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Growth morphology of carbon clusters deposited on different substrates were investigated by theoretical and experimental approach. For theoretical approach, molecular dynamics was employed to evaluate an adsorptive stability of different size of carbon clusters placed on different substrates. The adsorptive stability was estimated by the difference of total energy of supercell designed as carbon cluster placed on a certain crystal plane of substrate. Among the simulations of this study, carbon cluster flatly settled down on the surface of SrTiO$$_{3}$$ 3 (001). The result was experimentally verified with layer by layer growth of graphene by pulsed laser deposition in carbon dioxide atmosphere. The absorptive stability can be useful reference for screening substrate for any target material other than graphene.

Valence stability of aliovalent ions is mostly correlated with lattice site potential in ionic crystals. Madelung electrostatic potential is obtained by adding all the lattice site potentials for all the ions present in a crystal structure. Therefore, valence stability and the stability of a crystal structure can be better understood with consideration of both the lattice site potential and Madelung electrostatic potential. This was first demonstrated more than four decades ago by one of the present authors. We revisit this situation by using re-calculated lattice site potential and Madelung electrostatic potential for perovskite structure type ABO3 compounds using a new computer program VESTA. We show that the formation of a perovskite structure type compound with the general formula ABO3 (where A and B are cations and O is an oxide ion) becomes energetically favorable when it has a higher Madelung electrostatic potential than the combined Madelung electrostatic potential of parent binary compounds AO and B2O3 or BO2. It is further shown that strong lattice site potential results in stability of high valence or high valence ions can be stabilized in a lattice site with strong lattice-site potential. It further follows that certain ions experience maximum lattice site potential at the B ion lattice site of the perovskite structure when compared to other structures such as fluorite BO2, rutile BO2 and corundum B2O3. Therefore, (i) the stability of an ion with a high (and uncommon) valence state at the B site being higher than that at the A site, (ii) occurrence of point defects at A or O sites with weak lattice site potentials, respectively and (iii) instability of perovskite A4+B2+O3, and A5+B1+O3 compounds, respectively can be rationalized by lattice site potential and Madelung electrostatic potential analysis.

A CuII complex of bisamidine ligand LS, chirally modified naphtho[1,2-b:7,8-b′]dipyrroloimidazole (Naph-diPIM), catalyzes the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts (FC) reaction of indole (1a) with ethyl...

OBJECTIVES Segmentectomies such as S1 + 2, S1 + 2+3 and S4 + 5 segmentectomy are used to treat patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the left upper lobe. However, the preservable lung volume and changes after such segmentectomies remain unknown. We compared the residual pulmonary function after thoracoscopic segmentectomy or lobectomy in the left upper lobe and examined the efficacy of S1 + 2 segmentectomy regarding postoperative pulmonary function. METHODS Patients with left upper lobe NSCLC who underwent thoracoscopic segmentectomy or lobectomy were included. Spirometry and computed tomography were performed before and 6 months after resection, and the ipsilateral preserved lobe volume was calculated using 3-dimensional computer tomography. The percentage of postoperative/preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 s and actual/predicted regional forced expiratory volume in 1 s (preservation rate) in the residual lobe were compared. RESULTS Eighty-eight patients underwent lobectomy and 70 patients underwent segmentectomy (23 S1 + 2, 35 S1 + 2+3 and 12 S4 + 5 segmentectomies). The percentage of postoperative/preoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 s was 97 in S1 + 2, 82 in S1 + 2+3, 86 in S4 + 5 segmentectomy and 73 in left upper lobectomy, indicating that segmentectomy could be a meaningful approach to preserve pulmonary function. The preservation rate was 83% in S1 + 2 and 62% in S1 + 2+3 segmentectomy and was significantly higher in S1 + 2 than in S1 + 2+3 segmentectomy (P CONCLUSIONS Postoperative pulmonary function and the preservable lung volume of the residual lobe after thoracoscopic S1 + 2 segmentectomy were well-preserved among other segmentectomies and lobectomy. Thoracoscopic S1 + 2 segmentectomy is a good alternative for preserving postoperative function.

