Material Yield Research Articles

Highly Efficient Luminescent Solar Concentrators Based on Capped Carbon Quantum Dots with Unity Quantum Yield

AbstractLuminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) can convert sunlight to clean energy by serving as large‐area collectors of sunlight. Benefiting from their large‐area, semi‐transparency, and lightweight characteristics, LSCs have gained a great of attention. However, their optical efficiency is limited by the low quantum yield (QY) and small Stokes shift of conventional photoluminescent materials. Carbon quantum dots (C‐dots) are promising alternatives, yet achieving both high QY and large Stokes shift has proven challenging. Here, a simple, controllable vacuum heating method is introduced to synthesize highly efficient C‐dots using a citric acid‐urea‐cyanuric acid‐CaCl2 system. The cyanuric acid‐capped C‐dots exhibit outstanding properties, including a QY of 94.3% in solution and 100% in a polymer matrix, a large Stokes shift of 0.64 eV, and exceptional photostability, making them ideal for LSC applications. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy provides insights into their exciton dynamics. An LSC (25 cm2) based on these C‐dots achieves an optical efficiency of 13.82% ± 0.30%, while its attached photovoltaic cell attains a power conversion efficiency of 4.82% ± 0.10% under natural sunlight (80 mW cm−2), marking the highest performance reported for C‐dot‐based LSCs. These results highlight the potential of cyanuric acid‐capped C‐dots for advanced solid‐state lighting and energy conversion technologies.

Focused ion beam (FIB) prepared microtextured microneedle array capable of delivering drugs through punctured skin

Microtextured microneedles are tiny needle-like structures with micron-scale microtextures, and the drugs stored in the microtextures can be released after entering the skin to achieve the effect of precise drug delivery. In this study, the skin substitution model of Ogden’s hyperelastic model and the microneedle array and microtexture models with different geometrical parameters were selected to simulate and analyse the flow of the microtexture microneedle arrays penetrating the skin by the finite-element method, and the length of the microneedles was determined to be 200 μm, the width 160 μm, and the value of the gaps was determined to be 420 μm. A four-pronged cone was chosen as the shape of microneedles, and a rectangle was chosen as the shape of the drug-carrying microneedle. The initial microneedle arrays were prepared by wet etching using monocrystalline silicon as the material due to its high mechanical strength, stability and good biocompatibility. The sputtering yield, energy loss and material damage of single crystal silicon materials during focused ion beam (FIB) processing were calculated using Monte Carlo method and found to have optimum removal efficiency and processing accuracy at 30 keV ion beam voltage. After the initial microneedle arrays were prepared using wet etching, microtextures were prepared on the microneedles with 30° inclination and 45° inclination using FIB technique with processing parameters of 30 keV and 60 nA. Biocompatibility tests showed a cell survival rate of 99.42% for the cell set containing the microneedle array, indicating that the microneedle array was non-toxic to the cells. The viscosity and contact angle of 5-fluorouracil, triamcinolone acetonide and tacrolimus were examined and it was learnt that tacrolimus had the highest viscosity and the lowest contact angle and the configured solution was able to be more present in the microtexture and was more stable and less susceptible to loss. The experiments of drug-carrying skin puncture mice showed that the stained area of tacrolimus was brighter and more uniformly distributed, the stained area of microtextured microneedles was larger than that of ordinary microneedles by 70.52%, the drug-carrying area was larger than the average area of ordinary microneedles by 105.09%, and the drug-carrying effect of microtextured microneedles with a horizontal inclination angle of 30° was more effective.

Validation of the Numerical Simulation of Rotor/Stator Interactions in Aircraft Engine Low-Pressure Compressors

