Metal-ligand cooperativity in chemical electrosynthesis
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Compared to a conventional electrolyte concentration of 1 M HCOOK, the use of a highly concentrated 7.1 M HCOOK electrolyte increases the Faradaic efficiency (FE) ratio of C2H4/CO from 2.2 +- 0.3 to 18.3 +- 4.8 at -1.08 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) on a Cu gas-diffusion electrode. Based on electrochemical analysis and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation, the identity and concentration of the cation and anion play more important roles in controlling the CO2R reaction pathway than the bulk CO2 solubility and the bulk pH of electrolytes. In situ attenuated reflectance surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) suggests that, unlike 1 M HCOOK, the *CO-bridge-binding mode on Cu is dominant in 7.1 M HCOOK electrolyte, which potentially results in less CO release and higher yield of C2H4. This study demonstrates that although we can tailor the electrolyte composition to shift product selectivity, the factors that control the product selectivity are numerous and cannot be distilled down into one correlated property-reactivity relationship.
The evaluation of constitutive models, especially for high-risk and high-regret engineering applications, requires efficient and rigorous third-party calibration, validation and falsification. While there are numerous efforts to develop paradigms and standard procedures to validate models, difficulties may arise due to the sequential, manual, and often biased nature of the commonly adopted calibration and validation processes, thus slowing down data collections, hampering the progress towards discovering new physics, increasing expenses and possibly leading to misinterpretations of the credibility and application ranges of proposed models. This work attempts to introduce concepts from game theory and machine learning techniques to overcome many of these existing difficulties. Here, we introduce an automated meta-modeling game where two competing AI agents systematically generate experimental data to calibrate a given constitutive model and to explore its weakness such that the experiment design and model robustness can be improved through competitions. The two agents automatically search for the Nash equilibrium of the meta-modeling game in an adversarial reinforcement learning framework without human intervention. In particular, a protagonist agent seeks to find the more effective ways to generate data for model calibrations, while an adversary agent tries to find the most devastating test scenarios that expose the weaknesses of the constitutive model calibrated by the protagonist. By capturing all possible design options of the laboratory experiments into a single decision tree, we recast the design of experiments as a game of combinatorial moves that can be resolved through deep reinforcement learning by the two competing players. Our adversarial framework emulates idealized scientific collaborations and competitions among researchers to achieve a better understanding of the application range of the learned material laws and prevent misinterpretations caused by conventional AI-based third-party validation. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the wide applicability of the proposed meta-modeling game with adversarial attacks on both human-crafted constitutive models and machine learning models.
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This article lays out the core insights of the group of papers included in this special issue. The article lays out the logic of the project and highlights how an energy and security approach to energy policy—as opposed to one emphasizing “energy security through energy independence”–shifts our perspective on likely energy policy.
Exposed and bound waters on minerals differ from aqueous ions in that they are often structurally separated from one another rather than being close packed as in octahedral aquo ions [e.g., Al(H 2 O) 6 3+ ]. Thus, the bulk of the literature on rates of ligand substitution in aqueous ions may be a poor guide to the reactions of geochemical interest. To understand how separation of the reactive functional groups affects the rates of simple water exchange reactions, we synthesized two similar Rh(III) complexes, [Rh(phen) 2 H 2 O) 2 ] 3+ [1] and [Rh(phen) 2 (H 2 O)Cl] 2+ [2] (phen=1,10-phenanthroline) that differ in the number and proximity of bound waters. The complex [1] has two adjacent water molecules and [2] has a single water adjacent to a bound chloride ion. We employed Rh(III) as a trivalent metal rather than a more geochemically relevant metal like Fe(III) or Al(III) to slow the rate of reaction and dissociation of the molecules, which makes for simple measurement of the rates of isotopic substitution by mass spectrometry of the ions themselves as a function of time. We prepared isotopically unique versions of the molecules dissolved them in isotopically dissimilar solvent and measured the rates of exchange from the extents of 18 O and 16 O exchange at the bound waters. The rates differ enormously depending upon the protonation state of adjacent functional groups. Values of k298 when the molecules are nearly fully protonated are $k$$^{298}_{0}$ = 5·10 -8 s -1 for [1] and $k$$^{298}_{0}$ = 7.3·10 -9 for [2]. Enthalpy and entropy activation parameters (ΔH ‡ and ΔS ‡ ) were measured to be 121.1± 3 kJ mol -1 , and 22±10 J mol -1 K -1 , respectively for [1]. The corresponding parameters for the mono-aquo complex, [2], are 134.6± 3 kJ mol -1 and 50±5 J mol -1 K -1 . These compare well to other metals and nanometer-size clusters. Here, rates increase by many orders of magnitude upon deprotonation of one of the bound waters, but in a way that can be understood for geochemical systems at oxides. Key is the close proximity of a transferable proton that can convert the bound hydroxyl to a bound water and accelerate exchange for a bulk water. Thus, structural information about the location of bound waters relative to one another is a key piece of information to reconstruct rates of reactions at oxides surfaces.
