614 research outputs found
Microfabrication of Optically Flat Silicon Micro-Mirrors for Fully Programmable Micro-Diffraction Gratings
AbstractWe have fabricated and characterized a Fully Programmable Micro-Diffraction Grating (FPMDG) with 64 silicon micro-mirrors for spectral shaping in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range. The FPMDG arrays of 50μm and 80μm wide and 700μm long silicon micro-mirrors have been fabricated in a process based on anodic bonding of an 8μm-SOI wafer and a borosilicate glass wafer. The detrimental bending of the micro-mirrors during electrostatic actuation has been minimized through separation of the mechanical and optical sections of the device. Flexures incorporating serpentine structures have been used to reduce the actuation dependence on length and thickness. Independent addressing of the micro-mirrors with negligible cross-talk and with bending of the micro-mirrors smaller than 0.14μm over 700μm have been demonstrated
The hidden burden of adult allergic rhinitis : UK healthcare resource utilisation survey
Funding Funding for this survey was provided by Meda Pharma.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The safety of monoclonal antibodies in asthma
Introduction: In the last two decades the knowledge of the mechanisms of the inflammatory processes underlying asthma rapidly evolved, several key mediators (cytokines and receptors) were identified, and the laboratory techniques have allowed us to synthesize monoclonal antibodies highly specific for those target molecules. Nowadays, many biological agents are investigated in asthma (with anti IgE being the only commercially available). The clinical efficacy of some biologics was demonstrated in many cases, however, the safety issue has progressively emerged and has been recognized as a crucial aspect. Areas covered: We summarized the currently available knowledge on the safety and side effects of biologics in asthma, as derived by reviews, meta analyses and clinical trials. PubMed was searched with the terms anti IL-x [AND] safety [OR] side effects, within the categories \u201cclinical trial\u201d, meta-analysis\u201d and \u201creview\u201d. Case reports were excluded. The authors collegially selected the relevant entries to be included. Expert opinion: Overall, the safety of most of the investigated agents seems to be satisfactory, a certain risk of side effects remains present, and is variable for the different molecules. Thus caution must be paid in evaluating the risk to benefit ratio. Specific biomarkers to predict the response to each biological are urgently needed to improve the safety profile
Double-beta decay of Te to the first 0 excited state of Xe with CUORICINO
The CUORICINO experiment was an array of 62 TeO single-crystal
bolometers with a total Te mass of kg. The experiment finished
in 2008 after more than 3 years of active operating time. Searches for both
and double-beta decay to the first excited state in
Xe were performed by studying different coincidence scenarios. The
analysis was based on data representing a total exposure of
N(Te)t=y. No evidence for a signal was
found. The resulting lower limits on the half lives are y (90% C.L.), and
y (90%
C.L.).Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Management of allergic rhinitis symptoms in the pharmacy Pocket guide 2022
Allergic rhinitis (AR) management requires a coordinated effort from healthcare providers and patients. Pharmacists are key members of these integrated care pathways resolving medication-related problems, optimizing regimens, improving adherence and recommending therapies while establishing liaisons between patients and physicians.Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) first published a reference document on the pharmacist's role in allergic rhinitis management in 2004. Several guidelines were developed over the past 20 years improving the care of allergic rhinitis patients through an evidence-based, integrated care approach.This ARIA/EAACI/FIP Position Paper is based on the latest ARIA in the Pharmacy guidelines and provides: (a) a structured approach to pharmacists identifying people with AR and/or allergic conjunctivitis as well as those at risk of poor disease control; (b) an evidence-based clinical decision support tool for optimising the management of allergic rhinitis in the community pharmacy; and (c) a framework of referral to the physician.This document is not intended to be a mandatory standard of care but is provided as a basis for pharmacists and their staff to develop relevant local standards of care for their patients, within their local practice environment. Pharmacy care varies between countries, and the guide should be adapted to the local situation.© 2022 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Allergy published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Validation of techniques to mitigate copper surface contamination in CUORE
In this article we describe the background challenges for the CUORE
experiment posed by surface contamination of inert detector materials such as
copper, and present three techniques explored to mitigate these backgrounds.
Using data from a dedicated test apparatus constructed to validate and compare
these techniques we demonstrate that copper surface contamination levels better
than 10E-07 - 10E-08 Bq/cm2 are achieved for 238U and 232Th. If these levels
are reproduced in the final CUORE apparatus the projected 90% C.L. upper limit
on the number of background counts in the region of interest is 0.02-0.03
counts/keV/kg/y depending on the adopted mitigation technique.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 6 table
A charter to improve patient care in severe asthma
Severe asthma is a subtype of asthma that is difficult to treat and control. By conservative estimates, severe asthma affects approximately 5-10% of patients with asthma worldwide. Severe asthma impairs patients' health-related quality of life, and patients are at risk of life-threatening asthma attacks. Severe asthma also accounts for the majority of health care expenditures associated with asthma. Guidelines recommend that patients with severe asthma be referred to a specialist respiratory team for correct diagnosis and expert management. This is particularly important to ensure that they have access to newly available biologic treatments. However, many patients with severe asthma can suffer multiple asthma attacks and wait several years before they are referred for specialist care. As global patient advocates, we believe it is essential to raise awareness and understanding for patients, caregivers, health care professionals, and the public about the substantial impact of severe asthma and to create opportunities for improving patient care. Patients should be empowered to live a life free of symptoms and the adverse effects of traditional medications (e.g., oral corticosteroids), reducing hospital visits and emergency care, the loss of school and work days, and the constraints placed on their daily lives. Here we provide a Patient Charter for severe asthma, consisting of six core principles, to mobilize national governments, health care providers, payer policymakers, lung health industry partners, and patients/caregivers to address the unmet need and burden in severe asthma and ultimately work together to deliver meaningful improvements in care.Funding for this study, the article processing charges, and the open access charge was provided by AstraZeneca
CUORE and beyond: bolometric techniques to explore inverted neutrino mass hierarchy
The CUORE (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events) experiment will
search for neutrinoless double beta decay of Te. With 741 kg of TeO
crystals and an excellent energy resolution of 5 keV (0.2%) at the region of
interest, CUORE will be one of the most competitive neutrinoless double beta
decay experiments on the horizon. With five years of live time, CUORE projected
neutrinoless double beta decay half-life sensitivity is y
at ( y at the 90% confidence level), which
corresponds to an upper limit on the effective Majorana mass in the range
40--100 meV (50--130 meV). Further background rejection with auxiliary light
detector can significantly improve the search sensitivity and competitiveness
of bolometric detectors to fully explore the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy
with Te and possibly other double beta decay candidate nuclei.Comment: Submitted to the Proceedings of TAUP 2013 Conferenc
Exploring the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay in the Inverted Neutrino Hierarchy with Bolometric Detectors
Neutrinoless double beta decay (0nubb) is one of the most sensitive probes
for physics beyond the Standard Model, providing unique information on the
nature of neutrinos. In this paper we review the status and outlook for
bolometric 0nubb decay searches. We summarize recent advances in background
suppression demonstrated using bolometers with simultaneous readout of heat and
light signals. We simulate several configurations of a future CUORE-like
bolometer array which would utilize these improvements and present the
sensitivity reach of a hypothetical next-generation bolometric 0nubb
experiment. We demonstrate that a bolometric experiment with the isotope mass
of about 1 ton is capable of reaching the sensitivity to the effective Majorana
neutrino mass (|mee|) of order 10-20 meV, thus completely exploring the
so-called inverted neutrino mass hierarchy region. We highlight the main
challenges and identify priorities for an R&D program addressing them.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures, submitted to EPJ
- …