On the Thermal Distribution in Oncological Hyperthermia Treatments

The temperature is one of the principal controlling parameters of oncological hyperthermia. However, local heating forms a complicated thermal distribution in space and has developed over time, too. The decisional factors are the heterogeneity of the targeted volume, the electrolyte perfusions controlled by thermal homeostasis, and the spreading of the heat energy with time. A further complication is that the energy absorption sharply changes by depth, so the spatiotemporal development of the temperature distribution requires specialized methods to control. Most of the temperature imaging facilities (thermography, radiometry, electric impedance tomography, etc.) are less precise than the medical practice needs. In contrast, precise point sensing (like thermocouples, thermistors, and fluoroptical methods) is invasive and measures only a discrete point in the robustly changing thermal map. The two most precise thermal imaging methods, computer tomography, and magnetic resonance are expensive and have numerous technical complications. Our objective is to show the complexity of the temperature distribution inside the human body, and offer a relatively simple and cheap method to visualize its spatiotemporal development. A novel emerging technology, the application of ultrasound microbubble contrast agents is a promising method for solving complicated tasks of thermal distribution deep inside the living body. Noteworthy, the temperature distribution does not determine the full hyperthermia process, nonthermal effects make considerable impact, too. Additionally to the difficulties to measure the thermal heterogeneity during hyperthermia in oncology, numerous nonthermal processes, molecular and structural changes are triggered by the incoming electromagnetic energy, which presently has no spatiotemporal visualization technique. Microbubble imaging has a suitable spatiotemporal thermal resolution, and also it is sensitive to nonthermal effects. Its application for characterization of the modulated electrohyperthermia (mEHT) may open a new theranostic facility, using the synergy of the thermal and nonthermal effects of the radiofrequency delivered energy. This complex approach gives facility to follow the mEHT processes, and the proposed microbubble ultrasound imaging has a particularly promising advantage sensing and acting also nonthermally, having potential to characterize the thermally conditioned nonthermal electromagnetic effects in oncologic hyperthermia. The mEHT combined with microbubble ultrasound images could be a robust theranostic method against cancer.

An efficient green route for hexamethylene-1,6-diisocyanate synthesis by thermal decomposition of hexamethylene-1,6-dicarbamate over Co3O4/ZSM-5 catalyst： An indirect utilization of CO2

The utilization of CO2 as raw material for chemical synthesis has the potential for substantial economic and green benefits. Thermal decomposition of hexamethylene-1,6-dicarbamate （HDC） is a promising approach for indirect utilization of CO2 to produce hexamethylene-1,6-diisocyanate （HDI）. In this work, a green route was developed for the synthesis of HD1 by thermal decomposition of HDC over Co3O4/ZSM-5 catalyst, using chlorobenzene as low boiling point solvent. Different metal oxide supported catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation （IWI）, PEG-additive （PEG） and deposition precipitation with ammonia evaporation （DP） methods. Their catalytic performances for the thermal decomposition of HDC were tested. The catalyst screening results showed that Co3O4/ZSM-525 catalysts prepared by different methods showed different performances in the order of Co3O4/ZSM-5 25（PEG） 〉 Co3O4/ZSM-525（IWI） 〉 Co3O4/ZSM-525（DP）. The physicochemical properties of Co3O4/ZSM- 52s catalyst were characterized by XRD, FTIR, N2 adsorption-desorption measurements, NH3-TPD and XPS. The superior catalytic performance of Co3O4/ZSM-52S（PEG） catalyst was attributed to its relative surface content of Co3 ＋, surface lattice oxygen content and total acidity. Under the optimized reaction conditions： 6.5% HDC concentration in chlorobenzene, 1 wt% Co3O4/ZSM-525（PEG） catalyst, 250℃ temperature, 2.5 h time, 800 ml.min 1 nitrogen flow rate and 1.0 MPa pressure, the HDC conversion and HDI yield could reach 100% and 92.8% respectively. The Co3O4/ZSM-525（PEG） catalyst could be facilely separated from the reaction mixture, and reused without degradation in catalytic performance. Furthermore, a possible reaction mechanism was proposed based on the physicochemical properties of the Co3O4/ZSM-5 25 catalysts.

Differences in sensitivity of native and exotic fish species to changes in river temperature

This paper describes the effects that temperature changes in the Rhine river distributaries have on native and exotic fish diversity. Site-specific potentially affected fractions （PAFs） of the regional fish species pool were derived using species sensitivity distributions （SSDs） for water temperature. The number of fish species in the river distributaries has changed remarkably over the last century. The number of native rheophilous species declined up until 1980 due to anthropogenic disturbances such as commercial fishing, fiver regulation, migration barriers, habitat deterioration and water pollution. In spite of progress in river re- habilitation, the native rheophilous fish fauna has only partially recovered thus far. The total number of species has strongly in- creased due to the appearance of more exotic species. After the opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube waterway in 1992, many fish species originating from the Ponto-Caspian area colonized the Rhine basin. The yearly minimum and maximum river tempera- tures at Lobith have increased by circa 4 ~C over the period 1908-2010. Exotic species show lower PAFs than native species at both ends of the temperature range. The interspecific variation in the temperature tolerance of exotic fish species was found to be large. Using temporal trends in river temperature allowed past predictions of PAFs to demonstrate that the increase in maximum river temperature negatively affected a higher percentage of native fish species than exotic species. Our results support the hy- pothesis that alterations of the river Rhine＇s temperature regime caused by thermal pollution and global wanning limit the full recovery of native fish fauna and facilitate the establishment of exotic species which thereby increases competition between native and exotic species. Thermal refuges are important for the survival of native fish species under extreme summer or winter temperature conditions