The multi-factor orthogonal simulation analysis was initiated to investigate the influence degree of four key parameters of PCM-integrated building envelopes on energy consumption and indoor thermal ...comfort under Chinese climate. The sensitivity and the interaction between four key parameters on energy saving and indoor temperature were discussed. The results showed that: 1) According to the influence degree on energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort time, the four key parameters of PCM envelope can be ranked in descending order as follows: envelope type > PCM layer layout > PCM type > PCM layer thickness. 2) The optimal level of all the cases studied is using BioPCMTM23 (PCM2) with a thickness of 7 cm on the inner side of both wall and roof. 3) Integrating the PCM to the envelope can effectively reduce the indoor temperature fluctuation. Considerable energy saving effects (the energy saving rate is 4.8% – 34.8%) can be achieved by properly selecting the PCMs according to local climatic conditions. The PCMs with high latent heat should be selected and placed in an envelope structure that receives longtime solar radiation and has a large surface area, which can maximize the effect of energy saving and temperature control.
Increasing evidence indicates that the tumor microenvironment has critical roles in all aspects of cancer biology, including growth, angiogenesis, metastasis and progression. Although chemokines and ...their receptors were originally identified as mediators of inflammatory diseases, it is being increasingly recognized that they serve as critical communication bridges between tumor cells and stromal cells to create a permissive microenvironment for tumor growth and metastasis. Thus, an important therapeutic strategy for cancer is to break this communication channel and isolate tumor cells for long-term elimination. Cytokine CXCL12 (also known as stromal-derived factor 1α) and its receptor CXCR4 represent the most promising actionable targets for this strategy. Both are overexpressed in various cancer types, and this aberrant expression strongly promotes proliferation, migration and invasion through multiple signal pathways. Several molecules that target CXCL12 or CXCR4 have been developed to interfere with tumor growth and metastasis. In this article, we review our current understanding of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in cancer tumorigenesis and progression and discuss its therapeutic implications.
Oncolytic viruses offer an in situ vaccination approach to activate tumor-specific T cell responses. However, the upregulation of PD-L1 expression on tumor cells and immune cells leads to tumor ...resistance to oncolytic immunotherapy. In this study, we generate an engineered oncolytic virus that coexpresses a PD-L1 inhibitor and GM-CSF. We find that the oncolytic virus is able to secrete the PD-L1 inhibitor that systemically binds and inhibits PD-L1 on tumor cells and immune cells. Importantly, the intratumoral injection with the oncolytic virus overcomes PD-L1-mediated immunosuppression during both the priming and effector phases, provokes systemic T cell responses against dominant and subdominant neoantigen epitopes derived from mutations, and leads to an effective rejection of both virus-injected and distant tumors. In summary, this engineered oncolytic virus is able to activate tumor neoantigen-specific T cell responses, providing a potent, individual tumor-specific oncolytic immunotherapy for cancer patients, especially those resistant to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy.
Additive manufacturing (AM) of high-strength Al alloys promises to enhance the performance of critical components related to various aerospace and automotive applications. The key advantage of AM is ...its ability to generate lightweight, robust, and complex shapes. However, the characteristics of the as-built parts may represent an obstacle to the satisfaction of the parts' quality requirements. The current study investigates the influence of selective laser melting (SLM) process parameters on the quality of parts fabricated from different Al alloys. A design of experiment (DOE) was used to analyze relative density, porosity, surface roughness, and dimensional accuracy according to the interaction effect between the SLM process parameters. The results show a range of energy densities and SLM process parameters for AlSi10Mg and Al6061 alloys needed to achieve "optimum" values for each performance characteristic. A process map was developed for each material by combining the optimized range of SLM process parameters for each characteristic to ensure good quality of the as-built parts. This study is also aimed at reducing the amount of post-processing needed according to the optimal processing window detected.
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) isolated from peripheral blood has recently been shown to be an alternative source to detect gene mutations in primary tumors; however, most previous studies have ...focused on advanced stage cancers, and few have evaluated ctDNA detection in early-stage lung cancer. In the present study, blood and tumor samples were collected prospectively from 58 early-stage non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (stages IA, IB, and IIA) and a targeted sequencing approach was used to detect somatic driver mutations in matched tumor DNA (tDNA) and plasma ctDNA. We identified frequent driver mutations in plasma ctDNA and tDNA in EGFR, KRAS, PIK3CA, and TP53, and less frequent mutations in other genes, with an overall study concordance of 50.4% and sensitivity and specificity of 53.8% and 47.3%, respectively. Cell-free (cfDNA) concentrations were found to be significantly associated with some clinical features, including tumor stage and subtype. Importantly, the presence of cfDNA had a higher positive predictive value than that of currently used protein tumor biomarkers. This study demonstrates the feasibility of identifying plasma ctDNA mutations in the earliest stage lung cancer patients via targeted sequencing, demonstrating a potential utility of targeted sequencing of ctDNA in the clinical management of NSCLC.
