Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Completeness”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 415 records · Page 23

Zeolite supported Pd catalysts for the complete oxidation of methane: A critical review

This review summarizes the recent literature reports on the development of zeolite supported Pd catalysts for the complete oxidation of methane. In-depth analysis reveals that different types of zeolite framework structures, regardless of the dimensionality, pore opening structure, and channel size, have little influence on the methane oxidation activity or the on-stream stability of the supported Pd catalysts. In contrast, the Si/Al ratio of a zeolite support plays a critical role. Both the catalytic activity and the on-stream stability of a Pd/zeolite catalyst increase with the increase of the Si/Al ratio. Catalysts supported on siliceous zeolites consistently show excellent light-off activity and remarkable on-stream stability whether in a dry or wet feed. Silanol nest defect sites in a siliceous zeolite are proposed to be the anchoring sites promoting the formation and minimizing the sintering of finely dispersed Pd nanoparticles. Remaining challenges in overcoming the sulfur poisoning effect are discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A Potent and Selective Small-Molecule Degrader of STAT3 Achieves Complete Tumor Regression In Vivo

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an attractive cancer therapeutic target. Here we report the discovery of SD-36, a small-molecule degrader of STAT3. SD-36 potently induces the degradation of STAT3 protein in vitro and in vivo and demonstrates high selectivity over other STAT members. Induced degradation of STAT3 results in a strong suppression of its transcription network in leukemia and lymphoma cells. SD-36 inhibits the growth of a subset of acute myeloid leukemia and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma cell lines by inducing cell-cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. SD-36 achieves complete and long-lasting tumor regression in multiple xenograft mouse models at well-tolerated dose schedules. Degradation of STAT3 protein, therefore, is a promising cancer therapeutic strategy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Completeness of HIV-1 Envelope Glycan Shield at Transmission Determines Neutralization Breadth

Densely arranged N-linked glycans shield the HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer from antibody recognition. Strain-specific breaches in this shield (glycan holes) can be targets of vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies that lack breadth. To understand the interplay between glycan holes and neutralization breadth in HIV-1 infection, we developed a sequence- and structure-based approach to identify glycan holes for individual Env sequences that are shielded in most M-group viruses. Applying this approach to 12 longitudinally followed individuals, we found that transmitted viruses with more intact glycan shields correlated with development of greater neutralization breadth. Within 2 years, glycan acquisition filled most glycan holes present at transmission, indicating escape from hole-targeting neutralizing antibodies. Glycan hole filling generally preceded the time to first detectable breadth, although time intervals varied across hosts. Thus, completely glycan-shielded viruses were associated with accelerated neutralization breadth development, suggesting that Env immunogens with intact glycan shields may be preferred components of AIDS vaccines.

Cell Biology↗

An energy-aware multiobjective ant colony algorithm to minimize total completion time and energy cost on a single-machine preemptive scheduling

Energy-aware scheduling in manufacturing operations with time-of-use electricity tariffs is a challenging problem. Sustainable manufacturing is gaining significant momentum: companies are not only improving their product quality, but also optimizing the production processes to improve energy consumption (i.e., minimizing energy cost) in order to manage environmental challenges which contribute to global climate change. The purpose of this paper is to study a preemptive scheduling problem on a single-machine to minimize the total completion time and total energy cost under time-of-use electricity tariffs, which is a mixed-integer multiobjective mathematical programming model. To solve these objectives, we develop several new holistic ant colony optimization algorithms. The proposed model is solved via several methods including weighted sum method (WSM) using CPLEX, and multiobjective ant colony optimization based on a dominance ranking (ACO-DR) or based on a dominance ranking procedure and crowding distance comparison (ACO-DRC) or based on a heuristic approach to obtain an approximate Pareto-front and also provide information on when to start and resume each job for any solution on the Pareto-front. We provide detailed experimental results evaluating the performance of the proposed algorithms. In a case study, we demonstrate how the results of the multiobjective model could be utilized in decision making using the multiobjective optimization on the basis of ratio analysis (MOORA) method. Furthermore, this proposed model and heuristics allows decision makers to operate in challenging-data enabled environments in industrial internet of things ecosystem, and assists in optimizing production planning to improve energy cost.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Patterns of Failure in Advanced Stage Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Patients After Complete Response to R-CHOP Immunochemotherapy and the Emerging Role of Consolidative Radiation Therapy

