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The possibility of controlling the microstructure in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) by locally changing the processing parameters, opens the possibility of building complex structures with tailored microstructures, leading to the development of smart materials. For metastable austenitic steels, the crystallographic texture strongly affects the TRIP effect. By employing L-PBF it is possible to locally engineer the microstructure to enhance or suppress the phase transformations. Here we quantitatively assess the transformation behavior of metastable stainless steel multitextured specimens manufactured by L-PBF under uniaxial tension quantifiting the formation of α′-martensite volume fraction in situ by employing polarization contrast neutron imaging (PNI). The results demonstrate a direct correlation between the local crystallographic texture of the specimens and the TRIP effect, providing valuable insights into the transformative potential of L-PBF in tailoring microstructures as well as the usefulness of PNI for characterizing complex structures.

The present investigation was carried out during 2021 at the experimental farm of Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, DAV University, Jalandhar. Radish is an important crop of Punjab region. Use of Plant Growth Regulators is one of the most recent trends in the field of agriculture science. Plant growth regulators are signal molecules, which occurs in plants naturally in very low concentration. In an attempt to find out the influence of growth regulators on growth, seed yield and quality of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) the experiment was planned and executed. It consisted of nine treatments viz., T1 (Control), T2 (GA3 @ 5 ppm), T3 (GA3 @ 10 ppm), T4 (GA3 @ 15 ppm), T5 (GA3 @ 20 ppm), T6 (NAA @ 5 ppm), T7 (NAA @ 10 ppm), T8 (NAA @ 15 ppm), T9 (NAA @ 20 ppm) and was laid in Randomized block design (RBD) with three replications. Punjab Safed Mooli variety was used for the experiment. Observations were recorded on number of leaves per plant, leaf area per plant (cm2), root length (cm), root diameter (cm), root weight (g), fresh weight of plant (g), dry weight of plant (g), plant height (cm), 100 seed weight (g), seed yield plant-1 (g), seed yield plot-1 (g), seed yield ha-1 (q ha-1), TSS (°Brix), ascorbic acid (mg 100 g-1), chlorophyll content (mg 100 g-1) and germination percentage (%). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significantly differences among treatments for all the characters under study. It was concluded that the application of GA3 @ 20 ppm showed superior performance in all growth, seed yield and quality parameters of radish.

Introduction: Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) is precancerous condition caused by areca nut chewing characterized by restricted mouth opening, burning sensation and stiffness & blanching of oral mucosa. Complete regression of the condition had not been achieved in all cases with any of the present treatment regimens. Curcumin is (diferuloylmethane), a yellow pigment in curry powder, exhibits anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-apoptotic activities. Hence an interventional study was undertaken to establish the efficacy of curcumin in OSMF patients. Settings & design: A randomized open label, interventional study was conducted in forty patients with clinically and histologically proven Oral Submucous Fibrosis. Materials & methods: Forty patients with clinically and histologically proven Oral Submucous Fibrosis were selected for the study and were randomly divided into 2 groups. The first group was treated with weekly intralesional injection of 4 mg Dexamethasone & 1500 I.U Hyaluronidase and the second group by oral administration of two Curcumin tablets (Turmix 300 mg) per day for 3 months each. Improvement of burning sensation, interincisal distance and tongue protrusion was evaluated on a weekly basis. Results: Burning sensation improved in both the groups from early to late stages. Complete resolution of burning sensation was noted with turmix. The mean increase in interincisal distance was 3.13 mm and 1.25 mm respectively in groups 1 &2. The interincisal distance improved in both the groups, with significant results at the end of first month. Tongue protrusion showed greater recovery at the end of 1st month in group 1 when compared with group 2. Conclusion: Turmix is beneficial and effective in reducing burning sensation in early OSMF patients.

