Cycle Ratio Research Articles

Numerical study on dust particle charging and dynamics in continuous and pulsed radio frequency argon discharges

AbstractCharging and dynamics of a spherical dust grain injected into a continuous and pulsed radio frequency (RF) discharge have been studied using a one‐dimensional fluid model. First, the plasma characteristics of the two types of discharges are computed and compared. In the pulsed discharge, it is found that the central electron density exhibits a periodic variation while the averaged electron density is lower compared to that in the continuous discharge due to the decrease in the total ionization rate. Further, the dust charge is computed using the plasma characteristics. It is found that the dust charge negatively increases as the duty cycle ratio increases. Also, the charge in the pulsed discharge is lower in comparison to the continuous discharge due to the shorter duration of the pulsed RF discharge limiting the amount of energy transferred to electrons. On the other hand, the dust particle remains in the powered sheath region exhibiting a damped oscillation in the two discharges with higher oscillation frequency in the continuous discharge.

Effects of the turbocharged Miller cycle strategy on the performance improvement and emission characteristics of diesel engines

The turbocharged Miller cycle strategy is studied to improve the power density of diesel engines and reduce emissions. A thermodynamic model and a 1D simulation model of turbocharged diesel engine are established. Results show that the introduction of the Miller cycle reduces the thermal efficiency under naturally aspirated conditions because of the low effective compression ratio, whereas it increases the thermal efficiency under a turbocharged condition owing to the energy recovered by the turbocharger. Under restricted combustion pressure and fixed intake mass, the thermal efficiency first increases and then decreases with increasing Miller cycle ratio, and the peaks occur at approximately 30%–50%. The gain of isochoric combustion ratio overlaps the loss of effective compression ratio due to the Miller cycle on the lower side, whereas it reverses on the higher side. With maximum and equal intake mass, the maximum power initially increases and subsequently decreases with increasing Miller cycle ratio, reaching a peak at 40%. Under a fixed isochoric combustion ratio, the thermal efficiency first increases and then decreases with increasing intake mass, and the optimum intake mass corresponding to the highest thermal efficiency decreases with increasing Miller cycle ratio. The lower the restricted combustion pressure is, the higher the gain in power and thermal efficiency by the Miller cycle strategy. Based on the calculation of the 1D model validated using a practical engine, the power can be increased from 41.6 kW/L to 100 kW/L while the brake thermal efficiency can be increased from 34.98% into 38.55% by increasing the Miller cycle ratio from 19% to 30% and the combustion pressure from 17.7 MPa to 35 MPa. With the application of the supercharged Miller cycle, when the Miller cycle ratio is 30% and the power intensity is increased from 60 kW/L to 100 kW/L, NOx decreases by 32.4%, CO decreases by 28%, showing a tendency to decrease and then stabilize, and HC increases by 5.3%. When the power is 80 kW/L and the Miller cycle ratio is increased from 10% to 30%, NOx decreases by 8.6%, CO decreases by 2%, and HC increases by 0.04%.

IMPLEMENTASI LEAN SIX SIGMA UNTUK MENURUNKAN VARIASI DAN WAKTU PROSES PENGADAAN OBAT DI INSTALASI FARMASI RUMAH SAKIT ISLAM AMAL SEHAT SRAGEN

Background: Drug management needs to be done to prevent stock out, over stock, and drug purchases due to emergency conditions. Reports of drug management problems at Amal Sehat Sragen Hospital are stock outs resulting in immediate drug purchases and patients do not get the drug as they should. Lean Six Sigma combines two methodologies to help speed up certain processes so they can solve problems faster while creating more value for customers. When combined, these create a powerful methodology for managing a business and completing tasks on time, on budget, saving money, adding value and increasing productivity.
 Objectives: Assessing the implementation of Lean Six Sigma to reduce variation and processing time for drug procurement at the Pharmacy Installation of Amal Sehat Sragen Hospital.
 Methods: The method used in this study is a mixed methods with a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach.
 Results: The results of the sample data that has variations and processing time are correlated with criticality, cost, and performance values to obtain Importance Index (II) values. Calculation of Importance Index (II), before implementation, 3 items with high Importance Index (II) values were obtained, namely "Gabapentin 300mg" (8.7), "Metformin 500mg (11.8), and "Lisinopril 5mg" (10.7) which decreased after implementation to “Gabapentin 300mg” (4.5), “Metformin 500mg (3.2), and “Lisinopril 5mg” (5.3). Assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency of drug procurement by measuring the lead time in cycle I was 9 days 23 hours 25 minutes, decreasing to 4 days 7 hours 50 minutes in cycle III. The efficiency measure based on the Value-added ratio (VAR) in cycle I was 14% and increased to 34% in cycle III.
 Conclusions: The implementation of Lean Six Sigma with DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and Participatory Action Research approaches (three cycles) was able to reduce variations in the drug procurement process (critical criteria, performance, and cost) and overall lead time in the drug procurement process at Amal Sehat Sragen Hospital.