Purpose: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of 3-month triplet induction chemotherapy (ICT) followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Patients and Methods: Chemonaieve patients with measurable, histologically confirmed LAPC were eligible. The ICT consisted of biweekly gemcitabine (800 mg/m{sup 2}) infusion at a fixed dose rate (10 mg/m{sup 2}/min), followed by 85 mg/m{sup 2} oxaliplatin and 48-h infusion of 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (3000/150 mg/m{sup 2}) for 6 cycles. Patients without disease progression 4 weeks after ICT would receive weekly 400 mg/m{sup 2} gemcitabine and 5040 cGy radiation in 28 fractions. After CCRT, patients were subjected for surgical intervention and/or maintenance chemotherapy until progression or intolerable toxicity. Results: Between December 2004 and August 2008, 50 patients were enrolled. The best responses after ICT were partial response (PR) in 9, stable disease in 26, and progressive disease or not evaluable in 15. Among the former 35 patients, 2 had disease progression before CCRT, and 3 declined to have CCRT. Of the 30 patients receiving CCRT, an additional 4 and 1 patient(s) achieved PR at the end of CCRT and during maintenance chemotherapy, respectively. On intent-to-treat analysis, the overall best response was PR in 14 patients and stable disease in 21. The overall response rate and disease control rate were 28% (95% confidence interval [CI], 16.2-42.5%) and 70% (95% CI, 44.4-99.2%), respectively. The median time to progression and overall survival of the intent-to-treat population was 9.3 (95% CI, 5.8-12.8) months and 14.5 (95% CI, 11.9-17.1) months, respectively. One- and two-year survival rates were 68% (95% CI, 55.1-80.9%) and 20.6% (95% CI, 8.7-32.5%), respectively. Neutropenia was the most common Grade 3-4 toxicity of both ICT and CCRT, with a frequency of 28% and 26.7%, respectively. Significant sensory neuropathy occurred in 9 patients (18%). Conclusion: Three months of triplet ICT followed by gemcitabine-based CCRT is feasible, moderately active, and associated with encouraging survival in patients with LAPC.
Purpose: To investigate pelvic insufficiency fractures (IF) after definitive pelvic radiation therapy for early-stage uterine cervical cancer, by analyzing subjects of a prospective, multi-institutional study. Materials and Methods: Between September 2004 and July 2007, 59 eligible patients were analyzed. The median age was 73 years (range, 37-84 years). The International Federation of Gynecologic Oncology and Obstetrics stages were Ib1 in 35, IIa in 12, and IIb in 12 patients. Patients were treated with the constant method, which consisted of whole-pelvic external-beam radiation therapy of 50 Gy/25 fractions and high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy of 24 Gy/4 fractions without chemotherapy. After radiation therapy the patients were evaluated by both pelvic CT and pelvic MRI at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Diagnosis of IF was made when the patients had both CT and MRI findings, neither recurrent tumor lesions nor traumatic histories. The CT findings of IF were defined as fracture lines or sclerotic linear changes in the bones, and MRI findings of IF were defined as signal intensity changes in the bones, both on T1- and T2-weighted images. Results: The median follow-up was 24 months. The 2-year pelvic IF cumulative occurrence rate was 36.9% (21 patients). Using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0, grade 1, 2, and 3 IF were seen in 12 (21%), 6 (10%), and 3 patients (5%), respectively. Sixteen patients had multiple fractures, so IF were identified at 44 sites. The pelvic IF were frequently seen at the sacroileal joints (32 sites, 72%). Nine patients complained of pain. All patients' pains were palliated by rest or non-narcotic analgesic drugs. Higher age (>70 years) and low body weight (<50 kg) were thought to be risk factors for pelvic IF (P=.007 and P=.013, Cox hazard test). Conclusions: Cervical cancer patients with higher age and low body weight may be at some risk for the development of pelvic IF after pelvic radiation therapy.