Infants start to use a spoon for self-feeding at the end of the first year of life, but usually do not use unfamiliar tools to solve problems before the age of 2 years. We investigated to what extent 18-month-old infants who are familiar with using a spoon for self-feeding are able to generalize this tool-use ability to retrieve a distant object. We tested 46 infants with different retrieval tasks, varying the tool (rake or spoon) and the target (toy or food). The tasks were presented in a priori descending order of difficulty: rake-toy condition, then either spoon-toy or rake-food, and finally spoon-food. Then, the same conditions were presented in reverse order to assess the transfer abilities from the easiest condition to the most difficult retrieval task. Spontaneously, 18-month-old infants performed the retrieval tasks better with the familiar tool, the easiest task being when the spoon was associated with food. Moreover, the transfer results show that being able to use a familiar tool in an unusual context seems necessary and sufficient for subsequent transfer to an unfamiliar tool in the unusual context, and that early and repetitive training of self-feeding with a spoon plays a positive role in later tool use.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Operation IceBridge (OIB) was a 13-year (2009–2021) airborne mission to survey land and sea ice across the Arctic, Antarctic, and Alaska. Here, we review OIB’s goals, instruments, campaigns, key scientific results, and implications for future investigations of the cryosphere. OIB’s primary goal was to use airborne laser altimetry to bridge the gap in fine-resolution elevation measurements of ice from space between the conclusion of NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat; 2003–2009) and its follow-on, ICESat-2 (launched 2018). Additional scientific requirements were intended to contextualize observed elevation changes using a multisensor suite of radar sounders, gravimeters, magnetometers, and cameras. Using 15 different aircraft, OIB conducted 968 science flights, of which 42% were repeat surveys of land ice, 42% were surveys of previously unmapped terrain across the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, Arctic ice caps, and Alaskan glaciers, and 16% were surveys of sea ice. The combination of an expansive instrument suite and breadth of surveys enabled numerous fundamental advances in our understanding of the Earth’s cryosphere. For land ice, OIB dramatically improved knowledge of interannual outlet-glacier variability, ice-sheet, and outlet-glacier thicknesses, snowfall rates on ice sheets, fjord and sub-ice-shelf bathymetry, and ice-sheet hydrology. Unanticipated discoveries included a reliable method for constraining the thickness within difficult-to-sound incised troughs beneath ice sheets, the extent of the firn aquifer within the Greenland Ice Sheet, the vulnerability of many Greenland and Antarctic outlet glaciers to ocean-driven melting at their grounding zones, and the dominance of surface-melt-driven mass loss of Alaskan glaciers. For sea ice, OIB significantly advanced our understanding of spatiotemporal variability in sea ice freeboard and its snow cover, especially through combined analysis of fine-resolution altimetry, visible imagery, and snow radar measurements of the overlying snow thickness. Such analyses led to the unanticipated discovery of an interdecadal decrease in snow thickness on Arctic sea ice and numerous opportunities to validate sea ice freeboards from satellite radar altimetry. While many of its data sets have yet to be fully explored, OIB’s scientific legacy has already demonstrated the value of sustained investment in reliable airborne platforms, airborne instrument development, interagency and international collaboration, and open and rapid data access to advance our understanding of Earth’s remote polar regions and their role in the Earth system.

Photocatalytic building surfaces can harness sunlight to reduce urban air pollution. The NOx abatement capacity of TiO2-coated granules used in roofing products was evaluated for commercial product development. A laboratory test chamber and ancillary setup were built following conditions prescribed by ISO Standard 22197-1. It was validated by exposing reference P25-coated aluminum plates to a 3 L min−1 air flow enriched in 1 ppm NO under UVA irradiation (360 nm, 11.5 W m−2). We characterized prototype granule-surfaced asphalt shingles and loose granules prepared with different TiO2 loadings and post-treatment formulations. Tests performed at surface temperatures of 25 and 60 °C showed that NOx abatement was more effective at the higher temperature. Preliminary tests explored the use of 1 ppm NO2 and of 1 ppm and 0.3 ppm NO/NO2 mixtures. Specimens were aged in a laboratory accelerated weathering apparatus, and by exposure to the outdoor environment over periods that included dry and rainy seasons. Laboratory aging led to higher NO removal and NO2 formation rates, and the same catalyst activation was observed after field exposure with frequent precipitation. However, exposure during the dry season reduced the performance. This inactivation was mitigated by cleaning the surface of field-exposed specimens. Doubling the TiO2 loading led to a 50–150% increase in NO removal and NOx deposition rates. Application of different post-treatment coatings decreased NO removal rates (21–35%) and NOx deposition rates (26–74%) with respect to untreated granules. The mass balance of nitrogenated species was assessed by extracting granules after UV exposure in a 1 ppm NO-enriched atmosphere.