Mir-186 inhibits the proliferation and growth of multiple myeloma cells by targeting Jagged-1 expression

Purpose: To investigate the suppressive influence of mir-186 on multiplication and growth of multiple myeloma (MM), as well as the processes involved.Methods: The U266 cells were divided into control, mir-186 overexpression, and inhibition groups. The latter two were transfected with mir-186 agent and antagonist, respectively. Cell viability, colony formation potential, cell cycle ratio, and Jagged-1 mRNA and protein levels were measured using various assays.Results: Cell growth increased over time in all groups. However, mir-186 overexpression cells showed significantly decreased growth and colony formation capacity, relative to control, while the mir-186 inhibition cells showed significantly higher growth and colony formation capacity. The study revealed a higher proportion of G0/G1 stage cells and lower proportion of S-phase cells in mir-186 overexpression cells than in control cells. The opposite effect was seen in mir-186 inhibition cells. Jagged-1 protein and mRNA levels were significantly lower in mir-186 overexpression cells and higher in mir-186 inhibition cells than in control group. The Jagged-1 knockout group showed significantly higher Jagged-1 mRNA and protein levels than both the control and mir-186 overexpression groups (p < 0.05).Conclusion: When overexpressed, mir-186 inhibits the growth of multiple myeloma cells by inhibiting cell colony-formation capacity and by regulating cell cycle through mir-186-induced regulation of the expression of Jagged-1. there is need for more research to confirm the clinical benefits of therapies based on these findings.

Structural optimization of S-CO2 Brayton cycle compressor impeller based on evolutionary algorithm

As the critical components for marine low-speed diesel engine flue gas waste heat recovery (WHR) supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton cycle system, the structure of the compressor impeller is optimized by the evolutionary algorithm (EA) based on the co-simulation of the CAESES, ANSYS CFX and Opti Slang. The law of impeller pressure ratio, efficiency and power consumption in S-CO2 Brayton cycle (SCBC) as a function of rotational speed, inlet temperature, pressure and impeller structural parameters are revealed, and the method of improving SCBC efficiency for marine low-speed diesel engine flue gas waste heat recovery is studied. The optimized impeller structure is greatly enhanced in aerodynamic performance and safety, and the isentropic efficiency is increased by 2.54%, the pressure ratio is increased by 35.64%, and the temperature rise is increased by only 4.6%. A 100kW S-CO2 compression cycle test bench was set up to verify the simulation-optimized impeller results. The final results show that the optimized impeller structure, aerodynamic performance and safety are greatly improved. It provides theoretical support for selecting and optimising compressor impellers for marine low-speed diesel engine flue gas waste heat recovery S-CO2 Brayton cycle.

Effect of nerve growth factor on elderly degenerative knee osteoarthritis pain

To explore effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) antibody on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) pain model was evaluated by in vitro model. Thirty male SPF rats aged 28-week-old were divided into blank group (10 rats with anesthesia only). The other 20 rats were with monoiodoacetate (MIA) on the right knee joint to establish pain model of OA, and were randomly divided into control group (injected intraperitoneal injection of normal saline) and treatment group (injected anti-NGF) intraperitoneal after successful modeling, and 10 rats in each group. All rats were received retrograde injection of fluorogold (FG) into the right knee joint. Gait was assessed using catwalk gait analysis system before treatment, 1 and 2 weeks after treatment. Three weeks after treatment, right dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were excised on L4-L6 level, immunostained for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and the number of DRGS was counted. In terms of gait analysis using cat track system, duty cycle, swing speed and print area ratio in control and treatment group were significantly reduced compared with blank group (P<0.05). Compared with control group, duty cycle and swing speed of treatment group were significantly improved (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in print area ratio between treatment group and blank group (P>0.05). The number of FG-labeled DRG neurons in control group was significantly higher than that in treatment group and blank group (P<0.05). The expression of CGRP in control group was up-regulated, and differences were statistically significant compared with treatment group (P<0.05). Intraperitoneal injection of anti-NGF antibody inhibited gait injury and upregulation of CGRP in DRG neurons. The results suggest that anti-nerve growth factor therapy may be of value in treating knee pain. NGF may be an important target for the treatment of knee OA pain.

