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The increasing use of nanotechnology will most likely lead to the appearance of nanoparticles in aqueous phase. It is necessary to find effective methods to remove these nanoparticles from water. In this study, we found TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) could be removed effectively by poly-ferric sulfate (PFS) and ferric chloride (FeCl3) coagulants. The effects of pH, ionic strength and humic acid (HA) on the performance of these two coagulants in this application were investigated. The effective pH range of FeCl3 is very narrow (95-10.6). For PFS, its effective pH range is broader (7-10.8). The behaviour of PFS is different from FeCl3 for the removal of TiO2 NPs. Liquid PFS contains many polymerization cations, which have the role of charge neutralization and bridging flocculation in the removal of TiO2 NPs. The main mechanism for removing TiO2 NPs by PFS is the formation of polymerization cations during the hydrolysis process. For both PFS and FeCl3 coagulants, the increase of ionic strength can significantly improve the coagulation effect, although this effect is influenced by pH. For both coagulants, higher HA concentration makes the TiO2 NPs suspension more stable, and the TiO2 NPs removal rate decreased significantly because of the steric hindrance effect of HA molecules. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Background and purposeA limitation in postoperative monitoring of patients with glioblastoma is the lack of objective measures to quantify residual and recurrent disease. Automated computer-assisted volumetric analysis of contrast-enhancing tissue represents a potential tool to aid the radiologist in following these patients. In this study, we hypothesize that computer-assisted volumetry will show increased precision and speed over conventional 1D and 2D techniques in assessing residual and/or recurrent tumor.Materials and methodsThis retrospective study included patients with native glioblastomas with MR imaging performed at 24-48 hours following resection and 2-4 months postoperatively. 1D and 2D measurements were performed by 2 neuroradiologists with Certificates of Added Qualification. Volumetry was performed by using manual segmentation and computer-assisted volumetry, which combines region-based active contours and a level set approach. Tumor response was assessed by using established 1D, 2D, and volumetric standards. Manual and computer-assisted volumetry segmentation times were compared. Interobserver correlation was determined among 1D, 2D, and volumetric techniques.ResultsTwenty-nine patients were analyzed. Discrepancy in disease status between 1D and 2D compared with computer-assisted volumetry was 10.3% (3/29) and 17.2% (5/29), respectively. The mean time for segmentation between manual and computer-assisted volumetry techniques was 9.7 minutes and

The current-induced magnetization switching (CIMS) was successfully observed in epitaxial L10-FePt/CrxPt1−x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy with large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. With increasing Cr content, the critical switching current density (Jc) in FePt/CrxPt1−x heterostructures exhibited a decreasing trend, where it was greatly reduced by 69% in FePt/Cr (3d) films compared to FePt/Pt (5d) films with strong spin–orbit coupling. Furthermore, the same switching polarities were observed for all FePt/CrxPt1−x samples, indicating that the orbital Hall effect played a dominant role in CIMS for FePt/Cr films because of opposite spin Hall angles for Cr and Pt. Our results will put forward the applications of L10-FePt in collaboration with the orbital Hall effect from 3d metals in current-controlled magnetic random access memory and neuromorphic computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundHere, we explore the therapeutic potential of dasatinib, a small-molecule inhibitor that targets multiple cytosolic and membrane-bound tyrosine kinases, including members of the Src kinase family, EphA2, and focal adhesion kinase for the treatment of ovarian cancer.MethodsWe examined the effects of dasatinib on proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest, and kinase activity using a panel of 34 established human ovarian cancer cell lines. Molecular markers for response prediction were studied using gene expression profiling. Multiple drug effect/combination index (CI) isobologram analysis was used to study the interactions with chemotherapeutic drugs.ResultsConcentration-dependent anti-proliferative effects of dasatinib were seen in all ovarian cancer cell lines tested, but varied significantly between individual cell lines with up to a 3 log-fold difference in the IC(50) values (IC(50) range: 0.001-11.3 micromol l(-1)). Dasatinib significantly inhibited invasion, and induced cell apoptosis, but less cell-cycle arrest. At a wide range of clinically achievable drug concentrations, additive and synergistic interactions were observed for dasatinib plus carboplatin (mean CI values, range: 0.73-1.11) or paclitaxel (mean CI values, range: 0.76-1.05). In this study, 24 out of 34 (71%) representative ovarian cancer cell lines were highly sensitive to dasatinib, compared with only 8 out of 39 (21%) representative breast cancer cell lines previously reported. Cell lines with high expression of Yes, Lyn, Eph2A, caveolin-1 and 2, moesin, annexin-1, and uPA were particularly sensitive to dasatinib.ConclusionsThese data provide a clear biological rationale to test dasatinib as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer.

