Ultrasound diagnostics of the dialysis-related amyloidosis

Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is a serious complication arising in the context of long-term hemodialysis or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. DRA predominantly involves the osteoarticular system and is clinically manifested by erosive and destructive osteoarthropathies and carpal tunnel syndrome. The aim of this study was to establish distinguishing features of the DRA in dialysis patients by using ultrasound. Joints and soft tissues of 200 patients with chronic kidney disease receiving dialysis were studied by ultrasound. Fourteen patients (7,0%) had clinically and radiologically evident, biopsy proven DRA. In this group of patients, all patients were receiving hemodialysisfor an average of 168 months. There was positive correlation found between dialysis duration and presence of DRA (Rs = 0,667; p < 0,001). The relationship between presence of DRA and discovered joints changes using ultrasound is analyzed. More frequent involvement in the pathological process shoulder (92,9%) and hip joints (64,3%) was noted. There were statistically significant differences in rotator cuff thickness and hip joint anterior synovial space thickness in patients with DRA compare to general group (p < 0,001). Ultrasound is a highly informative method of diagnosing DRA in patients with end-stage renal disease. It provides detailed soft tissue and joint description substituting other imaging modalities

Strongly nonlinear steepening of long interfacial waves

International audienceThe transformation of nonlinear long internal waves in a two-layer fluid is studied in the Boussinesq and rigid-lid approximation. Explicit analytic formulation of the evolution equation in terms of the Riemann invariants allows us to obtain analytical results characterizing strongly nonlinear wave steepening, including the spectral evolution. Effects manifesting the action of high nonlinear corrections of the model are highlighted. It is shown, in particular, that the breaking points on the wave profile may shift from the zero-crossing level. The wave steepening happens in a different way if the density jump is placed near the middle of the water bulk: then the wave deformation is almost symmetrical and two phases appear where the wave breaks

Clustering in light nuclei in fragmentation above 1 A GeV

The relativistic invariant approach is applied to analyzing the 3.3 A GeV $^{22}$Ne fragmentation in a nuclear track emulsion. New results on few-body dissociations have been obtained from the emulsion exposures to 2.1 A GeV $^{14}$N and 1.2 A GeV $^{9}$Be nuclei. It can be asserted that the use of the invariant approach is an effective means of obtaining conclusions about the behavior of systems involving a few He nuclei at a relative energy close to 1 MeV per nucleon. The first observations of fragmentation of 1.2 A GeV $^{8}$B and $^{9}$C nuclei in emulsion are described. The presented results allow one to justify the development of few-body aspects of nuclear astrophysics.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics-2, 16-20 May, 2005 (ATOMKI), Debrecen, Hungar

Application of GIS-Technologies for Identifying the Areas with Different Degree of Potential Hazard in Natural Tularemia Foci of the Moscow Region

Objective of the study is to differentiate enzootic, as regards tularemia, territories of the Moscow Region according to the degree of potential epidemic hazard, applying GIS-technologies. Materials and methods. Utilized have been archival records, held by the Center of Hygiene and Epidemiology in the Moscow Region and Plague Control Center, Moscow over the period of 1942-2014, literature and author’s data. Constructed have been two maps, displaying the peculiarities of tularemia dissemination in the territory of the Moscow Region, deploying GIS software kit - MapInfo Professional, 10.5. Results and discussion. GIS-analysis of the landscape confinement of the areas with sustained tularemia manifestations during 1942-2014 has revealed that regions of the longest persistence (10 years and more) are situated within the altitudes interval of 100-150 m A.S.L. in the territory of Upper-Volga and Meshcherskaya lowlands, Moskvoretsko-Okskaya valley, Zaokskoe erosional plateau, south-western part of Smolensk-Moscow highlands. Carried out is differentiation of enzootic as regards tularemia territories in the Moscow Region according to the degree of potential epidemic hazard. The results obtained will serve as the basis for the enhancement of the strategies for epizootiological monitoring over natural tularemia foci and for effective planning of prophylactic activities

Comparison of large-angle production of charged pions with incident protons on cylindrical long and short targets

