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Intense acoustic loads from jet noise cause noise pollution and induce failures, such as the malfunctioning of electronic devices and fatigue failure of internal/external structures. Consequently, the prediction of jet noise characteristics is crucial in the development of high-speed vehicles. This study presents acoustic experiments and predictions for an under-expanded, unheated jet using a small-scale prototype. Outdoor measurements are carried out using a vertical ejection setup. Acoustic characteristics are measured using both linear and circular microphone arrays. Additionally, numerical prediction of the same jet noise is performed using a detached eddy simulation and the permeable Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings acoustic analogy. The vertical experimental setup exhibits the typical acoustic characteristics of a supersonic jet in terms of directivity and broadband shock-associated noise. Moreover, the numerical prediction exhibits satisfactory accuracy for the jet downstream, where the large-scale turbulence structures of the directivity predominate. However, discrepancy increases in the domain of lower directivity. The presented experiment and prediction will be extended to future studies regarding the noise of various deflector duct configurations impinging on supersonic jets.

An inertial fusion implosion on the National Ignition Facility, conducted on August 8, 2021 (N210808), recently produced more than a megajoule of fusion yield and passed Lawson's criterion for ignition [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001]. We describe the experimental improvements that enabled N210808 and present the first experimental measurements from an igniting plasma in the laboratory. Ignition metrics like the product of hot-spot energy and pressure squared, in the absence of self-heating, increased by ∼35%, leading to record values and an enhancement from previous experiments in the hot-spot energy (∼3×), pressure (∼2×), and mass (∼2×). These results are consistent with self-heating dominating other power balance terms. The burn rate increases by an order of magnitude after peak compression, and the hot-spot conditions show clear evidence for burn propagation into the dense fuel surrounding the hot spot. These novel dynamics and thermodynamic properties have never been observed on prior inertial fusion experiments.

We present the design of the first igniting fusion plasma in the laboratory by Lawson's criterion that produced 1.37 MJ of fusion energy, Hybrid-E experiment N210808 (August 8, 2021) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 075001 (2022)10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.075001]. This design uses the indirect drive inertial confinement fusion approach to heat and compress a central "hot spot" of deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel using a surrounding dense DT fuel piston. Ignition occurs when the heating from absorption of α particles created in the fusion process overcomes the loss mechanisms in the system for a duration of time. This letter describes key design changes which enabled a ∼3-6× increase in an ignition figure of merit (generalized Lawson criterion) [Phys. Plasmas 28, 022704 (2021)1070-664X10.1063/5.0035583, Phys. Plasmas 25, 122704 (2018)1070-664X10.1063/1.5049595]) and an eightfold increase in fusion energy output compared to predecessor experiments. We present simulations of the hot-spot conditions for experiment N210808 that show fundamentally different behavior compared to predecessor experiments and simulated metrics that are consistent with N210808 reaching for the first time in the laboratory "ignition."

The deposition of thick B[Formula: see text]C films with low residual stress by conventional direct-current magnetron sputtering is accompanied by the formation of dust particulates contaminating the target, chamber, and substrates and leading to the formation of nodular defects in films. Here, we demonstrate that the formation of particulates is greatly reduced during radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS). We systematically study properties of B[Formula: see text]C films deposited by RFMS with a substrate temperature of 330 [Formula: see text]C, a target-to-substrate distance of 10 cm, Ar working gas pressure in the range of 4.5–12.0 mTorr (0.6–1.6 Pa), and substrate tilt angles of 0[Formula: see text]–80[Formula: see text]. All films are x-ray amorphous. A columnar structure develops with increasing either Ar pressure or substrate tilt. For columnar films, the column tilt angle decreases with increasing Ar pressure, which we attribute to a corresponding increase in the width of the distribution of impact angles of deposition flux. In contrast to the Keller–Simmons rule, the deposition rate increases with increasing Ar pressure, which suggests a better coupling of the RF energy to the plasma processes that lead to target sputtering at higher pressures. There is a critical substrate tilt angle above which the total residual stress is close to zero. This critical substrate tilt angle is [Formula: see text] for an Ar pressure of 12 mTorr (1.6 Pa). The lower residual stress state, necessary for depositing ultrathick films, is characterized by a larger concentration of nanoscale inhomogeneities and decreased mechanical properties. Based on these results, RFMS deposition of 60-[Formula: see text]m-thick B[Formula: see text]C films is demonstrated.