Structural and electrical characteristics of Zr-doped HfO2 (HZO) thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition for RRAM applications

In this study, Zr-doped HfO2 (HZO) based resistive random-access memory (RRAM) device were fabricated. The Hf:Zr (1:1) ratio in the HZO films were controlled by changing the HfO2 and ZrO2 cycle ratio during the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Next, we studied the structural and electrical properties of the Au/HZO/TiN RRAM device structure. The RRAM devices exhibits an excellent resistance ratio of the high resistance state (HRS) to the low resistance state (LRS) of ~103 A, and as well as good endurance (300 cycles) and retention (&gt;103 s), respectively. Further, the device showed different conduction mechanism in LRS and HRS modes. The lower biased linear region is dominated by ohmic conductivity, whereas the higher biased nonlinear region is dominated by a space charge limited current conduction. This device is suitable for application in future high-density nonvolatile memory RRAM devices.

Surge irrigation modeling and scenario analyses for the best furrow irrigation management practices

Furrow irrigation with surge flow is a management strategy to improve irrigation performance compared to furrow irrigation with continuous flow. Successful management of surge irrigation corresponds to accurate field practices that depend on different flow hydraulic parameters that make it complex in practice. However, because of this complexity, very few surge infiltration models have been developed. So far, no study has been done to evaluate infiltration equations subject to different surge irrigation modelling concepts under field surge irrigation scenarios. This study investigates two surge infiltration equations of Modified Kostiakov-Lewies (MKL) and Branch Function (BF) using WinSRFR that is the only modelling tool to simulate surge irrigation by using two surge infiltration modelling concepts of Blair-Smerdon (BS) and Izuno-Podmore (IP). Field data were collected on different combinations of two furrow lengths (70 m and 90 m; open-end furrows), two inflow rates (0.4 l s−1 and 0.6 l s−1), and two cycle ratios (0.5 and 0.33). Field measurements confirmed that switching from continuous to surge irrigation significantly improved irrigation performance. Evaluation of the surge infiltration modeling concepts showed that IP had higher accuracy in simulating irrigation performance compared to BS. The MKL(IP) and BF(IP) had the highest accuracy in the simulation of advance time, infiltrated water depth, and runoff. Further analyses showed that decreasing the cycle ratio from 0.5 to 0.33 improved simulation accuracy in advance time, runoff, and irrigation performance, but it reduced the accuracy of simulated infiltrated water depth. Increasing the inflow rate from 0.4 l s−1 to 0.6 l s−1 decreased the accuracy of irrigation performance. However, field observations were only under a limited number of furrow lengths and inflow rates that might not be the best management field practices to increase irrigation performance. Scenario analyses were done to simulate irrigation performance under a combination of possible irrigation managements. The optimal irrigation scenario consisted of adjusting the different inflow rate (0.5–1.2 l s−1), furrow length (100–300 m), cutoff time (360–600 min), and on-time (20–60 min). Results show that using cutoff 360 min and on-time 60 min led to reducing deep percolation and runoff and increasing the distribution uniformity. Based on the scenario analyses for the most efficient irrigation performance in terms of irrigation efficiencies and water losses (runoff and deep percolation), the best irrigation management could be attributed to the furrow length of 200 m that occurs for on-time of 60 min, with a cutoff time of 360 min, and an inflow rate of 0.7 l s−1 although Zreq = 50 mm is not fully irrigated over the whole furrow. Under this scenario, 35 % of the furrow is under deficit irrigation. Scenario analyses showed that we may propose a new surge irrigation management named as “wet-cycle surge irrigation” such that the first surge completes the whole furrow length, and then the subsequent surges will run on wet soil.

Sand liquefaction in simple shear tests

Liquefaction is a phenomenon marked by a rapid loss of soil strength and stiffness, which generally occurs in loose saturated sandy deposit during earthquake because of the generation of excess pore water pressure. Several experimental researches concluded that liquefied soil behaves as a fluid during ground movement, but after the earthquake motion ceases, due to the dissipation of excess pore water pressure, the liquefied soil recovers its initial stiffness and returns to behave as a solid. Liquefaction resistance of sandy soil can be studied by means of Cyclic Simple Shear (CSS) test or Cyclic Triaxial (CTX) tests. While CTX tests are widely used in liquefaction studies due to their simplicity, CSS tests are more representative of stress conditions produced during an earthquake by simulating the continuous rotation of the principal stress axes. In this research the preliminary results of CSS tests carried out with confining rings on the sandy samples retrieved in the South of Sicily are reported. The apparatus is described in detail. All samples used were obtained from the same type of Italian sand by using same preparation method to minimize the number of factors influencing the results. Moreover, all tests were conducted by a single operator. All experimental results are reported in the plane cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) and number of cycles where liquefaction occurs (Nliq) in order to assess the liquefaction phenomenon.

