On the methodology of conventional and semi-system formwork project comparison.

Formwork refers to a temporary structure or mold that is used to hold concrete in place from the moment it is poured until it reaches the desired level of strength. Efficient utilization of formwork is a crucial aspect to take into account. This study aims to analyze the costs related to column, beam, and floor slab formwork by employing value engineering.

Sustainable Diesel from Pyrolysis of Unsaturated Fatty Acid Basic Soaps: The Effect of Temperature on Yield and Product Composition.

The production of sustainable diesel without hydrogen addition remains a challenge for low-cost fuel production. In this work, the pyrolysis of unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) basic soaps was studied for the production sustainable diesel (bio-hydrocarbons). UFAs were obtained from palm fatty acids distillate (PFAD), which was purified by the fractional crystallization method.

Tumor Microenvironment as a Regulator of Radiation Therapy: New Insights into Stromal-Mediated Radioresistance.

A tumor is a complex "organ" composed of malignant cancer cells harboring genetic aberrations surrounded by a stroma comprised of non-malignant cells and an extracellular matrix. Considerable evidence has demonstrated that components of the genetically "normal" tumor stroma contribute to tumor progression and resistance to a wide array of treatment modalities, including radiotherapy. Cancer-associated fibroblasts can promote radioresistance through their secreted factors, contact-mediated signaling, downstream pro-survival signaling pathways, immunomodulatory effects, and cancer stem cell-generating role.

Dendritic Cell Paucity Leads to Dysfunctional Immune Surveillance in Pancreatic Cancer.

Here, we utilized spontaneous models of pancreatic and lung cancer to examine how neoantigenicity shapes tumor immunity and progression. As expected, neoantigen expression during lung adenocarcinoma development leads to T cell-mediated immunity and disease restraint. By contrast, neoantigen expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) results in exacerbation of a fibro-inflammatory microenvironment that drives disease progression and metastasis.

Agonism of CD11b reprograms innate immunity to sensitize pancreatic cancer to immunotherapies.

Although checkpoint immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of cancer, not all tumor types have seen substantial benefit. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy in which very limited responses to immunotherapy have been observed. Extensive immunosuppressive myeloid cell infiltration in PDAC tissues has been postulated as a major mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy.

Tumor-Specific T Cell Dysfunction Is a Dynamic Antigen-Driven Differentiation Program Initiated Early during Tumorigenesis.

CD8(+) T cells recognizing tumor-specific antigens are detected in cancer patients but are dysfunctional. Here we developed a tamoxifen-inducible liver cancer mouse model with a defined oncogenic driver antigen (SV40 large T-antigen) to follow the activation and differentiation of naive tumor-specific CD8(+) T (TST) cells after tumor initiation. Early during the pre-malignant phase of tumorigenesis, TST cells became dysfunctional, exhibiting phenotypic, functional, and transcriptional features similar to dysfunctional T cells isolated from late-stage human tumors.