One of the great challenges of inertial confinement fusion and high energy density experiments is understanding the effects of mix on thermonuclear burn. The MARBLE campaign, conceived at Los Alamo...

Aerogels are of interest for their ability to uniformly incorporate nanoscale features into macroscopic assemblies, which enabled applications that require low density, high surface area, and/or bicontinuous networks. The structure of the nanoporous network is intrinsically linked to the macroscopic properties of aerogels. Hence, control of this structure is of paramount importance. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is used here to monitor nanoparticle aggregation in situ in Cu2(OH)3Br aerogels formed via epoxide-assisted gelation. Anomalous anisotropic aggregation is observed in the absence of templating agents and is attributed to the molecular structure of the inorganic nanoparticles themselves. This is a fundamental departure from the models currently used to describe traditional inorganic sol-gel chemistry where nanoparticles are believed to undergo isotropic diffusion- and/or kinetically limited aggregation. Time-resolved SAXS indicates that Cu2(OH)3Br nanoparticles nucleate rapidly from solution to form unbranched chain-like aggregates rather than branched mass-fractal aggregates. Sizes of primary particles (∼1.5 nm) and the chain-like structure of their aggregates are independent of particle concentration (gel density), while rates of particle aggregation, gelation time, and aggregate size are strongly dependent upon particle concentration, which implies that the chemistry of particle formation and the physics of particle aggregation are independent processes. Because the conditions necessary for creating anisotropic structures are not unique to Cu2(OH)3Br, these results could provide insight into the structure and gelation mechanisms of other inorganic aerogels.

Gold-bismuth alloys are of interest as catalysts and catalytic sensing systems, electrochemical sensors, superconductors, and hohlraums for magnetically assisted inertial confinement fusion implosions. Radiation-hydrodynamics simulations with the Lasnex code of laser-driven hohlraums predict higher x-ray drive from Au-Bi alloys compared with cases of Au-Ta or pure Au and Bi hohlraums. Here, we use direct current magnetron sputtering in Ar gas, with co-sputtering from two elemental targets, to deposit Au-Bi alloys with Bi content of 9–77 at.% and thicknesses up to ∼20 µm. Films are characterized by a combination of x-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering, scanning electron microscopy, substrate-curvature-based residual stress, and electronic transport measurements. Experiments are complemented by Monte Carlo simulations of ballistic sputtering and gas phase transport of depositing species and Ar gas atoms. Results show that all films are polycrystalline, with three distinct compositional regimes dominated by Au, Au2Bi, and Bi crystallographic phases. A metallic behavior of the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity is observed for all the films. Films with Bi content above ∼30 at.% exhibit porosity, which is tolerable to hohlraum x-ray drive based on Lasnex simulations.

Heavy-metal-based films with high electrical resistivity are needed for hohlraums for magnetically assisted inertial confinement fusion. Here, we study ternary Au–Ta–O films deposited by reactive direct-current magnetron co-sputtering from elemental Au and Ta targets in an oxygen containing atmosphere. By varying the O content, the electrical resistivity of films can be tuned in a wide range of [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] cm. With increasing O content, a drastic increase in resistivity occurs at [Formula: see text] at. % of O, separating regimes with two different dominant conduction mechanisms attributed to metallic conduction through the Au–Ta alloy matrix (for [Formula: see text] at. % of O) and tunneling across insulating Ta2O5 layers separating conducting islands (for [Formula: see text] at. % of O). Post-deposition annealing at 300 °C leads to the segregation of Au into [Formula: see text]-nm islands, sharply decreasing the resistivity for films with [Formula: see text] at. % of O but not for the metal-like films with lower O content.