Atomic layer deposition and application of group III nitrides semiconductor and their alloys

Group III nitride semiconductors, such as GaN, AlN, and InN, are an important class of compound semiconductor material, and have attracted much attention, because of their unique physicochemical properties. These semiconductors possess excellent characteristics, such as wide direct bandgap, high breakdown field strength, high electron mobility, and good stability, and thus are called third-generation semiconductors. Their alloy materials can adjust their bandgaps by changing the type or proportion of group III elements, covering a wide wavelength range from near-ultraviolet to infrared, thereby achieving wavelength selectivity in optoelectronic devices. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a unique technique that produces high-quality group III nitride films at low temperatures. The ALD has become an important method of preparing group III nitrides and their alloys. The alloy composition can be easily controlled by adjusting the ALD cycle ratio. This review highlights recent work on the growth and application of group III nitride semiconductors and their alloys by using ALD. The work is summarized according to similarities so as to make it easier to understand the progress and focus of related research. Firstly, this review summarizes binary nitrides with a focus on their mechanism and application. In the section on mechanism investigation, the review categorizes and summarizes the effects of ALD precursor material, substrate, temperature, ALD type, and other conditions on film quality. This demonstrates the effects of different conditions on film growth behavior and quality. The section on application exploration primarily introduces the use of group III nitride films in various devices through ALD, analyzes the enhancing effects of group III nitrides on these devices, and explores the underlying mechanisms. Additionally, this section discusses the growth of group III nitride alloys through ALD, summarizing different deposition methods and conditions. Regarding the ALD growth of group III nitride semiconductors, there is more research on the ALD growth of AlN and GaN, and less research on InN and its alloys. Additionally, there is less research on the ALD growth of GaN for applications, as it is still in the exploratory stage, while there is more research on the ALD growth of AlN for applications. Finally, this review points out the prospects and challenges of ALD in preparation of group III nitride semiconductors and their alloys.

Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Lithium Nickel Oxide Thin Film Model Systems

The main bottleneck in the development of the next generation of Li-ion batteries with higher energy densities, as demanded for long-range electrical mobility, is the lack of understanding and control of the reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Reactions at the cathode side cause rapid capacity loss during cycling and represent a major issue for batteries with high-voltage cathodes, which are crucial in reaching the required energy densities. Promising candidates for use in next generation of batteries are Ni-rich Li(Ni1-x-yMnxCoy)O2 (NMC) cathodes, which show high capacity, high potential, and contribute to address the geopolitical issue of decreasing the Co content in the cathode. Ni-rich NMCs exhibit similar electrochemical properties as pure LiNiO2 and therefore LiNiO2 thin films can be used as model systems to gain fundamental understanding of the interfacial processes that hinder the large-scale implementation of Ni-rich NMCs. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a suitable technique to fabricate these model systems, as it gives precise control over film thickness, uniformity, chemical composition, and crystal orientation.Previous work on LiNiO2 by ALD is not extensively reported in literature. Moreover, films grown by a supercycle process, in which two ALD subcycles are alternated, suffered from a low Ni at.% and a large C content because of precursor ligand residues, and films fabricated using a complex multilayered approach showed severe Si contamination from the Li precursor [1]. In this contribution we report on ALD lithium nickel oxide (LNO) thin films with stoichiometries close to LiNiO2 and low levels of contaminants.The ALD process is based on lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LiHMDS) and nickel bis(N,N’-di-tert-butylacetamidinate) (Ni(tBu-MeAMD)2) as precursors and O2 plasma as co-reactant. 1 ALD cycle of Li2O is combined with x cycles of NiO using a supercycle approach. In this contribution we explore the relation between the Ni/Li cycle ratio x and material properties of the LNO films.The growth of the LNO films is monitored by means of in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. The ellipsometric data of films with a high Ni/Li cycle ratio are fitted with a general oscillator model used for NiO films, while a Cauchy model was adopted in case of a low Ni/Li cycle ratio and Li2O films. The growth per supercycle (GPSC) of LNO shows an intermixing effect, as it does not follow the linear trend calculated from the growth per cycle (GPC) values of the individual Li2O and NiO ALD processes, which are 1.0 Å/cycle and 0.34 Å/cycle respectively.XPS surface measurements show that the Ni/Li atomic ratio is tuned from 0 to 10 as function of the Ni/Li cycle ratio x. Low levels of Si and N contamination, below 4% and 2% respectively, are observed. A shift of the main peak in the Ni 2p3/2 spectrum to higher binding energies indicates a shift in oxidation state from Ni2+ to Ni3+ as decreases [2]. According to surface measurements, the LNO film with x=5 shows a stoichiometry close to LiNiO2, but depth profile measurements indicate that the Ni at.% is significantly higher in the bulk than on the surface of the films, most certainly attributed to the formation of a Li2CO3 surface layer upon air exposure. Li2CO3 is also present in the bulk of the LNO films, but the bulk C at.% stays below 4%.These results show that we can use ALD to fabricate a high-voltage cathode model system, which we plan to characterize in-situ and post-mortem in combination with both liquid and solid electrolytes to study the cathode-electrolyte interface.[1] Maximov et al., Energies, 13 (2020) 2345[2] Fu et al., Applied Surface Science 441 (2018) 1048 This work is part of the ‘BatteryNL – Next Generation Batteries based on Understanding Materials Interfaces’ project (with project number NWA.1389.20.089) of the NWA research programme ‘Research on Routes by Consortia (ORC)’ funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Figure:(a) The GPSC of LNO ALD process shows an intermixing effect when comparing the experimental results with the expected GPSC based on the two processes (b) Ni 2p3/2 XPS spectrum for different Ni/Li cycle ratios x. A shift to higher binding energies is observed with decreasing x, indicating a shift from Ni2+ to Ni3+. (c) XPS surface measurements of LNO films show low levels of contaminants and a Ni/Li atomic ratio varying with the Ni/Li cycle ratio. (d) Depth profile of LNO with x=5 shows an increased Ni at.% and a low C at.% in the bulk of the film. Figure 1

