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The diagnostic criteria of lymphatic vascular invasion have not been standardized. Our investigation assesses the factors associated with lymphatic vascular invasion positive tumors and the impact of lymphatic vascular invasion on overall survival for patients with non–small cell lung cancer undergoing (bi)lobectomy with an adequate node dissection.

'In silico simulations can form the basis of a robust development process, where different designs can be tested in short periods of time.' Developing a medical device is inherently associated [...]

We have synthesized library of biphenyl-4-carboxamide derivatives via one-pot strategy. The synthesized molecules were pharmacologically tested for their anticancer, antimicrobial activities and inhibition potential against acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and urease enzymes. Molecular docking studies were performed against AChE, BChE and urease to further investigate the inhibition mechanism of the synthesized compounds. Compound 4h(at conc. 100 μg/mL) was found to be most active against human liver cancer cell lines (Hep2) (cell viability = 29.33%). Compound 4cdemonstrated potent inhibitory activity against AChE (% inhibition 84.36) at 0.5 mM concentration and urease (% inhibition 31.42) enzymes at 0.25 mM concentration while 4bshowed good activity against BChE (% inhibition 52.19) at 0.5 mM concentration. Synthesized molecules showed potent antibacterial and antifungal activities. To rationalize the observed pharmacological activities, we performed docking studies against AChE, BChE and enzymes. Compounds 4f, 4band 4hshowed high binding affinity with AChE, BChE and urease, respectively, with lowest bonding energies values (− 12.4, − 11.5 and − 8.9), respectively, so molecular docking study showed that all the synthesized compounds have good binding capability targeted to AChE, BChE and urease enzymes. Pharmaceutical activities and molecular docking studies suggest that synthesized compounds may play a great role as pharmaceutical agents.

Dispersive characteristics of electromagnetic sound waves with frequencies less than the electron and ion gyro-frequencies are studied herein analytically and numerically at astrophysical scales. Magnetic quantization of Fermi states is concerned with the degenerate relativistic electrons fluid treated by quantum hydrodynamic model (QHD). The quantum features are included from Landau quantized Fermi pressure dependent upon the dc magnetic field, whereas the ions are treated as nondegenerate and classical. The numerical analysis verifies the analytical results. The phase speed of magnetosonic waves for relativistic degenerate plasma typically for white dwarf stars parameters is depicted from the graphical figures. In this manuscript, an overlooked feature of quantization, that is Landau quantization, is mainly focused for magnetoacoustics in plasmas.

In this era of heightened environmental awareness, the global community faces the critical challenge of climate change. Renewable energy (RE) emerges as a vital contender to mitigate global warming and meet increasing energy needs. Nonetheless, the fluctuating nature of renewable energy sources underscores the necessity for efficient conversion and storage strategies. This pioneering research focuses on the transformation of solar energy (SE) into liquid fuels, with a specific emphasis on formic acid (FA) as a case study, done in Binh Thuan, Vietnam. The paper unveils a technology designed to convert solar energy into formic acid, ensuring its stability and storage at ambient conditions. It involves detailed simulations to quantify the daily and monthly electricity output from photovoltaic (PV) systems and the corresponding mass of formic acid producible through solar energy. The simulation of a dual-axis solar tracking system for the PV panels, intended to maximize solar energy capture, is one of the project's illustrations. The elevation and azimuth angles, which are two essential tracking system parameters, are extensively studied in the present research. The project makes use of machine learning algorithms in the field of predictive modeling, specifically Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM). These tools play a crucial role in modeling PV power output and formic acid production while accounting for a variety of influencing factors. A comparative study shows that SVM outperforms ANN in accurately predicting the production of FA and PV power generation, both of which are the major goals. This model is a predictive tool that can be used to forecast these goals based on certain causal variables. Overall, it is observed that the maximum power produced with 2-axis solar tracker was achieved in February as 2355 kW resulting in the highest formic acid production of 2.25 ×106grams. The study's broad ramifications demonstrate solar liquid fuel technology's potential as a long-term fix in the field of renewable energy. In addition to advancing the field of renewable energy storage, the study represents a major step toward tackling the global challenge of climate change.

Community-based oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provision has the potential to expand PrEP coverage. HIV self-testing can facilitate PrEP community-based delivery but might have lower sensitivity than facility-based HIV testing, potentially leading to inappropriate PrEP use among people with HIV and subsequent development of drug resistance. We aimed to evaluate the impact of HIV self-testing use for PrEP scale-up.

Abstract: The influence of phosphate glass electrode in the configuration of resistive plate chamber has been studied using GEANT3.21 Monte Carlo code. Bakelite electrodes were replaced by phosphate glass electrodes, as these glass materials have low bulk resistivity, are portable and easy to handle. These types of RPCs in their compact form of all materials are suitable for high rate background environment. We find that these new types of RPCs give little higher response to γ-rays and e+/e− particles, both for single- and double gap RPCs. The results of simulation are discussed.

This study deals with the instability of shear waves, also known as Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, propagating with a complex frequency ”ω” in magnetically quantized dense gyro-viscous plasmas. The instability arises from the transverse spatial shear of the streaming velocity, which evolves from the DC electric and magnetic fields. In dense plasmas, quantum effects contribute through magnetically quantized statistical Fermi pressure, tunnelling potential and exchange-correlation potential. The contribution of the shear profile, the drift velocity, the number density of medium species, the dc magnetic field and the propagation angle θof the wavevector on the instability is pointed out analytically as well as graphically. By varying the angle, shear size and density of plasma particles, the growth rate is enhanced. It does not, however, change as the streaming speed increases. This work seeks applications to study the characteristics of complex media like astrophysical and semiconductor plasmas [R. P. Drake, “Hydrodynamic instabilities in astrophysics and in laboratory high-energy–density systems,” Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion, vol. 47, p. B419, 2005].

The carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite is a reliable body material for modern airplanes, and extremely difficult to cut owing to its complex structure and special mechanical characteristics. In cutting CFRP, fiber breakage and delamination defects very frequently appear on the machined surface. The use of cryogenic cooling in CFRP cutting has proven to be an advanced approach to improving the machined surface quality of CFRP composites. To reveal the mechanism of milling CFRP under cryogenic conditions, this study investigates the impact behavior and cutting performance of T700-CFRP at low temperatures. The impact test of T700-CFRP unidirectional laminates with 0°, 45°, and 90° fiber directions was performed at various temperatures ranging from 20 °C to −196 °C, to analyze the impact toughness and the fracture morphology. Side milling experiments of CFRP laminates of 0°, 45°, and 90° fiber directions with the PCD endmill were conducted at the same temperatures used in the impact test. Experimental findings revealed that for 0° specimens, the impact toughness increased at lower temperatures, and the impact damage worsened as the temperature dropped from −120 °C to −196 °C. There were no evident changes in the impact toughness or impact damage of 45° and 90° specimens with the decrease in temperature. The feed force and radial force increased as the cooling medium temperature lowered during milling CFRP. The machined surface of 45° workpieces was the roughest among all the workpieces and covered with numerous pits and craters. The machined surface roughness Raof 0° workpieces decreased as the cooling medium temperature was lowered from 20 °C to −160 °C and then increased at −196 °C, while the Ravalue of both 45° and 90° workpieces rose as the temperature dropped from 0 °C to −196 °C.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are lightweight, hard materials applied in heavy-duty applications such as automobile, aerospace, and electronics, as well as sports equipment. MMCs reveal exceptional physical and mechanical properties, including high strength, corrosion, wear resistance, higher stiffness, and toughness. However, owing to poor surface finish, accelerated tool wear, and high material removal cost, MMCs are categorized as difficult-to-cut composites. This article reviews sustainable machining under different lubrication and cooling approaches and the economics of the operation for MMCs. The study focuses on optimizing machinability factors, such as surface integrity, chip formation, tool wear, and sustainability analysis. To attain this goal, the review evaluates suitable cutting parameters for Aluminum, Titanium, Magnesium, and Copper-based metal matrix composites, which hitherto have not been explored or summarized comprehensively. This study provides strong guidance regarding selection of precise cutting parameters for MMCs. The findings of this review suggest that different cooling/lubrication technologies can optimize and improve the sustainability and machinability characteristics, extend tool life and surface quality, during the cutting operation.

Nowadays, Fiber-reinforced Polymer Composites (FRPCs) are extensively utilized due to their remarkable properties such as high stiffness, excellent strength to weight ratio, resistance to wear, corrosion etc. Earlier, the FRPCs are prepared through synthetic fibers in order to attain high strength in conjunction with high elastic modulus. However, with the increasing economic and environmental factors regarding the accumulation of plastic waste, the development of natural and hybrid (combination of any two) fibers were started. The mechanical properties of FRPCs are largely determined by the way loads are transferred between the matrix and fibers, or by the strength of the bond between the fiber-matrix interfaces. Additionally, these factors play a significant role in determining the overall performance of FRPCs. Therefore, this review discusses the recent advancements in enhancing the interaction between fiber and matrix by means of chemical treatment and the inclusion of nanoparticles. The resulting mechanical performance of the end composites and their intended applications are also presented. Few targeted application areas of FRPCs such as aerospace, automobile, mechanical and biomedical implants were discussed in detail.

Sustainable and precise fortification practices are necessary to ensure food security for the increasing human population. Precision agriculture aims to minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides by developing smart materials for real-life agricultural practices. Here, we show that biomimetic mineralization can be efficiently employed to encapsulate and controllably release plant biostimulants (MiZax-3) to improve the quality and yield of capsicum (Capsicum annum) crops in field experiments. ZIF-8 encapsulation of MiZax-3 (MiZIFs) could significantly enhance its stability up to around 679 times (6p value = 0.0072) at field conditions. Our results demonstrate that the coordinating Zn ions and the MiZax-3 play a vital role in improving Zn content in the produced fruits by 2-fold, which is the first report of this nature on Zn content in fruits. We envision this platform as a starting point to investigate other biocompatible coordination-based platforms for micronutrient delivery in precision agriculture.

In current piece of writing, we bring in the new notion of induced bipolar neutrosophic (BN) AOs by utilizing Einstein operations as the foundation for aggregation operators (AOs), as well as to endow having a real-world problem-related application. The neutrosophic set can rapidly and more efficiently bring out the partial, inconsistent, and ambiguous information. The fundamental definitions and procedures linked to the basic bipolar neutrosophic (BN) set as well as the neutrosophic set (NS), are presented first. Our primary concern is the induced Einstein AOs, like, induced bipolar neutrosophic Einstein weighted average (I-BNEWA), induced bipolar neutrosophic Einstein weighted geometric (I-BNEWG), as well as their different types and required properties. The main advantage of employing the offered methods is that they give decision-makers a more thorough analysis of the problem. These strategies whenever compare to on hand methods, present complete, progressively precise, and accurate result. Finally, utilizing a numerical representation of an example for selection of robot, for a problem involving multi-criteria community decision making, we propose a novel solution. The suitability ratings are then ranked to select the most suitable robot. This demonstrates the practicality as well as usefulness of these novel approaches.