Background Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists are recommended for patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) for the effectiveness in inducing and maintaining clinical remission. We investigated the altered fecal metabolites and lipids by anti-TNF treatment and prediction model of remission in patients with UC. Methods A prospective, observational multicenter study was conducted at 17 academic hospitals in Korea. Fecal samples were collected from adult patients with moderately to severely active UC (n=116) before and after 8 and 56 weeks of adalimumab treatment and from healthy controls (HC, n=37). Clinical remission was assessed using Mayo score. Metabolome and lipidome analyses were performed using gas chromatography-, and nano electro spray ionization-mass spectrometry, respectively. Prediction models of remission were developed using baseline fecal samples by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms. Results Fecal metabolites and lipids in UC were different from HC at baseline and were changed similarly to HC during treatment. Fecal metabolites and lipids in remitters (RM) after treatment were more grouped and clustered with those of HC compared with non-remitters (NRM). In RM, 2-aminobutyric acid, galactose and dodecanoate levels which were previously decreased at baseline compared to HC increased to the levels of HC, whereas benzoate, stigmasterol, 3-hydroxybutyrate, diacylglycerol and triacylglycerol levels which were previously increased at baseline compared to HC decreased to the levels of HC after 56 weeks of treatment. The best model predicting short-term remission was developed by applying logistic regression (LR) and radial basis functions (rbf) support vector machine (SVM) with an accuracy of 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98–1.01). For long-term remission, the best prediction model was developed by rbf-SVM revealing 0.99 [CI 0.98–1.01]. LR and K-nearest neighbors also showed excellent performance for prediction of long-term remission (accuracy of 0.96 [CI 0.90–1.02] and 0.96 [CI 0.92–1.00], respectively. Conclusion Fecal characteristics in UC were changed after anti-TNF treatment and became similar to those of HC. Potential therapeutic target compounds were suggested to develop novel therapeutic strategies for UC. Novel remission prediction models by FT-IR spectroscopy were also established.

Controlled doping of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) targets is needed to enable nuclear diagnostics of implosions. Here, we demonstrate that ion implantation with a custom-designed carousel holder can be used for azimuthally uniform doping of ICF fuel capsules made from a glow discharge polymer (GDP). Particular emphasis is given to the selection of the initial wall thickness of GDP capsules as well as implantation and postimplantation annealing parameters in order to minimize capsule deformation during a postimplantation thermal treatment step. In contrast to GDP, ion-implanted high-density carbon exhibits excellent thermal stability and ~100% implantation efficiency for the entire range of ion doses studied (2 × 1014 to 1 × 1016 cm−2) and for annealing temperatures up to 700°C. Finally, we demonstrate a successful doping of planar Al targets with isotopes of Kr and Xe to doses of ~1017 cm−2.

Background We aimed to compare trough infliximab levels and the development of anti-drug antibody (ADA) for 1 year between Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who were biologic-naïve and to evaluate their impact on clinical outcomes. Methods This was a prospective, multi-center, observational study. Biologic-naïve patients with moderate to severe CD and UC who started CT-P13 therapy were eligible for the study. The trough drug and ADA levels were measured serially for 1-year after CT-P13 initiation. Clinical outcomes were assessed with intention-to-treat purpose. Results 267 patients who received CT-P13 treatment were enrolled in the study (CD 168, UC 99). The rates of clinical remission (72% vs. 32.3%, p Conclusion CD shows favorable pharmacokinetics of infliximab including high trough drug and low ADA level compared with UC which might be related with better clinical outcomes for 1-year of infliximab.

Gold-tantalum alloy films are of interest for biomedical and magnetically-assisted inertial confinement fusion applications. Here, we systematically study the effects of substrate tilt ( 0°–80°) and negative substrate bias (0–100 V) on properties of ≲3- μm-thick films deposited by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) from a Au–Ta alloy target (with 80 at. % of Ta). Results reveal that, for all the substrate bias values studied, an increase in substrate tilt leads to a monotonic decrease in film thickness, density, residual compressive stress, and electrical conductivity. Larger substrate bias favors the formation of a body-centered cubic phase, with films exhibiting lower column tilt and higher density, electrical conductivity, and residual compressive stress. These changes are attributed to metal atom ionization effects, based on the lack of correlation with distributions of landing energies and incident angles of depositing species as calculated by Monte Carlo simulations of ballistic collisions and gas phase atomic transport. By varying substrate tilt and bias in HiPIMS deposition, properties of Au–Ta alloy films can be controlled in a very wide range, including residual stress from −2 to +0.5 GPa, density from 12 to 17 g/ cm3, and the electrical resistivity from 50 to 4500 μΩ cm, enabling optimum deposition conditions to be selected for specific applications.