In this work, we studied the formation of the rutile phase of titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) on delaminated MXene (d-Ti3 C2 Tx ) flakes by the reaction of Ti3 C2 Tx with amino acids in water. Three types of amino acids with varied side-chain polarity were used to delaminate Ti3 C2 Tx . d-Ti3 C2 Tx flakes formed stable colloidal solutions due to the negative surface charges of chemisorbed amino acids on the d-Ti3 C2 Tx . Rutile formed on d-Ti3 C2 Tx at room temperature upon the intercalation of aromatic amino acids and subsequent sonication of the solution, while flakes intercalated with aliphatic amino acids did not oxidize. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy revealed the nanosize rutile formation on the surface of Ti3 C2 Tx flakes. The XPS results indicated the surface functionalization of histidine on d-Ti3 C2 Tx flakes. As-synthesized histidine functionalized rutile TiO2 @d-Ti3 C2 Tx hybrid was used for adsorption of Cu2+ ions from aqueous solution with a maximum uptake of 95 mg g-1 .

In this report, the Raman enhancement of adsorbed dye molecules on a spin-cast two-dimensional (2D) titanium carbide Ti3C2Tx (MXene) film via resonance Raman scattering, so-called MXenes-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (MERRS), was observed. Based on the energy level diagram of the molecule–MXene system, we determined that the location of the charge-transfer transition from the HOMO of crystal violet (CV) to the Fermi level should be at or close to 1.9 eV. This indicates a considerable charge-transfer intensity contribution to the overall SERS enhancement. The as-prepared film showed itself to be extremely sensitive for the detection of CV dye molecules with a surface coverage of 12.732 pg cm−2, and the calculated enhancement factor reached 3.42 × 109.

A 71-year-old woman with chest pain and exertional dyspnea was referred to our hospital. Computed tomography revealed a huge intrathoracic tumor with left parietal pleural dissemination. Transthoracic echocardiography showed the left ventricular dysfunction due to external compression by the tumor. After excision of the tumor, marked improvement of the left ventricular dysfunction was obtained for eight years. But the patient died due to cardiac invasion of the tumor 9th year after surgery.

Background Partner of Sld five 3 (Psf3) is a member of the heterotetrameric complex that consists of SLD5, Psf1, Psf2, and Psf3. We have shown in previous studies that high Psf3 expression was a poor prognostic marker for pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Here, we statistically evaluated the relationship between clinicopathologic factors and Psf3 expression in stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Methods A total of 583 patients who had undergone complete resection of stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma from January 2002 to December 2009 were included in the study. Tissue microarrays were performed, and the resected tumors were divided into groups according to Psf3 expression. Results Of 583 patients, high expression of Psf3 was observed in 211 (36.2%) and low expression of Psf3 observed in 372 (63.8%) patients. Among stage I patients, the five-year survival rate was 76.7% in the Psf3 high expression group and 90.9% in the Psf3 low expression group (P < 0.0001). On multivariate analysis, Psf3 was found to be the independent prognostic factor. Among stage I patients in the Psf3 high expression group, a significantly greater five-year survival rate was observed in patients who received postoperative chemotherapy with tegafur-uracil than in those who underwent surgery alone (P < 0.0001). In contrast, among stage I patients in the Psf3 low expression group, no difference was found in the five-year survival, regardless of the presence or absence of tegafur-uracil (P = 0.873). Conclusion The Psf3 expression was an independent prognostic factor and could be a biomarker of adjuvant tegafur-uracil for stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Key points Significant findings of the study: The Psf3 expression could be a biomarker of adjuvant tegafur-uracil administration for stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma. What this study adds: Appropriate patients of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma using Psf3 expression could be selected.