The objectives of this study were 1) to study the current state of and problems with the Learning Organization of the Primary School Network, 2) to develop a Learning Organization Model for the Primary School Network, and 3) to study the findings of analyses conducted using the developed Learning Organization Model to determine how to develop the Primary School Network. The research procedure, including the research development, consisted of 3 phases. A descriptive analysis was employed in which percentage, mean, and standard deviation data were used as statistical tools. The research findings revealed the following: 1) The current state of the Learning Organization of the Primary School Network and its associated problems were at moderate and high levels, respectively. 2) The Learning Organization Model for the Primary School involved personnel development of schools in the network that were motivated to engage in continuing development, which led to knowledge, knowledge accumulation, and knowledge formation through work experiences at the individual, team network, and network levels. 3) The implementation of the Learning Organizational Model led to the Primary School Network receiving higher scores on post-development tests compared with pre-development tests and provided satisfaction at the highest level. In conclusion, the developed model demonstrated usefulness, feasibility, propriety, and accuracy, indicating that it is adequate for implementation in real situations. Furthermore, it was appropriate in the studied context and could be used to develop the Primary School Network into a Learning Network. The knowledge and skills developed during this process can be used to develop the Primary School Network more efficiently.

In the phase 2 EMPOWER-CSCC-1 study (NCT02760498), cemiplimab demonstrated antitumor activity against metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (mCSCC) and locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (laCSCC). To report final analysis of weight-based cemiplimab in mCSCC and laCSCC (groups 1 and 2), fixed-dose cemiplimab in mCSCC (group 3), and primary analysis of fixed-dose cemiplimab in mCSCC/laCSCC (group 6). Patients received cemiplimab (3 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks [groups 1 and 2]) or cemiplimab (350 mg intravenously [groups 3 and 6]) every 3 weeks. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). Duration of response (DOR) and progression-free survival (PFS) are presented per protocol, according to post-hoc sensitivity analyses that only include the period of protocol-mandated imaging assessments. At 42.5 months, ORR for groups 1-3 (n = 193) was 47.2%, estimated 12-month DOR was 88.3%, and median PFS was 26.0 months. At 8.7 months, ORR for group 6 (n = 165 patients) was 44.8%; median DOR and median PFS were not reached. Serious treatment-emergent adverse event rates (grade ≥3) were groups 1-3: 31.1% and group 6: 34.5%. Nonrandomized study, nonsurvival primary end point. EMPOWER-CSCC-1 provides the largest prospective data on long-term efficacy and safety for anti-programmed cell death-1 therapy in advanced CSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many environmental, agricultural, and ecological water quality problems would be better understood and effectively managed if they could be efficiently and economically observed over time in a spatially distributed manner. Unfortunately, the current selection of commercially available chemical sensors is limited, and those that are available are relatively expensive ($200 to $500 ea.), and are generally not optimally packaged for field deployments. Over the past four years, the CENS Sensor group has directed substantial efforts at creating sensitive, selective nitrate sensors with modest power requirements and that are amenable to micro-fabrication methods which will allow the production of large numbers of small sensors. This poster highlights the results of these efforts with respect to (1) potentiometric and (2) amperometric nitrate microsensors. Prototypes of both types of sensors have been successfully tested in the laboratory, using real environmental samples. The potentiometric sensor has been tested in situ in both soil and river systems.