Purpose: The role of consolidative radiation therapy (RT) after complete response (CR) to rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) for stage III-IV diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients is unclear. We aimed to evaluate our institutional experience when consolidative RT is delivered to initial presenting sites or bulky sites in these patients. Methods and Materials: We identified 211 histologically confirmed stage III-IV DLBCL patients who received R-CHOP from January 2000 to May 2012 at our institution. Patterns of failure for patients who achieved CR to R-CHOP were analyzed. Local control (LC), distant control (DC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan-Meier method and compared between patients who received R-CHOP alone versus R-CHOP plus consolidative RT using the log–rank test. Multivariate analyses were also performed using Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Detailed treatment records were available for 163 patients. After a median 6 cycles of R-CHOP, 110 patients (67.5%) achieved CR and were entered for analysis. Fourteen patients (12.7%) received consolidative RT. After median follow-up of 32.9 months, 43.8% of patients who received R-CHOP alone failed at the initial sites with or without distant recurrence (DR), whereas isolated DR only occurred in 3.7% of these patients. Consolidative RT was associated with significantly improved LC (91.7% vs 48.8%), DC (92.9% vs 71.9%), PFS (85.1% vs 44.2%), and OS (92.3% vs 68.5%; all Ps<.0001) at 5 years compared with patients with R-CHOP alone. On multivariate analysis, consolidative RT and nonbulky disease were predictive of increased LC and PFS, whereas bone marrow involvement was associated with increased risk of DR and worse OS. Consolidative RT was also associated with marginal improved OS. Conclusions: Forty-four percent of patients with advanced stage DLBCL failed at initial presenting sites after achieving CR to R-CHOP. Incorporation of consolidative RT as part of upfront treatment in these patients was associated with improved LC, PFS, and a trend towards improved OS.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Local Recurrence After Complete Clinical Response and Watch and Wait in Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation: Impact of Salvage Therapy on Local Disease Control

Purpose: To review the risk of local recurrence and impact of salvage therapy after Watch and Wait for rectal cancer with complete clinical response (cCR) after chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Methods and Materials: Patients with cT2-4N0-2M0 distal rectal cancer treated with CRT (50.4-54 Gy + 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy) and cCR at 8 weeks were included. Patients with cCR were enrolled in a strict follow-up program with no immediate surgery (Watch and Wait). Local recurrence-free survival was compared while taking into account Watch and Wait strategy alone and Watch and Wait plus salvage. Results: 90 of 183 patients experienced cCR at initial assessment after CRT (49%). When early tumor regrowths (up to and including the initial 12 months of follow-up) and late recurrences were considered together, 28 patients (31%) experienced local recurrence (median follow-up time, 60 months). Of those, 26 patients underwent salvage therapy, and 2 patients were not amenable to salvage. In 4 patients, local re-recurrence developed after Watch and Wait plus salvage. The overall salvage rate for local recurrence was 93%. Local recurrence-free survival at 5 years was 69% (all local recurrences) and 94% (after salvage procedures). Thirteen patients (14%) experienced systemic recurrence. The 5-year cancer-specific overall survival and disease-free survival for all patients (including all recurrences) were 91% and 68%, respectively. Conclusions: Local recurrence may develop in 31% of patients with initial cCR when early regrowths (≤12 months) and late recurrences are grouped together. More than half of these recurrences develop within 12 months of follow-up. Salvage therapy is possible in ≥90% of recurrences, leading to 94% local disease control, with 78% organ preservation.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Phase 1/2 Study of the Addition of Cisplatin to Adjuvant Chemotherapy With Image Guided High-Precision Radiation Therapy for Completely Resected Gastric Cancer

Purpose: Locoregional recurrence is common after surgery for gastric cancer. Adjuvant therapy improves outcomes but with toxicity. This phase 1/2 study investigated infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in combination with biweekly cisplatin delivered concurrently with image guided high-precision radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: Eligible patients had completely resected stage IB to IV (Union for International Cancer Control TNM 6th edition) nonmetastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. Treatment constituted 12 weeks of infusional 5-FU (200 mg/m{sup 2}/day) with cisplatin added in a standard 3 + 3 dose escalation protocol (0, 20, 30, and 40 mg/m{sup 2}) during weeks 1, 3, 5, and 7, and an additional week 9 dose in the final cohort. Radiation therapy (45 Gy in 25 fractions) was delivered during weeks 3 to 7. Maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was determined in phase 1 and confirmed in phase 2. Results: Among the 55 patients (median age, 54 years; range 28-77 years; 55% male), the median follow-up time was 3.0 years (range, 0.3-5.3 years). Five patients in phase 1 experienced dose-limiting toxicity, and MTD was determined as 4 cycles of 40 mg/m{sup 2} cisplatin. Twenty-seven patients were treated at MTD. Acute grade 3 to 4 toxicity rate was 37.0% at MTD and 29.1% across all dose levels. No treatment-related deaths occurred. Fourteen patients experienced recurrent disease. The 2-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival were 85% and 74%, respectively. Median OS has not been reached. Quality of life (QOL) was impaired during treatment, but most scores recovered by 4 weeks. Conclusion: Cisplatin can be safely delivered with 5-FU–based chemoradiation therapy. Acute toxicity was acceptable, and patient-reported QOL showed the regimen was tolerable. Outcomes are encouraging and justify further study of this regimen.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Implications of Pathologic Complete Response Beyond Mediastinal Nodal Clearance With High-Dose Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation Therapy in Locally Advanced, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

To determine, in a retrospective analysis of a large cohort of stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with curative intent at our institution, whether having a pathologic complete response (pCR) influenced overall survival (OS) or freedom from recurrence (FFR) in patients who underwent definitive (≥60 Gy) neoadjuvant doses of chemoradiation (CRT).