Abstract This contribution focuses on the validation of a numerical strategy developed jointly by Safran and Polytechnique Montréal for the simulation and the analysis of blade-tip/casing contact interactions in low-pressure compressor stages. A large experimental campaign provided data (including strain measurements on the blade and abradable coating wear profiles) for several contact configurations involving four distinct blades and one type of abradable coating. The numerical strategy is here improved by introducing a new cutoff criterion to ensure the physical relevance of the presented results, specifically by keeping the maximum stress within the blade below the material's yield stress. Similarly to previous publications involving a single contact configuration, the numerical model is first calibrated for one of the four blades of interest. It is seen that the results using the numerical model—critical speed, relative wear depth between leading edge (LE) and trailing edge (TE), and maximum stress levels within the blade—are in good agreement with the experimental observations. Using the same calibration, numerical simulations are then blindly run for the three other blades. The results demonstrate that numerically predicted key quantities align well with experimental data. Additionally, the numerical model provides an accurate relative assessment of a blade's sensitivity to contact in agreement with experimental observations. This paper thus presents the first blind validation of a numerical strategy dedicated to blade-tip/casing contact interactions. Simultaneously, it also demonstrates that this model may be considered for the early discrimination of blade profiles depending on their sensitivity to contact.

Discrimination Among New Vegetative Materials of Passiflora edulis Sims. From Canary Islands by Their Volatile Profile

ABSTRACTThis study shows the successful discrimination among different passion fruit samples cultivated in the Canary Islands, specifically purple, yellow, and a new cultivar labelled as purple selection (obtained to ensure disease resistance, yield, and adequate taste of the cultivated materials), based on their distinctive volatile profile. The headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) method (using under optimum conditions the commercial CAR/PDMS fibre at 62°C for 60 min and 15% (w/w) NaCl with 10 mL of juices of passion fruit samples) was applied to estimate the volatile profile of up to eighteen passion juice fruit samples, coupling the technique to gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The method permitted the identification of up to 135 volatile compounds such as esters, terpenes and alcohols, among others. The qualitative study indicated that the most abundant compounds in yellow and purple passion fruit are the same (hexyl hexanoate (21%–14%), hexyl butanoate (19%–11%) and ethyl hexanoate (11%–6%)), while the most abundant compounds for this new vegetative material are ethyl octanoate (with almost 53%), hexyl hexanoate and ethyl 3‐hexanoate. Advanced statistical techniques, such as linear discrimination analysis (LDA), were used to explore each data sample, with samples analysed by HS‐SPME‐GC–MS in quadruplicate. 106 peaks were coincident in all chromatograms of the samples, but only 13 variables (compounds) were sufficient to discriminate the new vegetative species. Besides, the HS‐SPME‐GC–MS method proved to be efficient and sustainable, with application of modern metrics of greenness, particularly when compared with other techniques commonly applied for this type of analysis.

Multiaxial characterisation and nonlinear thermoviscoelastic isotropic and orthotropic constitutive models of ETFE membranes

Ethylene-tetra-fluoroethylene (ETFE) is a stiff and ductile polymer widely employed in cladding elements for roofs and façades, formed in pneumatic cushions or tensioned foils. The material’s high thermoviscoelastic effects require a comprehensive time and temperature-dependent multiaxial characterisation and accurate constitutive model to foster the design of lightweight ETFE tensioned construction and their standards. A multiaxial experimental campaign is performed to assess the material response in a wide range of temperatures, from −20°C to 60°C, strain rates, from 0.01%/s to 1%/s, and mechanical loading conditions typical of ETFE buildings. Uniaxial and biaxial bulge tests on circular and elliptical samples are carried out to assess constant strain rates, pressure rates and temperatures, unloading, cyclic, creep and relaxation conditions until the material yield point. Two nonlinear thermoviscoelastic plane stress constitutive models, one isotropic and one orthotropic, are developed using the Eyring stress shift factor to capture material nonlinearities, in the framework of the Boltzmann and the time–temperature superposition principles. A freezing of the Eyring shift factor during unloading has been introduced to represent ETFE relaxation and cyclic conditions. The numerical implementation of the consecutive models within finite element software is made available open source and has enabled the their validation on independently acquired data. The results show high accuracy between measurements and predictions from both isotropic and orthotropic formulations, thus paving the way for their use in structural design to capture highly nonlinear time and thermal effects, such as multiaxial prestress loss after installation or creep caused by variable loads.

