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The issue of aircraft icing poses a substantial threat to flight safety. In order to investigate more efficient anti-icing and de-icing technologies, a comparative analysis was conducted on the de-icing characteristics of three types of actuator materials under varying conditions. Initially, experimental research was undertaken to analyze the temperature traits of three actuators under ice-free conditions. Three power densities were chosen for the experiment: 0.170 W/cm2, 0.727 W/cm2, and 1.427 W/cm2. The research findings revealed distinct characteristics: plasma actuators and resistance wire actuators exhibited a strip-like high-temperature region during operation, with well-defined boundaries between the high-temperature and low-temperature zones, whereas ceramic-based semiconductor actuators showcased a uniform high-temperature region. As energy consumption rose, the thermal equilibrium temperatures of all three types tended to converge, with resistance wire actuators operating at 1.427 W/cm2, showing the highest temperature rise rate at that power density. Subsequently, experimental research was carried out on the de-icing performance of three actuators under icing conditions at a specific power density. Following 120 s of de-icing, the ice layer covering the surface of the plasma actuator completely melted, forming a cavity. Conversely, the ice layer on the ceramic-based semiconductor actuator remained partially intact in a strip shape. Ice deposits were still visible on the surface of the resistance wire actuator. This observation highlights the remarkable de-icing speed of the plasma actuator. The propulsive force of plasma generated on the fluid inside the ice layer enhances heat transfer efficiency, thereby accelerating the de-icing process of the plasma actuator at the same power density. The analysis of the de-icing performance of these three novel types of actuators establishes a robust groundwork for exploring more effective aircraft de-icing methods. Furthermore, it furnishes theoretical underpinning for the advancement of composite anti-icing and de-icing strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, screen-printed electrodes are asymmetrically fabricated on three different dielectrics (multi-layered polyimide, quartz, and alumina). Supplied with AC power, sustainable surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) plasma is generated in atmospheric pressure. During plasma processing, different changes of material degradation and discharge images are observed. The corresponding electrical and optical characteristics are investigated by optical emission spectra (OES) and Lissajous figure analysis, respectively. It is found that both dielectric degradation and electrode erosion occur on the surface of the polyimide based SDBD device, while there is only electrode erosion for the quartz and alumina based devices, which results in different changes of electrical characteristics. OES calculated results show that with an increase of discharge aging time, electron temperature increases for the polyimide based SDBD device and decreases for quartz and alumina based SDBD devices, while all the gas temperatures of three dielectrics increase with the aging time. Furthermore, compared to vibrational temperature and gas temperature, the distribution of electron temperature is more suitable for evaluating the changes in discharge uniformity during plasma processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Lung adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare histological subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to its rarity, the studies about 18F-FDG PET/CT in this kind of pulmonary tumor were quite limited. Thus, this study investigated 18F-FDG PET/CT findings in ASC and its correlation with clinicopathological features and clinical outcomes.Methods: Preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT findings and parameters of maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume and total lesion glycolysis of primary lesion (MTV-P, TLG-P), combination of primary lesion and metastases (MTV-C, TLG-C), and clinicopathological features were retrospectively investigated in patients with ASC. Moreover, progression-free survival (PFS) was also analyzed.Results: All 41 patients (25 men; 16 women; age: 60 ± 7 years) had single ASC with the mean diameter of 33 ± 14 mm. Six lesions were located centrally and 35 peripherally. Serum tumor markers were abnormally increased sporadically. Twenty-two cases were at TNM stage I, 9 at II, and 10 at III. The primary tumors were FDG-avid in all cases, with the average SUVmax of 11.5 ± 6.0. SUVmax was significantly associated with tumor location, size, and TNM stage (P < 0.05). Forty-one lesions were subgrouped into 23 AC-predominant and 18 SCC-predominant lesions, and significant differences were observed for age, tumor size, and SUVmax in two groups (P < 0.05). The median PFS of 41 cases was 19 months, and 12-month and 24-month PFS rates were 72.1% and 36.1%, respectively. SUVmax, MTV-P, and TLG-C were significantly associated with PFS (P < 0.05).Conclusions: ASC of the lung displayed high SUVmax on 18F-FDG PET/CT, which was associated with tumor