Many applications of boron carbide ( B4C) films entail deposition on non-planar substrates, necessitating a better understanding of oblique angle deposition phenomena. Here, we systematically study the effect of substrate tilt on properties of B4C films with thicknesses up to 10 μm deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering. Results show that all films are amorphous and columnar with an average column width of ∼100 nm, independent of substrate tilt. Column tilt angles are limited to ∼20° even for substrate tilt of 80°. Film density, residual stress, and the refractive index weakly (within ≲20%) depend on substrate tilt. Oxygen impurities bond preferentially with carbon atoms in inter-columnar regions. Substrate tilt has a major effect on mechanical properties that decrease by ∼50%, suggesting weak interconnection between nano-columns. Implications of these observations for the deposition onto non-planar substrates are discussed.

We performed a series of experiments to elucidate the characteristics of a good template for solid hydrogen nucleation. Zinc stands out among several materials with comparable size and shape. Nucleation could be observed to occur on top of sharp features, such as grain boundaries and cracks, but our attempts proved unsuccessful to fabricate or replicate such features. The variations of the supercooling (ΔT) values measured for comparable samples and the dependence of ΔT on the cell temperature cycling revealed that templated nucleation of solid hydrogen is a very delicate process.

Introduction/Background The aim of this study was to compare the oncologic outcomes in stage I borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) patients treated with unilateral ovarian cystectomy (UOC) versus unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (USO). Methodology This was a retrospective study of 95 patients with stage I BOTs treated with cystectomy (n=22) or unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (n=73) between 2000 and 2017 at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center. The surgical and oncologic outcomes between the two groups (UOC versus USO) were compared. Results After a median follow-up of 76 months (range: 10–215), there were 9 patients who had recurrences (UOC group: 4 vs. USO group: 5). The recurrence rate was higher in UOC group (18.2%) than in the USO group (6.8%). However, there was no statistically significant difference in recurrence rates (p=0.104) and 5-year progression free-survival (p=0.099) between the two groups. All recurred patients except 1 patient (USO group) were successfully treated by secondary operation and were alive with no clinical evidence of disease. Only 1 patient was died due to disease. Conclusion Our results support that both surgical methods are an acceptable treatment for women with stage I BOTs. Although USO is an appropriate treatment for BOTs patients, a UOC can be considered for patients who wish to preserve fertility when a unilateral cystectomy is the only surgical method. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.

Gold-tantalum alloy films are of interest for biomedical and magnetically-assisted inertial confinement fusion applications. However, growth mechanisms of such Au-Ta alloy films are not well understood. Here, we systematically study the effect of substrate tilt on properties of films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering from a AuTa alloy target. Experimental data is correlated with distributions of landing energies and incident angles of sputtered and backscattered species calculated by Monte Carlo simulations of ballistic collisions and gas phase atomic transport. Results reveal that the deposition rate and film density monotonically decrease with increasing substrate tilt. Properties are similar for films with a tilt of 40 ° and below: films are amorphous, with an average compressive stress of 0.5 GPa, a density of 16 g/cm3, and electrical resistivity of 200 μ Ω cm. The critical substrate tilt angle for the onset of porosity, a transition to a reduced stress state, and an increase in electrical resistivity lies between 40 and 60 ° . Based on Monte Carlo simulations, these changes in film properties are correlated with an increase in the average impact angle of the ballistic component of atomic flux. Implications of these results to deposition onto non-planar substrates are discussed.

