Without modification of its periphery, cucurbit[7]uril (a macrocyclic cavitand comprising seven glycoluril units) forms a hydrogel. The gelation is thermoreversible and sensitive to pH, but is inhibited by the presence of alkali‐metal ions and shows guest‐induced stimuli‐responsive behavior: upon addition of a small amount of a guest, it undergoes a reversible gel–sol transition with alternating UV irradiation and heat treatment (see picture).

This study evaluates the potential application of tin porphyrin- and C(60) aminofullerene-derivatized silica (SnP/silica and aminoC(60)/silica) as (1)O(2) generating systems for photochemical degradation of organic pollutants. Photosensitized (1)O(2) production with SnP/silica, which was faster than with aminoC(60)/silica, effectively oxidized a variety of pharmaceuticals. Significant degradation of pharmaceuticals in the presence of the 400-nm UV cutoff filter corroborated visible light activation of both photosensitizers. Whereas the efficacy of aminoC(60)/silica for (1)O(2) production drastically decreased under irradiation with λ > 550 nm, Q-band absorption caused negligible loss of the photosensitizing activity of SnP/silica in the long wavelength region. Faster destruction of phenolates by SnP/silica and aminoC(60)/silica under alkaline pH conditions further implicated (1)O(2) involvement in the oxidative degradation. Direct charge transfer mediated by SnP, which was inferred from nanosecond laser flash photolysis, induced significant degradation of neutral phenols under high power light irradiation. Self-sensitized destruction caused gradual activity loss of SnP/silica in reuse tests unlike aminoC(60)/silica. The kinetic comparison of SnP/silica and TiO(2) photocatalyst in real wastewater effluents showed that photosensitized singlet oxygenation of pharmaceuticals was still efficiently achieved in the presence of background organic matters, while significant interference was observed for photocatalyzed oxidation involving non-selective OH radical.

A B S T R A C TAn edge finite-element method has been applied to compute magnetotelluric (MT) responses to three-dimensional (3D) earth topography. The finite-element algorithm uses a single edge shape function at each edge of hexahedral elements, guaranteeing the continuity of the tangential electric field while conserving the continuity of magnetic flux at boundaries. We solve the resulting system of equations using the biconjugate gradient method with a Jacobian preconditioner. The solution gives electric fields parallel to the slope of a surface relief that is often encountered in MT surveys. The algorithm is successfully verified by comparison with other numerical solutions for a 3D-2 model for comparison of modelling methods for EM induction and a ridge model. We use a 3D trapezoidal-hill model to investigate 3D topographic effects, which are caused mainly by galvanic effects, not only in the Zxy mode but also in the Zyx mode. If a 3D topography were approximated by a two-dimensional topography therefore errors occurring in the transverse electric mode would be more serious than those in the transverse magnetic mode.

PurposeThe 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET) included several significant changes. We aim to evaluate this staging system compared to the 7th edition AJCC staging system and European Neuroendocrine Tumors Society (ENETS) system.Materials and MethodsWe used Korean nationwide surgery database (2000-2014). Of 972 patients who had undergone surgery for PNET, excluding patients diagnosed with ENETS/World Health Organization 2010 grade 3 (G3), only 472 patients with accurate stage were included.ResultsPoor discrimination in overall survival rate (OSR) was noted between AJCC 8th stage III and IV (p=0.180). The disease-free survival (DFS) curves of 8th AJCC classification were well separated between all stages. Compared with stage I, the hazard ratio of II, III, and IV was 3.808, 13.928, and 30.618, respectively (p=0.007, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001). The curves of OSR and DFS of certain prognostic group in AJCC 7th and ENETS overlapped. In ENETS staging system, no significant difference in DFS between stage IIB versus IIIA (p=0.909) and IIIA versus IIIB (p=0.291). In multivariable analysis, lymphovascular invasion (p=0.002), perineural invasion (p=0.003), and grade (p < 0.001) were identified as independent prognostic factors for DFS.ConclusionThis is the first large-scale validation of the AJCC 8th edition staging system for PNET. The revised 8th system provides better discrimination compared to that of the 7th edition and ENETS TNM system. This supports the clinical use of the system.