Search

Purpose To evaluate treatment outcomes of de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (mNPC) patients receiving taxane/gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy followed by locoregional intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and analyze potential prognostic factors. Methods A total of 118 patients between March 2008 and November 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients were treated with taxane/gemcitabine-containing systemic chemotherapy followed by definitive locoregional IMRT. Potential prognostic factors including baseline absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and the subdivision of metastasis were analyzed. Results The median follow-up time for the whole group was 31.5 months (range 5–138 months). Of the 118 patients, 9 (7.6%) patients experienced local regional failure and 60 (50.8%) patients had progression of distant metastasis. At the time of the last follow-up, 61 (51.7%) patients were dead. The 5-year actuarial progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS),distant metastasis relapse free survival (DMFS) and local regional recurrence free survival (LRFS) were 34.2%, 44%, 41.1% and 82.6%, respectively. Baseline lymphocyte count ≥ 1600/μl prior to the treatment conferred better locoregional control (5y-LRFS 96% vs. 64.7%, p p = 0.023). The multivariate analysis showed that high lymphocyte count was the most relevant predictor of superior PFS (HR = 0.236, p p = 0.04). M subdivision was found as another independent prognostic factor for OS but not for PFS. Conclusion Taxane/gemcitabine-containing chemotherapy combined with IMRT represents an effective treatment modality for mNPC. Baseline ALC is an independent significant prognostic factor for PFS and OS.

The aim of the study was to report long-term results of intensity-modulated radiotherapy for patients with T4 classification nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). From September 2007 to January 2013, 155 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The estimated 10-year local recurrent-free survival (LRFS), regional recurrent-free survival (RRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 79.4%, 93.2%, 69.0%, and 54.2%, respectively. Cycle number of chemotherapy was a significant predictor of LRFS, OS, and progression-free survival. There was no significant difference in survival rates between patients treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and patients with IC plus IMRT and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC).

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of induction chemotherapy (IC) plus radiotherapy (RT) and IC plus concurrent or adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT/AC) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with negative Epstein–Barr virus DNA (EBV DNA) after IC. A total of 547 NPC patients with negative plasma EBV DNA post-IC were included. Patients were classified into the IC + RT group and the IC + CCRT/AC group. Locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated and compared using the Kaplan–Meier method. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the variables. The median follow-up time was 37 months. The 3-year LRFS, DMFS, OS, and PFS rates for the whole group were 92.2%, 92.4%, 96.4%, and 84.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in LRFS, DMFS, OS, and PFS between the IC + RT and the IC + CCRT/AC groups, both before PSM (3-year rates of 91.1% vs. 92.6%, p = 0.94; 95.6% vs. 91.5%, p = 0.08; 95.2% vs. 96.8%, p = 0.80; 85.9% vs. 84.0%, p = 0.38) and after PSM (90.7% vs. 92.7%, p = 0.77; 96.8% vs. 93.7%, p = 0.29; 94.5% vs. 93.9%, p = 0.57; 84.7% vs. 85.6%, p = 0.96). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the treatment schedule was not an independent predictor for survival rates. Patients in the IC + RT group had fewer treatment-related acute toxicities and better tolerance. IC + RT displayed similar survival outcomes as IC + CCRT/AC for NPC patients with negative post-IC EBV DNA.

Plants experiencing abiotic stress react by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), compounds that, if allowed to accumulate to excess, repress plant growth and development. Anthocyanins induced by abiotic stress are strong antioxidants that neutralize ROS, whereas their over-accumulation retards plant growth. Although the mechanism of anthocyanin synthesis has been revealed, how plants balance anthocyanin synthesis under abiotic stress to maintain ROS homeostasis is unknown. Here, ROS-related proteins, SIMILAR TO RCD-ONEs (SROs), were analysed in Zea mays (maize), and all six SRO1 genes were inducible by a variety of abiotic stress agents. The constitutive expression of one of these genes, ZmSRO1e, in maize as well as in Arabidopsis thaliana increased the sensitivity of the plant to abiotic stress, but repressed anthocyanin biosynthesis and ROS scavenging activity. Loss-of-function mutation of ZmSRO1e enhanced ROS tolerance and anthocyanin accumulation. We showed that ZmSRO1e competed with ZmR1 (a core basic helix-loop-helix subunit of the MYB-bHLH-WD40 transcriptional activation complex) for binding with ZmPL1 (a core MYB subunit of the complex). Thus, during the constitutive expression of ZmSRO1e, the formation of the complex was compromised, leading to the repression of genes, such as ZmA4 (encoding dihydroflavonol reductase), associated with anthocyanin synthesis. Overall, the results have revealed a mechanism that allows the products of maize SRO1e to participate in the abiotic stress response.