Gold–tantalum alloy films are attractive for hohlraums used in indirect drive magnetized inertial confinement fusion. A high electrical resistivity of over ∼100 µΩ cm at cryogenic temperatures is an essential requirement for allowing an externally imposed pulsed magnetic field to soak through a hohlraum and magnetize the fusion fuel. Here, we systematically study properties of Au–Ta alloy films in the entire compositional range from pure Au to pure Ta with thicknesses up to 30 µm. These films are made by direct current magnetron co-sputtering on planar substrates. Films are characterized by a combination of high-energy ion scattering, x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, nanoindentation, and electrical transport measurements. Results show that an alloy with ∼80 at.% of Ta forms a metallic glass exhibiting a maximum electrical resistivity of ∼300 µΩ cm with a weak temperature dependence in the range of 5–400 K. The deposition of a film with ∼80 at.% of Ta onto a sphero-cylindrical substrate for hohlraum fabrication is also demonstrated.

Calorimetric measurements at University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics of D2 crystallization from the melt indicate that zinc can act as a heterogeneous nucleation seed with suppresse...

We explored templating effects of various materials for hydrogen (H2 and D2) solidification by measuring the degree of supercooling required for liquid hydrogen to solidify below each triple point....

Because of their outstanding mechanical properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are attractive 1-D nanoscale building blocks for lightweight composites that could potentially outperform naturally occurring materials. A still unsolved challenge for fully exploiting CNT superior mechanical properties for reinforcement of macroscopic systems is control of the interfacial interaction across multiple length scales to favor load transfer. Toward overcoming this challenge, we investigate here the effect of high-energy He+ ion irradiation on the elastic modulus and tensile strength of thin films of randomly oriented double-walled nanotube (DWCNT) mats and DWCNT-epoxy composites. We correlate irradiation-induced reinforcement with the formation of cross-links at different hierarchical levels of the DWCNT network. Our measurements reveal a rapidly increasing reinforcement at low ion doses, attributed to intra-bundle CNT cross-links, followed by a slow mechanical reinforcement at higher doses, associated to inter-bundle cross-links. At the highest ion irradiation dose of this study, the strength and elastic modulus of DWCNT-epoxy composites approach ∼900 MPa and 25 GPa, respectively, which is among the best mechanical performances reported for randomly-oriented CNT mats. We also develop a model accounting for radiation-induced hierarchical reinforcement of DWCNT films. The model is in good agreement with the experimental results across the entire dose range.

Radar measurement accuracy is mainly dependent on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). SNR variation of the same target is related to fluctuating target radar cross-section (RCS) that is known as Swerling RCS model. Radar measurement accuracy is an important parameter to design a radar system or to analyse its performance. More useful measurement accuracy formula than the previous research that is sensitive to the detection threshold is proposed. To investigate the measurement accuracy affected by Swerling model, the relative standard deviation is defined to compare the value of the previous research with the proposed value.

Significant challenges have been faced in the manufacturing of low-stress B 4C films. Here, we demonstrate a set of process parameters for direct-current magnetron sputter deposition of smooth, high-purity, amorphous B 4C films with near-zero total residual stress and with thicknesses up to 10 μm. Films are characterized by a combination of high-energy ion scattering, x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and stress measurements based on substrate curvature. In order to facilitate the process transfer to other sputtering geometries, the favorable deposition conditions are correlated with distributions of landing energies and incident angles of depositing species estimated by Monte Carlo simulations of ballistic collisions and gas phase atomic transport. Based on such simulations, a decrease in compressive stress with increasing Ar working gas pressure is attributed to the corresponding broadening of the angular distribution of depositing species and associated atomic shadowing effects.

Inertial confinement fusion targets would benefit from being levitated inside hohlraums to avoid capsule support-related implosion perturbations. Levitation inside a magnetic trap requires coating the capsule with a thin film that is superconducting at 20 K. Such non-epitaxial film growth on non-planar substrates is challenging. Here, we study Mg vapor annealing and solid-phase reactive inter-diffusion methods to form superconducting magnesium diboride (MgB2) films on different planar and spherical carbon substrates, evaluating glassy carbon, polycrystalline diamond made by chemical vapor deposition, and carbon deposited by magnetron sputtering of graphite targets. Thin films of B and Mg are produced by magnetron sputtering onto stationary planar or rolling spherical substrates and annealed at either 600 or 850 ∘C in Mg vapor. The films are characterized by a combination of high-energy ion scattering, electron microscopy, and magnetometry. Results show that the critical superconducting temperature of resultant films depends on film microstructure and oxygen impurity content. The formation of MgB2 films is also strongly substrate dependent, even in this case of non-epitaxial growth. Important factors to consider are oxygen outgassing of the substrate during thermal processing, substrate surface roughness, and the matching of thermal expansion coefficients of different layers in the multilayer structure.

