A population-based case-control study on social factors and risk of testicular germ cell tumours

Objectives Incidence rates for testicular cancer have risen over the last few decades. Findings of an association between the risk of testicular cancer and social factors are controversial. The association of testicular cancer and different indicators of social factors were examined in this study.<p></p> Design Case–control study.<p></p> Setting Population-based multicentre study in four German regions (city states Bremen and Hamburg, the Saarland region and the city of Essen).<p></p> Participants The study included 797 control participants and 266 participants newly diagnosed with testicular cancer of which 167 cases were classified as seminoma and 99 as non-seminoma. The age of study participants ranged from 15 to 69 years.<p></p> Methods Social position was classified by educational attainment level, posteducational training, occupational sectors according to Erikson-Goldthorpe-Portocarrero (EGP) and the socioeconomic status (SES) on the basis of the International SocioEconomic Index of occupational status (ISEI). ORs and corresponding 95% CIs (95% CIs) were calculated for the whole study sample and for seminoma and non-seminoma separately.<p></p> Results Testicular cancer risk was modestly increased among participants with an apprenticeship (OR=1.7 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.8)) or a university degree (OR=1.6 (95% CI 0.9 to 2.8)) relative to those whose education was limited to school. Analysis of occupational sectors revealed an excess risk for farmers and farm-related occupations. No clear trend was observed for the analyses according to the ISEI-scale.<p></p> Conclusions Social factors based on occupational measures were not a risk factor for testicular cancer in this study. The elevated risk in farmers and farm-related occupations warrants further research including analysis of occupational exposures.<p></p&gt

Analyse der transkriptionalen Aktivität von NF-kB in immunkompetenten Zellen polytraumatisierter Patienten in der posttraumatischen Phase

Die Versorgung schwer verletzter Patienten stellt nicht nur eine medizinische, sondern in zunehmendem Maße eine sozioökonomische Herausforderung dar. Auf Grund optimierten sowohl präklinischen als auch chirurgischen und intensivmedizinischen Therapieregimes konnte insbesondere die Frühletalität nach schwerem Trauma in den vergangenen Dekaden kontinu-ierlich reduziert werden. Dabei ist in Deutschland beispielsweise die Anzahl der im Straßenverkehr verstorbenen Patienten im Jahr 2006 auf das Rekord-Tief von 5020 gesunken, wobei die Anzahl der überlebenden Schwerstverletzten kontinuierlich steigt. Das Polytrauma ist definiert als Mehrfachverletzung mehrerer Organe oder Körperregionen, wovon mindestens eine oder die Summe der Verletzungen lebensbedrohlich ist. Etwa 40% der schwer Verletzten versterben im Laufe von Tagen bis mehreren Monaten auf Grund eines posttraumatischen Multiorganversagens. Dieser Spätletalität nach Trauma liegen Inflammations- oder Ischämie-bedingte schwerwiegende Funktionsausfälle lebenswichtiger Organe zu Grunde. Umfangreiche Untersuchungen der vergangenen Jahre haben klar herausgestellt, dass eine Entzündungsreaktion dabei die gemeinsame Endstrecke eines pathophysiologischen Phänomens darstellt, welches als Auslöser unterschiedliche Ursachen haben kann wie etwa Verkehrsunfälle, Schussverletzungen oder Verbrennungen. Die auslösenden Faktoren für die Generalisation dieser ursprünglich regionären Entzündungsreaktion konnten dabei bisher nicht eindeutig identifiziert werden. Daher war es Ziel dieser Arbeit, die nukleäre Translokation von NF-kB, einem wichtigen proinflammatorischem Tarnskritpionsfaktor in immunkompetenten Zellen der angeborenen Immunabwehr polytraumatisierter Patienten in der frühen posttraumatischen Phase zu analysieren