In this study, carbon-rich mesoporous silicon carbide (CRP-SiC: thickness of 1.3 μm and surface area of 77.3 m2/g) was obtained by electrochemical etching of polycrystalline SiC using HF/acetonitrile (1:5.6 ratio) at an optimum current density of 30 mA/cm2. The selective etching of Si from SiC was validated by Raman and X-ray diffraction analyses. High resolution-transmission electron microscope and atomic force microscope analysis showed the mesoporous structure (range: 10–100 nm) and a valley-and-peak form on the surface of CRP-SiC, respectively. The potential utility of CRP-SiC as an ideal adsorbent for commercial application was investigated against the low-molecular aliphatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like glutaraldehyde (GA) and formaldehyde (FA) as model target compounds. The maximum specific adsorption capacity of CRP-SiC, when measured for the GA and FA at the initial concentration 30 ppm, were 89.1 and 79.2 mg/g, respectively. The total adsorption capacity of this adsorbent was above 90%, when reused up to five times. The adsorption performance of CRP-SiC was also remarkably high in terms of partition coefficient relative to many other types of common sorbents (e.g., powder or granular activated carbon). The potential of carbon-rich surface on a stable and hard SiC semiconducting material is investigated in depth to help find the better alternative for the conventional or other well recognized adsorbent for treating VOCs.

Background: Large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are categorized as high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (HGNEC). We analyzed the efficacy of perioperative chemotherapy for HGNEC and the prognostic factors. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent tumor resection and were diagnosed with HGNEC between January 2001 and December 2014. The overall survival (OS) was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Propensity score matching was performed to compare the OS between the treatment groups. Multivariate analyses using a Cox proportional hazards model were performed to search for prognostic factors for HGNEC. Results: We analyzed 146 HGNEC patients (LCNEC n=92, SCLC n=54) without synchronous multiple cancers, who underwent complete resection. Seventy patients (LCNEC n=31, SCLC n=32) received perioperative chemotherapy and all of them received a platinum-based anticancer drug. Perioperative chemotherapy significantly improved the 5-year OS rates of HGNEC patients (all stages: 74.5% vs. 34.7%, P

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a well-known neoplasm in children that frequently occurs in the extremities, the head and neck region, and the genitourinary tract. To the best of our knowledge, pulmonary primary rhabdomyosarcoma in adults is exceedingly rare, and few resected cases have been reported. We report a case of pulmonary primary rhabdomyosarcoma that was surgically resected then treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (vincristine, actinomycin-D and cyclophosphamide). At 9 months after surgery, the patient is free from disease. Although the prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma is unfavorable, surgical resection and adjuvant therapy could be a potential treatment strategy for pulmonary primary rhabdomyosarcoma.

Valence stability of aliovalent ions is mostly correlated with lattice site potential in ionic crystals. Madelung electrostatic potential is obtained by adding all the lattice site potentials for all the ions present in a crystal structure. Therefore, valence stability and the stability of a crystal structure can be better understood with consideration of both the lattice site potential and Madelung electrostatic potential. This was first demonstrated more than four decades ago by one of the present authors. We revisit this situation by using re-calculated lattice site potential and Madelung electrostatic potential for perovskite structure type ABO

This study has outlined and described the synthesis of different carbon nanomaterials by submerged liquid plasma (SLP) processes for energy applications such as Li-type batteries, capacitors, solar cells, and hydrogen production. The nanocarbon synthesized by the SLP process has been identified as a clean and sustainable technology. SLP has emerged as a simple, low–capital cost, high-yield, and environmental-friendly approach for the synthesis of different forms of nanocarbon. The production of nanostructured carbon materials by the SLP process from organic or aqueous solvents is a fascinating subject in material science today. However, the generation of plasma in an aqueous or organic solvent is not well understood due to the fast-moving electrons, positive ions, excited atoms or molecules, radicals, ultraviolet (UV) light, and the strong electric field in the solutions. In this chapter, the generation of plasma in different aqueous and organic solvents, the reaction mechanisms, the formation of different nanocarbons, and their application in the fields of battery, fuel cell, and capacitor are discussed in detail.

