266 research outputs found
Sialoendoscopia: una nueva alternativa en el tratamiento de la patologĂa salival. Nuestra experiencia
Objectives: Sialoendoscopy is a procedure used to visualize
the salivary ducts and their pathology. It can be used either
as a diagnostic method to rule out inflammatory processes
in the parotid and submandibular glands (diagnostic
sialoendoscopy) or to treat pathological areas (stenosis,
extract foreign bodies or sialolithiasis) through the use of appropriate
instruments (interventionist sialoendoscopy). We
attempt to prove a declining rate of salivary gland excision.
Patients and method: Sialoendoscopy was performed in
8 patients.
Results: Of these, 50 % of patients were diagnosed as having
sialolithiasis and the other 50 % had chronic sialoadenitis. In
patients with sialolithiasis, sialoendoscopy allowed the
extraction of the calculus in two patients (50 %). In the remainder,
sialoendoscopy provided confirmation of the
diagnosis in all cases.
Conclusions: Sialoendoscopy is a new technique for use in
the diagnosis, treatment and post-operative management
of sialolithiasis, sialoadenitis and other salivary gland
pathologies
Novel reaction force for ultra-relativistic dynamics of a classical point charge
The problem of the electromagnetic radiation of an accelerated charged
particle is one of the most controversial issues in Physics since the beginning
of the last century, representing one of the most popular unsolved problems of
the Modern Physics. Different equations of motion have been proposed throughout
history for a point charge including the electromagnetic radiation emitted, but
all these expressions show some limitations. An equation based on the principle
of conservation of energy is proposed in this work for the ultra-relativistic
motion. Different examples are analyzed showing that the energy lost by the
charge agrees with the Li\'enard formula. This proposed equation has been
compared with the Landau-Lifshitz equation obtaining a good agreement in the
range of application of the Landau-Lifshitz formula.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figure
Numerical study of dark current dynamics in a high-gradient backward travelling wave accelerating cavity using the electromagnetic simulation software CST studio.
High-Gradient accelerating cavities are one of the main research lines in the development of
compact linear colliders. However, the operation of such cavities is currently limited by nonlinear
effects that are intensified at high electric fields, such as dark currents and radiation
emission or RF breakdowns.
A new normal-conducting High-Gradient S-band Backward Travelling Wave accelerating
cavity for medical application (v=0.38c) designed and constructed at Conseil Européen pour la
Recherche NuclĂ©aire (CERN) is being tested at Instituto de FĂsica Corpuscular (IFIC) High Power
RF Laboratory. The objective consists of studying its viability in the development of compact
linear accelerators for hadrontherapy treatments in hospitals.
Due to the high surface electric field in the cavity, electrons are emitted following Fowler-
Nordheim equation, also known as dark currents. The emission and dynamic of these
electrons are of fundamental importance on different phenomena such as RF Breakdowns or
radiation dose emission.
In this work, 3D electromagnetic numerical simulations have been performed using the
computer simulation technology software CST Studio Suite. Then, the resulting EM field maps
are used to study the emission and electron dynamics inside the cavity. The simulation results
are compared with experimental data and first conclusions discussed
Relativistic particle motion of a charge including the radiation reaction
The problem of the electromagnetic radiation of an accelerated charged particle is one of the
most controversial issues in Physics since the beginning of the last century representing one of
the most popular unsolved problems of the Modern Physics. Different equations of motion for
a point charge including the electromagnetic radiation emitted have been proposed throughout
history, but all these expressions show some limitations. An equation based on the principle of
conservation of energy is proposed for the ultra-relativistic motion. Different examples are
analyzed showing that the energy lost by the charge agrees with the relativistic generalization
of the Larmor formula. This proposed equation has been compared with the Landau-Lifshitz
equation obtaining a good agreement in the range of application of the Landau-Lifshitz formula.