The study investigated the impact of adding a Zn-CNT additive during friction stir alloying (FSA) of AZ61 magnesium alloy and SPHC mild steel. The additive, comprising zinc powder, carbon nanotubes, and polyethylene glycol, was introduced into the joint gap before welding at varying weight percentages (1, 3, 5 wt%). The rotational speed of the tool remained constant at 1500 rpm, while the welding speed was adjusted (15, 30, and 50 mm/min). Results revealed that the inclusion of 1 wt% Zn-CNT additives significantly enhanced the tensile strength (260 MPa) and microhardness (495 HV) of the welded joint compared to joints without additives. This suggests that the Zn-CNT additive positively influenced the mechanical properties of the joints.

The double-lumen cannula (DLC) is the most critical component of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) because of its narrow cross-section, thereby developing the highest shear stress in the entire ECMO circuit. To measure blood damage in a DLC, the Eulerian approach is generally used without contemplating exposure time or history of blood exposure to shear stresses. Alternatively, Lagrangian approach has also been recently employed for a Newtonian blood flow through a DLC, thereby leaving a research gap on the impact of variable shear rate in case of non-Newtonian blood flow. In the present study, the hemodynamic performance of DLC is investigated using different non-Newtonian models by applying Lagrangian approach. Moreover, the motion of RBC was tracked inside the cannula to predict its behavior during the motion. The results showed that the return lumen had higher pressure, velocity, and shear stress values than other parts of the DLC. In addition, recirculation was observed due to the mixing of blood coming from different inlets and found increase with increasing flow rate of blood. Moreover, it was found that the blood damage increased with increasing flow rate. There was more blood damage in the Newtonian model than in the other non-Newtonian models at higher flow rates. However, the Carreau model showed more blood damage at lower flow rates than the other models. The Cross model showed DLC’s higher efficacy in delivering oxygenated blood to the tricuspid outlet because it showed the least blood damage among all other models. It was also concluded that the efficacy of the DLC to deliver oxygenated blood to the tricuspid outlet decreases with increasing blood flow rate.

The Albian–Aptian Goru Formation represents a fluvio-deltaic reservoir in both the Central and Southern Indus Basin, Pakistan. Using high-resolution core data, this study provides comprehensive insights into the depositional environment and its role in influencing reservoir heterogeneities in the studied formation. The sedimentological investigations demonstrate five lithofacies, namely, (i) massive sandstone (Sm), (ii) horizontal to low-angle planar laminated sandstone (Sl), (iii) planar cross-laminated sandstone (Sc), (iv) heterolithic beds (Hw and Hr), and (v) massive mudstone (Mm). Facies associations reflect shallow marine depositional settings varying from deltaic in the NE to strand plain in the SW. The framework grains of the established lithofacies exhibit quartzo-feldspathic petrofabrics, which have been sourced from stable craton-continental block settings. The petrophysical data in the core depth zone show high shale content in Well-A and lower parts of Well-B. In Well-A, the crossover between the density and neutron logs is not observed, which suggests unsaturated sands, while Well-B exhibits a permeable zone as indicated by neutron-density crossover, low gamma ray values, and relatively high porosity. The petrographic analysis and scanning electron microscopy indicate high effective porosities contributed by both primary (intergranular and intercrystalline) and secondary porosity (owing to fracturing and dissolution). The upper part of Well-B shows high porosity values up to 28% due to highly fractured quartz. Porosity values are low in the lower parts of the Well-A and Well-B due to intensive calcite cementation, chlorite recrystallization, proto matrix as well as pseudo matrix. This suggests that both Well-A and Well-B have a common source but the reservoir properties can be attributed to the depositional and post-depositional variations in the petrofabric of the studied lithological units. The Cretaceous Goru Formation in Southern Indus Basin, the Pariwar formations in Jaisalmar Basin, and Bhuj Formation in Kutch Basin share same geological history and sedimentary processes. Thus, these studies can be utilized in the exploration of Cretaceous reservoirs in these basins.

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Effect of 2 MeV Ni+ion beam irradiation with varying fluences on the surface, structural, and mechanical characteristics of titanium will be explored. For this objective, titanium targets were exposed to nickel ions obtained from a pelletron linear accelerator with 2 MeV energy and various fluences extending from 3 × 1012to 7 × 1015ions/cm2. Penetration features and damage evolution of 2 MeV Ni-ion in titanium have been estimated by employing SRIM-2013 software. Various characterization tools were employed to confirm the modifications in the ion beam irradiated targets. The surface and crystallographic variations of ion beam irradiated targets were explored by employing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). Tensile testing and microhardness analysis was performed by utilizing a software-controlled 50 KN universal tensile testing machine and Vickers’s hardness tester, respectively. The SEM analysis represents random and irregularly distributed sputter morphology for lower ion fluences. With the increase of ion fluence, the pores keep growing radially while the growth rate slows down. At the highest ion fluence, localized melting, evaporation and expulsion of surface material were recorded at the irradiated zone. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed no additional phases to be developed in the Ni-ion treated titanium. However, a variation in the peak intensity and slight angle/position shifting was reported, which depicts the creation of ion-induced stresses and defects. The mechanical testing results indicated the variations in the mechanical characteristics (yield stress, ultimate tensile stress, hardness etc.) of irradiated titanium. The hardness, yield stress and ultimate tensile strength increased monotonically with the increase of ion fluence. The reported modifications in the mechanical characteristics of irradiated titanium are in good accordance with structural and surface modifications. The stated changes in the irradiated titanium are ascribed to the development of ions induced stress as well to creation, augmentation/expansion, recombination, and annihilation of the ion-induced defects.