International audience; Silicon carbide materials are excellent candidates for high-performance applications due to their outstanding thermomechanical properties and their strong corrosion resistance. SiC materials can be processed in various forms, from nanomaterials to continuous fibers. Common applications of SiC materials include the aerospace and nuclear fields, where the material is used in severely oxidative environments. Therefore, it is important to understand the kinetics of SiC oxidation and the parameters influencing them. The first part of this review focuses on the oxidation of SiC in dry air according to the Deal and Grove model showing that the oxidation behavior of SiC depends on the temperature and the time of oxidation. The oxidation rate can also be accelerated with the presence of H2O in the system due to its diffusion through the oxide scales. Therefore, wet oxidation is studied in the second part. The third part details the effect of hydrothermal media on the SiC materials that has been explained by different models, namely Yoshimura (1986), Hirayama (1989) and Allongue (1992). The last part of this review focuses on the hydrothermal corrosion of SiC materials from an application point of view and determine whether it is beneficial (manufacturing of materials) or detrimental (use of SiC in latest nuclear reactors).

Aim:We aimed to determine whether SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin treatment affects body composition and amino acid (AA) metabolism., Methods:Fifty-two overweight patients treated by oral antidiabetic agents were randomly assigned to dapagliflozin (Dapa) or a standard treatment (Con) and followed for 24 weeks. The primary outcome was the change in body mass (BM) between baseline and week 24. Body composition, intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content, and plasma AA concentrations were examined as secondary outcomes., Results:The change in BM was significantly larger in the Dapa than in the Con group, with a difference in the mean change of -1.72 kg (95 %CI: -2.85, -0.59; P = 0.004) between the groups. Total fat mass was reduced by dapagliflozin treatment, but fat-free mass was maintained. IHTG content was significantly reduced in the Dapa than in the Con (P = 0.033). Changes in AAs showed small differences between the groups, but only serine concentrations were significantly reduced in the Dapa. Intra-group analysis showed that positive associations were observed between changes in branched chain AA concentrations and body composition only in the Dapa., Conclusions:Dapagliflozin treatment causes a reduction in BM mainly by reducing fat mass. AA metabolism shows subtle changes with dapagliflozin treatment.

We report on one-step hybridization of silver, gold and palladium nanoparticles from solution onto exfoliated two-dimensional (2D) Ti3C2 titanium carbide (MXene) nanosheets. The produced hybrid materials can be used as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). An approximate analytical approach is also developed for the calculation of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) frequency of nanoparticles immersed in a medium, near the interface of two dielectric media with different dielectric constants. We obtained a good match with the experimental data for SPR wavelengths, 440 nm and 558 nm, respectively for silver and gold nanoparticles. In the case of palladium, our calculated SPR wavelength for the planar geometry was 160 nm, demonstrating that non-spherical palladium nanoparticles coupled with 2D MXene yield a broad, significanlty red-shifted SPR band with a peak at 230 nm. We propose a possible mechanism of the plasmonic hybridization of nanoparticles with MXene. The as-prepared noble metal nanoparticles on MXene show a highly sensitive SERS detection of methylene blue (MB) with calculated enhancement factors on the order of 10(5). These findings open a pathway for extending visible-range SERS applications of novel 2D hybrid materials in sensors, catalysis, and biomedical applications.

A 30-year-old female was admitted for diagnosis of an abnormal shadow on chest X-ray. A computed tomography scan showed honeycombing in bilateral dorso-basal segments of the lung and a tumor obstructing the orifice of right middle lobe bronchus. Resection of the tumor by a bronchofiberscope was performed. However, a part of the tumor remained in the bronchus. Histlogical examination confirmed the tumor to be epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma. In order to assure a complete resection of the tumor, we performed right middle wedge bronchoplastic lobectomy. The patient is doing well, without recurrence 5 years after surgery.

