Adaptability of Heteropolytungstate Anions as Efficient Anode Redox Mediators in Redox Flow Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells.

Heteropolyanions (HPAs) are known as the candidate for an anode redox mediator for redox flow polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). The electrochemical properties of HPAs differ depending on the transition elements and heteroatoms in HPAs. For example, heteropolytungstate anions (W-HPAs), in which the transition element is tungsten, have a lower one-electron reduction potential than other HPAs.

Robust Beam Selection Based on Water Equivalent Thickness Analysis in Passive Scattering Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) is one of the most effective radiotherapeutic modalities. This study aimed to select robust-beam configurations (BC) by water equivalent thickness (WET) analysis in passive CIRT for pancreatic cancer. The study analyzed 110 computed tomography (CT) images and 600 dose distributions of eight patients with pancreatic cancer.

Clinical advantage and outcomes of computed tomography-based transvaginal hybrid brachytherapy performed only by sedation without general or saddle block anesthesia.

Background: Three-dimensional image-guided brachytherapy is the standard of care in cervical cancer radiotherapy. In addition, the usefulness of the so-called "hybrid brachytherapy (HBT)" has been reported, which involves the addition of needle applicators to conventional intracavitary brachytherapy for interstitial irradiation.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of CT-based HBT consisting of transvaginal insertion of needle applicators (CT-based transvaginal HBT) and only intravenous sedation without general or saddle block anesthesia.

An adaptive planning strategy in carbon ion therapy of pancreatic cancer involving beam angle selection.

Background And Purpose: In carbon-ion radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer, altered dose distributions due to changes in the gastrointestinal gas volume and anatomy during irradiation are an unresolved therapeutic issue. We developed and investigated an adaptive strategy involving beam angle selection to improve dose distributions in pancreatic cancer.

Materials And Methods: In the adaptive strategy, multiple beams were prepared with angles similar to those of the conventional strategy, and the beam that best reproduces the dose distribution of the treatment plan was used.

Adaptive planning based on single beam optimization in passive scattering carbon ion radiotherapy for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Background: Daily anatomical deviations may distort the dose distribution in carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT), which may cause treatment failure. Therefore, this study aimed to perform re-planning to maintain the dose coverage in patients with pancreatic cancer with passive scattering CIRT.

Methods: Eight patients with pancreatic cancer and 95 daily computed tomography (CT) sets were examined.

CO methanation mechanism over Ni/YO: an diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopic study.

Supported Ni catalysts are active in CO2 methanation. It is important to understand the reaction mechanism for the development of highly-active catalysts. In this study, we investigated the reaction pathways of CO2 methanation over Ni/Y2O3 and Ni/Al2O3 based on the adsorbates observed by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy.

Determination of Deformable Image Registration Algorithms for Accumulating Dose in Carbon-ion Radiotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer.

Background/aim: This study aimed to determine appropriate deformable image registration (DIR) algorithms for pancreatic cancer patients undergoing carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT).

Patients And Methods: The performance of three types of DIR algorithms, including intensity-based DIR (iDIR), contour-based DIR (cDIR), and hybrid DIR (hDIR) were evaluated using seventy-one CT images from eight pancreatic cancer patients. Both the geometry of the CTV and subsequent dose warping discrepancies were evaluated using the dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the difference in V95.

Robustness of daily dose for each beam angle and accumulated dose for inter-fractional anatomical changes in passive carbon-ion radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer: Bone matching versus tumor matching.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the robustness of accumulated dose distributions for inter-fractional changes in passive carbon-ion radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Ninety-five daily CT image sets acquired after the treatment of eight patients with pancreatic cancer were used in this prospective study. Dose distributions with treatment beam fields were recalculated for bone matching (BM) and tumor matching (TM) positions on all daily CT images, the accumulated doses being calculated using deformable image registration methods.

Mild Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine neoplasm. Although surgical resection is the first-line treatment for primary MCCs, the characteristics of this disease (i.e.

Definitive Radiation Therapy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma Misdiagnosed as a Metastatic Tumor: A Case Report.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine neoplasia. Surgical resection is the first-line therapeutic option, and radiation therapy is an alternative treatment for inoperable cases. Herein, we report a case of primary MCC (cT2N0M0, stage IIA) of the head and neck region.

FGFR Signaling as a Candidate Therapeutic Target for Cancers Resistant to Carbon Ion Radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is an essential component of cancer therapy. Carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) promises to improve outcomes compared with standard of care in many cancers. Nevertheless, clinicians often observe in-field recurrence after CIRT.

Robustness of Clonogenic Assays as a Biomarker for Cancer Cell Radiosensitivity.

Photon radiation therapy is a major curative treatment for cancer. However, the lack of robust predictive biomarkers for radiosensitivity precludes personalized radiation therapy. Clonogenic assays are the gold standard method for measuring the radiosensitivity of cancer cells.

Deep learning-assisted literature mining for in vitro radiosensitivity data.

Background And Purpose: Integrated analysis of existing radiosensitivity data obtained by the gold-standard clonogenic assay has the potential to improve our understanding of cancer cell radioresistance. However, extraction of radiosensitivity data from the literature is highly labor-intensive. To aid in this task, using deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and other computer technologies, we developed an analysis pipeline that extracts radiosensitivity data derived from clonogenic assays from the literature.

