The Role of Microbiota in the Immunopathogenesis of Endometrial Cancer

The female reproductive tract hosts a specific microbiome, which plays a crucial role in sustaining equilibrium and good health. In the majority of reproductive women, the microbiota (all bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other single-celled organisms within the human body) of the vaginal and cervical microenvironment are dominated by Lactobacillus species, which benefit the host through symbiotic relationships, in comparison to the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, which may contain a low-biomass microbiome with a diverse mixture of microorganisms. Although disruption to the balance of the microbiota develops, the altered immune and metabolic signaling may cause an impact on diseases such as cancer. These pathophysiological modifications in the gut–uterus axis may spark gynecological cancers. New information displays that gynecological and gastrointestinal tract dysbiosis (disruption of the microbiota homeostasis) can play an active role in the advancement and metastasis of gynecological neoplasms, such as cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. Understanding the relationship between microbiota and endometrial cancer is critical for prognosis, diagnosis, prevention, and the development of innovative treatments. Identifying a specific microbiome may become an effective method for characterization of the specific microbiota involved in endometrial carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to summarize the current state of knowledge that describes the correlation of microbiota with endometrial cancer with regard to the formation of immunological pathologies.     

Outdoor,indoor, and personal black carbon exposure from cookstoves burning solid fuels

Black carbon (BC) emissions from solid fuel combustion are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and are important drivers of climate change. We studied BC measurements, approximated by particulate matter (PM_2.5) absorbance, in rural Yunnan province, China, whose residents use a variety of solid fuels for cooking and heating including bituminous and anthracite coal, and wood. Measurements were taken over two consecutive 24‐h periods from 163 households in 30 villages. PM_2.5 absorbance (PM_abs) was measured using an EEL 043 Smoke Stain Reflectometer. PM_abs measurements were higher in wood burning households (16.3 × 10^?5/m) than bituminous and anthracite coal households (12 and 5.1 × 10^?5/m, respectively). Among bituminous coal users, measurements varied by a factor of two depending on the coal source. Portable stoves (which are lit outdoors and brought indoors for use) were associated with reduced PM_abs levels, but no other impact of stove design was observed. Outdoor measurements were positively correlated with and approximately half the level of indoor measurements (r = 0.49, P < 0.01). Measurements of BC (as approximated by PM_abs) in this population are modulated by fuel type and source. This provides valuable insight into potential morbidity, mortality, and climate change contributions of domestic usage of solid fuels.     

Post‐treatment selection for tailored fatigue performance of 18Ni300 maraging steel manufactured by laser powder bed fusion

This study investigates the fatigue behaviour of additively manufactured 18Ni300 maraging steel. Specifically, the surface and material parameters impacting fatigue performance are analysed through various post‐treatment combinations. Vertically built miniaturised test samples produced by laser powder bed fusion are tested in as‐built and age‐hardening heat‐treated conditions. To utilise the potential of using additive manufacturing for complex‐shaped parts in which conventional machining tools could have limited access, vibratory finishing and sand blasting are employed. The fatigue results show that in as‐built microstructural condition, both the surface treatments significantly enhanced the fatigue performance, with vibratory finishing outperforming sand blasting owing to better surface finish. After heat treatment, sand‐blasted samples performed better than vibratory‐finished ones because of higher residual stresses. This competing interaction between post‐treatments sheds light on identifying the relative influence of various factors. With systematic postfracture and microstructural analyses highlighting the fatigue influencing factors, recommendations are drawn to select post‐treatments to achieve the desired fatigue performance.     

POLYNITROGEN REAGENTS IN METAL SEPARATION. PART 1. DITERTIARY AND DIQUATERNARY AMMONIUM EXTRACTANTS FOR COBALT(II) AND COPPER(II) IN HCl MEDIUM.