To improve radiotherapy effect by inducing more toxicity for tumors and less for normal tissue and switching immunosuppressive microenvironment caused by expression of PD-L1 and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to immunoreactive microenvironment, we designed a PD-L1-targeted nanoplatform consisting of gold nanoparticles and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au). In vivo T2-weighted images, the best contrast effect of tumor was achieved two hours after intravenous injection of antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au. The tumor control caused by irradiation combined with antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au was better than that by radiotherapy alone in clone formation assay and B16F10 subcutaneous tumor model. Radiosensitivity enhancement induced by the addition of antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au was achieved by increasing ROS production and attenuating DNA damage repair. AntiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au could promote the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to M1 and reverse the immunosuppression caused by TAMs. By increasing the expression of CRT in tumor and blocking the PD-L1/PD pathway, antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au with radiation activated the anti-tumor immune response. In conclusion, antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au could be used as a radiosensitizer and a MRI contrast targeting PD-L1, with the functions of blocking the PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway and reversing the immunosuppression caused by TAMs.

With the continuous progress of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, IoT devices have gradually penetrated all aspects of life. However, due to rapid data growth, IoT devices with limited memory resources cannot store massive data. Cloud computing is an Internet-centric network that can provide security services and data storage. The combination of IoT devices with cloud computing considerably promotes resource sharing, facilitates users’ access to information at any time, and provides users with corresponding cloud computing services on time. Because the information transmitted through public channels is easily intercepted, tampered with, and eavesdropped on by malicious attackers. As a result, users’ and servers’ private information are disclosed. Numerous scholars have proposed different authentication protocols in this environment to protect the communications between users and servers. Amin et al. devised a smart card based authentication protocol. Unfortunately, Kang et al. demonstrated that their protocol was insecure. Huang et al. discovered Kang et al.’s improvement also has security flaws and then designed a protocol to enhance security. In this paper, we first show that Huang et al.’s protocol cannot resist privileged insider and temporary value disclosure attacks. Afterward, we propose an enhanced protocol based on their protocol. Finally, we use formal/informal security analysis to demonstrate the security of the improved protocol. The comparison results are indicated that our protocol has lower computational and communication costs under the same security level.

To improve the radiation therapy outcomes by inducing more toxicity for tumors and less for normal tissue and switch microenvironment immunosuppressive caused by expression of PD-L1 and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to immunoreactive, we designed a PD-L1-targeted nanoplatform consisting of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIOs)( antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au). AntiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au targeted on the B16F10 cell membrane and in cytoplasm, and the association could be reduced by the antibody blocking. In vivo T2-weight image, the best enhancement effect of tumor was achieved two hours after intravenous injection of antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au. Compared with radiation alone, the Do sensitization ratios of antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au was 1.34. The inhibition effect of irradiation combined with antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au was higher than that of radiotherapy alone in the B16F10 subcutaneous tumor model. During the entire observation period, all mice in the antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au group lived longer than 3 weeks. AntiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au enhancing radiosensitivity was achieved by increasing ROS production and attenuating DNA damage repair. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au could promote the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to M1 and reverse the immunosuppressive regulation induced by TAMs. antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au could increase the expression of CRT in tumor, block the PD-L1/PD pathway, activate CD8+T cells, promote the increase of IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-12 release, and finally activate the anti-tumor immune response. In conclusion, antiPD-L1-SPIOs@PLGA@Au was proved to have the ability to form targeted imaging and enhance radiosensitivity, block the PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint pathway, reverse the immunosuppressive regulation caused by TAMs, successfully realizing the synergistic effect of radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy.

Background The aim of the study is to identify clinical and dosimetric factors that could predict the risk of hypothyroidism in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients following intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods A total of 404 non-metastatic NPC patients were included in our study. All patients were treated with IMRT. The thyroid function were performed for all patients before and after radiation at regular intervals. The time onset for developing hypothyroidism was defined as the time interval between the completion of RT and the first recorded abnormal thyroid hormone test. The cumulative incidence rates of hypothyroidism were estimated using Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to detect the most promising factors that were associated with hypothyroidism. Results Median follow up was 60.6 months. The 3-, 5- and 7- year cumulative incidence rate of hypothyroidism was 39.4%, 49.1% and 54.7%, respectively. The median time to primary hypothyroidism and central hypothyroidism were 15.4 months (range 2.9–83.8 months) and 29.9 months (range 19.8–93.6 months), respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that younger age, female gender and small thyroid volume were the most important factors in predicting the risk of hypothyroidism. Dtmean (mean dose of thyroid), V30-V50 (percentage of thyroid volume receiving a certain dose level) and VS45-VS60 (the absolute volumes of thyroid spared from various dose levels) remained statistically significant in multivariate analyses. Cutoff points of 45 Gy (Dtmean), 80% (Vt40) and 5 cm3 (VS45Gy) were identified to classify patients as high-risk or low-risk group. Conclusion Thyroid Vt40 highly predicted the risk of hypothyroidism after IMRT for NPC patients. We recommended plan optimization objectives to reduce thyroid Vt40 to 80%. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.