Aims: To identify studies and the content of the interventions that have facilitated the implementation of pressure injury (PI) prevention measures in nursing home settings. Design and Method: A scoping review methodology was employed. The author has carried out the following steps successively: Identified this scoping review's questions, retrieved potentially relevant studies, selected relevant studies, charted the data, summarised the results, and consulted with stakeholders from nursing homes in China. Data Sources: Six electronic databases and three resources of grey literature—PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Psych INFO, Open Grey, MedNar, ProQuest Dissertations, and Theses Full Texts were searched from January 2002 through May 2022. Results: Forty articles were included, among which the primary interventions were quality improvement, training and education, evidence‐based practice, device‐assisted PI prophylaxis, nursing protocols, and clinical decision support systems. Twenty‐three outcome indicators were summarised in 40 articles, which included 10 outcome indicators, seven process indicators, and six structural indicators. Furthermore, only five articles reported barriers in the process of implementing interventions. Conclusion: The common interventions to promote the implementation of PI prevention measures in nursing homes are quality improvement, training, and education. Relatively limited research has been conducted on evidence‐based practice, clinical decision support systems, device‐assisted PI prophylaxis, and nursing protocols. In addition, there is a paucity of studies examining the impediments to implementing these measures and devising targeted solutions. Therefore, it is recommended that future studies include analysis and reporting of barriers and facilitators as part of the article to improve the sustainability of the intervention. Impact: This article reminds nursing home managers that they should realise the importance of implementation strategies between the best evidence of PI prevention and clinical practice. Also, this review provides the types, contents, and outcome indicators of these strategies for managers of nursing homes to consider what types of interventions to implement in their organisations. TRIAL AND PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The protocol of this scoping review was published as an open‐access article in June 2022 (Yang et al., 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the status and initial images of a positron tomograph for prostate imaging that centers a patient between a pair of external curved detector banks (ellipse: 45 cm minor, 70 cm major axis). The distance between detector banks adjusts to allow patient access and to position the detectors as closely as possible for maximum sensitivity with patients of various sizes. Each bank is composed of two axial rows of 20 CTI PET Systems HR+ block detectors for a total of 80 modules in the camera. Compared to an ECAT HR PET system operating in 3D mode, our camera uses about one-quarter the number of detectors and has approximately the same sensitivity for a central point source, because our detectors are close to the patient. The individual detectors are angled in the plane to point towards the prostate to minimize resolution degradation in that region. The detectors are read out by modified CTI data acquisition electronics. We have completed construction of the gantry and electronics, have developed detector calibration and data acquisition software, and are taking coincidence data. We demonstrate that we can clearly visualize a "prostate" in a simple phantom. Reconstructed images of two phantoms are shown.

We present a retrospective on the LBNL Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) project, looking back on our design and experiences. The LBNL PEM camera utilizes detector modules that are capable of measuring depth of interaction (DOI) and places them into 4 detector banks in a rectangular geometry. In order to build this camera, we had to develop the DOI detector module, LSO etching, Lumirror-epoxy reflector for the LSO array (to achieve optimal DOI), photodiode array, custom IC, rigid-flex readout board, packaging, DOI calibration and reconstruction algorithms for the rectangular camera geometry. We will discuss the highlights (good and bad) of these developments.