Finally, it is discussed a possible variation of the typical relativistic particle integrators (e.g. Boris,
Vay or Higuera-Cary methods) in order to include the radiation reaction
Study of the RF pulse heating phenomenon in high gradient accelerating devices by means of analytical approximations
The main objective of this work is to present a
simple method, based on analytical expressions, for obtaining
a quick approximation of the temperature rise due to the Joule
effect inside the metallic walls of an RF accelerating device. This
proposal relies on solving the 1D heat-transfer equation for a
thick wall, where the heat sources inside the wall are the ohmic
losses produced by the RF electromagnetic fields penetrating
the metal with finite electrical conductivity. Furthermore, it is
discussed how the theoretical expressions of this method can be
applied to obtain an approximation to the temperature increase
in realistic 3D RF accelerating structures, taking as an example
the cavity of an RF electron gun. These theoretical results have
been benchmarked with numerical simulations carried out with
commercial finite-element method codes, finding good agreement
among them
Two-dimensional simulation of the electron transport in a photomultiplier tube
Photomultiplier tubes are widely used in experimental physics because they convert small light
signals into a measurable electric current. Although their working principle is well known, it is
very difficult to find simulations of the electron transport in these devices. For this reason, the
electron transport in the Hamamatsu R13408-100 photomultiplier tube has been simulated in
2D. The software SUPERFISH is used for calculating the electrostatic fields and the Boris method
for the effective electron dynamics. The secondary electron emission in the dynodes is
implemented using an effective electron model and the modified Vaughan’s model. Some
figures of merit for photomultiplier tubes (e.g. the gain, the electron transit time or the transit
time spread) in function of the supply voltage and an external magnetic field have been studied
obtaining a good qualitative accordance with the Hamamatsu datasheet. In further studies, we
are going to compare our simulations with experimental measurements
Are congenital malformations more frequent in fetuses with intrahepatic persistent right umbilical vein? A comparative study
Objective Persistent right umbilical vein (PRUV) is a vascular anomaly where the right umbilical vein remains as the only conduit that returns oxygenated blood to the fetus. It has classically been described as associated with numerous defects. We distinguish the intrahepatic variant (better prognosis) and the extrahepatic variant (associated with worse prognosis). The objective of this study was to compare rates of congenital malformations in fetuses with intrahepatic PRUV (I-PRUV) versus singleton pregnancies without risk factors. Materials and Methods A multicenter, crossover design, comparative study was performed between 2003 and 2013 on fetuses diagnosed with I-PRUV (n = 56), and singleton pregnancies without congenital malformation risk factors (n = 4050). Results Fifty-six cases of I-PRUV were diagnosed (incidence 1:770). A statistically significant association between I-PRUV and the presence of congenital malformations (odds ratio 4.321; 95% confidence interval 2.15–8.69) was found. This positive association was only observed with genitourinary malformations (odds ratio 3.038; 95% confidence interval 1.08–8.56). Conclusion Our rate of malformations associated with I-PRUV (17.9%) is similar to previously published rates. I-PRUV has shown a significant increase in the rate of associated malformations, although this association has only been found to be statistically significant in the genitourinary system. Noteworthy is the fact that this comparative study has not pointed to a significant increase in the congenital heart malformation rate. Diagnosis of isolated I-PRUV does not carry a worse prognosis
Changes in Cardiac Substrate Transporters and Metabolic Proteins Mirror the Metabolic Shift in Patients with Aortic Stenosis
In the hypertrophied human heart, fatty acid metabolism is decreased and glucose utilisation is increased. We hypothesized that the sarcolemmal and mitochondrial proteins involved in these key metabolic pathways would mirror these changes, providing a mechanism to account for the modified metabolic flux measured in the human heart. Echocardiography was performed to assess in vivo hypertrophy and aortic valve impairment in patients with aortic stenosis (n = 18). Cardiac biopsies were obtained during valve replacement surgery, and used for western blotting to measure metabolic protein levels. Protein levels of the predominant fatty acid transporter, fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) correlated negatively with levels of the glucose transporters, GLUT1 and GLUT4. The decrease in FAT/CD36 was accompanied by decreases in the fatty acid binding proteins, FABPpm and H-FABP, the β-oxidation protein medium chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, the Krebs cycle protein α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase and the oxidative phosphorylation protein ATP synthase. FAT/CD36 and complex I of the electron transport chain were downregulated, whereas the glucose transporter GLUT4 was upregulated with increasing left ventricular mass index, a measure of cardiac hypertrophy. In conclusion, coordinated downregulation of sequential steps involved in fatty acid and oxidative metabolism occur in the human heart, accompanied by upregulation of the glucose transporters. The profile of the substrate transporters and metabolic proteins mirror the metabolic shift from fatty acid to glucose utilisation that occurs in vivo in the human heart
Interdigital cell death in the embryonic limb is associated with depletion of Reelin in the extracellular matrix
Interdigital cell death is a physiological regression process responsible for sculpturing the digits in the embryonic vertebrate limb. Changes in the intensity of this degenerative process account for the different patterns of interdigital webbing among vertebrate species. Here, we show that Reelin is present in the extracellular matrix of the interdigital mesoderm of chick and mouse embryos during the developmental stages of digit formation. Reelin is a large extracellular glycoprotein which has important functions in the developing nervous system, including neuronal survival; however, the significance of Reelin in other systems has received very little attention. We show that reelin expression becomes intensely downregulated in both the chick and mouse interdigits preceding the establishment of the areas of interdigital cell death. Furthermore, fibroblast growth factors, which are cell survival signals for the interdigital mesoderm, intensely upregulated reelin expression, while BMPs, which are proapototic signals, downregulate its expression in the interdigit. Gene silencing experiments of reelin gene or its intracellular effector Dab-1 confirmed the implication of Reelin signaling as a survival factor for the limb undifferentiated mesoderm. We found that Reelin activates canonical survival pathways in the limb mesoderm involving protein kinase B and focal adhesion kinase. Our findings support that Reelin plays a role in interdigital cell death, and suggests that anoikis (apoptosis secondary to loss of cell adhesion) may be involved in this process
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