As a promising thermoelectric material, copper selenides have attracted the interest of researchers owing to their low cost, abundance in earth, environmental friendliness, and low thermal conductivity. In this study, copper selenide (Cu2-xSe) powders with controllable sizes from nanoscale to mesoscale were obtained by a facile one-pot solvothermal method. After treatment with spark plasma sintering, the nanoscale Cu2-xSe pellets exhibited excellent thermoelectric properties such as sharply reduced thermal conductivity and enhanced Seebeck coefficient as well as a suppressed electrical conductivity. The figure of merit (ZT) of the nanoscale Cu2-xSe reached up to ∼1.51 at 873 K, which is about 2.67 times higher than that of the meso-Cu2-xSe. This study confirms that thermoelectric properties can be enhanced by the size effect.

Purpose To evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods From June 2008 to October 2014, 148 newly diagnosed non-metastatic elderly NPC patients (aged ≥ 70 years) receiving IMRT were recruited. Comorbid condition was evaluated using the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI). Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate survival rates and the differences were compared using log-rank test. Hazard ratio (HR) and the associated 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Cox proportional hazard model by means of multivariate analysis. Results The median follow-up time was 66.35 months. Estimated OS rate at 5 years for the entire group was 61.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.542–0.703). The 5-year OS rate of RT alone group was 58.4% (95% [CI] 0.490–0.696) compared with 65.2% (95% [CI] 0.534–0.796) in CRT group (p = 0.45). In patients receiving IMRT only, ACCI score equal to 3 was correlated with superior 5-year OS rate in comparison with higher ACCI score 62.1% (95% [CI] 0.510–0.766) to 48.5% (95% [CI] 0.341–0.689), respectively; p = 0.024). A 5-year OS rate of 63.1% (95% [CI] 0.537–0.741) was observed in patients younger than 75 years old compared with 57.5% (95% [CI] 0.457–0.723) in patients older (p = 0.026). Patients with early-stage disease (I–II) showed better prognosis than patients with advanced-stage (III–IV) disease (5-year OS, 72.3–55.4%, respectively; p = 0.0073). The Cox proportional hazards model suggested that age independently predicted poorer OS (HR, 1.07; 95%CI 1.00–1.15, p = 0.04). Conclusion The survival outcome of patients aged ≥ 70 years receiving IMRT only was similar to chemoradiotherapy with significantly less acute toxicities. Among the population, age is significantly prognostic for survival outcomes.

Objective: To analyze the prognostic value of pre-treatment serum lactate dehydrogenase (SLDH) level in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy. Methods: From January 2010 to March 2013, 427 eligible patients were reviewed. Pre-treatment SLDH level was measured within 2 weeks prior to treatment. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to select the optimal cutoff point. The impact of pre-treatment SLDH on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Further propensity score matching was carried out to adjust bias. Results: The optimal cutoff point of 168.5 IU/L was selected based on ROC curve analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that high pre-treatment SLDH level was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.001), PFS (P=0.004) and DMFS (P=0.001). After propensity score matching was performed, it remained to be significantly associated with poor OS (P=0.009), PFS (P=0.015) and DMFS (P=0.008) in the adjusted model. Conclusion: High pre-treatment SLDH level predicts poor survival in patients with NPC treated with IMRT-based therapy. As a routinely performed biomarker, pre-treatment SLDH can be utilized in combination with current Tumor-Node-Metastasis staging to predict survival and to plan a personalized treatment in these patients.