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Magnetic Resonance, Vendor-independent, Intensity Histogram Analysis Predicting Pathologic Complete Response After Radiochemotherapy of Rectal Cancer

The objective of this study is finding an intensity based histogram (IBH) signature to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) probability using only pre-treatment magnetic resonance (MR) and validate it externally in order to create a workflow for the external validation of an MR IBH signature and to apply the model out of the environment where it has been tuned. The impact of pCR and the final predictors on the survival outcome were also evaluated.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Temperature-dependence of superelastic stress in nanocrystalline NiTi with complete transformation capability

Nanocrystalline (NC) NiTi were previously reported to obtain non-hysteretic superelasticity and nearly zero temperature-dependence of superelastic stresses. However, the influence of the non-transforming regions in the specimens was not ruled out. In this study, we fabricate NC NiTi specimens with grain size down to 15 nm by wire drawing and annealing. Our specimens have no detectable non-transforming regions and thus are of complete transformation capability. We demonstrate that the hysteretic superelasticity is observed in all specimens of different grain sizes and that the minimum temperature-dependence of superelastic stresses is 4.7 MPa/K. Possible reasons for the discrepancy have been discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Al-doped TiO{sub 2} mesoporous material supported Pd with enhanced catalytic activity for complete oxidation of ethanol

Pd catalysts supported on Al-doped TiO{sub 2} mesoporous materials were evaluated in complete oxidation of ethanol. The catalysts synthesized by wet impregnation based on evaporation-induced self-assembly were characterized by X-ray diffraction, measurement of pore structure, XPS, FT-IR, temperature programmed reduction and TEM. Characteristic results showed that the aluminium was doped into the lattice of mesoporous anatase TiO{sub 2} to form Al-O-Ti defect structure. Catalytic results revealed that Al-doped catalysts were much more active than the pristine one, especially at low temperature (≤200 °C). This should be ascribed to the introduction of aluminium ions that suppressed the strong metal-support interaction and increased the active sites of Pd oxides, enhanced the stabilized anatase TiO{sub 2}, improved well dispersed high valence palladium species with high reducibility and enriched chemisorption oxygen. - Graphical abstract: Al-doped Pd/TiO{sub 2} exhibited optimal catalytic performance for ethanol oxidation and CO{sub 2} yield by the suppression of SMSI. - Highlights: • Palladium catalysts supported on Al-doped TiO{sub 2} mesoporous materials were studied. • The introduction of Al can enhance anatase stabilization and increase defect TiO{sub 2}. • The Pd/Al-TiO{sub 2} catalysts show higher ethanol conversion and CO{sub 2} yield than Pd/TiO{sub 2}. • The influence of Al on SMSI and catalytic performance were evaluated by TPR and XPS.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Complete genome of Polaromonas vacuolata KCTC 22033 T isolated from beneath Antarctic Sea ice

Polaromonas vacuolata KCTC 22033 T is an obligate aerobic, Gram-negative, psychrophilic and rod-shaped bacterium isolated from beneath the sea ice off the coast of the Palmer Peninsula, Anvers Islands, Antarctica. P. vacuolata is the type species of Polaromonas genus and the first example of gas vacuolate Betaproteobacteria isolated from marine habitats. In this study, we report a complete genome of P. vacuolata KCTC 22033 T , which consists of 3,837,686 bp (G + C content of 52.07%) with a single chromosome, 3461 protein-coding genes, 56 tRNAs and 6 rRNA operons. Genomic analysis revealed the presence of genes involved in bacterial adaptation under saline conditions, cold adaptation via the production of gas vesicles and cell adhesion proteins, and a photoheterotrophic lifestyle when challenged by starvation. Intriguingly, several of these genes were likely acquired from species outside the Polaromonas genus. The genomic information therefore describes the unique evolution and adaptation of P. vacuolata to its extraordinary habitat, i.e., beneath the Antarctic sea ice.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Approaching complete CO conversion and total H 2 recovery for water gas shift reaction in a high-temperature and high-pressure zeolite membrane reactor