Real‐Time Observation of Strain Evolution in Lap Shear Test of BH220 Steel Resistance Spot‐Welded Joints via a Digital Image Correlation Method

This article presents an investigation of the real‐time deformation and strain field changes of baked hardening (BH) 220 steel plate resistance spot welds in the lap tensile shear tests via digital image correlation (DIC) technology. 2D DIC analysis can be used to provide a quantitative assessment of the strain competition between the weld nugget and the surrounding metal. The data obtained from the DIC technique indicate that the shear strain is primarily concentrated in the outer metal of the weld, consistent with a nugget pull‐out failure (PF) mode. In contrast, if the welding parameters are inappropriate, for example, if the welding current is 7.2 kA, the welding time is 10 cycles and the electrode pressure is 0.35 MPa, a significant shear strain appears in the nugget of the BH220 weld. This subsequently causes the weld to fail in an unfavorable interface failure mode in the shear test. Calculations show that if the failure mode is nugget pull‐out, the mean failure strength is 13.5 kN, while the value for interface failure is 6.55 kN. The PF mode is characterized by ductile failure, whereby the material yields and necks through the base material. This failure mode is not associated with the notch region.

Forecasting Raw Material Yield in the Tanning Industry: A Machine Learning Approach

This study presents an innovative machine learning (ML) approach to predicting raw material yield in the leather tanning industry, addressing a critical challenge in production efficiency. Conducted at a tannery in southern Brazil, the research leverages historical production data to develop a predictive model. The methodology encompasses four key stages: data collection, processing, prediction, and evaluation. After rigorous analysis and refinement, the dataset was reduced from 16,046 to 555 high-quality records. Eight ML models were implemented and evaluated using Orange Data Mining software, version 3.38.0, including advanced algorithms such as Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and neural networks. Model performance was assessed through cross-validation and comprehensive metrics, including Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Coefficient of Determination (R2). The AdaBoost algorithm emerged as the most accurate predictor, achieving impressive results with an MAE of 0.042, MSE of 0.003, RMSE of 0.057, and R2 of 0.331. This research demonstrates the significant potential of ML techniques in enhancing raw material yield forecasting within the tanning industry. The findings contribute to more efficient forecasting processes, aligning with Industry 4.0 principles and paving the way for data-driven decision-making in manufacturing.

Reducing Non-Radiative Energy Losses in Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cells.

With the rapid advancement of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs), the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) has surpassed the 20 % threshold, highlighting their considerable potential as next-generation energy conversion devices. In comparison to inorganic or perovskite solar cells, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of OSCs is constrained by substantial non-radiative energy losses (ΔEnr), leading to values notably below those anticipated by the Shockley-Queisser limit. In OSCs, non-radiative energy losses are intimately associated with the electroluminescent quantum efficiency (EQEEL) of charge transfer states, which is in turn directly affected by the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of acceptor materials. Consequently, enhancing the PLQY of low-bandgap acceptor materials has emerged as a pivotal strategy to effectively mitigate ΔEnr. This review article delves into the intrinsic correlation between molecular structure and PLQY from the vantage point of acceptor material design. It further explores methodologies for designing acceptor materials exhibiting high PLQY, with the ultimate goal of realizing OSCs that combine high efficiency with minimal ΔEnr.

Additively-manufactured lattice-grid sandwich cylinders and elastoplastic multi-failure analyses

Aluminum alloy lattice-grid sandwich cylinders, comprising a symmetric pyramidal truss core and open grid face-sheets, are additively manufactured using the selective laser melting method. The compression behaviors of these sandwich cylinders are investigated. Failure is controlled by three competing mechanisms: global buckling, core shear instability and grid buckling, with the active failure mode determined by the cylinder geometry and the material yield stress. Failure criteria are defined in terms of the effective elastoplastic properties of the grid-skins and core, which agree well with the measured and simulated failure responses, and are applied to generate multi-failure maps with cylinder geometrical parameters as axes. The maps help with failure load prediction and design optimization. For these cylinders, grid buckling is proposed as the dominant failure mode.

Split wooden rods for novel wood-based boards in the construction sector

Wood has been utilized as a building material for thousands of years. Nowadays, its renewable nature and carbon-storing capacity can become important factors in climate change mitigation efforts. This has led to a resurgence of timber engineering in recent years, with impressive multi-story timber buildings worldwide. However, it should not be overlooked that the wood sector will face several challenges in the coming years and decades to pave the way to a leading role of wood in the desired transition toward bioeconomy. Based on the assumption that an increasing demand for wood will make it a more precious resource, a couple of strains will emerge across the entire value chain of wood processing. This calls for innovations to address issues arising from predicted changes in resource provision, to increase material yields, and to promote reuse after the end of life. Our conceptual article proposes a new wood separation and processing method. This approach is inspired by the well-known production of wood shingles and is currently being developed for the implementation of new wood-based products.

