Novel non-stoichiometric (Ba0.91Ca0.09)x(Zr0.18Ti0.82)O3 ferroelectric ceramics with improved diffuse phase transition and dielectric tunable performance

Dielectric tunable properties in ferroelectric ceramics have been optimized by a variety of approaches, e.g., isovalent/aliovalent substitution, system composite et al., while the study of non-stoichiometric regulation on the performance of BCZT ceramics was rarely concerned. Herein, a series of novel non-stoichiometric (Ba_0·91Ca_0.09)_x (Zr_0·18Ti_0.82)O₃ (BCZTx) ceramic specimens were successfully prepared via solid-state reaction. The microstructures of BCZTx ceramics are simultaneously investigated through XRD and SEM. The diffuse phase transition (DPT) behaviour of BCZTx ceramics are studied by the Lorentz-type empirical formula. The significant enhancement of DPT behaviour is observed at x = 1.03, which probably due to the coaction of the generation of partial Schottky defects and prominent reduction of grain size. Furthermore, a high tunability (k) 87.80%, low dielectric loss (tan δ) 0.141%, and a remarkably enhanced FOM of 623 are achieved in x = 0.99 at a low DC bias electric fields (BEFs) of 7.28 kV/cm and room temperature (RT), which is superior to that of the stoichiometric BCZT ceramics and other available reported BT-based ceramics systems in term of the dielectric tunable properties. Meanwhile, it shows that the temperature dependent CQF value of x = 0.99 remained advantageous around the RT. These findings suggested that non-stoichiometric BCZTx ceramics with x = 0.99 are significantly competitive in the applications of dielectric tunable devices at RT. The non-stoichiometric regulation is an effective approach in improving the dielectric tunability properties of BCZT ceramics.     

Novel Therapies for Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

The most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults is diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL). There is a historical unmet need for more effective therapies in the 2nd and 3rd line setting. Emerging immunochemotherapies have shown activity in small studies of heavily pre-treated patients with prolonged remissions achieved in some patients. Anti-CD19 CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cells are potentially curative in the 3rd line and beyond setting and are under investigation in earlier lines of therapy. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC’s) such as polatuzumab vedotin targeting the pan-B-cell marker CD79b has proven effectiveness in multiply-relapsed DLBCL patients. Tafasitamab (MOR208) is an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody producing prolonged remissions when combined with Lenalidomide (LEN) in patients who were not candidates for salvage chemotherapy or autologous stem cell transplant. Selinexor, an oral, small-molecule selective inhibitor of XPO1-mediated nuclear export (SINE), demonstrated prolonged activity against heavily-pretreated DLBCL without cumulative toxicity and is being investigated as part of an oral, chemotherapy-free regimen for relapsed aggressive lymphoma. This article reviews current strategies and novel therapies for relapsed/refractory DLBCL.     

Recent water quality trends in the Schuylkill River,Pennsylvania, USA: a preliminary assessment of the relative influences of climate,river discharge and suburban development

Climate, flow rate and land use are all known drivers of water quality in river systems, but determining the relative influences of these factors remains a significant challenge for aquatic science and management. Long-term data from the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia is assessed here in an attempt to ascertain the separate and combined influence of these major drivers on water quality in a developed watershed. Water quality measures including nutrients, conservative solutes and bacteria all elicited distinct seasonal patterns driven primarily by river discharge. Mass transport rates of sodium and chloride have increased with time, and were elevated in winter, presumably as a function of road salt deposition. A steady increase in developed land area in the watershed has occurred in recent decades, which allowed the use of time as a surrogate parameter for regional development in the construction of multiple factor linear models predicting the relative influences of precipitation, river discharge and developed land area on river water quality. Linear models predicting annually averaged water quality measures showed the effects of precipitation, discharge and developed land area to be of nearly equal importance in regulating levels of conductivity, alkalinity, sodium, and chloride in the river. Models predicting water quality variables for discrete samples demonstrated that river flow was the major determinant of daily variability in alkalinity, conductivity, hardness and calcium levels, while still resolving the highly significant influence of watershed development on water quality. Increases in solute transport in the Schuylkill River in recent decades appear to be the direct result of modern suburban development in the watershed.     

Ecological effects of diffuse mixed pollution are site-specific and require higher-tier risk assessment to improve site management decisions: a discussion paper

Many Dutch ecosystems, whether terrestrial, aquatic or sediment-based, are diffusely polluted by mixtures of contaminants, whose concentrations often exceed regulatory Safe Values or other generic quality criteria. This situation has unclear consequences, especially when local authorities are confronted with such pollution. Water managers are frequently in doubt whether their water systems satisfy the criteria for ‘Good Ecological Status’ as defined in the EU's Water Framework Directive. In case of soils, soil users may wonder whether the soil is ‘fit for use’. In case of nature conservation, the problem is that protected species might suffer from toxic stress. Official regulations in these cases call for appropriate action, but it is unclear whether the diffuse exposure causes adverse effects, and what the action should be. This paper proposes and discusses a site-oriented approach in the risk assessment of diffusely contaminated sites that can be used in addition to the compound-oriented policies from which the abovementioned generic quality criteria were derived. The site-oriented approach can be of help in reducing site-specific risks of diffuse contamination.Reflecting on the results of a large Dutch research effort in systems-oriented ecotoxicological effects, the conclusion is drawn that exposure and effects of diffuse pollution are site-specific in kind and magnitude, determined by the local combination of source-pathway-receptor issues, and often not clearly detectable (though often present). To assist in risk management, higher-tier methods can address various aspects, like addressing local mixture composition, bioavailability, and sensitivity of local species groups. Higher-tier risk assessment methods have as yet been developed mainly for cases of serious contamination, like for pesticide management and Risk-Based Land Management. For diffuse pollution, site-specific information can also be used to obtain site-specific exposure and impact information, while practical and ecology-based approaches can be introduced to obtain an integrated overview of the meaning of site contamination and to derive options for managing and reducing the local risks. These issues are discussed against the background of current major policy shifts, in The Netherlands and elsewhere, from a pollutant-oriented assessment to an additional ecological and site-oriented assessment. The latter is most clearly represented in the Good Ecological Status aim of the EU-Water Framework Directive. The paper assesses, integrates and discusses the results of the Dutch research effort in this policy context.     