Background The aim of this study to assess the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA), a monoclonal antibody against tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and to explore predictors of response in Korean patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods We conducted a prospective observational multicenter study over 56 weeks in adult patients with moderately to severely active UC. Clinical response and remission were assessed by Mayo score. Mucosal healing was defined as Mayo subscore 0 or 1. Faecal calprotectin (FC) were assessed at baseline, week 8 and 56. Adalimumab drug levels were checked at week 8 and at loss of response. Missing or incomplete data were handled using the nonresponder imputation method. Results A total of 146 patients were enrolled and included in the analysis. Clinical response rates were 52.1% (76/146) and 37.7% (55/146) at week 8 and 56, respectively. Clinical remission was achieved in 24.0% (35/146) and 21.9% (32/146) of patients at week 8 and 56. Steroid-free remission rates were 21.2% (31/146) at week 56. Mucosal healing rates were 39.0% (57/146) and 30.1% (44/146) at week 8 and 56. Prior use of anti-TNF-α did not affect the clinical and endoscopic responses. Treatment persistence was achieved in 57.5% (84/146) of patients at week 56. Adalimumab drug level was significantly higher in patients with clinical response (10.8 vs. 8.0, p = 0.004), clinical remission (11.7 vs. 8.8, p = 0.007) and mucosal healing (11.0 vs. 8.5, p = 0.010) at week 8. Adalimumab dose was escalated to 40 mg weekly in 25 (17.1%) patients, and clinical response and remission were achieved in 40% and 20% of patients at week 56, respectively. Mean faecal calprotectin levels were significantly more decreased in clinical responders compared with non-responders at week 8 (336.3 mg/kg vs. 628.8 mg/kg, p < 0.001). The Fecal calprotectin levels are well correlated with endoscopic severity, and the best cut-off value to predict mucosal healing was 274 mg/kg. The lower endoscopic severity, higher body mass index and higher serum albumin level at baseline were associated with a clinical response at week 8. The lower Mayo score, lower C-reactive protein level, clinical response (74.5% vs. 38.5%, p < 0.001) and mucosal healing (52.7% vs. 30.8%, p = 0.008) at week 8 were associated with clinical response at week 56. Serious adverse drug reactions were identified in 2.7% (4/146) of patients including 1 case of pulmonary tuberculosis. Conclusion Adalimumab is safe and effective for induction and maintenance in Korean patients with UC, regardless of prior anti-TNF therapy. Adalimumab drug level is associated with the efficacy of induction therapy. A better response to induction therapy can predict a better long-term response.

Compared to tedious, multi-step treatments for electroless gold plating of traditional thermoplastics, this communication describes a simpler three-step procedure for 3D printed crosslinked polyacrylate substrates. This allows for the synthesis of ultralight gold foam microlattice materials with great potential for architecture-sensitive applications in future energy, catalysis, and sensing.

We have performed a computational study to determine how the wetting of liquid deuterium to the walls of the material influences nucleation. We present the development of a pair-wise interatomic potential that includes zero-point motion of molecular deuterium. Deuterium is used in this study because of its importance to inertial confinement fusion and the potential to generate a superfluid state if the solidification can be suppressed. Our simulations show that wetting dominates undercooling compared to the pore geometries. We observe a transition from heterogeneous nucleation at the confining wall to homogeneous nucleation at the bulk of the liquid (and intermediate cases) as the interaction with the confining wall changes from perfect wetting to non-wetting. When nucleation is heterogeneous, the temperature needed for solidification changes by 4 K with decreasing deuterium-wall interaction, but it remains independent (and equal to the one from bulk samples) when homogeneous nucleation dominates. We find that growth and quality of the resulting microstructure also depends on the magnitude of liquid deuterium-wall interaction strength.