Chiral Rare-Earth (Ce, Eu) Metal Halides with Bright Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

Chiral metal halide materials are emerging chiroptical materials that are easy to synthesize and have a wide tunability. Rare-earth (RE) metals are desirable components to be incorporated in the hybrid regime; however, they are typically difficult to handle for solution-based halide chemistry. Here, we report two new examples of chiral RE metal halides with Ce(III) and Eu(III) with chiral alkanolammonium cations (R/S-3-hydroxyquinuclidium). These compounds crystallize in the non-centrosymmetric space group R3, where their mirror-like symmetric circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) further witness the chiral nature. The superior emission properties, including the high photoluminescence quantum yield of the Ce-based materials (84-90%) and Eu-based materials (27-29%), have led to distinct and sharp symmetrical CPL in the ultraviolet and visible regions, with dissymmetry factors (glum) of ∼2 × 10-3 and ∼4 × 10-3, respectively. This work has established and expanded the materials space for chiral RE metal halides and demonstrated their potential for chiroptical and spintronic applications.

Of deviance and patriarchy: Mechanisms of gender discrimination in public‐sector corruption

AbstractAlthough men are overrepresented among the perpetrators of high‐profile, white‐collar crime, examinations of public‐sector corruption typically reveal little‐to‐no gender differences in participation. Drawing from Steffensmeier's theory of gender inequality in the criminal underworld and Tomaskovic‐Devey and Avent‐Holt's relational theory of inequality, we argue that this apparent equality conceals systematically different patterns of engagement. We hypothesize that bureaucrats and other facilitators are more willing to collaborate with men than with women. Because public‐sector corruption markets are not male dominated, we argue that “gatekeepers” of both genders systematically exclude women from lucrative illegal collaborations. We further hypothesize that patterns of gender inequality are more pronounced in riskier and more profitable public‐sector corruption. We test these hypotheses with data from an original nationally representative survey conducted in Russia in 2018 using models that incorporate controls for explanations that locate gender differences in crime engagement in offender attributes. Our results demonstrate that gender differences in public‐sector corruption are a function of coordination among multiple actors. These relational dynamics advantage Russian men over women in that they are more likely to use less costly types of remuneration and to engage in high‐stakes exchanges with bigger material yields.

Investigation of structural features of asphaltenes used for carbon materials synthesis by arc plasma treatment

This study presents analysis of asphaltenes isolated from two crude oils: naphthenic-aromatic biodegraded oil and paraffin-naphthenic oil, which have been used as precursors for carbon materials synthesis. The aim of this study is to investigate the interrelationship between the initial structure of asphaltene and the properties of carbon materials. Based on number of spectroscopic and other data, it can be found out that the asphaltenes from napthenic-aromatic biodegraded oil contain less paraffin and more cyclic fragments (aromatic and aliphatic), that are larger and more densely stacked. The asphaltenes of paraffin-naphthenic oil contain a larger number of labile bonds and heteroatoms. Both the asphaltenes contain sulfur enclosed in thiophene and sulfide fragments, nitrogen and oxygen, which are incorporated in different units with different thermal stability. Carbon materials are obtained from both asphaltenes via plasma of an electric arc discharge. The asphaltenes undergo graphitization as a result of plasma treatment, the general trend is an elimination of functional groups and N, S, O. The yields of the carbon materials are almost equal for two studied asphaltenes, giving graphite-like materials as the major product in both cases. The carbon material obtained from the napthenic-aromatic asphaltenes is less thermally stable, the yield of nano-structures and nanofibers are higher compared to the asphaltenes from paraffinic oil, with trace metals remaining during the synthesis process. The carbon material from paraffin-naphthenic oil is amorphous with low heteroatoms content.