Reconfigurable nanophotonic devices using phase-change materials

This is the final version of the article. Available from E\PCOS via the URL in this record.Nanophotonic integrated circuits enable realizing functional optical devices using efficient design and fabrication routines. Their inherent stability and scalability makes them attractive for applications where optical signal processing is combined with coupling to external light stimuli. A majority of nanophotonic devices is, however, based on passive materials, which do not provide low-power tuning options or knobs for reconfigurability. We address this shortcoming by combining passive silicon nitride photonic devices with tunable phase-change materials [1]. Such a platform allows realizing both on-chip optical data storage [2] and active photonic components. Implementing on-chip photonic memories has been pursued for a long time, in particular for fabricating memory devices which are able to retain their state after the storage process. Photonic data storage would dramatically improve performance in existing computing architectures by reducing the latencies associated with electrical memories and potentially eliminating optoelectronic conversions. Furthermore, multi-level photonic memories with random access would allow for leveraging even greater computational capability. Thus far, photonic memories have been predominantly volatile, meaning that their state is lost once the input power is removed. We exploit hybrid photonic-phasechange materials to implement robust, non-volatile, all-photonic memories. By using optical near-field coupling within on-chip waveguides, we realize bit storage of up to eight levels in a single device that readily switches between intermediate states. We show that individual memory elements can be addressed using a wavelength multiplexing scheme. Such multi-level, multi-bit devices provide a pathway towards eliminating the von Neumann bottleneck and portend a new paradigm in all-photonic memory and non-conventional computing. We further show that such devices can be operated with short optical pulses, both for write and read operations

Nonvolatile All-Optical 1 × 2 Switch for Chipscale Photonic Networks

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Integrated chip-level photonics has the potential to revolutionize future computer systems by eliminating the “von-Neumann information bottleneck” and the power losses resulting from the use of electrical interconnects. Yet, the need for optical-to-electrical conversion has so far hindered the implementation of chip-level all-optical routing schemes, which remain operational without continuous power consumption. Here, a crucial component to successful implementation of such all-photonic networks is demonstrated – an effective, practicable all-optical nonvolatile switch. Current integrated all-optical switches require constant bias power to operate, and lose their state when it is removed. By contrast, our switch is entirely nonvolatile, with the direction of light flow altered by switching the phase state of an embedded phase-change cell using 1 ps optical pulses. High on/off switching contrast devices are achieved that are fully integrated and compatible with existing photonic circuits. It is shown that individual switching events occur with transition times below 200 ps and thus hold promise for ultrafast light routing on chip. The approach offers a reliable and simple route toward hybrid reconfigurable photonic devices without the need for electrical contacting.Funded by: DFG. Grant Numbers: PE 1832/1-1, PE 1832/2-1; EPSRC. Grant Numbers: EP/J018783/1, EP/M015173/1, EP/M015130/1; Clarendon Fun

Calculating with light using a chip-scale all-optical abacus

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Nature via the DOI in this record.Machines that simultaneously process and store multistate data at one and the same location can provide a new class of fast, powerful and efficient general-purpose computers. We demonstrate the central element of an all-optical calculator, a photonic abacus, which provides multistate compute-and-store operation by integrating functional phase-change materials with nanophotonic chips. With picosecond optical pulses we perform the fundamental arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, including a carryover into multiple cells. This basic processing unit is embedded into a scalable phase-change photonic network and addressed optically through a two-pulse random access scheme. Our framework provides first steps towards light-based non-von Neumann arithmetic.The authors acknowledge support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) grants PE 1832/2-1 and EPSRC grant EP/J018783/1. M.S. acknowledges support from the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics (KSOP) and the Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft (sdw). C.R. is grateful to JEOL UK and the Clarendon Fund for funding his graduate studies. H.B. acknowledges support from the John Fell Fund and the EPSRC (EP/J00541X/2 and EP/J018694/1). The authors also acknowledge support from the DFG and the State of Baden-Württemberg through the DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures (CFN). The authors thank S. Diewald for assistance with device fabrication

Charge carrier injection into insulating media: single-particle versus mean-field approach

Self-consistent, mean-field description of charge injection into a dielectric medium is modified to account for discreteness of charge carriers. The improved scheme includes both the Schottky barrier lowering due to the individual image charge and the barrier change due to the field penetration into the injecting electrode that ensures validity of the model at both high and low injection rates including the barrier dominated and the space-charge dominated regimes. Comparison of the theory with experiment on an unipolar ITO/PPV/Au-device is presented.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures; revised version accepted to PR