Background: The Cox proportional hazards (CPH) model is the most commonly used statistical method for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) prognostication. Recently, machine learning (ML) models are increasingly adopted for this purpose. However, only a few studies have compared the performances between CPH and ML models. This study aimed at comparing CPH with two state-of-the-art ML algorithms, namely, conditional survival forest (CSF) and DeepSurv for disease progression prediction in NPC. Methods: From January 2010 to March 2013, 412 eligible NPC patients were reviewed. The entire dataset was split into training cohort and testing cohort in a ratio of 90%:10%. Ten features from patient-related, disease-related, and treatment-related data were used to train the models for progression-free survival (PFS) prediction. The model performance was compared using the concordance index (c-index), Brier score, and log-rank test based on the risk stratification results. Results: DeepSurv (c-index = 0.68, Brier score = 0.13, log-rank test p = 0.02) achieved the best performance compared to CSF (c-index = 0.63, Brier score = 0.14, log-rank test p = 0.38) and CPH (c-index = 0.57, Brier score = 0.15, log-rank test p = 0.81). Conclusions: Both CSF and DeepSurv outperformed CPH in our relatively small dataset. ML-based survival prediction may guide physicians in choosing the most suitable treatment strategy for NPC patients.

// Fangfang Kong 1,2 , Hongmei Ying 1,2 , Ruiping Zhai 1,2 , Chengrun Du 1,2 , Shuang Huang 1,2,3 , Junjun Zhou 1,2 , Xiayun He 1,2 , Chaosu Hu 1,2 , Zhuoying Wang 2,4 , Tuanqi Sun 2,4 and Qinghai Ji 2,4 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, P.R. China 2 Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China 3 Department of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, P. R. China 4 Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, P.R. China Correspondence to: Hongmei Ying, email: // Keywords : intensity-modulated radiotherapy; IMRT; radiotherapy; carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation; CASTLE Received : March 15, 2016 Accepted : September 02, 2016 Published : September 08, 2016 Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) after surgery for carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE). Methods: Between September 2008 and June 2015, 14 CASTLE patients were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical features, treatment procedure and clinical outcomes were reviewed. All patients received postoperative IMRT. The radiation doses ranged from 56Gy/28 fractions to 66Gy/33 fractions. Treatment-related toxicities were graded by National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria (NCI-CTC) version 3.0. Results:After a median follow-up period of 42 months, only one patient suffered local recurrence and distant metastasis. The most frequently seen acute toxicities were mucositis and dermatitis (grade 1-2). No grade 3-4 toxicities were observed. Conclusions: Although based upon a small series of consecutively treated patients, our study showed that adjuvant IMRT provides satisfactory local-regional control for CASTLE, with acceptable toxicities. Further studies are still warranted to clarify our findings.

Background To evaluate the effectiveness and toxicities of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods One hundred and eighty-four previously irradiated NPC patients with recurrent disease and re-irradiated by IMRT between February 2005 to May 2013 had been reviewed. The disease was re-staged I in 33, II in 27, III in 70 and IV in 54 patients. Seventy-five percent of the patients received cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Results The median survival time was 33 months. The 3-year actuarial rates of local recurrence–free survival (LRFS), distant metastases–free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 85.1, 91.1, and 46.0%, respectively. About 53% of the patients experienced Grade 3–4 late toxicities. Forty-four patients died of massive hemorrhage of the nasopharynx caused by radiation induced mucosal necrosis. Multivariate analysis indicated that chemotherapy and time interval between initial radiotherapy and re-irradiation were independent predictors for DMFS. Conclusion IMRT is an effective method for patients with locally recurrent NPC. Massive hemorrhage of the nasopharynx is the major sever late complication and also the leading cause of death. Early recurrence is negative factor for DMFS. Combination of chemotherapy can improve DMFS, but not for OS. Optimal salvage treatment strategies focusing on improvement of survival and minimization of late toxicities are warranted.

Ronald Wihal Oei,1,2,* Lulu Ye,1,2,* Fangfang Kong,1,2 Chengrun Du,1,2 Ruiping Zhai,1,2 Tingting Xu,1,2 Chunying Shen,1,2 Xiaoshen Wang,1,2 Xiayun He,1,2 Lin Kong,1,2 Chaosu Hu,1,2 Hongmei Ying1,2 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: The aim of this article is to investigate the significance of pretreatment prognostic nutritional index (PNI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and their combination in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Materials and methods: A total of 585 patients were included. PNI and SII were calculated within 2 weeks prior to treatment. The optimal cutoff points were determined based on receiver operating characteristics curve analysis. The correlation between variables was analyzed. Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were performed to evaluate the impact of both indices on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Further propensity score matching (PSM) was carried out to minimize the effects of confounders. Results: The optimal cutoff point of 53.0 for PNI and 527.20 for SII were selected. Pearson correlation coefficient showed an inverse correlation between PNI and SII (r = –0.232, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that pretreatment PNI was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.047) and DMFS (P = 0.002) while pretreatment SII was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.003), PFS (P = 0.002), and DMFS (P = 0.002). After PSM, both parameters remained as independent prognosticators of survival. Additional prognostic value was observed in the combined use of PNI and SII.Conclusion: Pretreatment PNI and SII are promising indicators of survival in NPC patients undergoing IMRT. They can be utilized to refine current TNM staging system in predicting prognosis and developing an individualized treatment in these patients. Keywords: prognostic nutritional index, systemic immune-inflammation index, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, prognostic factor, survival