Water gas shift reaction of syngas and subsequent H 2 /CO 2 separation are key operations for large-scale H 2 production from fossil fuels and agricultural and forestry biomass with CO 2 capture. In this study, a tubular zeolite membrane reactor has been demonstrated for the first achievement of nearly complete CO conversion and total H 2 recovery with simultaneous production of a high pressure pure CO 2 stream for water gas shift reaction at high temperature and high pressure. When operated at 500 °C and 20 bar, the membrane reactor attained CO conversion > 99.9% and H 2 recovery > 99.9% with a high pressure pure CO 2 retentate under practically meaningful gas hourly space velocity of 15,000 h-1 and steam-to-CO ratio of 3.5. The zeolite membrane reactor with proven long-term stability is promising for further development and practical considerations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Complete genome sequence and integrated protein localization and interaction map for alfalfa dwarf virus, which combines properties of both cytoplasmic and nuclear plant rhabdoviruses

Summary: We have determined the full-length 14,491-nucleotide genome sequence of a new plant rhabdovirus, alfalfa dwarf virus (ADV). Seven open reading frames (ORFs) were identified in the antigenomic orientation of the negative-sense, single-stranded viral RNA, in the order 3′-N-P-P3-M-G-P6-L-5′. The ORFs are separated by conserved intergenic regions and the genome coding region is flanked by complementary 3′ leader and 5′ trailer sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleoprotein amino acid sequence indicated that this alfalfa-infecting rhabdovirus is related to viruses in the genus Cytorhabdovirus. When transiently expressed as GFP fusions in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, most ADV proteins accumulated in the cell periphery, but unexpectedly P protein was localized exclusively in the nucleus. ADV P protein was shown to have a homotypic, and heterotypic nuclear interactions with N, P3 and M proteins by bimolecular fluorescence complementation. ADV appears unique in that it combines properties of both cytoplasmic and nuclear plant rhabdoviruses. - Highlights: • The complete genome of alfalfa dwarf virus is obtained. • An integrated localization and interaction map for ADV is determined. • ADV has a genome sequence similarity and evolutionary links with cytorhabdoviruses. • ADV protein localization and interaction data show an association with the nucleus. • ADV combines properties of both cytoplasmic and nuclear plant rhabdoviruses.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Complete replication-competent adenovirus 11p vectors with E1 or E3 insertions show improved heat stability

Conventional adenovirus vectors harboring E1 or E3 deletions followed by the insertion of an exogenous gene show considerably reduced virion stability. Here, we report strategies to generate complete replication-competent Ad11p(RCAd11p) vectors that overcome the above disadvantage. A GFP cassette was successfully introduced either upstream of E1A or in the E3A region. The resulting vectors showed high expression levels of the hexon and E1genes and also strongly induced the cytopathic effect in targeted cells. When harboring oversized genomes, the RCAd11pE1 and RCAd11pE3 vectors showed significantly improved heat stability in comparison to Ad11pwt;of the three, RCAd11pE3 was the most tolerant to heat treatment. Electron microscopy showed that RCAd11pE3, RCAd11pE1, Ad11pwt, and Ad11pE1 Delmanifested dominant, moderate, minimum, or no full virus particles after heat treatment at 47 °C for 5 h. Our results demonstrated that both genome size and the insertion site in the viral genome affect virion stability. -- Highlights: •Replicating adenovirus 11p GFP vectors at the E1 or E3 region were generated. •RCAd11pE3 and RCAd11pE1 vectors manifested significantly improved heat stability. •RCAd11pE3 and RCAd11pE1 showed more full viral particles than Ad11pwt after heating. •We demonstrated that both genome size and the insertion site affect virion stability.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Performance evaluation of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at a low range of mesophilic conditions

Highlights: • The biogas process can run stably at 20 °C at extremely low OLR after long-term acclimation of bacteria. • A biogas plant running at 28 °C seems as efficient as that operated at 38 °C at low OLR of 1.3 g ODM L{sup −1} d{sup −1}. • Lower temperature operation is inadvisable for the commercial biogas plant running at rather high OLR. • The estimated sludge yield at 28 °C is higher than that at 38 °C. - Abstract: Many Chinese biogas plants run in the lower range of mesophilic conditions. This study evaluated the performance of a completely stirred anaerobic reactor treating pig manure at different temperatures (20, 28 and 38 °C). The start-up phase of the reactor at 20 °C was very long and extremely poor performance was observed with increasing organic loading rate (OLR). At an OLR of 4.3 g ODM L{sup −1} d{sup −1}, methane production at 28 °C was comparable (3% less) with that at 38 °C, but the risk of acidification was high at 28 °C. At low OLR (1.3 g ODM L{sup −1} d{sup −1}), the biogas process appeared stable at 28 °C and gave same methane yields as compared to the reactor operating at 38 °C. The estimated sludge yield at 28 °C was 0.065 g VSS g{sup −1} COD{sub removed,} which was higher than that at 38 °C (0.016 g VSS g{sup −1} COD{sub removed})

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