Tertiary referral centre, Samsung Medical Center, South Korea.To evaluate the pharmacokinetic parameters and toxicities of once-daily amikacin (AMK) dosing for lung disease due to Mycobacterium abscessus.A retrospective review of 48 patients with M. abscessus lung disease who received once-daily AMK for 4 weeks between January 2012 and June 2015.With a starting dose of 15 mg/kg/day and adjustment of AMK dose according to the peak serum level (Cmax), the Cmax target of 55-65 μg/ml was achieved in 31.3% (15/48) of patients in the first week, 68.8% (33/48) in week 2, 91.7% (44/48) in week 3 and 95.8% (46/48) in week 4. Transient nephrotoxicity developed in 6.3% (3/48) of patients and ototoxicity in 25.0% (6/24), which was determined by audiogram as hearing loss, asymptomatic in five patients and tinnitus in one. Multivariate analysis revealed that the highest drug concentration 12 h after administration was significantly associated with the development of toxicities (adjusted odds ratio 1.862, P = 0.047).Our results suggest that once-daily AMK for 4 weeks with a target Cmax of 55-65 μg/ml can be used in patients with M. abscessus lung disease, with careful monitoring of toxicity.

The formation of stable radiation damage in crystalline solids often proceeds via complex dynamic annealing processes, involving migration and interaction of ballistically-generated point defects. The dominant dynamic annealing processes, however, remain unknown even for crystalline Si. Here, we use a pulsed ion beam method to study defect dynamics in Si bombarded in the temperature range from −20 to 140 °C with 500 keV Ar ions. Results reveal a defect relaxation time constant of ~10–0.2 ms, which decreases monotonically with increasing temperature. The dynamic annealing rate shows an Arrhenius dependence with two well-defined activation energies of 73 ± 5 meV and 420 ± 10 meV, below and above 60 °C, respectively. Rate theory modeling, bench-marked against this data, suggests a crucial role of both vacancy and interstitial diffusion, with the dynamic annealing rate limited by the migration and interaction of vacancies.

Synthesis of nanoporous alumina monoliths with controlled morphology and density is a challenge. Here, we demonstrate mechanically robust alumina monoliths synthesized by conformal overcoating of graphitic nanoligaments of low-density carbon-nanotube-based aerogels (CNT-CAs) by using atomic layer deposition. Young’s modulus of resultant monoliths increases superlinearly with the monolith density with an exponent of ∼2.4, defined by the morphology and connectivity of the CNT-CA scaffold. As a result, for a given monolith density, alumina-carbon composites have moduli comparable to those of CNT-CAs and significantly superior to those of pure alumina aerogels reported previously.

We have implemented a Si-based coupled double-dot device with five independent gates vertically layered above the active channel, which can provide more effective controllability of interdot coupling without changing the potential shape of an individual dot. We observed a transition from a merged single dot to the coupled double dot by adjusting the interdot coupling strength via a central gate. From the honeycomb charge stability diagram, the capacitance-related critical parameters of the coupled double dot, which will be of impotance in the Si-based two-qubit gate applications, are deduced.

The synthesis of ultralow-density (>5 mg/cm(3) ) bulk materials with interconnected nanotubular morphology and deterministic, fully tunable feature size, composition, and density is presented. A thin-walled nanotubular design realized by employing templating based on atomic layer deposition makes the material about 10 times stronger and stiffer than aerogels of the same density.

Aim To investigate the recovery of thiazolidinedione-induced body weight gain and haematopoietic changes after stopping pioglitazone treatment in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 214 patients divided into three groups according to pioglitazone treatment status. The first study arm included patients who received pioglitazone for 38 months then interrupted this for 10 months (pioglitazone-interruption group). The second arm consisted of patients who received pioglitazone throughout the 48 months (pioglitazone-continuous group); the third arm included patients who had never received pioglitazone therapy (control group). Results Red blood cell count and haematocrit and haemoglobin levels decreased significantly, while body weight increased in the two pioglitazone-treated groups as compared with the control group at 38 months. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the reductions in red blood cell count/haemoglobin levels were associated with pioglitazone use. In the pioglitazone-interruption group, no recoveries of red blood cells, or haematocrit or haemoglobin levels were observed after stopping pioglitazone for 10 months compared with the pioglitazone-continuous group, but body weight gain decreased to a level that was significantly lower than that in the pioglitazone-continuous group and did not differ significantly from the control group. Conclusion In this study, we observed a reversal of body weight gain but no recoveries in red blood cells or haematocrit or haemoglobin levels after stopping pioglitazone for 10 months in patients treated with pioglitazone for 38 months. This finding should prompt a reconsideration of the sustained effect of thiazolidinediones on the haematopoietic system in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