Clathrate hydrate growth, deposition, and plug formation during oil and gas transportation causes blockage of pipelines. An effective strategy to solve this problem is to mitigate the hydrate formation and reduce its adhesion on pipe walls through a coating process. However, durability failure, corrosion, inability to self-heal, high cost, and strong hydrate adhesion remain unsolved issues. To address these challenges, in this work, we present an in situ self-replenishing nonfluorinated durable hydrate-phobic coating of candle soot particles. The candle soot coating reduces hydrate adhesion by promoting a thick barrier film of hydrocarbons between the hydrate and the soot coated substrate. The hydrocarbons permeating the soot coating display a high contact angle for water and inhibit the formation of water bridges between the hydrate and soot coated substrate. The spherical cyclopentane hydrate slides off easily on the candle soot coating inside the cyclopentane environment. The hydrate former, cyclopentane–water emulsion, and THF–water mixture have high contact angles as well as low hydrate adhesion on soot coating simultaneously. In addition, the coating is flow-induced long-term slippery, durable, low cost, anticorrosion, self-cleaning, and suitable for practical applications.

To compare the usability and acceptability of oral fluid‐ and blood‐based HIV self‐test kits among men who have sex with men in Australia. Randomised crossover trial. Gay, bisexual, and other men aged 18 years or older who have sex with men, who attended two metropolitan sexual health clinics in Sydney and Melbourne, 7 January – 10 December 2019. Ease of use of HIV self‐test kits; preferred HIV self‐test type; difficulties encountered during HIV self‐testing. 170 men were recruited (median age, 34 years; interquartile range, 29–43 years); 144 identified as gay (85%), 96 were born outside Australia (57%). Participants were more likely to report the oral fluid HIV self‐test was easy to use than the blood‐based self‐test (oral fluid, 99%; blood, 86%; odds ratio [OR], 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.4–6.6). The oral fluid test was preferred by 98 participants (58%; 95% CI, 50–65%), the blood‐based test by 69 (41%; 95% CI, 33–48%). Difficulties with the oral fluid test kit identified by observing nurses included problems placing the buffer solution into the stand (40 of 170 participants, 24%) and not swabbing both gums (23 of 169, 14%); difficulties with the blood‐based test kit included problems filling the device test channel (69 of 170, 41%) and squeezing the finger firmly enough to generate a blood drop (42 of 170, 25%). No participant received an invalid result with the oral fluid self‐test; two of 162 participants (1%) received invalid results with the blood self‐test. After adjusting for age, education level, and ethnic background, characteristics associated with higher odds of using HIV self‐testing in the future were overseas birth (adjusted OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.42–6.64), and self‐evaluated ease of use and confidence in using the kits. It is important to provide options for obtaining both oral fluid‐ and blood‐based HIV self‐tests. The usability and acceptability of both kits were high, but the ease of use and perceived accuracy influenced test kit preference.

Hybrid minimum quantity lubrication and compressed carbon dioxide (MQL + CO2) lubri-coolant can play a crucial role in advancing machinability as well as sustainability. However, it is also the fact that the high-pressure throttling of CO2produces fog and hinders the low-pressure MQL mist to touch the cutting zone adequately. Therefore, a low-pressure novel hybrid MQL-dry ice blasting lubri-coolant technology is anticipated to improve the machinability by providing the cooling and lubrication simultaneously in milling AISI-52100. This low-pressure hybrid dry ice blasting not only reduces an abundance of smog to reduce the cutting zone visibility, but the dry ice grains also behave as carriers to bring MQL-mist to the cutting zone perfectly. In this proposed study, the surface roughness, residual stresses, cutting temperature, surface hardness, tool wear, and cutting forces are measured by varying the cutting speed (75-300 m/min) and feed per tooth (0.04–0.12 mm/z) under hybrid MQL-dry ice blasting lubri-cooling condition in milling AISI52100 tool steel. The results of this study highlighted that as the cutting speed raised from 100 m/min to 300 m/min, an increase in cutting temperature was 22 % at a constant feed per tooth of 0.08 mm/z. Similarly, the decrease in surface roughness was 42 %, tool life reduced to 57 %, surface hardness increased to 9 %, and across-the-feed surface hardness increased to 58 % by the increase of cutting speed from 75 to 300 m/min and constant feed per tooth of 0.08 mm/z. The proof-of-the-concept study showed the machinability advancement under hybrid lubri-cooling technology due to precise penetration of MQL mist and dry ice grains into the cutting zone in terms of ease in chip evacuation, excellent lubrication, and cutting heat dissipation by sublimation of dry ice.