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films doped with iodine vapor have been prepared by casting a P3HT solution on glass substrates and their thermoelectric (TE) performances has been investigated. The maximum Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity of iodine-doped P3HT films were 386 µV·K−1 (at room temperature) and 4.7 × 10−1 S·cm−1, which is about five orders of magnitude higher than that of pristine P3HT films. The power factor of these iodine-doped P3HT films was estimated to be 7.0 µW·m−1·K−2 at room temperature, which is a relative high value for organic TE materials. The UV-vis spectra of iodine-doped P3HT films showed a slight red shift of the iodine-doped P3HT compared to those of pristine P3HT films. Atomic force microscopy images indicated the conformational changes in P3HT chains after treatment with iodine vapor. During this treatment, the P3HT chains self-organized into a more ordered structure, this organization improved the charge carrier transport capability and the TE performance of P3HT the films.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the survival and toxicity of 364 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Cisplatin-based chemotherapy was given to patients with local-regionally advanced disease. The median follow-up was 26 months (range 3-62 months). The 2-year local failure-free survival, regional failure-free survival (RFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) were 97.6, 96.8, 89.1 and 93.5 %, respectively. Overall disease failures (at any site) were found in 60 patients. Eighteen patients experienced locoregional failures: seven were local only, seven were regional only and four were both local and regional. Forty-two patients developed distant metastases. Of these, 30 patients had single organ metastasis and 12 had multiple organ metastases. The most common acute toxicities were dermatitis, mucositis and xerostomia. Grade 0-2 dermatitis, mucositis and xerostomia occurred in 337 patients (92.6 %), 204 patients (56.1 %) and 364 patients (100 %), respectively. Grade 3 dermatitis, mucositis and xerostomia were seen in 27 patients (7.4 %), 160 patients (44 %) and 0 patients. No Grade 4 acute toxicities were observed. N stage was an independent prognostic factor for RFFS, DMFS and OS. Our preliminary results showed that IMRT provides excellent local-regional control for NPC, with acceptable acute toxicities. Distant metastasis remains the most difficult treatment challenge. More effective systemic chemotherapy should be explored.

In this work, nano-TiO2 particles were introduced into Cu2Se for enhancing thermoelectric (TE) properties. We found that nano-TiO2 can efficaciously decrease the thermal conductivity by increasing the phonon scattering, making it possible to enhance TE performance of Cu2Se to some extent. The minimum κ value was 0.35 W m−1 K−1, and the κL value was as low as 0.23 W m−1 K−1 for the Cu2Se/TiO2 nanocomposites. Further, a high ZT value of ∼1.6 at 1073 K and an average ZT (400 K–1073 K) value of ∼1 were obtained for the Cu2Se/TiO2 nanocomposite (the molar ratio of Ti to Se is 0.1).

Herein we report a novel homogeneous catalysis–liquid/solid separation catalytic system for highly effective recycling of homogeneous catalyst based on a phosphine-functionalized polyether guanidinium ionic liquid (P-PolyGIL) with a room temperature liquid/solid phase transition characteristic. This novel catalytic system has perfectly integrated the advantages of both the homogeneous and biphasic catalysis to realize the combination of the high activity, easy catalyst recycling and long service-life of the catalyst without a significant loss of the activity, selectivity and Rh for more than 30 cycles in the Rh-catalysed hydroformylation of higher olefins. The long service-life of the catalyst could be attributed to the efficient and practical strategy of the catalyst separation.

Dependence of the thermoelectric (TE) performance of free-standing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) composite films on the pH value in aqueous solution treated by acids and alkalis were systematically investigated. The TE performance can be enhanced by decreasing the pH value (acidic conditions), while it decreases rapidly with the increase in pH value (alkaline conditions). Carrier mobility and concentration, as well as morphology and structure characterizations of free-standing PEDOT:PSS films demonstrated that the pH value of the solution significantly affects their TE properties. With the maximum power factor of 1.35 W m −1 K −2 and the highest Seebeck coefficient of 40.7 μV/K, are promising organic thermoelectric materials.