Purpose: RTOG 0933 was a phase II trial of hippocampal avoidance during whole brain radiation therapy for patients with brain metastases. The results demonstrated improvement in short-term memory decline, as compared with historical control individuals, and preservation of quality of life. Integral to the conduct of this trial were quality assurance processes inclusive of pre-enrollment credentialing and pretreatment centralized review of enrolled patients. Methods and Materials: Before enrolling patients, all treating physicians and sites were required to successfully complete a “dry-run” credentialing test. The treating physicians were credentialed based on accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging–computed tomography image fusion and hippocampal and normal tissue contouring, and the sites were credentialed based on protocol-specified dosimetric criteria. Using the same criteria, pretreatment centralized review of enrolled patients was conducted. Physicians enrolling 3 consecutive patients without unacceptable deviations were permitted to enroll further patients without pretreatment review, although their cases were reviewed after treatment. Results: In all, 113 physicians and 84 sites were credentialed. Eight physicians (6.8%) failed hippocampal contouring on the first attempt; 3 were approved on the second attempt. Eight sites (9.5%) failed intensity modulated radiation therapy planning on the first attempt; all were approved on the second attempt. One hundred thirteen patients were enrolled in RTOG 0933; 100 were analyzable. Eighty-seven cases were reviewed before treatment; 5 (5.7%) violated the eligibility criteria, and 21 (24%) had unacceptable deviations. With feedback, 18 cases were approved on the second attempt and 2 cases on the third attempt. One patient was treated off protocol. Twenty-two cases were reviewed after treatment; 1 (4.5%) violated the eligibility criteria, and 5 (23%) had unacceptable deviations. Conclusions: Although >95% of the cases passed the pre-enrollment credentialing, the pretreatment centralized review disqualified 5.7% of reviewed cases, prevented unacceptable deviations in 24% of reviewed cases, and limited the final unacceptable deviation rate to 5%. Thus, pretreatment review is deemed necessary in future hippocampal avoidance trials and is potentially useful in other similarly challenging radiation therapy technique trials.
BRAF kinase gene V600 point mutations drive approximately 40% to 50% of all melanomas, and BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) have been found to significantly improve survival outcomes. Although radiation therapy (RT) provides effective symptom palliation, there is a lack of toxicity and efficacy data when RT is combined with BRAFi, including vemurafenib and dabrafenib. This literature review provides a detailed analysis of potential increased dermatologic, pulmonary, neurologic, hepatic, esophageal, and bowel toxicity from the combination of BRAFi and RT for melanoma patients described in 27 publications. Despite 7 publications noting potential intracranial neurotoxicity, the rates of radionecrosis and hemorrhage from whole brain RT (WBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), or both do not appear increased with concurrent or sequential administration of BRAFis. Almost all grade 3 dermatitis reactions occurred when RT and BRAFi were administered concurrently. Painful, disfiguring nondermatitis cutaneous reactions have been described from concurrent or sequential RT and BRAFi administration, which improved with topical steroids and time. Visceral toxicity has been reported with RT and BRAFi, with deaths possibly related to bowel perforation and liver hemorrhage. Increased severity of radiation pneumonitis with BRAFi is rare, but more concerning was a potentially related fatal pulmonary hemorrhage. Conversely, encouraging reports have described patients with leptomeningeal spread and unresectable lymphadenopathy rendered disease free from combined RT and BRAFi. Based on our review, the authors recommend holding RT ≥3 days before and after fractionated RT and ≥1 day before and after SRS. No fatal reactions have been described with a dose <4 Gy per fraction, and time off systemic treatment should be minimized. Future prospective data will serve to refine these recommendations.