To eliminate the negative effect of traditional metal-working fluids and achieve sustainable manufacturing, the usage of nano-enhanced biolubricant (NEBL) is widely researched in minimum quantify lubrication (MQL) machining. It’s improved tool wear and surface integrity have been preliminarily verified by experimental studies. The previous review papers also concluded the major influencing factors of processability including nano-enhancer and lubricant types, NEBL concentration, micro droplet size, and so on. Nevertheless, the complex action of NEBL, from preparation, atomization, infiltration to heat transfer and anti-friction, is indistinct which limits preparation of process specifications and popularity in factories. Especially in the complex machining process, in-depth understanding is difficult and meaningful. To fill this gap, this paper concentrates on the comprehensive quantitative assessment of processability based on tribological, thermal, and machined surface quality aspects for NEBL application in turning, milling, and grinding. Then it attempts to answer mechanisms systematically considering multi-factor influence of molecular structure, physicochemical properties, concentration, and dispersion. Firstly, this paper reveals advanced lubrication and heat transfer mechanisms of NEBL by quantitative comparison with biolubricant-based MQL machining. Secondly, the distinctive filmformation, atomization, and infiltration mechanisms of NEBL, as distinguished from metal-working fluid, are clarified combining with its unique molecular structure and physical properties. Furtherly, the process optimization strategy is concluded based on the synergistic relationship analysis among process variables, physicochemical properties, machining mechanisms, and performance of NEBL. Finally, the future development directions are put forward aiming at current performance limitations of NEBL, which requires improvement on preparation and jet methods respects. This paper will help scientists deeply understand effective mechanism, formulate process specifications, and find future development trend of this technology.

ABSTRACTBiostimulants are obtained from various sources like plants, animals, microorganisms, and industrial by-products as well as waste material. Their utilization in agriculture practices is being increased that is giving positive results. The purpose of the current study was to use plant-derived smoke (SMK) solution and biogas digestate (BGD) slurry as biostimulant to elucidate their impact on potato (Solanum tuberosum) performance. The experiment was conducted in lab as well as field conditions, and SMK and BGD solutions were prepared in varying concentrations such as SMK 1:500, SMK 1:250, BGD 50:50, and BGD 75:25. Foliar applications were performed thrice during experiments and data were collected related to photosynthesis, growth, pigments, and genome-wide methylation profiling. Net photosynthesis rate (A) and water use efficiency (WUE) were found higher in SMK- and BGD-treated lab and field grown plants. Among pigments, BGD-treated plants depicted higher levels of Chl a and Chl b while SMK-treated plants showed higher carotenoid levels. Alongside, enhancement in growth-related parameters like leaf number and dry weight was also observed in both lab- and field-treated plants. Furthermore, DNA methylation profile of SMK- and BGD-treated plants depicted variation compared to control. DNA methylation events increased in all the treatments compared to control except for SMK 1:500. These results indicate that smoke and slurry both act as efficient biostimulants which result in better performance of plants. Biostimulants also affected the genome-wide DNA methylation profile that resultantly might have changed the plant gene expression profiling and played its role in plant responsiveness to these biostimulants. However, there is need to elucidate a possible synergistic effect of SMK and BGD on plant growth along with gene expression profiling.

Background: The limited availability of complex coronary intervention facilities and qualified operators, due to the high cost associated with chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous intervention (PCI) equipment and a shortage of necessary skills, has led to a scarcity of capable medical centers in Pakistan. This study seeks to examine the outcomes and potential complications associated with CTO PCI procedures conducted at the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories of a prominent national institute in Pakistan, which handles a large volume of cases. Results: Three hundred and six patients were included in the study in the study period of six months. The mean age was 59.49 (± 9.16) years: 256 (83.66%) were male and 50 (16.34%) were female. CTO was successfully re-vascularized in 237 (77.5%) with a complication rate of 13.7%. Two hundred and ninety-eight (97.39%) patients underwent an antegrade approach, while RCA was the most common target vessel (47.71%). Diabetes was the only significant associated risk factor with CTO PCI failure (30.43% vs. 30.43%, P-value = 0.015). Conclusion: We achieved an excellent procedural success rate with a low complication rate. CTO procedural failure is associated with a higher complication rate, and diabetes is among the risk factors that lead to higher procedural failure.

•Land area and manure application in potato farming significantly enhanced potato production.•Matador insecticide and victory fungicide also significantly enhanced potato production.•The characteristics of potato farms and farmers influenced the inefficiency of potato farming.•Sustainable farming requires proper doses of manure, matador insecticide and victory fungicide.

The concept of a neutrosophic set is an extension of a fuzzy set that uses indeterminacy. Similarly, an intuitionistic set has an extension, which is known as a single-valued neutrosophic set. The extension of intuitionistic fuzzy graphs and fuzzy graphs is single-valued neutrosophic fuzzy graphs (SVNF-graphs), which is the new component of graph theory. These versions of graph theory play an important role in many real-world problems, like medical diagnoses, law, engineering, finance, and industry. SVNF-graphs play an important role in linguistics, genetics, networking, sociology, computer technology, economics, and communication. The topological graph parameter gives a real number to the associated graph. There are numerous topological graph parameters proposed in the literature. In topological graph parameters, some uncertainty exists. Rosenfeld, Atanssov, and Smarandache introduced the concepts of a fuzzy graph, intuitionistic fuzzy graph (IFG), and SVNF-graph to overcome these uncertainties. SVNF-graph, IFG, and FG have vital roles in solving world-life problems. In this research work, we proposed a pythonic environment for the single-value neutrosophic fuzzy topological graph parameters. We introduced for the very first time some SVNF-graph parameters, like the Sombor graph parameter: the third and fourth versions of the SVNF-Sombor graph parameters for the SVNF-graph framework. Also, we have proved some characteristics and bounds of these topological graph parameters. We have discussed the social media application for the SVNF-Sombor graph parameter and its third and fourth versions. Under consideration application, We have shown that deleting a person (vertex) in the network can increase or decrease the chances of sending friend requests to other people of artificial intelligence.