Atomic Layer Deposition of Multi-Component Films Using Precursor Co-Dosing

A growing number of ALD applications require the deposition of ternary or quarternary compounds. Examples include doped films (e.g. ZnO:Al), mixed oxides to tune dielectric properties (e.g. HfZrO), tunable bandgap materials for solar cells (e.g. ZnOS) or opto-electronic materials (e.g. InGaN), and high mobility oxide semiconductors (e.g. InGaZnO). A common method to deposit multicomponent films in ALD is the supercycle approach [1], where sub-cycles of different binary compounds are combined to deposit films where the resulting net composition is determined by the cycle ratio of the individual sub-cycles. A drawback of the supercycle method is that essentially multilayer stacks are deposited instead of true alloys and the film composition varies out-of-plane, potentially impacting film properties.An alternative method is to use precursor co-dosing, where two or more precursors are simultaneously dosed and co-adsorb during a half-reaction. The resulting film composition is then determined by the ratio of the partial pressures of the individual precursors during the precursor dose. As each ALD cycle deposits a true alloy, it results in excellent out-of-plane compositional uniformity. The co-dosing method has first been reported in the late 1980’s to deposit ternary and quarternary III-V compounds [2] and has been used since for a wide range of materials. In the last decade it has become the method of choice for depositing multicomponent materials with Spatial ALD.A proper understanding of the relation between film composition and precursor partial pressure during co-dosing is essential for accurate control of the film composition. This is not straightforward, as the surface chemistry of co-dosing can be quite complex, involving competitive adsorption, heterogeneity of reactive sites, exchange reactions and more. We will discuss how the surface chemistry of precursor co-dosing determines the film composition. In analogy to the IUPAC classification of adsorption isotherms for single adsorbents [3], we will introduce a similar classification of adsorption isotherms for multiple absorbing precursors which we will use to review and explain results reported in literature. Finally, we will discuss some interesting new opportunities for co-dosing, such as the deposition of gradient composition films and the use of co-dosing for area-selective deposition.[1]: A. Mackus et al, Chem. Mater. 31 (2019) 1142[2]: M. Tischler, S. Bedair, J. Cryst. Growth 77 (1986) 89[3]: M. Thommes et al, Pure & Appl. Chem. 87 (2015) 87