Variations in metabolites content and bioactivity to regulate biomarkers of benign prostatic hyperplasia according to the growth stages of Sida rhombifolia

It has been reported that the secondary metabolites produced by plants are influenced by genetic diversity and growth conditions, resulting in significant variations in chemical content even within the same species. In the previous study searching for bioactive materials from plants to improve benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), it was found that the methanolic extract of Sida rhombifolia in the family of Malvaceae exhibited the excellent inhibition on the expressions of 5-alpha reductase type 2 (5αR2) and androgen receptor (AR) in human prostate cells. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the change in the contents of major components of S. rhombifolia and the activity of improving BPH according to the growth stages of S. rhombifolia. Plant growth characteristics including plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, leaf width, and number of leaves were examined at intervals of approximately 15 days for 51 days. The contents of 20-Hydroxyecdysone and α-Ecdysone, the main constituents contained in S. rhombifolia on each day after transplantation (DAT) were analyzed using LC-ESI-MS/MS. The inhibitory activities of S. rhombifolia stems or leaves at each DAT on the expressions of AR, 5αR2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and prostate specific antigen (PSA), were evaluated in human originated prostate cells, RWPE-1 and LNCaP cells activated by Testosterone propionate (TP). Considering the yield of the raw materials, the contents of metabolites, and the bioactivities, it was suggested that the appropriate collection period for S. rhombifolia as a bioactive material to improve BPH might be after 90 DAT.

Improved approaches for small punch test to estimate the yield and ultimate tensile strength of metallic materials

The small punch test (SPT) has been used extensively in nuclear industries to estimate mechanical properties changes of metals due to irradiation. This paper aims to propose more accurate approaches for SPT to estimate the yield and ultimate tensile strength of metals. The relationship between the SPT force and the yield and ultimate tensile strength of materials was studied by using finite element simulation data, and then three approaches were developed to determine tensile properties of materials by means of SPT. Force method and Slop method were developed to derive the ultimate tensile strength of metals from SPT curves, and Area method was proposed to determine the yield and ultimate tensile strength of metals. The accuracy of these approaches were verified by two candidate structural material for fusion reactors (CLF-1 steel and 9Cr-ODS steel) and other 10 structural materials. Area method gives more accurate evaluation on the yield strength of metals than the correlation method given in European standard on SPT. In addition, the developed approaches have advantages in estimating the tensile properties of low ductility metals.

Experimental study on the heat input behavior of wire-arc additively manufactured 316L stainless steel parts for repairing applications

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) as an emerging manufacturing technique for fabricating large size metallic components with a higher deposition rate and lower material wastage. In this research, a thin walled-part was fabricated from stainless steel 316L with various heat input (HI) (low heat deposited wall (LHDW) and high heat deposited wall (HHDW) using the cold metal transfer (CMT)-based WAAM process. The microstructure characteristics, metallurgical characterization, and mechanical properties of the WAAM manufactured thin-walled component were examined. The deposited wall measuring 120 mm in length and 50 mm in height was fabricated by WAAM using ER316L wire and CMT. Microstructure of the deposit parts consists of the equiaxed, coarse, and columnar grains with epitaxial growth of dendrites were formed. The decrease in HI leads to the improvement of material hardness, yield and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) as well as the percentage elongation after fracture of the material decreases. EBSD analysis demonstrates the average grain size of 0.98 µm in LHDW and 2.43 in HHDW respectively. XRD results shows that main crystal structure found in WAAM thin-walled sample was γ-austenite phases. The microhardness distribution of the fabricated component exhibited the stability characteristics with the average value ranging between 213–237 HV. The tensile studies demonstrate the UTS of the LHDW and HHDW along the horizontal direction are 477 MPa greater than the vertical direction of 468 MPa and observed the anisotropy properties. The fractured surface was characterized by the emergence of obvious dimples revealing the ductile fracture. The lower HI and finer solidification structure of component fabricated by LHDW has greater tensile and hardness properties than that of HHDW. This study presents the initial assessment results for repairing stainless steel components subjected to mechanical damage.

Research on Safety of Aero-Engine Oil Pipe Under Heating Conditions Based on Fluid-Solid Thermal Coupling.

This paper examines the safety of aero-engine pipelines under different heating conditions. Based on the fire test standard documents, a model of an aero-engine oil pipe was constructed, and its safety under heating conditions that meet the standard was analyzed using fluid-solid thermal coupling. The pipe material was stainless steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti, and the oil inside the pipeline was China RP-3 kerosene. To simulate the different working conditions or pump failure scenarios, various kerosene inlet flow rates were used for the calculations. The results indicate that the pipe wall exhibits an uneven temperature distribution under standard heating conditions. As the kerosene flow rate decreases, the pipe wall temperature rises, and heat transfer deterioration occurs. The increase in the pipe wall temperature reduces the material's strength, while the uneven temperature distribution generates thermal stress, further increasing the safety risk. When the kerosene flow rate is reduced to a certain level, the equivalent stress in the pipe wall exceeds the material's yield strength, leading to a high risk of rupture.

