The present work deals with the structural and optical studies of Se88Te12 chalcogenide nanoparticles prepared by ball milling. Polycrystalline Se88Te12 chalcogenide prepared by melt quenching was ...used as a starting material. The ball milling was performed in a Laboratory 8000M-Mixer/Mill (SPEX) mill using hardened steel balls and a vial with a ball-to-powder weight ratio of 10:1. After various times of milling, a small amount of material was taken from the container to be characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy and optical measurements in thin film form within the wavelength region 400-1000nm. Optical absorption measurements indicate that the absorption mechanism is due to direct transition. It has been observed that the optical band gap increases with the increase of milling time. The results are interpreted in terms of the change in concentration of localized states due to the shift in Fermi level.
The dc electrical conductivity of as evaporated thin films of Se
75S
25−
x
Ag
x
, grown by vacuum evaporation technique is measured as a function of temperature (294–383
K). It is observed that the ...dc conductivity decreases at all the temperatures with the increase of silver content in the binary system. The experimental data suggests that the conduction is due to thermally assisted tunneling of the carriers in the localized states near the band edges. The extracted value of activation energy is found to increase on incorporation of silver contents in the Se–S system. Compositional dependence of the optical properties of as deposited Se
75S
25−
x
Ag
x
thin films of thickness 300
nm have also been studied in the spectral range from 400 to 1000
nm. It has been found that the optical band gap increases on incorporation of silver contents in Se–S system. The values of absorption coefficient (
α) and extinction coefficient (
k) increases with increasing photon energy and silver concentration. The results are interpreted in terms of the change in concentration of localized states due to the shift in Fermi level.
Zn
0.9−x
V
0.1
Al
x
O aerogel nanopowders were prepared in thin film form on glass substrates using a rf magnetron sputtering system. The films were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy ...(SEM) and X-ray diffraction technique (XRD). The XRD results indicate that all the films have c-axis preferred orientation due to self-texturing mechanism. The ellipsometric spectra of the films were recorded in the photon energy range of 1 eV–5 eV. The SE spectra were analyzed with an appropriate model to accurately determine the thickness and optical constants of the ZnO:(V,Al) thin films. The profiles of refractive index and extinction coefficient with photon energy were extracted. The refractive index of the ZnO:(V,Al) film is decreased from 2.14 to 2.07 with increasing Al concentration and then is increased to 2.19 for
x
= 0.04. A maximum band gap energy of ~3.57 eV was obtained for
x
= 0.02. The optical band gaps of the films were found to vary from 3.57 eV to 3.41 eV, with Al content. It is evaluated that the optical constants of the ZnO:(V,Al) films can be controlled by Al content.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a 5-y survival rate of ~16%, with most deaths associated with uncontrolled metastasis. We screened for stem cell identity-related genes preferentially expressed ...in a panel of cell lines with high versus low metastatic potential, derived from NSCLC tumors of Kras^sup LA1/+^;P53... (KP) mice. The Musashi-2 (MSI2) protein, a regulator of mRNA translation, was consistently elevated in metastasis-competent cell lines. MSI2 was overexpressed in 123 human NSCLC tumor specimens versus normal lung, whereas higher expression was associated with disease progression in an independent set of matched normal/primary tumor/lymph node specimens. Depletion of MSI2 in multiple independent metastatic murine and human NSCLC cell lines reduced invasion and metastatic potential, independent of an effect on proliferation. MSI2 depletion significantly induced expression of proteins associated with epithelial identity, including tight junction proteins claudin 3 (CLDN3), claudin 5 (CLDN5), and claudin 7 (CLDN7) and down-regulated direct translational targets associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, including the TGF-β receptor 1 (TGFβR1), the small mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3 (SMAD3), and the zinc finger proteins SNAI1 (SNAIL) and SNAI2 (SLUG). Overexpression of TGFβRI reversed the loss of invasion associated with MSI2 depletion, whereas overexpression of CLDN7 inhibited MSI2-dependent invasion. Unexpectedly, MSI2 depletion reduced E-cadherin expression, reflecting a mixed epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype. Based on this work, we propose that MSI2 provides essential support for TGFβR1/SMAD3 signaling and contributes to invasive adenocarcinoma of the lung and may serve as a predictive biomarker of NSCLC aggressiveness. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
Background: The post‐void residual volume is higher among parturients who received epidural analgesia than those who received no or alternative analgesia.
Methods: This prospective, randomized, ...controlled, non‐blinded study was performed in a tertiary referral center labor suite. The post‐void residual volume was measured by a transabdominal ultrasound following a voiding attempt. Healthy parturients with low‐dose epidural analgesia in active labor were randomized either to walk to the toilet or to use a bedpan for voiding. The primary outcome measure (post‐void residual volume in labor) was compared between the study groups.
Results: The toilet group (n=34) and the bedpan group (n=28) demonstrated similar post‐void residual volumes (212 ± 100 vs. 168 ± 93 ml, P=0.289). Twenty patients (59%) randomized to the toilet group were unable to walk and actually voided in a bedpan. A secondary analysis was performed analyzing the groups as treated. The post‐void residual volume was significantly lower in the actual toilet group (n=14, 63 ± 24 ml) vs. the bedpan group (n=48, 229 ± 200 ml), P=0.0052. Thirteen (93%) women who walked to the toilet managed to void before the ultrasound measurement vs. 20/48 (42%) using the bedpan, P=0.001. Fewer women who managed to walk to the toilet required urinary bladder catheterization during the labor than women who used the bedpan (6/14, 43% vs. 36/48, 75%) P=0.028.
Conclusion: Women who were randomized to walk to the bathroom with epidural analgesia and were able to do so during labor had a significantly reduced post‐void residual volume and a reduced requirement for urinary catheterization.
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