Abstract

A variety of alkyldiammonium extractants (tertiary and quaternary)were prepared, characterised and used to extract cobalt(II) and copper(II) from HCl medium. These extractants were compared with Aliquat-336 and Alamine-336. The diammonium derivatives of ethylene diamine proved to be superior to their mono analogues.     

High cycle fatigue properties of selective laser sintered parts in polyamide 12

Selective laser sintered parts in polyamide are increasingly being used in functional applications. The monotonic properties of these parts are well-known and documented. The cyclic material properties, on the other hand, are largely unknown. Therefore, in this paper a systematic analysis is made of fatigue properties and failure mechanisms of selective laser sintered parts subjected to fluctuating loading in tension/compression. Both plain and notched specimens are produced along perpendicular building directions. The fatigue behaviour of these parts is analysed and compared to injection moulded samples. In addition, the influence of the test frequency and the notch manufacturing method is studied.     

Energy recovery from heavy ASR by co-incineration in a fluidized bed combustor

Automotive shredder residue (ASR) is a heterogeneous waste stream with varying particle size and elemental composition. Owing to its complexity and hazardous characteristics, landfilling of ASR is still a common practice. Nevertheless, incineration with energy recovery of certain ASR fractions (Waste-to-Energy, WtE) emerges as an interesting alternative. In a full scale experiment, a waste mix of 25 % heavy ASR, 25 % refuse derived fuel (RDF), and 50 % waste water treatment (WWT) sludge was incinerated in the SLECO fluidized bed combustor (FBC) at the Indaver site in Antwerp, Belgium. Input and output streams were sampled and analyzed to make an inventory of the most important pollutants and toxics. The inventory was further used to determine the environmental impact. Results are compared to those of two other scenarios: incineration of the usual waste feed (70 % RDF and 30 % WWT sludge) and co-incineration of 39 % ASR with 61 % WWT sludge. It can be concluded that co-incineration of heavy ASR in an existing FBC is a valid and clean technology to increase current reuse and recovery rates. In the considered FBC, 27 % of the energetic value of ASR can be recovered, while all emissions remain well below regulatory limits and only 12.6 % of the heavy ASR needs to be landfilled. The proportion of ASR in the input waste mix is however limited by the heavy metal concentration in the ASR and the generated ashes.     

Status of the Closed-Cycle Dilution Refrigerator Development for Space Astrophysics

The closed-cycle dilution refrigerator for space applications is an on-going development to improve the performance of the open-cycle dilution refrigerator successfully used on the Planck mission. This solution has been considered in various projects in X-ray and far-infrared space instruments for astrophysics (ATHENA, SPICA) and in advanced studies for future CMB polarization surveys (COrE). It is shown that for sub-Kelvin applications, this refrigerator is fully competitive with some ADR-based solutions. Compared to ADR, the main advantages are (1) a stable cooling power adapted to long uninterrupted sky surveys (2) a low mass of the coldest stages (3) the absence of magnetic field. We present the current status of the development and discuss the options for the \(^{3}\) He compressor.     

Performance evaluation of SDN-controlled green mobile fronthaul using a federation of experimental network testbeds

Photonic Network Communications - When evolved NodeB flexible functional split is implemented in virtualized radio access network 5G systems, fronthaul connectivity between the virtualized network...     

Physical modeling of systems involving electromagnetic heating ofmaterials

The technique of physical scale modeling of electromagnetic problems that include heat generation is described. The scaling groups required for modeling, which depend on the ratio of conduction to displacement currents, are derived from simple physical arguments which are suitable for presentation to undergraduates in a first course on Mawell's equations. The modeling of some practical problems is considered, and the approximations that must be made to the scaling groups to solve these problems are discussed. Three special cases are considered in some depth. In the first case conduction current greatly dominates the current flow in the full-scale system (such heating can be referred to as resistive heating). In the second case both conduction and displacement currents are significant. In the third case conduction current is much greater than displacement current and the system dimensions are comparable to or greater than the wavelength and depth of penetration