expected to be continuously implemented to verify its utilization potential for various air quality observation systems and data scenarios. Hopefully, this kind of application result will aid environmental researchers and decision-makers in performing additional in-depth studies for the improvement of PM air quality forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thermodynamic database for the Mg-Ce-Mn-Y system has been prepared by critical evaluation of all available phase diagram and thermodynamic data in order to obtain a set of optimized model parameters for the Gibbs energy of all phases as functions of temperature and composition. For the liquid alloys, the modified quasi-chemical model (MQM) in the pair approximation was used to treat short-range ordering. Solid solutions were modeled using the compound energy formalism. Sample calculations are given to illustrate the use of a database in the design of Mg alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquaculture tank is used for breeding fish in sea water which was pumped up to land. The flow characteristics in the aquaculture were investigated with varying the tank geometry and flow rate. The numerical analysis has been employed for calculating the velocity and temperature distributions in a water tank of rectangular type. The finite volume method and SIMPLE algorithm with 3-dimensional standard k-ε turbulence model were used for the numerical analysis. For comparison with experimental results, the PIV system was applied to visualize the flow patterns quantitatively. The numerical results showed good agreements with the experimental results. The mean velocity and temperature versus aquarium depth were represented for various circulating flow rates. Especially, the aquaculture environment is recommended that the aquarium depth has to be d=0.5 m, and this case is the condition of higher velocity and temperature in winter season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synergistic SERS Enhancement in GaN-Ag Hybrid System toward Label-Free and Multiplexed Detection of Antibiotics in Aqueous Solutions (Adv. Sci. 19/2021) B Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy b In article number 2100640, Yeon Sik Jung, In-Hwan Lee, and co-workers demonstrate detection of antibiotics present in aqueous solutions via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy without using any Raman reporter molecules. Using the solvent-assisted nanotransfer printing technique, ultrafine Ag nanowires are conformally printed on GaN nanopillars to form a metal/semiconductor hybrid structure, which achieves a significant improvement of Raman signals. [Extracted from the article]

We experimentally extracted the positive bias temperature stress (PBTS)-induced trapped electron distribution within the gate dielectric in self-aligned top-gate (SA-TG) coplanar indium–gallium–zinc oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) using the analytical threshold voltage shift model. First, we carefully examined the effects of PBTS on the subgap density of states in IGZO TFTs to exclude the effects of defect creation on the threshold voltage shift due to PBTS. We assumed that the accumulated electrons were injected into the gate dielectric trap states near the interface through trap-assisted tunneling and were consequently moved to the trap states, which were located further away from the interface, through the Poole–Frenkel effect. Accordingly, we quantitatively analyzed the PBTS-induced electron trapping. The experimental results showed that, in the fabricated IGZO TFTs, the electrons were trapped in the shallow and deep trap states simultaneously owing to PBTS. Electrons trapped in the shallow state were easily detrapped after PBTS termination; however, those trapped in the deep state were not. We successfully extracted the PBTS-induced trapped electron data within the gate dielectric in the fabricated SA-TG coplanar IGZO TFTs by using the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We constructed a convolutional neural network model to use image and text together. • We proposed new flower classification algorithm using a multi-view learning method. • We proposed multimodal feature extraction framework in learned expression. The new multi-view learning algorithm is proposed by modifying an existing method, the multimodal convolutional neural networks originally developed for image-text matching (modified m-CNN), to use not only images but also texts for classification. Firstly, pre-trained CNN and word embedding models are applied to extract visual features and represent each word in a text as a vector, respectively. Secondly, textual features are extracted by employing a CNN model for text data. Finally, pairs of features extracted through the text and image CNNs are concatenated and input to convolutional layer which can obtain a better learn of the important feature information in the integrated representation of image and text. Features extracted from the convolutional layer are input to a fully connected layer to perform classification. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can obtain superior performance compared with other data fusion methods for flower classification using data of images of flowers and their Korean descriptions. More specifically, the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 10.1% and 14.5% higher than m-CNN and multimodal recurrent neural networks algorithms, respectively. The proposed method can significantly improve the performance of flower classification. The code and related data are publicly available via our GitHub repository. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effects of capping layers with different metals on the electrical performance and stability of p-channel SnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) were examined. Ni- or Pt-capped SnO TFTs exhibit a higher field-effect mobility (μFE), a lower subthreshold swing (SS), a positively shifted threshold voltage (VTH), and an improved negative-gate-bias-stress (NGBS) stability, as compared to pristine TFTs. In contrast, Al-capped SnO TFTs exhibit a lower μFE, higher SS, negatively shifted VTH, and degraded NGBS stability, as compared to pristine TFTs. No significant difference was observed between the electrical performance of the Cr-capped SnO TFT and that of the pristine SnO TFT. The obtained results were primarily explained based on the change in the back-channel potential of the SnO TFT that was caused by the difference in work functions between the SnO and various metals. This study shows that capping layers with different metals can be practically employed to modulate the electrical characteristics of p-channel SnO TFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We utilized Ni as a floating capping layer in p-channel SnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) to improve their electrical performances. By utilizing the Ni as a floating capping layer, the p-channel SnO TFT showed enhanced mobility as high as 10.5 cm2·V−1·s−1. The increase in mobility was more significant as the length of Ni capping layer increased and the thickness of SnO active layer decreased. The observed phenomenon was possibly attributed to the changed vertical electric field distribution and increased hole concentration in the SnO channel by the floating Ni capping layer. Our experimental results demonstrate that incorporating the floating Ni capping layer on the channel layer is an effective method for increasing the field-effect mobility in p-channel SnO TFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the spatio-temporal variability of aerosol optical depth (AOD), total column ozone (TCO), and total column NO2 (TCN) was identified over East Asia using long-term datasets from ground-based and satellite observations. Based on the statistical results, optimized spatio-temporal ranges for the validation study were determined with respect to the target materials. To determine both spatial and temporal ranges for the validation study, we confirmed that the observed datasets can be statistically considered as the same quantity within the ranges. Based on the thresholds of R2>0.95 (temporal) and R>0.95 (spatial), the basic ranges for spatial and temporal scales for AOD validation was within 30 km and 30 min, respectively. Furthermore, the spatial scales for AOD validation showed seasonal variation, which expanded the range to 40 km in summer and autumn. Because of the seasonal change of latitudinal gradient of the TCO, the seasonal variation of the north-south range is a considerable point. For the TCO validation, the north-south range is varied from 0.87° in spring to 1.05° in summer. The spatio-temporal range for TCN validation was 20 min (temporal) and 20–50 km (spatial). However, the nearest value of satellite data was used in the validation because the spatio-temporal variation of TCN is large in summer and autumn. Estimation of the spatio-temporal variability for respective pollutants may contribute to improving the validation of satellite products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction is presented to the article "Electrochemical Desulfurization of Molten Steel with Molten Slag: Reaction Rate and Current Efficiency" which appeared in the March 19, 2020 issue.

We demonstrated the synthesis of ZnO nanorods by using a facile solution route at low temperature. Au nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of ZnO nanorods by an in-situ solution method. The ZnO nanostructures had nanorod-like morphology in large quantity and possessed high crystallinity. An enhancement of ultraviolet emission of ZnO nanorods was observed as a result of Au nanoparticles decoration, while green emission was suppressed. This excellent photoluminescence performance is attributed to surface-plasmon-mediated quenching of defect emission and the enhancement of band-edge emission. The defect transition energy (green) of ZnO nanorods is in resonance with the localized surface plasmon energy of the Au nanoparticles, which led to the conversion of deep level green emission into band-edge ultraviolet emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO nanosheets were synthesized by a facile low temperature hydrothermal method and the Au nanoparticles were decorated on the surface of ZnO nanosheets by an in-situ solution method. The ZnO nanostructures had sheet-like morphology with relatively uniform size and possessed high crystallinity. The average diameter of Au nanoparticles decorated on the ZnO nanosheets was around 10–20 nm. The ultraviolet emission from Au decorated ZnO nanosheets was greatly enhanced and the green emission was significantly suppressed compared with the bare ZnO nanosheets. This excellent photoluminescence performance was attributable to the surface-plasmon-mediated sequential transfer of defect energy from ZnO to Au and electron transfer from excited Au to ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical evaluation and thermodynamic optimization of Mn-C, Mn-Si, Si-C binary systems and Mn-Si-C ternary system were carried out over the whole composition range from room temperature to above the liquidus temperature. In order to provide critical experimental input for the thermodynamic modeling, some key experiments were carried out in the present study. The liquid solution was modeled using the Modified Quasichemical Model (MQM) in the pair approximation in order to take into account the Short-Range Ordering (SRO) exhibited in the solution. In particular, the SRO observed in the Mn-C binary liquid was reasonably accounted for by the present thermodynamic model, while the conventional random mixing model was not able to properly describe the SRO. All solid solutions were modeled using the Compound Energy Formalism (CEF). Model parameters were optimized to best reproduce the important thermodynamic properties and phase equilibrium data in three binary systems. By taking a reasonable interpolation method for Gibbs free energy of the liquid solution in the ternary Mn-Si-C system, it was shown that the present model successfully reproduced thermodynamic and phase equilibrium data in the ternary system without any adjustable ternary parameter. The present database can be used as a part of larger thermodynamic database for the ferromanganese alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep traps spectra measurements were performed for a group of n-GaN films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on sapphire using standard MOCVD and two versions of lateral overgrowth techniques, the epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG) and pendeo epitaxy (PE). Deep levels transient spectroscopy with electrical (DLTS) or optical (ODLTS) injection showed that in all cases the dominant electron traps were the well known E c -0.56 eV centers. DLTS spectra taken with constant illumination indicate that not only has this trap a high density and electron capture cross section, but that it also has a high hole capture cross section and thus can be an efficient recombination center. Comparison with diffusion length measurements supports this conclusion. Among the hole traps the most prominent centers are the traps near E v +0.9 eV. However, direct estimate of the electron capture cross section by these traps give very low values close to 10 −22 cm 2 thus excluding the E v +0.9 eV traps from the list of potential lifetime killers, despite the high density of these centers. Annealing at 800 °C of one of the PE samples led to an increase of the concentration of the E v +0.9 eV traps, the increase of the centers with optical ionization energy 1.3 eV density (observed in photocapacitance), and also to increased intensity of yellow luminescence band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of CFD investigations of siphoning between tanks of an aircraft fuel system under high-g conditions typical of an extreme pull-up maneuver. Negative gauge pressures in the siphon tank can occur, potentially breaking the siphon and decreasing the available fuel flow to the engine. A representative configuration of a system has been modeled, consisting of two fuel tanks plus a vent tank, fuel transfer lines, and gas lines for venting and supply of inert gas to the fuel tank ullage spaces. The fuel pressures and dynamics are simulated using a time-dependent Volume-of-Fluid modeling with normal force increasing rapidly from 1 to 9 g corresponding to an extended period of rapid pull-up during which the main supply tank becomes empty. Realistic values for engine fuel flow rate and fuel properties (JP-8) are used. This work is part of a broad effort to investigate fuel system performance issues that are difficult to test. Four simulations were performed in total, comparing 1 g flight and a 9 g pull-up both with and without a low-capacity pump assisting the siphon transfer. We find that the pump influences the siphon flow rate, the siphon break characteristics as the supply tank empties, and the magnitude of negative gauge pressures that occur in the siphon tank., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The super-hydrophobic surface can be used in anti-pollution, self-cleaning, and anti-corrosive properties. Two-step surface treatment process on Al-coated glass was conducted by surface etching using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and surface coating using lauric acid for super-hydrophobic surface. The KOH-etched Al surface (1st etching) was changed to a hydrophilic property with a water contact angle (WCA) of 68° to 48°. On the other hand, the WCA of the etched Al surface was changed to about 153° with super-hydrophobic property when the lauric acid coating (2nd coating) was applied on the KOH-etched Al surface for 30 minutes. We found that the hydrophobicity of Al surface was related to the roughness by surface modification as well as the Al film thickness by sputtering method.

Intramural hematomas of the colon are rare. Intramural hematomas of the gastrointestinal tract often result from blunt trauma, although they may also occur spontaneously in patients taking anticoagulants or those with blood dyscrasia. Affected patients present with abdominal pain and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as occasional signs of intestinal obstruction. The diagnosis is made using colonoscopy and abdominal CT. Resection of the involved bowel segment is accepted as the standard therapy; however, experience with conservative treatment has also been reported. We herein report the case of a 62-year-old woman taking warfarin who was diagnosed with a colonic intramural hematoma and completely recovered with conservative management.

Background/aims: Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), also known as des-carboxyprothrombin (DCP), can be used as an alternative tool to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for surveillance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aims of the present study were to compare PIVKA-II levels between the patients with HCC and patients with non-HCC chronic liver disease, to evaluate the correlation of PIVKA-II and AFP in HCC patients, and finally to estimate the optimal cut-off value for PIVKA-II for the diagnosis of HCC with using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve., Methods: A total of 227 consecutive patients with HCC (n=42) or chronic liver disease (n=185) were enrolled in this study. HCC was diagnosed histologically or by imaging such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or angiography. The serum PIVKA-II and AFP levels were measured by electrochemiluminoimmunoassay with using the Haicatch PIVKA-II kit and by immunoradiometric assay, respectively., Results: The PIVKA-II level in the HCC patients was significantly higher than the non-HCC chronic liver disease patients (903.0+/-1156.7 vs. 111.7+/-211.0 mAU/ mL, respectively, P<0.01). PIVKA-II and AFP showed a statistical correlation in HCC patients (r=0.46, P<0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of PIVKA-II for the diagnosis of HCC were 66.7% and 74.1%, respectively, and when tasted together with AFP, the sensitivity was increased by 85.7%. For the ROC curve of PIVKA-II in HCC patients, the specificity of a 250 mAU/mL level of PIVKA-II was 95%., Conclusions: PIVKA-II was as useful surveillance tool for differentiating HCC from chronic liver disease, and a PIVKA-II value of 250 mAU/ mL was proposed as a significant cut-off value for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.