Surface modifications of activated carbon by gamma irradiation

Four commercial activated carbons with different chemical and textural characteristics were modified by gamma irradiation under five different conditions: irradiated in absence of water, in presence of ultrapure water, in ultrapure water at pH = 1.0 and 1000 mg L⁻¹ Cl⁻, in ultrapure water at pH = 7.5 and 1000 mg L⁻¹ Br⁻, and in ultrapure water at pH = 12.5 and 1000 mg L⁻¹ NO₃⁻. Changes in surface chemistry were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; pH of point of zero charge, total acidic groups and total basic groups, which were determined by assessment with HCl and NaOH; and textural changes were determined by obtaining the corresponding adsorption isotherms of N₂ and CO₂. Outcomes show that the activated carbon surface chemistry can be modified by gamma irradiation and that the changes depend on the irradiation conditions. Modifications in the sp² hybridization of the surface carbons suggest that the irradiated carbons undergo graphitization. Measurements of structural parameters indicate that the irradiation treatment does not modify the textural properties of the carbons. Finally, studies of pristine and irradiated activated carbons using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy with the Kubelka–Munk function revealed a reduction in band gap energy in the irradiated carbons associated with an increase in sp² hybridization of the carbon atoms.     

Numerical comparison of sampling strategies for BRDF data manifolds

The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) is one of the fundamental concepts in such diverse fields as multidimensional reflectometry, computer graphics and computer vision. BRDF manifolds form an infinite-dimensional space, but typically the available measurements are very scarce. Therefore, an efficient learning strategy is crucial when performing the measurements.In this paper, we perform simulation studies within a mathematical framework that allows to establish more efficient BRDF sampling and measurement strategies in the sense of statistical design of experiments and generalized proactive learning. Our simulation studies suggest that the default BRDF measurement strategy is suboptimal for a wide class of loss functions.     

Modeling the hourly solar diffuse fraction in Taiwan

Using the data for global and diffuse radiation in Tainan, Taiwan, for the years of 2011 and 2012, respectively, four correlation models with five predictors: the hourly clearness index (k_t), solar altitude, apparent solar time, daily clearness index and a measure of persistence of global radiation level, are constructed to relate the hourly diffuse fraction on a horizontal surface (d) to the clearness index. Two models use a single logistic equation for all k_t values, Eqs. (6), (7), and the other two models use a set of piece-wise linear equations for four k_t intervals, Eqs. (8), (9). The proposed models are compared respectively with the fourteen models available in the literature, in terms of the four statistical indicators: the mean bias error, the root-mean-square error, the t-statistic and the Bayesian Information Criterion, using the out-of-sample dataset for Tainan, Taiwan. It is concluded from the analysis that the proposed piece-wise linear models perform well in predicting the diffuse fraction, while the performances of the proposed logistic models are more case-dependent. Among those fourteen models considered in this study, the models developed by Erbs et al., Chandrasekaran and Kumar, and Boland et al. have competitive performances as the proposed piece-wise linear models do, when applying to the prediction of diffuse fraction in Tainan, Taiwan.     

RHEED intensities from two-dimensional heteroepitaxial nanoscale systems

A practical computing algorithm has been developed for calculating the reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) from the molecular beam epitaxy growing surface. The calculations are based on the use of the dynamical diffraction theory in which the electrons are taken to be diffracted by a potential, which is periodic in the dimension perpendicular to the surface. The computer program presented in this paper enables calculations for three basic types of diffuse potential for crystalline heteroepitaxial structures, including the possible existence of various diffuse scattering models through the layer parallel to the surface.     

Greening effect in slag cement materials

This article presents the first spectroscopic data describing the processes responsible for the temporary blue-green coloration that forms during the hydration of various materials containing Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag (GGBS) under anoxic conditions. UV-visible-near infrared Diffuse Reflectance (DR) spectra demonstrate a striking similarity of the coloring center forming during the curing of a broad range of GGBS-bearing materials (pure GGBS with different compositions, mix Portland cement/GGBS (30/70), concrete and mortar). All spectra are similar to those of polysulfide complexes contained in the interlayer spacing of a synthetic green-colored hydrated calcium aluminate phase (AFm). This “greening effect” demonstrates a progressive oxidation of sulfide-based compounds initially contained in these materials during curing of GGBS bearing materials.     

Deposition of silver ions onto DBD and DCSBD plasma treated nonwoven polypropylene

The aim of this work is plasma activation of nonwoven polypropylene (PP) using two different ambient air plasma sources: volume dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) and its functionalization by silver ion deposition.