Power-efficiency trade-off for the finite-time quantum harmonic Otto heat engine via a phase-space approach.

Thermodynamic constraints impose a trade-off between power and efficiency in heat engines, preventing the simultaneous achievement of high power and high efficiency. For classical microscopic engines, explicit inequalities have been discovered, demonstrating the inherent inevitability of this power-efficiency trade-off. However, extensions of these results to quantum engines have so far been limited to cases of slow operation.

Rapid Screening of Methicillin-Resistant Using MALDI-TOF MS and Machine Learning: A Randomized, Multicenter Study.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections including bacteremia. The rapid detection of MRSA is essential for prompt treatment and improved outcomes. However, traditional MRSA screening and confirmatory tests based on bacterial cultures with antimicrobial susceptibility tests and/or molecular diagnostics are time-consuming (>2 days), labor-intensive, and costly.

Erratum: Korean Gastric Cancer Association-Led Nationwide Survey on Surgically Treated Gastric Cancers in 2023.

This corrects the article on p. 115 in vol. 25, PMID: 39822171.

Evaluation of internal scatter contribution to gonadal dose in colorectal radiotherapy.

Colorectal cancer is among the most common cancers in terms of both incidence and mortality. External beam radiotherapy is frequently used to treat colorectal cancer. In colorectal radiotherapy, the gonad is considered as an organ that must be spared owing to its radiosensitivity.

Hybrid Approach to Classifying Histological Subtypes of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): Combining Radiomics and Deep Learning Features from CT Images.

This study aimed to develop a hybrid model combining radiomics and deep learning features derived from computed tomography (CT) images to classify histological subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analyzed CT images and radiomics features from 235 patients with NSCLC, including 110 with adenocarcinoma (ADC) and 112 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The dataset was split into a training set (75%) and a test set (25%).

Korean Gastric Cancer Association-Led Nationwide Survey on Surgically Treated Gastric Cancers in 2023.

Purpose: Since 1995, the Korean Gastric Cancer Association (KGCA) has been periodically conducting nationwide surveys on patients with surgically treated gastric cancer. This study details the results of the survey conducted in 2023.

Materials And Methods: The survey was conducted from March to December 2024 using a standardized case report form.

Active motion can be beneficial for target search with resetting in a thermal environment.

Stochastic resetting has recently emerged as an efficient target-searching strategy in various physical and biological systems. The efficiency of this strategy depends on the type of environmental noise, whether it is thermal or telegraphic (active). While the impact of each noise type on a search process has been investigated separately, their combined effects have not been explored.

Unified hierarchical relationship between thermodynamic tradeoff relations.

Recent years have witnessed a surge of discoveries in the studies of thermodynamic inequalities: the thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) and the entropic bound (EB) provide a lower bound on the entropy production (EP) in terms of nonequilibrium currents; the classical speed limit (CSL) expresses the lower bound on the EP using the geometry of probability distributions; the power-efficiency (PE) tradeoff dictates the maximum power achievable for a heat engine given the level of its thermal efficiency. In this study, we show that there exists a unified hierarchical structure encompassing all of these bounds, with the fundamental inequality given by an extension of the TUR (XTUR) that incorporates the most general range of currentlike and state-dependent observables. By selecting more specific observables, the TUR and the EB follow from the XTUR, and the CSL and the PE tradeoff follow from the EB.

Tailoring the Thermoelectric Properties of 3D-Printed n-Type BiSbTe with Incorporated Edge-Oxidized Graphene.

Using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to fabricate BiTe-based thermoelectric (TE) generators opens a potential way to create shape-conformable devices capable of recovering waste heat from thermal energy sources with diverse surface morphologies. However, pores formed in 3D-printed BiTe-based materials by the removal of the organic ink binder result in unsatisfactory performance compared to the bulk materials, which has limited the widespread application of the ink-based 3D printing process. Furthermore, managing the volatile Se element in the n-type materials poses significant technological challenges compared to the p-type counterparts, resulting in a scarcity of research on 3D printing of n-type BiTe.

Stochastic differential equation for a system coupled to a thermostatic bath via an arbitrary interaction Hamiltonian.

The conventional Langevin equation offers a mathematically convenient framework for investigating open stochastic systems interacting with their environment or a bath. However, it is not suitable for a wide variety of systems whose dynamics rely on the nature of the environmental interaction, as the equation does not incorporate any specific information regarding that interaction. Here, we present a stochastic differential equation (SDE) for an open system coupled to a thermostatic bath via an arbitrary interaction Hamiltonian.

Dietary Walnuts Prevented Indomethacin-Induced Gastric Damage via AP-1 Transcribed 15-PGDH, Nrf2-Mediated HO-1, and n-3 PUFA-Derived Resolvin E1.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the most highly prescribed drugs in the world for the treatment of pain, inflammation, and fever, cause gastric mucosal damage, including ulcers, directly or indirectly, by which the development of GI-safer (-sparing) NSAIDs relates to unmet medical needs. This study aimed to document the preventive effects of walnut polyphenol extracts (WPEs) against NSAID-induced gastric damage along with the molecular mechanisms. RGM-1 gastric mucosal cells were administered with indomethacin, and the expressions of the inflammatory mediators between indomethacin alone or a combination with WPEs were compared.