The acetal formation mechanism under acid-free Rh-catalyzed hydroformylation–acetalization condition has been studied using different rhodium catalyst precursors in MeOH. In the absence of added acidic co-catalyst, the acetalization is catalyzed by the H+ formed in situ under hydroformylation condition, and Rh active site on Rh-phosphine catalyst did not exhibit catalytic activity for acetalization. Whether H+ can be generated in situ is related with the structure of rhodium catalyst precursor. Under hydroformylation condition, added Bronsted acids as co-catalysts can improve acetalization efficiency, but the H+ concentration in the system should not be excessively high to avoid the acid-induced inhibition for hydroformylation.

The imidazole-tagged BINAP ligands were synthesized and used for Ru-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of β-keto esters in ionic liquid (IL) systems. The Ru-BINAP catalysts with the imidazolium tags show high catalytic activity and enantioselectivity, which closely parallel the performance of unmodified BINAP. The catalyst recycling experiments using [bmim]Tf2N/MeOH system demonstrated that introducing imidazolium moieties to the BINAP backbone can effectively enhance the affinity of the Ru-catalysts to the IL, reduce Ru leaching and improve catalysts stability, and after several cycles no significant loss of activity and enantioselectivity was observed.

Free-standing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS)/Bi2Te3 thermoelectric (TE) composite films have been successfully prepared by a simple physical mixing method with different contents of Bi2Te3. x-Ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the phase composition and microstructure of the composite films. Their TE performance from 100 K to 300 K was systematically investigated. The maximum electrical conductivity of the composite polymer film reached up to 421 S/cm when the film contained 10 wt.% Bi2Te3, corresponding to the highest power factor of 9.9 μW/m/K2, while their Seebeck coefficient fluctuated smoothly in a tiny range (14.2 μV/K to 18.6 μV/K). In addition, a relatively low thermal conductivity of 0.07 ± 0.02 W/m/K has been obtained. The maximum figure of merit of the composite reached up to 0.04 at room temperature, which is a relatively high value in the organic TE field.

Here we report a highly active and selective hydroformylation of 1-octene in ionic liquid (IL)/MeOH system based on a zwitterionic phosphine ligand bearing a lysine moiety (L(NH2)COOH). The Rh-catalyst grafted lysine in the form of ammonium salt ([Rh-L(NH3 +)COOH]Tf2N) was successfully immobilized in the IL [bmim]Tf2N and recycled for seventeen times without significant loss of activity, selectivity and Rh catalysts. This study has provided a novel strategy for efficient separation and recycling of Rh catalysts.

A wide band compact RF receiver front-end for 5G communication system is designed in this paper, which could be typically applied in a Q-band millimeter wave massive MIMO system of 16 channels. The RF receiver is designed using multi-layered structure and highly-integrated downconverter chips to decrease the module size. The antenna feeding transition structure is designed using electromagnetic field simulation software, and integrated in RF board. The size of fabricated RF receiver is 2cm∗2cm. IF and power supply circuits are also designed separately to support the RF array with 16 channels configuration. The performance of single channel receiver in the array is measured with gain of 26.9dB, gain flatness of 1.13dB, input 1dB compression point of −6dBm, third-order intercept point of 5.3dBm and the EVM of 1.6%rms.

Anionic ring-open polymerization of ethylene oxide (EO) functionalized 1-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzene (HMOB) monomer 1-(2,3-epoxypropyl)-2-methoxybenzene (EPMOB) led to the formation of the precursor polymer oligo(1-(2,3-epoxypropyl)-2-methoxybenzene) (OEPMOB). Poly(OEPMOB-co-1-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzene) films P1, P2, P3, and P4 were successfully achieved by secondary electrochemical copolymerization of the monomer mixtures OEPMOB/HMOB with different mass ratios of 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2, respectively. The possibility of inter- and intramolecular polymerization resulted in a cross-linking conjugated network microstructure. A series of experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of monomer mass ratios on the electrochemical copolymerization and other properties of copolymer films. UV–vis, FT-IR, and 1H NMR were used to characterize the structure of copolymers. Fluorescence spectroscopic studies revealed that the copolymers partly dissolved in DMSO were all good blue light-emitters, with strong emissions at 392 nm in the doped state. Since EO and HMOB units were introduced into the skeletal backbone, thermal stability of copolymers was improved in comparison with their corresponding homopolymers.