Graphene Synthesis by Electrochemical Reduction of Graphene Oxide and Its Characterizations

Graphene is one of the nanoscale materials that has attracted many researchers to continue in-depth study on its unique properties where both the graphene oxide (GO) and electrochemical reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) are the derivatives of graphene. GO and ERGO can be further modified chemically for many types of application such as sensor and water filter membrane. However, to restore the electrical property of graphene, GO should be reduced to ERGO. There are several types of reduction methods which are fast to produce good quality and high yield of graphene material. However, those methods use toxic chemicals to reduce GO which can bring negative impact to both human and environment. Therefore, an electrochemical approach can be carried out to solve this issue. This study presents the electrochemical synthesis of GO and electrochemical reduction of ERGO. All characterizations were conducted by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Seismic behavior of resilient concrete column-base connection with SMA bolts and RSPs

This paper presented a novel resilient concrete column-base connection with shaped memory alloy (SMA) bolts and rectangular slotted plates (RSPs) to achieve the demountable and recoverable capabilities in precast concrete columns. Quasi-static tests were conducted on one monolithic and three resilient concrete connections to investigate the effects of RSP number and yield strength on seismic behavior. Results showed that the resilient connection with both flange and web RSPs had superior lateral capacity, ultimate drift ratio, and energy dissipation compared to the monolithic connection. The resilient connection also exhibited minimal concrete damage and smaller residual deformation. However, low-yield-strength flange RSPs significantly reduced lateral capacity, initial stiffness, and energy dissipation, which should be considered in engineering design. Additionally, adjustment coefficients for rocking interface rotations were determined from digital image correlation (DIC) data using a fitting method. A formula was proposed to predict the flexural capacity of resilient specimens, assuming a plane section in the compression zone. The predictions closely matched the test data, with differences within 10 %, demonstrating the formula's effectiveness. The length, diameter, and material yield strength of the anti-shear steel bar (ASB) had a significant impact on the shear capacity of the interface.

Optimization of Turnaround Time and Insufficient Quantity Frequency for Molecular Testing on FFPE Material

Abstract Introduction/Objective With clinical decisions relying progressively more on molecular data extracted from formalin- fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue, it is pivotal to optimize the use of tissue for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. This optimization can be reached by identifying actionable instances that can decrease the turnaround time (TAT) and the rate of “quantity not sufficient” (QNS) results Methods/Case Report From January 2023 to December 2023, the total TAT from the time a molecular study is ordered to its delivery to the molecular lab at LL200A (Tomsich Laboratories), as well as the TAT from the time between the ordering pathologist circling the region of interest to its delivery to LL200A were broken down by subspecialty and site. In addition, the QNS results of Caris genomic profiling were evaluated considering subspecialty and site, amount of material present in the initial sample, and number of levels cut for other ancillary testing from the same material. Results (if a Case Study enter NA) 83% of subspecialties took longer than 48 hours to have material ordered for molecular studies delivered to LL200A. The median TAT for all specialties was 58 hours (average: 71.6 hours). When examining TAT from circling to LL200A, the median time was 19 hours (average: 28.4 hours). Regarding the QNS rate of the Caris assay, most QNS cases were gastrointestinal tract specimens (27%) or specimens obtained from either CT-guided core needle biopsies (30%) or endoscopic biopsies (32%). The longest dimension of QNS cases ranged from 7.5 cm to 0.1 cm (median: 1.3cm)—the average number of slides ordered before Caris ranged from 1 to 52 (median: 12). Conclusion The initial results pointed towards the time from circling to LL200A as one actionable item that could improve the TAT of molecular tests. Possible solutions include enacting a dedicated tumor circling service. In addition, to decrease the rate of Caris QNS results, we propose working together with proceduralists to increase biopsy material yield and to work with pathologists to preserve limited specimens for molecular studies.