Separating structure and electrons in VO2Above 341 kelvin—not far from room temperature—bulk vanadium dioxide (VO2) is a metal. But as soon as the material is cooled below 341 kelvin, VO2 turns into ...an insulator and, at the same time, changes its crystal structure from rutile to monoclinic. Lee et al. studied the peculiar behavior of a heterostructure consisting of a layer of VO2 placed underneath a layer of the same material that has a bit less oxygen. In the VO2 layer, the structural transition occurred at a higher temperature than the metal-insulator transition. In between those two temperatures, VO2 was a metal with a monoclinic structure—a combination that does not occur in the absence of the adjoining oxygen-poor layer.Science, this issue p. 1037The metal-insulator transition in correlated materials is usually coupled to a symmetry-lowering structural phase transition. This coupling not only complicates the understanding of the basic mechanism of this phenomenon but also limits the speed and endurance of prospective electronic devices. We demonstrate an isostructural, purely electronically driven metal-insulator transition in epitaxial heterostructures of an archetypal correlated material, vanadium dioxide. A combination of thin-film synthesis, structural and electrical characterizations, and theoretical modeling reveals that an interface interaction suppresses the electronic correlations without changing the crystal structure in this otherwise correlated insulator. This interaction stabilizes a nonequilibrium metallic phase and leads to an isostructural metal-insulator transition. This discovery will provide insights into phase transitions of correlated materials and may aid the design of device functionalities.
Highlights • The Ion PGM and AmpliSeq cancer panel can detect plasma ctDNA mutations from NSCLC. • ctDNA mutations in plasma are highly concordant to primary tumor tissue of NSCLC. • Our panel could ...be implemented for clinical use in a variety of advanced cancers.
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers customization of the microstructures and mechanical properties of fabricated components according to the material selected and process parameters applied. Selective ...laser melting (SLM) is a commonly-used technique for processing high strength aluminum alloys. The selection of SLM process parameters could control the microstructure of parts and their mechanical properties. However, the process parameters limit and defects obtained inside the as-built parts present obstacles to customized part production. This study investigates the influence of SLM process parameters on the quality of as-built Al6061 and AlSi10Mg parts according to the mutual connection between the microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties. The microstructure of both materials was characterized for different parts processed over a wide range of SLM process parameters. The optimized SLM parameters were investigated to eliminate internal microstructure defects. The behavior of the mechanical properties of parts was presented through regression models generated from the design of experiment (DOE) analysis for the results of hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and yield strength. A comparison between the results obtained and those reported in the literature is presented to illustrate the influence of process parameters, build environment, and powder characteristics on the quality of parts produced. The results obtained from this study could help to customize the part's quality by satisfying their design requirements in addition to reducing as-built defects which, in turn, would reduce the amount of the post-processing needed.
•A measuring method of discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole was proposed.•The differences in discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole were primarily studied.•Two effects on transient discharge ...coefficient of each nozzle hole were analyzed.
The objective of this paper is to propose a measuring method based on the spray momentum flux measurement of each nozzle hole that could be used to determine the transient discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole of a multi-hole diesel injector. For this purpose, a measurement system for the transient discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole was established utilizing a conventional injection system of pump-line-nozzle and a dedicated constructed experimental rig. By measuring the spray momentum flux of each nozzle hole of the multi-hole fuel injector and injection pressure of the pump-pipe-injector fuel delivery system, the discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole was obtained, and analyzed throughout the injection duration and with different injection pump speeds and cycle fuel injection quantities. The results show that the transient discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole changes constantly, meanwhile, the variations of the transient discharge coefficient of the nozzle holes were similar. However, the discharge coefficient of the nozzle holes were not uniform at the same operating condition and that of the No.5 was apparently lower than that of the others. With increasing cam speed, the fluctuations of the discharge coefficients were variably stable at the maximum needle position.The fluctuations of the discharge coefficients of the nozzle holes were higher for the smaller cycle fuel injection quantity, but as the fluctuation gradually became smaller, the mean discharge coefficient of each nozzle hole increased slightly with increasing cycle fuel injection quantity.
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