Ammonia decomposition over Ni catalysts supported on perovskite-type oxides for the on-site generation of hydrogen.

Ammonia decomposition has attracted increasing attention as a promising process for the on-site generation of hydrogen. In this study, Ni catalysts supported on perovskite-type oxides (ABO) were prepared and the activity for ammonia decomposition was examined. The Ni/ANbO (A = Na and K) and Ni/AEMnO (AE = Ca, Sr, and Ba) catalysts were less effective for this reaction.

Promoted Hydride/Oxide Exchange in SrTiO by Introduction of Anion Vacancy via Aliovalent Cation Substitution.

We investigated topochemical anion exchange reactions for a Sc-substituted SrTiO perovskite, Sr(TiSc)O□ (y ≤ 0.1), using CaH. It was found that the initial introduction of a small amount of anion vacancies (y/2) is crucial to enhance the anion (H/O) exchangeability.

Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Improved CO Tolerance: Impact of Chemically Induced Bicarbonate Ion Consumption.

Over the last few decades, because of the significant development of anion exchange membranes, increasing efforts have been devoted the realization of anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) that operate with the supply of hydrogen generated on-site. In this paper, ammonia was selected as a hydrogen source, following which the effect of conceivable impurities, unreacted NH and atmospheric CO, on the performance of AEMFCs was established. As expected, we show that these impurities worsen the performance of AEMFCs significantly.

Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells Employing Heteropolyacids as Redox Mediators for Oxygen Reduction Reactions: Pt-Free Cathode Systems.

In this study, the heteropolyacids of H3+xPVxMO12-xO40 (x = 0, 2, and 3) were applied as redox mediators for the oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, of which the cathode is free from the usage of noble metals such as Pt/C. In this system, the electrochemical reduction of heteropolyacid over the carbon cathode and the subsequent reoxidation of the partially reduced heteropolyacid by exposure to the dissolved oxygen in the regenerator are important processes for continuous power generation. Thus, the redox properties of catholytes containing these heteropolyacids were investigated in detail.

Electrochemical oxidation of 2-propanol over platinum and palladium electrodes in alkaline media studied by in situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy.

The electrochemical oxidation of 2-propanol over Pt and Pd electrodes was evaluated in alkaline media. Linear sweep voltammograms (LSVs), chronoamperograms (CAs), and simultaneous time-resolved attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectra of both electrodes were obtained in a 0.25 M KOH solution containing 1 M 2-propanol.

A Stability Study of Ni/Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Anode for Direct Ammonia Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

In recent years, solid oxide fuel cells fueled with ammonia have been attracting intensive attention. In this work, ammonia fuel was supplied to the Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) cermet anode at 600 and 700 °C, and the change of electrochemical performance and microstructure under the open-circuit state was studied in detail. The influence of ammonia exposure on the microstructure of Ni was also investigated by using Ni/YSZ powder and Ni film deposited on a YSZ disk.

In Situ Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy on Electrochemical Ammonia Oxidation over Pt Electrode in Alkaline Aqueous Solutions.

The electrochemical oxidation of ammonia over Pt electrode in alkaline aqueous solutions was studied by in situ attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy. In 0.1 M NH3-1 M KOH, the band ascribable to the HNH bending mode of adsorbed NH3 was confirmed at 1662-1674 cm(-1) in the potential range of 0.

Electrochemical and catalytic properties of Ni/BaCe0.75Y0.25O3-δ anode for direct ammonia-fueled solid oxide fuel cells.

In this study, Ni/BaCe0.75Y0.25O3-δ (Ni/BCY25) was investigated as an anode for direct ammonia-fueled solid oxide fuel cells.

Formation of "fuzzy" phases with high proton conductivities in the composites of polyphosphoric acid and metal oxide nanoparticles.

A high proton-conducting phase appears in the composites of zirconium- and titanium-oxide nanoparticles and polyphosphoric acid (HPO(3)). Metal oxide nanoparticles (ZrO(2) and TiO(2)) react with HPO(3) and form composite electrolytes containing pyrophosphates (ZrP(2)O(7) or TiP(2)O(7)) and shortened HPO(3) chains. The ZrO(2)-HPO(3) composite exhibits eleven times higher conductivity than sole HPO(3) at the maximum.

6,7-Dihydro-5H-cyclopenta[d]pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines and their derivatives as novel corticotropin-releasing factor 1 receptor antagonists.

To identify an orally active corticotropin-releasing factor 1 receptor antagonist, a series of 6,7-dihydro-5H-cyclopenta[d]pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines and their derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated. An in vitro study followed by in vivo and pharmacokinetic studies of these heterotricyclic compounds led us to the discovery of an orally active CRF1 receptor antagonist. The results of a structure-activity relationship study are presented.

Expression profiles of urbilaterian genes uniquely shared between honey bee and vertebrates.

Background: Large-scale comparison of metazoan genomes has revealed that a significant fraction of genes of the last common ancestor of Bilateria (Urbilateria) is lost in each animal lineage. This event could be one of the underlying mechanisms involved in generating metazoan diversity. However, the present functions of these ancient genes have not been addressed extensively.