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ABSTRACT    This study explored the soluble forms of PD-1 and sPD-L1/2 in serum and urine of patients with head and neck cancer (HNCs) and associated the data with clinical state and 5-year survival. The sPD-1 and sPD-L1/2 levels were evaluated by ELISA in sufferers (N=110) and normal controls (N=82). Patients in the case group were more likely to be male smokers or former smokers. Compared with the normal control group, the serum levels of sPD-1, sPD-L1 and sPD-L2 and the urine level of sPD-L1 in patients with HNCs were increased. Furthermore, sPD-1 and sPD-L1 serum levels existed a positive connection, and sPD-1 and sPD-L2 serum levels positively correlated in HNCs sufferers. The urine sPD-1 and sPD-L1 had a positive relationship. sPD-1 serum levels had a positive connection with urine sPD-1, sPD-L1 urine levels had a positive relationship with sPD-L1, and sPD-L2 serum levels positively connected to urine sPD-L2. Lower serum sPD-1 and sPD-L1/L2 were associated with disease progression and survival at the examination time. sPD-1 and sPD-L1/L2 serum levels above median were markedly related to a decreased probability of 5-years OS in patients with HNCs. The sPD-1 and sPD-L1/2 were complementary markers representing clinical condition and illness outcomes for HNCs patients. The sPD-L1 might accelerate the characterization of high-risk patients with disapproving illness outcomes. sPD-1 and sPD-L1/2 could be easily accessed through liquid biopsy. The incorporation of them as indicators for risk evaluation throughout treatment scheduling and follow-up seems to be an appreciated method.

The approval of venetoclax, a B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) selective inhibitor, for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia demonstrated that the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 is a druggable target for B-cell malignancies. However, venetoclax’s limited potency cannot produce a strong, durable clinical benefit in other Bcl-2-mediated malignancies (e.g., diffuse large B-cell lymphomas) and multiple recurrent Bcl-2 mutations (e.g., G101V) have been reported to mediate resistance to venetoclax after long-term treatment. Herein, we described novel Bcl-2 inhibitors with increased potency for both wild-type (WT) and mutant Bcl-2. Comprehensive structure optimization led to the clinical candidate BGB-11417 (compound 12e, sonrotoclax), which exhibits strong in vitroand in vivoinhibitory activity against both WT Bcl-2 and the G101V mutant, as well as excellent selectivity over Bcl-xLwithout obvious cytochrome P450 inhibition. Currently, BGB-11417 is undergoing phase II/III clinical assessments as monotherapy and combination treatment.

Abstract: Magnetic parameters and element contents were determined in core NJ008 collected from the uppermost ca. 40 cm in a steel company in southwest Nanjing. The results showed that magnetic susceptibility (χ), saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) were enhanced in the uppermost 20 cm, with a mean magnetic susceptibility value of 112.5×10−8 m3 kg−1. Below 20 cm, χ decreased sharply with a mean value of 27.8×10−8m3 kg−1. Low-coercivity minerals such as magnetite dominate in arable soils, while the relative content of antiferromagnetic minerals increases below 20 cm. Heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Fe, Pb, V, and Zn) have similar vertical trends as χ. Principal component analysis reveals common high loadings of the same factor for magnetic concentration parameters ( χ, ARM, and SIRM) and elements (Ni, Cu, Fe, Pb, V, and Zn) with an excellent linear correlation (0.69⩽R⩽0.98) between them. Magnetic susceptibility of paddy soil core NJ013, which had the same parent material as NJ008 but was far from pollution sources, showed stable values of magnetic concentration parameters along the whole core. Absolute values correspond to the so-called magnetic background value (below 20 cm) of NJ008. This indicates that pesticide and fertilizer had little effect on magnetic signals of the upper part of core NJ008 and the extremely enhanced magnetic concentration parameters originate from the steel company emission. Although, the arable soil does not reveal the pollution history and transportation due to annual ploughing, the significant linear relationship between magnetic concentration parameters and heavy metal contents suggests that magnetic parameters can serve as a proxy for quickly detecting soil metallic pollution and estimating the extent of contamination.