The HARP collaboration has presented measurements of the double-differential pi+/pi- production cross-section in the range of momentum 100 MeV/c <= p 800 MeV/c and angle 0.35 rad <= theta <= 2.15 rad with proton beams hitting thin nuclear targets. In many applications the extrapolation to long targets is necessary. In this paper the analysis of data taken with long (one interaction length) solid cylindrical targets made of carbon, tantalum and lead is presented. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The secondary pions were produced by beams of protons with momenta 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c and 12 GeV/c. The tracking and identification of the produced particles were performed using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed inside a solenoidal magnet. Incident protons were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Results are obtained for the double-differential yields per target nucleon d2 sigma / dp dtheta. The measurements are compared with predictions of the MARS and GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations.Comment: 43 pages, 20 figure

Forward production of charged pions with incident π±\pi^{\pm} on nuclear targets measured at the CERN PS

Measurements of the double-differential $\pi^{\pm}$ production cross-section in the range of momentum 0.5 \GeVc \leq p \le 8.0 \GeVc and angle 0.025 \rad \leq \theta \le 0.25 \rad in interactions of charged pions on beryllium, carbon, aluminium, copper, tin, tantalum and lead are presented. These data represent the first experimental campaign to systematically measure forward pion hadroproduction. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. Incident particles, impinging on a 5% nuclear interaction length target, were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using the forward spectrometer of the HARP detector. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections ${{\mathrm{d}^2 \sigma}}/{{\mathrm{d}p\mathrm{d}\Omega}}$ mainly at four incident pion beam momenta (3 \GeVc, 5 \GeVc, 8 \GeVc and 12 \GeVc). The measurements are compared with the GEANT4 and MARS Monte Carlo simulationComment: to be published on Nuclear Physics

Measurement of the production of charged pions by protons on a tantalum target

A measurement of the double-differential cross-section for the production of charged pions in proton--tantalum collisions emitted at large angles from the incoming beam direction is presented. The data were taken in 2002 with the HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton beams in a momentum range from 3 \GeVc to 12 \GeVc hitting a tantalum target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The angular and momentum range covered by the experiment (100 \MeVc \le p < 800 \MeVc and 0.35 \rad \le \theta <2.15 \rad) is of particular importance for the design of a neutrino factory. The produced particles were detected using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed in a solenoidal magnet. Track recognition, momentum determination and particle identification were all performed based on the measurements made with the TPC. An elaborate system of detectors in the beam line ensured the identification of the incident particles. Results are shown for the double-differential cross-sections ${{\mathrm{d}^2 \sigma}} / {{\mathrm{d}p\mathrm{d}\theta}}$ at four incident proton beam momenta (3 \GeVc, 5 \GeVc, 8 \GeVc and 12 \GeVc). In addition, the pion yields within the acceptance of typical neutrino factory designs are shown as a function of beam momentum. The measurement of these yields within a single experiment eliminates most systematic errors in the comparison between rates at different beam momenta and between positive and negative pion production.Comment: 49 pages, 31 figures. Version accepted for publication on Eur. Phys. J.

Absolute Momentum Calibration of the HARP TPC

In the HARP experiment the large-angle spectrometer is using a cylindrical TPC as main tracking and particle identification detector. The momentum scale of reconstructed tracks in the TPC is the most important systematic error for the majority of kinematic bins used for the HARP measurements of the double-differential production cross-section of charged pions in proton interactions on nuclear targets at large angle. The HARP TPC operated with a number of hardware shortfalls and operational mistakes. Thus it was important to control and characterize its momentum calibration. While it was not possible to enter a direct particle beam into the sensitive volume of the TPC to calibrate the detector, a set of physical processes and detector properties were exploited to achieve a precise calibration of the apparatus. In the following we recall the main issues concerning the momentum measurement in the HARP TPC, and describe the cross-checks made to validate the momentum scale. As a conclusion, this analysis demonstrates that the measurement of momentum is correct within the published precision of 3%.Comment: To be published by JINS