Purpose: To pool data across multiple institutions internationally and report on the cumulative experience of brainstem stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Methods and Materials: Data on patients with brainstem metastases treated with SRS were collected through the International Gamma Knife Research Foundation. Clinical, radiographic, and dosimetric characteristics were compared for factors prognostic for local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Of 547 patients with 596 brainstem metastases treated with SRS, treatment of 7.4% of tumors resulted in severe SRS-induced toxicity (grade ≥3, increased odds with increasing tumor volume, margin dose, and whole-brain irradiation). Local control at 12 months after SRS was 81.8% and was improved with increasing margin dose and maximum dose. Overall survival at 12 months after SRS was 32.7% and impacted by age, gender, number of metastases, tumor histology, and performance score. Conclusions: Our study provides additional evidence that SRS has become an option for patients with brainstem metastases, with an excellent benefit-to-risk ratio in the hands of experienced clinicians. Prior whole-brain irradiation increases the risk of severe toxicity in brainstem metastasis patients undergoing SRS.
Purpose: To assess the feasibility of measuring symptomatic adverse events (AEs) in a multicenter clinical trial using the National Cancer Institute's Patient-Reported Outcomes version of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE). Methods and Materials: Patients enrolled in NRG Oncology's RTOG 1012 (Prophylactic Manuka Honey for Reduction of Chemoradiation Induced Esophagitis-Related Pain during Treatment of Lung Cancer) were asked to self-report 53 PRO-CTCAE items representing 30 symptomatic AEs at 6 time points (baseline; weekly ×4 during treatment; 12 weeks after treatment). Reporting was conducted via wireless tablet computers in clinic waiting areas. Compliance was defined as the proportion of visits when an expected PRO-CTCAE assessment was completed. Results: Among 226 study sites participating in RTOG 1012, 100% completed 35-minute PRO-CTCAE training for clinical research associates (CRAs); 80 sites enrolled patients, of which 34 (43%) required tablet computers to be provided. All 152 patients in RTOG 1012 agreed to self-report using the PRO-CTCAE (median age 66 years; 47% female; 84% white). Median time for CRAs to learn the system was 60 minutes (range, 30-240 minutes), and median time for CRAs to teach a patient to self-report was 10 minutes (range, 2-60 minutes). Compliance was high, particularly during active treatment, when patients self-reported at 86% of expected time points, although compliance was lower after treatment (72%). Common reasons for noncompliance were institutional errors, such as forgetting to provide computers to participants; patients missing clinic visits; Internet connectivity; and patients feeling “too sick.” Conclusions: Most patients enrolled in a multicenter chemoradiotherapy trial were willing and able to self-report symptomatic AEs at visits using tablet computers. Minimal effort was required by local site staff to support this system. The observed causes of missing data may be obviated by allowing patients to self-report electronically between visits, and by using central compliance monitoring. These approaches are being incorporated into ongoing studies.
When treating cancer, both quantity and quality of life are valuable, though oncology trials have long placed greater emphasis on the former. The goal of this work was to evaluate how patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been incorporated into radiation therapy trials within the National Clinical Trials Network over the last 2 decades to measure quality of life and to assess how PRO data have been disseminated in publications upon trial conclusion.
Radiation therapy plays an important role in the multidisciplinary management of breast cancer. Recent years have seen improvements in breast cancer survival and a greater appreciation of potential long-term morbidity associated with the dose and volume of irradiated organs. Proton therapy reduces the dose to nontarget structures while optimizing target coverage. However, there remain additional financial costs associated with proton therapy, despite reductions over time, and studies have yet to demonstrate that protons improve upon the treatment outcomes achieved with photon radiation therapy. There remains considerable heterogeneity in proton patient selection and techniques, and the rapid technological advances in the field have the potential to affect evidence evaluation, given the long latency period for breast cancer radiation therapy recurrence and late effects. In this consensus statement, we assess the data available to the radiation oncology community of proton therapy for breast cancer, provide expert consensus recommendations on indications and technique, and highlight ongoing trials’ cost-effectiveness analyses and key areas for future research.