Topological indices (TIs) are numerical structures that are associated with a graph to identify its topology. TIs are highly popular in the literature with a wide range of applications from chemistry to economics. However, TIs have limitations in representating complex relations within the graphs creating some uncertainities. Fuzzy graph (FG) and intuitionistic fuzzy graph (IFG) are introduced to overcome these uncertainities. While a FG a describes degree of membership of an object in a graph, IFG delineate information on membership or nonmembership under uncertainity. This study aims to introduce novel TIs such as the general second Zagreb index, the Sombor index of the third version, and the Sombor index of the fourth version in the IFG framework in order to improve practicality of FG and IFG applications. Some properties of the proposed indices and their upper bounds are provided as well. Proposed TIs are applied to an internet routing network as a case study. Results of the study show that adding more internet routers in the network can increase internet speed and the strength of the entire system. Finally, comparative studies for the Sombor index of the third version and the Sombor index of the fourth version are also revealed.

In this work, the drilling performance of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites is analysed in terms of thrust force (Fn), torque (Mz), specific cutting energy (SCE), delamination factor (Fd), and hole quality under dry and cryogenic cooling conditions. An in-house developed multi-jet liquid nitrogen (LN2) delivery setup is used for experimental trials. This LN2delivery system is retrofitted to an existing machine tool to enable the movement of jets along the axis of the spindle for better reachability of LN2to the cutting zone during the drilling operation. Experiments are conducted using the full factorial technique considering four levels of spindle rotational speed (N), four levels of feed rate (fr), and two cutting conditions i.e., dry and cryogenic cooling. Results show increased Fnup to 35% and decreased Mzup to 24.46% using cryogenic drilling as compared to dry drilling. Moreover, SCEis reduced up to 35% using cryogenic drilling than in dry drilling. Entry Fdis decreased up to 21.55% under cryogenic drilling as compared to dry drilling. At higher Ninput and lower fr, the exit Fdcan be reduced by up to 9% using cryogenic drilling as compared with dry drilling. In terms of hole quality, cylindricity (CYL) decreased by up to 42.69%, lower deviation in average hole size, and decreased average surface roughness (Ra) up to 20% when using cryogenic drilling. The results show that using the multi-jet cryogenic cooling system provides enhanced composite machinability and sustainability for industrial use.

An in-frame heterozygous large deletion of exons 4 through 34 of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) gene was identified in a type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD) index patient (IP), as the only VWF variant. The IP exhibited severe bleeding episodes despite prophylaxis treatment, with a short VWF half-life after infusion of VWF/factor VIII concentrates. Transcript analysis confirmed transcription of normal VWF messenger RNA besides an aberrant deleted transcript. The IP endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) exhibited a defect in the VWF multimers and Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) biogenesis, although demonstrating normal VWF secretion compared with healthy cells. Immunostaining of IP-ECFCs revealed subcellular mislocalization of WPBs pro-inflammatory cargos angiopoietin-2 (Ang2, nuclear accumulation) and P-selectin. Besides, the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis showed upregulation of pro-inflammatory and proangiogenic genes, P-selectin, interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-6, and GROα, copackaged with VWF into WPBs. Further, whole-transcriptome RNA-seq and subsequent gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated the most enriched GO-biological process terms among the differentially expressed genes in IP-ECFCs were regulation of cell differentiation, cell adhesion, leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial, blood vessel morphogenesis, and angiogenesis, which resemble downstream signaling pathways associated with inflammatory stimuli and Ang2 priming. Accordingly, our functional experiments exhibited an increased endothelial cell adhesiveness and interruption in endothelial cell–cell junctions of the IP-ECFCs. In conclusion, the deleted VWF has a dominant-negative impact on multimer assembly and the biogenesis of WPBs, leading to altered trafficking of their pro-inflammatory cargos uniquely, which, in turn, causes changes in cellular signaling pathways, phenotype, and function of the endothelial cells.

Ice accumulation on exposed surfaces is unavoidable as time elapses and the temperature decreases sufficiently. To mitigate icing problems, various types of icephobic substrates have been rationally designed, including superhydrophobic substrates (SHSs), aqueous lubricating layers, organic lubricating layers, organogels, polyelectrolyte brush layers, electrolyte-based hydrogels, elastic substrates, and multicrack initiator-promoted surfaces. Among these surfaces, elastic substrates show excellent enhanced surface icephobicity during dynamic processes (i.e., water-impacting and de-icing tests). Herein, we summarize recent progress in elastic icephobic substrates and discuss the reasons that surface icephobicity can be enhanced on elastic substrates in terms of enhanced water repellency and further lowering the ice adhesion strength. For enhanced water repellency, we focus on reducing the contact time of water impacting such that water droplets can be easily shed from an elastic substrate before ice occurs. Reducing the contact time of water impacting various substrates (i.e., micro/nanostructured rigid SHSs, macrotextured rigid SHSs, and elastic SHSs) is discussed, followed by exploring their mechanisms. We argue that the ice adhesion strength can be further lowered on an elastic substrate by rationally tuning the elastic modulus and surface textures (i.e., surface textured and hollow subsurface textured) and combining elastic substrate with other passive anti-icing strategies (or functioning passive icephobic substrates with an electrothermal or photothermal stimulus). In short, the introduction of an elastic substrate into a passive or active icephobicity surface opens an avenue toward designing a versatile icephobic surface, providing great potential for outdoor anti-icing applications.