Realization of macroscale three-dimensional isotropic carbons that retain the exceptional electrical and mechanical properties of graphene sheets remains a challenge. Here, a method for fabricating graphene-derived carbons (GDCs) with isotropic properties approaching those of individual graphene sheets is reported. This synthesis scheme relies on direct cross-linking of graphene sheets via the functional groups in graphene oxide to maximize electronic transport and mechanical reinforcement between sheets and the partial restacking of the sheets to increase the material density to about 1 g cm-3. These GDCs exhibit properties 3–6 orders of magnitude higher than previously reported 3D graphene assemblies.

Current synthesis methods of nanoporous Cu–C composites offer limited control of the material composition, structure, and properties, particularly for large Cu loadings of ≳20 wt%. Here, we describe two related approaches to realize novel nanoporous Cu–C composites based on the templating of recently developed carbon-nanotube aerogels (CNT-CAs). Our first approach involves the trapping of Cu nanoparticles while CNT-CAs undergo gelation. This method yields nanofoams with relatively high densities of ≳65 mg cm−3 for Cu loadings of ≳10 wt%. Our second approach overcomes this limitation by filling the pores of undoped CNT-CA monoliths with an aqueous solution of CuSO4 followed by (i) freeze-drying to remove water and (ii) thermal decomposition of CuSO4. With this approach, we demonstrate Cu–C composites with a C matrix density of ∼25 mg cm−3 and Cu loadings of up to 70 wt%. These versatile methods could be extended to fabricate other nanoporous metal–carbon composite materials geared for specific applications.

A universal approach for on-demand development of monolithic metal oxide composite bulk materials with air-like densities (5 mg/cm(3)) is reported. The materials are fabricated by atomic layer deposition of titania (TiO2) or zinc oxide (ZnO) using the nanoscale architecture of 1 mg/cm(3) SiO2 aerogels formed by self-organization as a blueprint. This approach provides deterministic control over density and composition without affecting the nanoscale architecture of the composite material that is otherwise very difficult to achieve. We found that these materials provide laser-to-X-ray conversion efficiencies of up to 5.3%, which is the highest conversion efficiency yet obtained from any foam-based target, thus opening the door to a new generation of highly efficient laser-induced nanosecond scale multi-keV X-ray sources.

We report on the grain size dependent morphological, physical and chemical properties of thick microwave-plasma assisted chemical vapor deposited (MPCVD) diamond films that are used as target materials for high energy density physics experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Control over the grain size, ranging from several μm to a few nm, was achieved by adjusting the CH4 content of the CH4/H2 feed gas. The effect of grain size on surface roughness, morphology, texture, density, hydrogen and graphitic carbon content was systematically studied by a variety of techniques. For depositions performed at 35 to 45 mbar and 3000 W microwave power (power density ~ 10 W cm− 3), an abrupt transition from micro-crystalline diamond to nanocrystalline diamond was observed at 3% CH4. This transition is accompanied by a dramatic decrease in surface roughness, a six percent drop in density and an increasing content in hydrogen and graphitic carbon impurities. Guided by these results, layered nano-microhybrid diamond samples were prepared by periodically changing the growth conditions from nano- to microcrystalline.

We study the effect of 2 MeV Xe ion bombardment at room temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cross-linked carbon-nanotube-based nanoporous carbons. Irradiation causes a gradual densification and a decrease in the surface roughness of monoliths, an increase in Young’s modulus and failure stress, a decrease in the failure strain, and smoothening of nanoligament surfaces. Our results demonstrate a potential of heavy-ion bombardment for a controlled modification of nanoporous carbons.