Synergistic Tailoring of Electronic and Thermal Transports in Thermoelectric Se-Free n-Type (Bi,Sb)Te.

Se-free n-type (Bi,Sb)Te thermoelectric materials, outperforming traditional n-type Bi(Te,Se), emerge as a compelling candidate for practical applications of recovering low-grade waste heat. A 100% improvement in the maximum of n-type BiSbTe is demonstrated by using melt-spinning and excess Te-assisted transient liquid phase sintering (LPS). Te-rich sintering promotes the formation of intrinsic defects (Te), elevating the carrier concentration and enhancing the electrical conductivity.

A simple protocol for cultivating the bacterivorous soil nematode in its natural ecology in the laboratory.

The complex interplay between an animal and its surrounding environment requires constant attentive observation in natural settings. Moreover, how ecological interactions are affected by an animal's genes is difficult to ascertain outside the laboratory. Genetic studies with the bacterivorous nematode have elucidated numerous relationships between genes and functions, such as physiology, behaviors, and lifespan.

Quantitative radiomics approach to assess acute radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients.

Purpose: We applied a radiomics approach to skin surface images to objectively assess acute radiation dermatitis in patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of 20 patients was conducted. Skin surface images in normal, polarized, and ultraviolet (UV) modes were acquired using a skin analysis device before starting radiotherapy ('Before RT'), approximately 7 days after the first treatment ('RT D7'), on 'RT D14', and approximately 10 days after the radiotherapy ended ('After RT D10').

Novel tongue-positioning device to reduce tongue motions during radiation therapy for head and neck cancer: Geometric and dosimetric evaluation.

This study aimed to assess the performance of a tongue-positioning device in interfractional tongue position reproducibility by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Fifty-two patients treated with radiation therapy (RT) while using a tongue positioning device were included in the study. All patients were treated with 28 or 30 fractions using the volumetric modulated arc therapy technique.

Predictors of Extraprostatic Extension in Patients with Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: To identify effective factors predicting extraprostatic extension (EPE) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study recruited 898 consecutive patients with PCa treated with robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. The patients were divided into EPE and non-EPE groups based on the analysis of whole-mount histopathologic sections.

Extension of matRad with a modified microdosimetric kinetic model for carbon ion treatment planning: Comparison with Monte Carlo calculation.

Background: Treatment planning is essential for in silico particle therapy studies. matRad is an open-source research treatment planning system (TPS) based on the local effect model, which is a type of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) model.

Purpose: This study aims to implement a microdosimetric kinetic model (MKM) in matRad and develop an automation algorithm for Monte Carlo (MC) dose recalculation using the TOPAS code.

European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing-Recommended Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of , , and From Positive Blood Culture Bottles.

Background: Early diagnosis and treatment are important for a good prognosis of bloodstream infections. The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) recommends rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (RAST) based on the disk diffusion methodology for 4, 6, and 8 hours of incubation. We evaluated EUCAST-RAST of , , and from positive blood culture bottles.

How to grow an oscillators' network with enhanced synchronization.

We study a way to set the natural frequency of a newly added oscillator in a growing network to enhance synchronization. Population growth is one of the typical features of many oscillator systems for which synchronization is required to perform their functions properly. Despite this significance, little has been known about synchronization in growing systems.

Autodisplay of streptococcal protein G for construction of an orientation-controlled immunoaffinity layer.

An immunoaffinity layer with orientation-controlled antibodies was constructed to express streptococcal protein G in cells using autodisplay technology. The sequence of protein G, a specific IgG-binding protein, was inserted into the autodisplay vector using recombinant technology and the constructed plasmid vector was transformed into cells. Protein G was confirmed to be autodisplayed with a high density of 2 × 10 copies per cell by SDS-PAGE analysis, and its IgG-binding affinity was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy.

Biometabolites of Peel Enhance Intestinal Permeability and Alter Gut Commensal Bacteria.

Flavanones in peel (CUP) have been used as therapeutic agents to reduce intestinal inflammation; however, the anti-inflammatory effects of their biometabolites remain ambiguous. Here, we identified aglycone-type flavanones, such as hesperetin and naringenin, which were more abundant in the bioconversion of the CUP than in the ethanol extracts of the CUP. We found that the bioconversion of the CUP induced the canonical nuclear factor-κB pathway via degradation of IκB in Caco-2 cells.

Near-maximum rib dose is the most relevant risk factor for ipsilateral spontaneous rib fracture: a dosimetric analysis of breast cancer patients after radiotherapy.

Purpose: Spontaneous rib fracture (SRF) is a common late complication in treated breast cancer patients. This study evaluated the incidence and risk factors of ipsilateral SRF after radiotherapy (RT) in breast cancer patients. In addition, we identified dosimetric parameters that were significantly associated with ipsilateral SRF.

Performance evaluation of a visual guidance patient-controlled respiratory gating system for respiratory-gated magnetic-resonance image-guided radiation therapy.

The performance of a visual guidance patient-controlled (VG-PC) respiratory gating system for magnetic-resonance (MR) image-guided radiation therapy (MR-IGRT) was evaluated through a clinical trial of patients with either lung or liver cancer. Patients can voluntarily control their respiration utilizing the VG-PC respiratory gating system. The system enables patients to view near-real-time cine planar MR images projected inside the bore of MR-IGRT systems or an external screen.