An in-frame heterozygous large deletion of exons 4 through 34 of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) gene was identified in a type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD) index patient (IP), as the only VWF variant. The IP exhibited severe bleeding episodes despite prophylaxis treatment, with a short VWF half-life after infusion of VWF/factor VIII concentrates. Transcript analysis confirmed transcription of normal VWF messenger RNA besides an aberrant deleted transcript. The IP endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) exhibited a defect in the VWF multimers and Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) biogenesis, although demonstrating normal VWF secretion compared with healthy cells. Immunostaining of IP-ECFCs revealed subcellular mislocalization of WPBs pro-inflammatory cargos angiopoietin-2 (Ang2, nuclear accumulation) and P-selectin. Besides, the RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis showed upregulation of pro-inflammatory and proangiogenic genes, P-selectin, interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-6, and GROα, copackaged with VWF into WPBs. Further, whole-transcriptome RNA-seq and subsequent gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated the most enriched GO-biological process terms among the differentially expressed genes in IP-ECFCs were regulation of cell differentiation, cell adhesion, leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial, blood vessel morphogenesis, and angiogenesis, which resemble downstream signaling pathways associated with inflammatory stimuli and Ang2 priming. Accordingly, our functional experiments exhibited an increased endothelial cell adhesiveness and interruption in endothelial cell–cell junctions of the IP-ECFCs. In conclusion, the deleted VWF has a dominant-negative impact on multimer assembly and the biogenesis of WPBs, leading to altered trafficking of their pro-inflammatory cargos uniquely, which, in turn, causes changes in cellular signaling pathways, phenotype, and function of the endothelial cells.

Background: A topological index of a molecular graph is the numeric quantity which can predict certain physicaland chemical properties of the corresponding molecule. Xu et al. introduced some graph transformations which increase ordecrease the first and second multiplicative Zagreb indices and proposed a unified approach to characterize extremal (n, m)-graphs. Method: Graph transformations are used to find the extremal graphs, these transformations either increase or decrease thegeneral multiplicative Zagreb indices. By applying the transformations which increase the general multiplicative Zagreb indiceswe find the graphs with maximal general multiplicative Zagreb indices and for minimal general Zagreb indices we usethe transformations which decrease the index. Result: In this paper, we extend the Xus results and show that the same graph transformations increase or decrease the firstand second general multiplicative Zagreb indices for . As an application, the extremal acyclic, unicyclic andbicyclic graphs are presented for general multiplicative Zagreb indices. Conclusion: By applying the transformation we investigated that in the class of acyclic, unicyclic and bicyclic graphs,which graph gives the minimum and the maximum general multiplicative Zagreb indices.

Burgeoning demand for machinability, health, and ecology, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations are pushing the modern manufacturing sector to apply dry or biodegradable cutting fluids, which are insufficient in the machining of difficult-to-cut materials. Therefore, this study is devoted to proposing a newly developed hybrid ethanol-ester oil lubri-coolant for machining titanium alloy. To encompass the effectiveness of the proposed cutting medium, the thermophysical properties (density, thermal conductivity, viscosity, specific heat), and tribological properties (friction coefficient, friction force), and investigated. Besides, the machinability performance of hybrid lubri-coolant is determined in terms of cutting temperature, cutting force, surface roughness, residual stresses, tool wear through minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) system in the high-speed machining of heat-treated Ti-6Al-4V. The machinability performance of hybrid lubri-coolant are compared to dry cuttings. Findings have depicted that density, viscosity, and thermal conductivity were decreased with the increase of temperature while specific heat was increased with the increase of temperature. Tribological characteristics showed the highest friction coefficient and friction force under dry conditions while minimum under hybrid ethanol-ester oil (1:1) conditions. The hybrid ethanol-ester oil lubri-cooling in milling showed lower cutting temperature, cutting force, surface roughness, residual stresses, and minimum tool wear results. The hybrid ethanol-ester oil is biodegradable, providing efficient cooling with the evaporation of ethanol, and lubrication due to long-chain ester oil molecules. The polar nature of ethanol and ester oil prevented microparticles adhesion and made a tribo-film on the tool-workpiece and prevented rubbing or frictional heat generation.

To feed more than 9 billion people by 2050, increased food production must be accomplished with reduced agricultural inputs in the face of climate change. Wild relatives of wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) possess many potentially valuable traits for improvement of its yield, quality plus tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. To enhance the genetic gains and make agricultural systems climate-resilient, an integrated approach is urgently needed, which entails the use of high-throughput (i.e., genomic and phenomic) technologies and development of innovative breeding strategies to rapidly introgress favorable alleles from the reservoir of genetic diversity prevalent in the wild wheat relatives into modern wheat. This review covers successful gene transfers from wild relatives and use of the available genetic diversity to overcome yield barriers and improve modern wheat cultivars. We summarize the most recent advances in genomic and phenomic approaches and discuss the importance of exploiting the latest reference genomes of wheat and its wild relatives, computational resources and genome-editing technologies (such as CRISPR/Cas9) to enhance the efficiency of plant breeding, thus introducing desired alien genes without deleterious effects. We envision that the integration of various technologies will be critical in improving and stabilizing wheat yields and in meeting the future food demands of the growing human population, particularly in the face of climate change and the wheat production goals set for 2050 food security.