A strontium (Sr)-doped hydroxyapatite-like coating was deposited on α-Ti alloy via the growing integration layer (GIL) method at various applied voltages. We added 0.03 M strontium hydroxide (Sr(OH)2·8H2O) to a solution containing calcium acetate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate to produce Sr-doped hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA) coatings. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of these coatings showed that all various features, such as average pore size, coating thickness, micro-hardness, and roughness, were similar to those of HA. As the voltage increased from 250 to 300 V, the amount of micro cracks decreased, and there were eliminated at 350 V. The SEM images also showed that the Sr-HA coatings were closely integrated with the alloy: without any gaps between the oxide layers and the alloy. In addition, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy verified the Sr integration from the bottom up. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed Sr-HA formation instead of calcium phosphate, even at the lowest voltage of 250 V. The value of Ecorr increased by 6.6% after raising the voltage from 250 to 350 V. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the adequate corrosion resistance of Sr-HA coatings, especially at the highest voltage of 350 V. In addition, the GIL treatment increased the layer resistance measured by Rp/Rc. Optimally, the GIL method used the highest voltage of 350 V to produce higher quality of Sr-HA-rich coatings.

A stable rGO-AmPyraz@3DNiF gas diffusion electrode was prepared via modification of 3D nickel foam (3D-NiF) with aminopyrazine functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO-AmPyraz) for the electro Fenton (EF) process. The generation capacity of H2O2 and OH radicals by this electrode was assessed relative to 3DNiF and rGO-AmPyraz@indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes and with/without a coated Fe3O4 plate. The rGO-AmPyraz@3DNiF electrode showed the maximum production of these radicals at 2.2 mmol h-1 and 410 μmol h-1, respectively (pH 3) with the least leaching of Ni2+ such as < 0.5 mg L-1 even after 5 cycles (e.g., relative to 3DNiF (24 mg L-1). Such control on Ni ion leaching was effective all across the tested pH from 3 to 8.5. Its H2O2 generation capacity was far higher than that of the nanocarbon supported on commercially available ITO conductive glass. The mineralization of dichlorvos (at initial concentration: 50 mg L-1) was confirmed with its complete degradation as the concentrations of the end products (e.g., free Cl-1 (5.36 mg L-1) and phosphate (12.89 mg L-1)) were in good agreement with their stoichiometric concentration in dichlorvos. As such, the proposed system can be recommended as an effective electrode to replace nanocarbon-based product commonly employed for EF processes.

Backgrounds and objectives Recent studies have suggested that insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is a useful marker for pathological diagnosis of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. In the present study, we investigated the association between INSM1 expression and prognosis in patients with pulmonary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (HGNEC) and assessed the usefulness of INSM1 as a prognostic biomarker in these patients. Methods Seventy-five consecutive patients with HGNEC who underwent complete surgical resections from January 2000 to December 2018 were enrolled in this study. We classified these patients into two groups: the INSM1-positive group (n = 59) and INSM1-negative group (n = 16). We compared the clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the groups. In addition, we performed univariate and multivariate analyses to identify the prognostic factors associated with postoperative survival. Results Significant differences in tumor diameter and vascular invasion between the groups were found. OS and RFS were significantly poorer in the INSM1-positive group than in the INSM1-negative group. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that INSM1 expression was the strongest predictor of poor prognosis for OS and RFS. Conclusions INSM1 expression had the greatest influence on the prognosis in patients with HGNEC and may be a prognostic biomarker in these patients.

In this work, two types of electrochemical electrodes were synthesized using two types (i.e., 4 black (4B) and hard black (HB)) of pencil rods during submerged liquid plasma (SLP) process. At high potential (3 kV) electrons, the SLP process offered an effective exfoliation route for the disorientation of the graphite sp2 domain to produce two nanoclay-graphene composite electrodes with a few graphene layers (thickness = 4–9 layers) and high dispersibility (

In this work, we studied the formation of the rutile phase of titanium dioxide (TiO