Research on Energy Harvesting Mechanism and Low Power Technology in Wireless Sensor Networks.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely used in various fields such as military, industrial, and transportation for real-time monitoring, sensing, and data collection of different environments or objects. However, the development of WSNs is hindered by several limitations, including energy, storage space, computing power, and data transmission rate. Among these, the availability of power energy plays a crucial role as it directly determines the lifespan of WSN. To extend the life cycle of WSN, two key approaches are power supply improvement and energy conservation. Therefore, we propose an energy harvesting system and a low-energy-consumption mechanism for WSNs. Firstly, we delved into the energy harvesting technology of WSNs, explored the utilization of solar energy and mechanical vibration energy to ensure a continuous and dependable power supply to the sensor nodes, and analyzed the voltage output characteristics of bistable piezoelectric cantilever. Secondly, we proposed a neighbor discovery mechanism that utilizes a separation beacon, is based on reply to ACK, and can facilitate the identification of neighboring nodes. This mechanism operates at a certain duty cycle ratio, significantly reduces idle listening time and results in substantial energy savings. In comparison to the Disco and U-connect protocols, our proposed mechanism achieved a remarkable reduction of 66.67% and 75% in the worst discovery delay, respectively. Furthermore, we introduced a data fusion mechanism based on integer wavelet transform. This mechanism effectively eliminates data redundancy caused by spatiotemporal correlation, resulting in a data compression rate of 5.42. Additionally, it significantly reduces energy consumption associated with data transmission by the nodes.

Effect of number of fatigue cycles on fatigue data: CFRP (prepreg and wet‐layup)

AbstractIn carrying out fatigue delamination propagation tests to assess the propagation rate versus a function of the energy release rate, the question arises as to the necessary number of cycles required to properly characterize the behavior. Tests were performed elsewhere on two different carbon/epoxy, multidirectional woven composite laminates containing a delamination using constant amplitude cycling by means of displacement control for various cycle ratios. The aim was to carry out the tests for cycles. Most specimens complied with this requirement. In this study, the fatigue data are analyzed including the first cycles, the first cycles, the first cycles, and cycles. It was seen that although the delamination length versus the cycle number could be quite similar between different cycle ranges, the Paris relation constants could be significantly different. It is suggested to carry out tests for as many cycles as possible.

Soil nutrient conditions alter viral lifestyle strategy and potential function in phosphorous and nitrogen metabolisms

As one of the most abundant members of microbial communities, viruses are considered to influence prokaryotic mortality and biogeochemical cycles. While extensive research has been conducted to explore viral diversity and community dynamics in marine ecosystems, our understanding of soil viruses, particularly within agroecosystems, remains limited. Here, we conducted metagenomics and viromics analyses in a paddy ecosystem subjected to four different levels of soil nutrient modification by pig manure applications (PM0: 0 kg ha−1, PM1: 1930 kg ha−1, PM2: 3860 kg ha−1 and PM3: 5790 kg ha−1) over a period of 9 years. We aimed to investigate viral community adaptation and virus-host interactions in response to varying soil nutrient conditions. Our findings revealed that the viral communities are more adaptable to changes in soil nutrient contents compared to prokaryotic communities. Specifically, the relative abundance of Caudoviricetes decreased significantly with increasing levels of soil available phosphorus and total nitrogen. The ratio of lytic-lysogenic cycles increased with higher manure application rates, accompanied by an elevated prevalence of functional genes related to cell processes and viral protein structure. Moreover, we identified several putative auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) associated with phosphorus and nitrogen cycles, including phoA, phoH, phoB, and gdh, with the first discovery of phoB and gdh as soil viral-encoded AMG. Notably, the association between viruses and phoB-encoding bacteria displayed greater similarity within nutrient-deficient environments compared to nutrient-enriched environments, while the converse interaction pattern emerged between viruses and gdh-encoding bacteria. Collectively, our study highlights the importance of soil nutrient conditions in driving the transition between lytic-lysogenic cycles, as well as the interaction patterns between viruses and key bacteria. The insights gleaned from our findings significantly enrich our understanding of viral ecology within agricultural ecosystems.

Upregulated PARP1 confers breast cancer resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors via YB-1 phosphorylation