A commercially available aqueous poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) as the immobilization matrix of biologically active species for the development of sensing and biosensing devices has not been widely reported due to its swelling and disintegration in aqueous solution. In this paper, a lowly swelling and disintegrating PEDOT:PSS composite films as the electrochemical biosensing platform was successfully developed by the incorporation of the biocompatible binding agent and common ionic liquid. Nafion was selected as a binding agent, mainly because Nafion could provide the biocompatible environment for biologically active species, improve the adhesion and binding force between films and electrode interface, and prevent peeling off of both enzyme molecules and films. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, one of common ionic liquids, was used for the secondary dopant and enhancer to improve the water-resistance and electrochemical properties of PEDOT:PSS films. Ascorbate oxidase was used as a mode for the development and application of the electrochemical biosensor. The prepared PEDOT:PSS composite modified electrode exhibited the pronounced water-stability. Moreover, the fabricated biosensor displayed an excellent bioelectrocatalytic activity to the oxidation of vitamin C, fast current response, high sensitivity, wide linear range, low detection limit, high bioaffinity and specificity, and satisfactory results in practical application, indicating that the fabricated biosensor has good electrochemical biosensing performance. Meanwhile, the excellent water-stability, repeatability, reproducibility, storage stability, and electrochemical biosensing performance also make PEDOT:PSS composite modified matrix an interesting candidate for the sensing and biosensing application in the near future.

Significant enhancement of thermoelectric (TE) performance was observed for free-standing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) composite films obtained from a PEDOT:PSS aqueous solution by simultaneous addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and different concentrations of urea. The electrical conductivity was enhanced from 8.16 S cm−1 to over 400 S cm−1, and the maximum Seebeck coefficient reached a value of 18.81 μV K−1 at room temperature. The power factor of the PEDOT:PSS composite films reached 8.81 μW m−1 K−2. The highest thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) in this study was 0.024 at room temperature, which is at least one order of magnitude higher than most polymers and bulk Si. These results indicate that the obtained composite films are a promising thermoelectric material for applications in thermoelectric refrigeration and thermoelectric microgeneration.

The electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films were simultaneously improved by adding an ionic liquid (IL) into a polymer solution of the polymers. The maximum electrical conductivity of such a PEDOT:PSS/IL film reached 174 S cm−1, more than an order of magnitude higher than that of pure PEDOT:PSS film, and the maximum Seebeck coefficient was up to 30 μV K−1, more than twice the value for pure PEDOT:PSS film. This behavior is different from conventional thermoelectric (TE) materials, whose TE properties are strongly correlated, such as increasing electrical conductivity with increasing carrier concentration, usually resulting in a logarithmic decrease in Seebeck coefficient. Atomic force microscopy images of the PEDOT:PSS/IL films indicated that the ILs induced formation of a particular three-dimensional structure of highly conducting PEDOT grains, resulting in improvement of the TE performance of PEDOT:PSS films.

The wet-chemical approach is of great significance for the synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) bismuth telluride nanoplatelets as a potential thermoelectric (TE) material. Herein, we proposed a simple and effective solution method with the assistance of aniline for the fabrication of bismuth telluride nanoplatelets at a low temperature of 100 °C. The choice of aniline with its dual function avoided the simultaneous use of a capping regent and a toxic reductant. The as-synthesized nanoplatelets have a large size of more than 900 × 500 nm2 and a small thickness of 15.4 nm. The growth of bismuth telluride nanoplatelets are related to the Bi/Te ratio of precursors indicating that a larger content of the Bi precursor is more conducive to the formation of 2D nanoplatelets. The bismuth telluride nanoplatelets pressed into a pellet show a smaller electrical resistivity (∼6.5 × 10-3 Ω · m) and a larger Seebeck coefficient (-135 μV K-1), as well as a lower thermal conductivity (0.27 W m-1 K-1) than those of nanoparticles. The next goal is to further reduce the electrical resistivity and optimize the TE performance by disposing of the residual reactant of aniline adsorbed on the surface of the nanoplatelets.

The application of a zwitterionic phosphine ligand bearing an amino acid moiety is tested in the tandem hydroformylation—acetalization of alkenes (I), however, the reaction leads to a mixture of isomers (IV) and (V).

Thermoelectric (TE) properties of free-standing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films treated with camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) and left hand camphorsulfonic acid (L-CSA) have been systematically investigated utilizing two different methods: addition of CSA/L-CSA into the PEDOT:PSS solution; or post treatment of free-standing PEDOT:PSS films with different concentration of CSA/L-CSA solution. It is verified that the post-treatment method is much more effective than the direct addition of CSA/L-CSA into the PEDOT:PSS solution. Using post-treatment method, the highest electrical conductivity can increase up to 644.7 S/cm, which is much higher than that of the direct addition method, ~206.2 S/cm at room temperature. In both cases, there is trivial change in the Seebeck coefficient. The maximum value of ZT is 0.017 at room temperature for the PEDOT:PSS film post-treated by 0.08 M CSA solution. These results demonstrate that post treatment is a promising approach to enhance the TE properties of PEDOT:PSS thin films. The difference in optical activity between CSA and L-CSA also has an effect on the electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS.