In the study, laser-MIG hybrid welding of high-strength shipbuilding steel was conducted. The microstructure and impact toughness were studied. The microstructure of the Filling and capping weld metal (FCWM) is widmanstatten and acicular ferrite. The microstructure of the backing WM (BWM) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) are bainite. The impact energy of the joints is greater than 110 J at different charpy impact test positions. The reason for the different toughness is related to the proportion and distribution of the microstructure at the V-notch of the impact specimen. Through the observation of the section, it is also found that the section corresponding to the microstructure of the different HAZ will show significant differences in fracture morphology.

In the study, laser-MIG hybrid welding of high-strength shipbuilding steel was conducted. The microstructure and impact toughness were studied. The microstructure of the Filling and capping weld metal (FCWM) is widmanstatten and acicular ferrite. The microstructure of the backing WM (BWM) and the heat-affected zone (HAZ) are bainite. The impact energy of the joints is greater than 110?J at different charpy impact test positions. The reason for the different toughness is related to the proportion and distribution of the microstructure at the V-notch of the impact specimen. Through the observation of the section, it is also found that the section corresponding to the microstructure of the different HAZ will show significant differences in fracture morphology.

In this study, a low carbon medium-Mn steel was subjected to different quenching and partitioning (Q&P) processes to investigate fraction and morphology of fresh martensite and retained austenite constituents (M/RA) on microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties by EPMA, EBSD, TEM and tensile test, etc. By increasing the annealing time, the fraction of M/RA decreases, which gradually evolves from large-sized blocky islands to fine granular or lath-like shape in morphology. This is attributed to the larger-grained prior austenite and the uniform distribution of Mn which reduces the thermal stability of austenite and hence increases the volume fraction of tempered martensite (TM) as well as effectively refining the resultant microstructure. Furthermore, a new CCE-PAG model has been proposed by taking into account the effect of the prior austenite grain size. Compared with the traditional CCE model, the prediction of RA fraction increases first and then decreases with the annealing time, being in better agreement with the experimental results. The long-time annealed samples show a better combination of strength and ductility, i.e., their tensile strength reaches ultra-high 1312–1391 MPa, yield strength up to 730–765 MPa, and the elongation is higher than 16%, which results from the existence of large-fractioned TM structure and the sustained TRIP effect. In short-time annealed samples, the crack tends to be initiated and propagated at the edge of coarse M/RA islands, leading to the final brittle fracture.

A simple combination of thermal etching and liquid-phase ultrasonic stripping was deployed to prepare high-performance graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets. Also, graphene oxide with plentiful active groups was used to combine g-C3N4with a magnetically actuated artificial cilia array (MAACA) to generate a composite cilia array, which can ensure the facile recovery of g-C3N4. This strategy addresses the limitations of an adjustable band gap for easy response to visible light and circumvents the encumbered limitation of recyclability, thus addressing a chronic environmental problem by curbing waste. The underlying functional principle of the array used was analyzed and studied in greater detail. The photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency of MAACA with 0.4 mg of g-C3N4at a magnetic field driving frequency of 12.50 Hz was found to be ∼75.0% higher than that at a magnetic field driving frequency of 0 Hz.

It is common that 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) coexists with nitrate or nitrite in industrial wastewaters. In this work, simultaneous reductive dechlorination of TCP and denitrification of nitrate or nitrite competed for electron donor, which led to their mutual inhibition. All inhibitions could be relieved to a certain degree by augmenting an organic electron donor, but the impact of the added electron donor was strongest for TCP. For simultaneous reduction of TCP together with nitrate, TCP’s removal rate value increased 75% and 150%, respectively, when added glucose was increased from 0.4 mmol∙L–1to 0.5 mmol∙L–1and to 0.76 mmol∙L–1. For comparison, the removal rate for nitrate increased by only 25% and 114% for the same added glucose. The relationship between their initial biodegradation rates versus their initial concentrations could be represented well with the Monod model, which quantified their half-maximum-rate concentration (KSvalue), and KSvalues for TCP, nitrate, and nitrite were larger with simultaneous reduction than independent reduction. The increases in KSare further evidence that competition for the electron donor led to mutual inhibition. For bioremediation of wastewater containing TCP and oxidized nitrogen, both reduction reactions should proceed more rapidly if the oxidized nitrogen is nitrite instead of nitrate and if readily biodegradable electron acceptor is augmented.

Arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) in food have caused public concern. Determination of As and Se in plant food samples encounters mass spectral interferences. The influence of polyatomic and doubly charged ions on the determination was evaluated by monitoring 75As, 77Se, 78Se, 80Se, and 82Se in four modes. The result showed that serious interferences were observed by using “no gas” mode (octopole vented, single quadrupole mode). Most but not all interferences could be removed when using He mode (He used as the collision gas, single quadrupole mode) or H2mode (H2used as the reaction gas, MS/MS mode), while O2mass-shift mode (O2used as the reaction gas, MS/MS mode) enabled the effective removal of all interferences. In the O2mass-shift mode configuration, the ions of interest were filtered twice by using the mass-to-charge ratio, enabling the removal of all interfering species. As and Se concentrations could be determined interference-free by using mass-shift mode with O2as reaction gas. The performance of O2mass-shift mode was investigated for the determination of As and Se in five plant reference materials. The obtained results were consistent with the certified values, indicating that the O2mass-shift mode was an effective method to determine As and Se in plant food samples. The detection limits of the method for 75As, 77Se, 78Se, 80Se, and 82Se were 0.5, 0.7, 1.1, 0.3 and 0.6 ng g−1, respectively.

Abstract: Knowledge of diffusivity is a prerequisite for understanding many scientific and technological disciplines. In this paper, firstly major experimental methods, which are employed to provide various diffusivity data, are briefly described. Secondly, the fundamentals of various computational methods, including first-principles method, embedded atomic method/molecular dynamic simulation, semi-empirical approaches, and phenomenological DICTRA technique, are demonstrated. Diffusion models recently developed for order/disorder transitions and stoichiometric compounds are also briefly depicted. Thirdly, a newly established diffusivity database for liquid, fcc_A1, L12, bcc_A2, bcc_B2, and intermetallic phases in the multicomponent Al alloys is presented via a few case studies in binary, ternary and quaternary systems. And the integration of various computational techniques and experimental methods is highlighted. The reliability of this diffusivity database is validated by comparing the calculated and measured concentration profiles, diffusion paths, and Kirkendall shifts in various binary, ternary and quaternary diffusion couples. Next, the established diffusivity databases along with thermodynamic and other thermo-physical properties are utilized to simulate the microstructural evolution for Al alloys during solidification, interdiffusion and precipitation. A special discussion is presented on the phase-field simulation of interdiffusion microstructures in a series of Ni-Al diffusion couples composed of γ, γ′, and β phases under the effects of both coherent strain and external compressive force. Future orientations in the establishment of next generation of diffusivity database are finally addressed.

In this paper, we present a new approach to filtering high spatial resolution multispectral (MSI) or hyperspectral imagery (HSI) for the purpose of classification and segmentation. Our approach is inspired by the bilateral filtering method that smooths images while preserving important edges for gray-scale and color images. To achieve a similar goal for MSI/HSI, we build a nonlinear tri-lateral filter that takes into account both spatial and spectral similarities. Our approach works on a pixel by pixel basis; the spectrum of each pixel in the filtered image is the combination of the spectra of its adjacent pixels in the original image weighted by the three factors: geometric closeness, spectral Euclidean distance and spectral angle separation. The approach reduces small clutter across the image while keeping edges with strong contrast. The improvement of our method is that we use both spectral intensity differences together with spectral angle separation as the closeness metric, thus preserving edges caused both by material as well as by similar materials with intensity differences. A k-means classifier is applied to the filtered image and the results show our approach can produce a much less cluttered class map. Results will be shown using imagery from the Digital Globe Worldview-2 multispectral sensor and the HYDICE hyperspectral sensor. This approach could also be expanded to facilitate feature extraction from MSI/HSI.