location, size, TNM stage, and predominant histologic component. Moreover, metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT were independent prognostic factors of this rare lung malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different types of particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) measurements, namely planar-PIV, micro-PIV, and stereo-PIV, are integrated to provide a full picture of the interaction between a spanwise plasma jet array and a turbulent boundary layer (TBL) at Reθ = 1208. Quiescent-flow characterization reveals that the plasma actuator array induces a wavy jet. With increasing duty cycle (DC), the peak jet velocity grows yet the height of the jet body decreases. When the TBL is actuated by such a plasma jet array, the spanwise distribution of the relative drag variation exhibits two regions with opposite signs, and the formation of these two regions can be attributed to the upwash and the downwash effects of the plasma-induced vortex, respectively. After spatial-averaging in the plasma actuation zone, net drag reduction (DR = 3.2%) is only achieved at the lowest DC of 10%. Although, by increasing the duty cycle, more drag reduction can be obtained in the upwash zone, the accompanying drag increase in the downwash zone is even prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have demonstrated significant benefits to patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR-activating mutations; however, acquired resistance limits their long-term efficacy. Therefore, it remains an urgent requirement to discover the underlying mechanisms and investigate novel therapeutic strategies for overcoming the resistance to EGFR TKIs. The present study aimed to determine the mechanism underlying the resistance of NSCLC cells to osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, the osimertinib-resistant NSCLC cell sub-line HCC827/OR was established in the present study. It was found that the expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were significantly upregulated in resistant cells compared with sensitive cells. Furthermore, the suppression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL through small interfering RNA-mediated gene knockdown or using a small molecule specific inhibitor ABT-263 re-sensitized HCC827/OR cells to osimertinib treatment. Moreover, the combined treatment of HCC827/OR cells with ABT-263 and osimertinib enhanced the rate of cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Finally, ABT-263 was able to overcome the resistance of osimertinib in xenograft tumor models. In conclusion, these findings may provide an improved concept for the development of a novel combined therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NSCLC resistance to EGFR TKIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vision system for surface roughness and surface defect measurement is introduced. This system applies two cameras for capturing the laser pattern and scattering images simultaneously. Three features are extracted from the scattering images to characterize the surface roughness. The light pattern images are processed to locate the defect and compute the size of the defect. Some experiments have been performed, and the experimental results verify the feasibility of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusions The number of cycles of neoadjuvant therapy programmed cell death 1 (PD‐1) inhibitor for locally advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial.From October 2019 to March 2022, neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy followed by radical surgery for NSCLC patients with stage II–III were retrospectively reviewed in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital. The radiologic response was assessed according to the Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors version 1.1. The major pathological response was defined as no more than 10% residual tumor. Student's t‐test, chi‐square test, and Mann‐Whitney test were used for univariate analysis, logistic regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. All statistical analyses were calculated by SPSS software (version 26).Among 108 patients, the number of patients who received 2‐cycle (2‐cycle group) and more than 2‐cycle (>2‐cycle group) neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy were 75 (69.4%) and 33 (30.6%), respectively. Compared with patients in the >2‐cycle group, patients in the 2‐cycle group had significantly smaller diagnostic radiological tumor size (37.0 mm vs. 49.6 mm, p = 0.022) and radiological tumor regression rate (36% vs. 49%, p = 0.007). However, no significant difference in pathological tumor regression rate was observed between patients in the 2‐cycle group and >2‐cycle group. Further logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy cycle could independently affect the radiographic response (odds ratio [OR]: 0.173, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.051–0.584, p = 0.005) but not for pathological response (OR: 0.450, 95% CI: 0.161–1.257, p = 0.127).For patients diagnosed with stage II–III NSCLC, the number of neoadjuvant cycles administered can significantly influence the radiographic efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]