Background To analyze patterns of local-regional failure after primary intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods A total of 370 non-metastatic NPC patients consecutively treated with IMRT (with or without chemotherapy) were analyzed. Radiotherapy was administered using a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique at the total prescribed dose of 66-70.4Gy (2.0-2.2Gy per fraction). The location and extent of local-regional failures were transferred to the pretreatment planning computed tomography (CT) for dosimetric analysis. The dose of radiation received by Vrecur (volume of recurrence) was calculated and analyzed with dose-volume histogram (DVH). Failures were classified as: "in field" if 95% of Vrecur was within the 95% isodose, "marginal" if 20% to 95% of Vrecur was within the 95% isodose, or "outside" if less than 20% of Vrecur was inside the 95% isodose. Results With a median follow up of 26 months, 25 local-regional failures were found in 18 patients. The 1- and 2-year actuarial local-regional control rates for all patients were 99.7% and 95.5% respectively. Among the 22 local–regional failures with available diagnostic images, 16 (64%) occurred within the 95% isodose lines and were considered in-field failures; 3 (12%) were marginal and 3 (12%) were outside-field failures. Conclusions Intensity-modulated radiotherapy provides excellent local-regional control for NPC. In-field failures are the main patterns for local-regional recurrence. Reducing the coverage of critical adjacent tissues in CTV purposefully for potential subclinical diseases was worth of study. Great attention in all IMRT steps is necessary to reduce potential causes of marginal failures. More studies about radioresistance are needed to reduce in-field failures.

Facing the increasing food safety issues, Chinese government has been carrying out compulsory tests on food to meet the requirements of domestic and foreign markets. Colloidal-gold test strips using the colorimetric principle are widely used for rapid qualitative detection of harmful residues in food. In this research, an embedded system was biult as a solution of quantitative detection of colloidal gold test strips based on image processing technology. Images of the strips were captured and processed by the embedded system which was equipped with an image sensor. The operating system was WINCE 6.0 and the hardware platform was mini2440 based on ARM920T and a CMOS image sensor OV9650. The image processing software developed in Visual C++ included image input, denoise processing, image feature information extraction of effective area, linear transformation for the value of T/C. A functional relation between image feature information of effective area and residue concentration was established comparing to the results of standard chemistry experiments and strip detecting. Sample concentration was obtained by matching the mathematic model with the value of T/C. The results showed that the measurement error of the system was less than 5%.

The effects of different oxidants, such as FeCl 3 , (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 , H 2 O 2 , Ce(SO 4 ) 2 , and (NH 4 ) 2 Ce(NO 3 ) 6 , on the chemical oxidative polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedithiathiophene (EDTT) were investigated in H 2 O, CH 3 CN or H 2 O/CH 3 CN. It has been found that H 2 O 2 can hardly give visible polymer deposits until catalytic amount of FeCl 3 was added. Ce(SO 4 ) 2 and (NH 4 ) 2 Ce(NO 3 ) 6 can give relatively rapid rates of polymerization, while poly(3,4-ethylenedithiathiophene) (PEDTT) obtained using FeCl 3 and Cerium(IV) salts presented much higher yields. Moreover, properties of PEDTT were also greatly influenced by oxidants. (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 and (NH 4 ) 2 Ce(NO 3 ) 6 can give soluble polymers in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and PEDTT synthesized using FeCl 3 showed the highest electrical conductivity values (about 0.1∼0.2 S cm−1). The decomposition of PEDTT prepared using FeCl 3 /H 2 O 2 starts at 490 K, which was higher than those using (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 and Cerium(IV) salts. FT-IR spectra measurements indicated the formation of PEDTT molecular chains via α, α coupling of thiophene rings. UV, fluorescence and thermal properties of PEDTT were also characterized.

A robust and highly effective tandem hydroformylation–acetalization of olefins using a Bronsted acid–Rh bifunctional catalyst (ARBC) in ionic liquid–alcohol systems is reported. The key feature of the ARBC is its use of a zwitterionic phosphine ligand bearing an amino acid tag. This novel ARBC shows an excellent catalytic efficiency and a long service life without a significant drop in both the hydroformylation efficiency and the acetalization efficiency or Rh loss for more than seventeen cycles. We believe that the long-term high activity and acetal selectivity mainly benefit from the synergy between the acidic active site and the Rh active site on the ARBC and the highly effective immobilization and recycling of ARBC in ionic liquid–alcohol systems due to the strong affinity of ARBC for the ionic liquid.