Laser drilling is a well-established manufacturing process utilised to produce holes in various aeroengine components. This research presents an experimental investigation on the effects of laser drilling process parameters on productivity (material removal rate), hole quality (hole taper) and drilling cost. Single-pulse drilling was employed to drill a thin-walled Inconel 718 superalloy plate of 1 mm thickness using pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The experiments were designed using Box-Behnken statistical approach to investigate the impacts of pulse energy, pulse duration, gas pressure and gas flow rate on the selected responses. Multi-objective optimisation was performed using response surface methodology (RSM) based grey rational analysis (GRA) to identify optimal drilling conditions aiming to maximise the MRR and minimise hole taper and drilling cost. The optimal combination of drilling parameters was found as pulse energy of 20 J, pulse duration of 6 ms, gas pressure of 100 psi and gas flow rate of 40 mm3/s. A detailed cost analysis identified labour cost, gas consumption and machine costs as the major cost elements of the laser drilling process.

To achieve an excellent workpiece surface quality and longer tool life in the machining of hardened steel is an excessive challenge. Recently, conventional emulsion cooling assisted machining processes are being used to address this problem. However, such traditional processes have adverse effects on the environment as well as on the machine shop worker’s health. Hence, in this study, the effects of emulsion cooling and sustainable Cryo-LN2cooling approach on sustainable metrics, such as surface roughness, energy consumption, tool life, and production cost in the external turning of AISI-52100 have been investigated and compared. The comparative results showed that the Cryo-LN2technique outperformed emulsion cooling for all measured indices. The Cryo-LN2assisted turning process not only improved surface quality but also consumed 18% less energy consumption and produced 70.9% low-priced products at aggressive cutting parameters as compared to the emulsion. The findings of the current study encourage metal processing industries to use such type of sustainable techniques at a machine shop. This study is based on the “Think Green, Plan Green and Execute Green” strategy.

•Effectiveness of using evaporative and throttle cryogenic coolants in titanium drilling is investigated.•Throttle cooling favored tool life, productivity, cleanliness, energy consumption, and process cost.•Evaporative cooling caused thick adhesion on drills and did not support any sustainability measure.•Micro-lubrication also favored most of the sustainability measures but at a low productivity level.•Pecking should not be used in drilling of low to medium depth holes in titanium alloys.

Corundum abrasives with good chemical stability can be fabricated into various free abrasives and bonded abrasive tools that are widely used in the precision machining of various parts. However, these abrasives cannot satisfy the machining requirements of difficult-to-machine materials with high hardness, high strength, and strong wearing resistance. Although superhard abrasives can machine the above-mentioned materials, their dressing and manufacturing costs are high. By contrast, ceramic corundum abrasives fabricated by sol–gel method is a cost-effective product between conventional and superhard abrasives. Ceramic corundum abrasives exhibit self-sharpening and high toughness. In this review, the optimization methods of ceramic corundum abrasive properties are introduced from three aspects: precursor synthesis, particle shaping, and sintering. Firstly, the functional mechanism of seeds and additives on the microstructural and mechanical properties of abrasives is analyzed. Specifically, seeds can reduce the phase transition temperature and improve fracture toughness. The grain size and uniformly dense structure can be controlled by applying an appropriate amount of multicomponent additives. Then, the urgent need of engineering application and machinability of special shape ceramic corundum abrasives is reviewed, and three methods of abrasive shaping are summarized. The micromold replication technique is highly advanced and can be used to prepare functional abrasives. Additionally, the influence of a new sintering method, namely, two-step sintering technique, on the microstructural and mechanical performance of ceramic corundum abrasives is summarized. Finally, the challenge and developmental trend of the optimization of ceramic corundum abrasives are prospected.

Ice accumulation is a safety and operational threat in power lines, wind turbines, and transportations. Surfaces having both passive anti-icing and active deicing functionalities are very rare. Here, we report a self-cleaning slippery photothermal trap, which is icephobic passively and deice the surfaces actively by converting sun light to heat at the ice-substrate interface. The photothermal trap consists of three layers: a candle soot layer act as solar radiation absorber, a magnetic iron oxide Fe3O4nanoparticles layer act as heat spreader for lateral dispersal of sun light, and Room Temperature Vulcanized (RTV) insulation to reduce the transverse heat loss. Upon illumination under microsolar 300, the temperature of the surface increased by 40 °C within 200 s. The heat confinement at the magnetic Fe3O4nanoparticles layer leads to rapid increase of the surface temperature, ice start to melt and silicone lubricant facilitates the ice removal. The slippery photothermal trap removed the frozen droplet (10 µL) within 40 s upon the illumination of sun light and the frozen droplet was completely converted into water after 7 min illumination of solar light at −20 °C. The developed slippery photothermal trap also melted the fully frost covered layer within 100 s at −20 °C under sunlamp. The average defrosted length (25 mm) was also observed by irradiation of laser light for 45 s. The self-cleaning slippery photothermal coating showed outstanding deicing performance at subzero temperature for long term due to the infusion of silicone oil into the nanostructures and same chemical composition with binder.