BackgroundCyclic-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 kinases, as the critical drivers of the cell cycle, are involved in the tumor progression of various malignancies. Pharmacologic inhibitors of CDK4/6 have shown significant clinical prospects in treating hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor-negative (HR + /HER2-) breast cancer (BC) patients. However, acquired resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i), as a common issue, has developed rapidly. It is of great significance that the identification of novel therapeutic targets facilitates overcoming the CDK4/6i resistance. PARP1, an amplified gene for CDK4/6i-resistant patients, was found to be significantly upregulated during the construction of CDK4/6i-resistant strains. Whether PARP1 drives CDK4/6i resistance in breast cancer is worth further study.MethodPARP1 and p-YB-1 protein levels in breast cancer cells and tissues were quantified using Western blot (WB) analysis, immunohistochemical staining (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) assays. Bioinformatics analyses of Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) datasets were applied to explore the relationship between YB-1/PARP1 protein levels and CDK4/6i IC50. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and crystal violet staining assays were performed to evaluate cell proliferation rates and drug killing effects. Flow cytometry assays were conducted to assess apoptosis rates and the G1/S ratio in the cell cycle. An EdU proliferation assay was used to detect the DNA replication ratio after treatment with PARP1 and YB-1 inhibitors. A ChIP assay was performed to assess the interaction of the transcription factor YB-1 and associated DNA regions. A double fluorescein reporter gene assay was designed to assess the influence of WT/S102A/S102E YB-1 on the promoter region of PARP1. Subcutaneous implantation models were applied for in vivo tumor growth evaluations.ResultsHere, we reported that PARP1 was amplified in breast cancer cells and CDK4/6i-resistant patients, and knockdown or inhibition of PARP1 reversed drug resistance in cell experiments and animal models. In addition, upregulation of transcription factor YB-1 also occurred in CDK4/6i-resistant breast cancer, and YB-1 inhibition can regulate PARP1 expression. p-YB-1 and PARP1 were upregulated when treated with CDK4/6i based on the WB and IF results, and elevated PARP1 and p-YB-1 were almost simultaneously observed during the construction of MCF7AR-resistant strains. Inhibition of YB-1 or PAPR1 can cause decreased DNA replication, G1/S cycle arrest, and increased apoptosis. We initially confirmed that YB-1 can bind to the promoter region of PARP1 through a ChIP assay. Furthermore, we found that YB-1 phosphorylated at S102 was crucial for PARP1 transcription according to the double fluorescein reporter gene assay. The combination therapy of YB-1 inhibitors and CDK4/6i exerted a synergistic antitumor effect in vitro and in vivo. The clinical data suggested that HR + /HER2- patients with low expression of p-YB-1/PARP1 may be sensitive to CDK4/6i in breast cancer.ConclusionThese findings indicated that a ‘‘YB-1/PARP1’’ loop conferred resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Furthermore, interrupting the loop can enhance tumor killing in the xenograft tumor model, which provides a promising strategy against drug resistance in breast cancer.

PEALD deposited aluminum hafnium mixed oxide dielectrics for amorphous-IGZO TFTs

(Al–Hf) mixed oxide thin films (HfAlO) are attracted by many researchers because of their outstanding optical and electrical properties compared to hafnium oxide (HfO2). This study prepared HfAlO films at 300 °C using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). Changing the cycle ratio of HfO2 and aluminum oxide (Al2O3), the mixing effect on the properties of HfAlO film was studied. The characterization of the HfAlO films was investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–vis spectroscopy. The results show that the aluminum content and optical bandgap of the HfAlO films increased with the increase of the Al2O3 cycle ratio. The dielectric constant of the HfAlO film with a 20 % Al2O3 cycle ratio (cycles of Al2O3/(cycles of Al2O3 + cycles of HfO2)) reaches ∼ 26, and the breakdown electric field is about 6.5 MV/cm. Pure HfO2 and 20 % Al2O3 cycle ratio deposited HfAlO was used as the gate dielectric layer, and the influence on the performance of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) was studied. A-IGZO TFT with a 20 % Al2O3 cycle ratio mixed HfAlO film as the gate dielectric exhibits the best performance, showing a high Ion/Ioff ratio of 1.3 × 109, a saturation mobility of ∼5.8 cm2/Vs, a subthreshold slope of 88 mV per decade and a low threshold voltage of −0.1V.

Fluctuating redox conditions accelerate the electron storage and transfer in magnetite and production of dark hydroxyl radicals