The phase equilibria of the Cu–Mn–Zn system at 550 °C were investigated using 4 diffusion couples and 25 equilibrated alloys. The preliminary phase relations resulting from diffusion couples were used to select the compositions of the equilibrated alloys. The samples were examined by means of X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and electron probe microanalysis. The experimental results show no existence of any ternary compound at 550 °C. The phase separation of the ß(CuZn)-phase (bcc_A2 structure based on approximate Cu49Zn51, in wt.%) into ß and ß2was observed in the diffusion couple of Cu73Mn27(in wt.%)/Zn and in the ternary alloy of Cu42.4Mn8.8Zn48.5(in wt.%). There is a debate on such a phase separation in the literature. An order/disorder (A2/B2) transition was inferred to exist according to the present experimental result. All the experimental phase diagram data available from the literature were critically reviewed. A set of self-consistent thermodynamic parameters for the Gibbs energies of individual phases in the Cu–Mn–Zn system was then obtained by using the CALPHAD approach taking into account the reliable data from the literature and from the present work. Comprehensive comparisons between the calculated and measured phase diagrams showed that most of the experimental information is satisfactorily accounted for by the present thermodynamic modeling.

Abstract: Magnetic parameters and element contents were determined in core NJ008 collected from the uppermost ca. 40 cm in a steel company in southwest Nanjing. The results showed that magnetic susceptibility (χ), saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) were enhanced in the uppermost 20 cm, with a mean magnetic susceptibility value of 112.5×10−8 m3 kg−1. Below 20 cm, χ decreased sharply with a mean value of 27.8×10−8m3 kg−1. Low-coercivity minerals such as magnetite dominate in arable soils, while the relative content of antiferromagnetic minerals increases below 20 cm. Heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Fe, Pb, V, and Zn) have similar vertical trends as χ. Principal component analysis reveals common high loadings of the same factor for magnetic concentration parameters ( χ, ARM, and SIRM) and elements (Ni, Cu, Fe, Pb, V, and Zn) with an excellent linear correlation (0.69⩽R⩽0.98) between them. Magnetic susceptibility of paddy soil core NJ013, which had the same parent material as NJ008 but was far from pollution sources, showed stable values of magnetic concentration parameters along the whole core. Absolute values correspond to the so-called magnetic background value (below 20 cm) of NJ008. This indicates that pesticide and fertilizer had little effect on magnetic signals of the upper part of core NJ008 and the extremely enhanced magnetic concentration parameters originate from the steel company emission. Although, the arable soil does not reveal the pollution history and transportation due to annual ploughing, the significant linear relationship between magnetic concentration parameters and heavy metal contents suggests that magnetic parameters can serve as a proxy for quickly detecting soil metallic pollution and estimating the extent of contamination.

Cold strip rolling under dry and lubricated conditions was conducted on a new developed mini-mill, which was installed in the Gleeble 3500 Thermo-mechanical Simulator. The surface roughness and Power Spectrum Density (PSD) features of the rolls were analysed. Results show that the lubrication significantly reduces surface roughness of the 4%Cr roll, but has less effect on surface roughness of the 4%Cr with Ti-added roll. The surface deterioration of 4%Cr with Ti-added roll varies significantly with an increase of rolling passes. Asperities on roll surface experience inhomogeneous variation, which indicates the deterioration of surface roughness is different for both roll materials.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) constitute a promising technology to treat wastewater containing organic pollutants that are not easily biodegradable. They have received increasing attention in the research and development of wastewater treatment technologies in recent decades for their removal or degradation of recalcitrant pollutants or as pretreatments to convert pollutants into smaller compounds, which can be treated using conventional biological methods. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a typical refractory organic pollutant. It has received special attention due to its low biodegradability and the large amount of PVA-containing wastewater discharged from textile and paper mills. This review focuses on PVA removal and PVA wastewater pretreatment by AOPs, which include ozonation, Fenton oxidation, persulfate oxidation, ultrasound cavitation, ionizing radiation, photocatalytic oxidation, wet air oxidation and electrochemical oxidation. The mechanistic degradation pathways of PVA by AOPs are also discussed. In addition, a new classification of AOPs is applied for PVA treatment.

The phase equilibria at the 700 °C isothermal section of the title system are determined by XRD, SEM, optical microscopy, X‐ray spectroscopy, and electron probe microanalysis.