Magnetite (Fe3O4), known as a geo-battery that can store and transfer electrons, often co-occurs with sulfide in subsurface environments with fluctuating redox conditions. However, little is known about how fluctuating redox conditions (e.g., sulfidation-oxidation) affect the electron storage and transfer in Fe3O4 that was associated with the production of dark hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) and the oxidation of dissolved organic matter (DOM). This study revealed that Fe3O4 sulfidated by sulfide (S-Fe3O4) at neutral pH exhibited higher ⋅OH production upon oxygenation than Fe3O4, in which the cumulative ⋅OH concentration increased with increasing initial S/Fe ratio (≤ 0.50), sulfidation duration and number of sulfidation-oxidation cycle. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and wet-chemical analyses of Fe and S species of S-Fe3O4 showed that sulfidation enables electron storage in Fe3O4 by increasing both structural and surface Fe(II). Sulfide was converted into S0, acid volatile sulfur (AVS), and chromium-reducible sulfur (CRS) during Fe3O4 sulfidation. S-Fe3O4 with lower AVS/CRS ratio exhibited higher reactivity to produce ⋅OH, indicating the important role of CRS in transferring electrons from Fe(II) to O2. Based on quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis, a one-step two-electron transfer mechanism was proposed for O2 reduction during S-Fe3O4 oxygenation, and surface-bound rather than free ⋅OH were identified as the primary reactive oxygen species. The ⋅OH from S-Fe3O4 oxygenation was shown to be efficient in degradation of DOM. Overall, these results suggested that sulfidation-oxidation can accelerate the electron storage and transfer in Fe3O4 for dark ⋅OH production, having an important impact on the carbon cycling in subsurface environments.

Novel nomogram for predicting survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer receiving anti-PD-1 plus chemotherapy with or without antiangiogenic therapy.

This study aimed to develop and validate a novel nomogram to predict survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus chemotherapy with or without antiangiogenic therapy. A total of 271 patients with advanced NSCLC who received anti-PD-1 plus chemotherapy with or without antiangiogenic therapy were enrolled in our center and randomized into the training cohort (n = 133) and the internal validation cohort (n = 138). Forty-five patients from another center were included as an independent external validation cohort. The nomogram was created based on the multivariate Cox regression analysis to predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The performance of the nomogram was assessed using the concordance index (C-index), the time-dependent area under the receiver operating (ROC) curves (AUCs), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Four factors significantly associated with OS were utilized to create a nomogram to predict OS: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, chemotherapy cycle, and pretreatment lactate dehydrogenase-albumin ratio (LAR). Six variables significantly associated with PFS were incorporated into the development of a nomogram for predicting PFS: ECOG PS, histology, PD-L1 expression, chemotherapy cycle, pretreatment platelet to lymphocyte (PLR), and pretreatment LAR. The C-indexes of the nomogram for predicting OS and PFS were 0.750 and 0.747, respectively. The AUCs for predicting the 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month OS and PFS were 0.847, 0.791, and 0.776 and 0.810, 0.787, and 0.861, respectively. The calibration curves demonstrated a good agreement between predictions and actual observations. The DCA curves indicated that the nomograms had good net benefits. Furthermore, the nomogram model was well-validated in the internal and external cohorts. The novel nomogram for predicting the prognosis of advanced NSCLC receiving anti-PD-1 plus chemotherapy with or without antiangiogenic therapy may help guide clinical treatment decisions.

Effect of Clomiphene Citrate on Estrus Cycle and The Ova Shed in the Ovary of Female Sprague Dawley Rats

Purpose: Clomiphene citrate (CC) is used in the management of infertile females. Estrus Cycle indices are good parameters for evaluating reproductive changes, while actual ova shed represents evidence of ovulation. This study is aimed at investigating how different doses of CC can affect the Estrus Cycle (EC), Estrus Cycle Ratio, (ECR), and ova shed (OS) in adult female rats. &#x0D; Methodology: Twenty-five (50) female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into 5 groups. Group A was controlled while groups B, C, D, and E were treated groups. Group A received 0.5 ml of sterile water. Groups B, C, and D were given 0.2 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, and 4 mg/kg respectively at diestrus. Group E was given 6mg/kg/day of CC dissolved in sterile water. The administration was done orally. A vaginal smear was evaluated for various estrus phases. ECR was calculated, and ova shed at the estrus phase was evaluated at autopsy. All data were presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). Statistical significance was taken at P &lt; 0.05&#x0D; Findings: There was a significant decrease (p&lt;0.05) in the number of proestrus, estrus, metestrus, and diestrus in treated groups compared with control. ECR value in all treated groups also decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) when compared with control. This study further shows that all the animal groups (A-E) released ova but there was a significant decrease (p&lt;0.05) in the number of ova released in groups B, C, D, and E against the control group.&#x0D; Conclusion: CC decreases EC. It reduced ECR, hence prolonging luteogenesis. It decreases the number of eggs released. With a large dose and prolonged use, eggs were still released even when the ova released and counted were fewer compared with when this drug was not in use. &#x0D; Recommendation: Infertile couples should copulate more at the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle when on CC to increase their chances of pregnancy. CC decreases the number of eggs released but makes the few eggs released stay longer for fertilization.