A proposal for continuous loading of an optical dipole trap with magnetically guided ultra cold atoms

The capture of a moving atom by a non-dissipative trap, such as an optical dipole trap, requires the removal of the excessive kinetic energy of the atom. In this article we develop a mechanism to harvest ultra cold atoms from a guided atom beam into an optical dipole trap by removing their directed kinetic energy. We propose a continuous loading scheme where this is accomplished via deceleration by a magnetic potential barrier followed by optical pumping to the energetically lowest Zeeman sublevel. We theoretically investigate the application of this scheme to the transfer of ultra cold chromium atoms from a magnetically guided atom beam into a deep optical dipole trap. We discuss the realization of a suitable magnetic field configuration. Based on numerical simulations of the loading process we analyze the feasibility and efficiency of our loading scheme.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Laser cooling of a magnetically guided ultra cold atom beam

We report on the transverse laser cooling of a magnetically guided beam of ultra cold chromium atoms. Radial compression by a tapering of the guide is employed to adiabatically heat the beam. Inside the tapered section heat is extracted from the atom beam by a two-dimensional optical molasses perpendicular to it, resulting in a significant increase of atomic phase space density. A magnetic offset field is applied to prevent optical pumping to untrapped states. Our results demonstrate that by a suitable choice of the magnetic offset field, the cooling beam intensity and detuning, atom losses and longitudinal heating can be avoided. Final temperatures below 65 microkelvin have been achieved, corresponding to an increase of phase space density in the guided beam by more than a factor of 30.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

The Buffer Gas Beam: An Intense, Cold, and Slow Source for Atoms and Molecules

Beams of atoms and molecules are stalwart tools for spectroscopy and studies of collisional processes. The supersonic expansion technique can create cold beams of many species of atoms and molecules. However, the resulting beam is typically moving at a speed of 300-600 m/s in the lab frame, and for a large class of species has insufficient flux (i.e. brightness) for important applications. In contrast, buffer gas beams can be a superior method in many cases, producing cold and relatively slow molecules in the lab frame with high brightness and great versatility. There are basic differences between supersonic and buffer gas cooled beams regarding particular technological advantages and constraints. At present, it is clear that not all of the possible variations on the buffer gas method have been studied. In this review, we will present a survey of the current state of the art in buffer gas beams, and explore some of the possible future directions that these new methods might take

Manual therapy with and without vestibular rehabilitation for cervicogenic dizziness: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Manual therapy is an intervention commonly advocated in the management of dizziness of a suspected cervical origin. Vestibular rehabilitation exercises have been shown to be effective in the treatment of unilateral peripheral vestibular disorders, and have also been suggested in the literature as an adjunct in the treatment of cervicogenic dizziness. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the evidence for manual therapy, in conjunction with or without vestibular rehabilitation, in the management of cervicogenic dizziness.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A comprehensive search was conducted in the databases Scopus, Mantis, CINHAL and the Cochrane Library for terms related to manual therapy, vestibular rehabilitation and cervicogenic dizziness. Included studies were assessed using the Maastricht-Amsterdam criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of fifteen articles reporting findings from thirteen unique investigations, including five randomised controlled trials and eight prospective, non-controlled cohort studies were included in this review. The methodological quality of the included studies was generally poor to moderate. All but one study reported improvement in dizziness following either unimodal or multimodal manual therapy interventions. Some studies reported improvements in postural stability, joint positioning, range of motion, muscle tenderness, neck pain and vertebrobasilar artery blood flow velocity.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Although it has been argued that manual therapy combined with vestibular rehabilitation may be superior in the treatment of cervicogenic dizziness, there are currently no observational and experimental studies demonstrating such effects. A rationale for combining manual therapy and vestibular rehabilitation in the management of cervicogenic dizziness is presented.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is moderate evidence to support the use of manual therapy, in particular spinal mobilisation and manipulation, for cervicogenic dizziness. The evidence for combining manual therapy and vestibular rehabilitation in the management of cervicogenic dizziness is lacking. Further research to elucidate potential synergistic effects of manual therapy and vestibular rehabilitation is strongly recommended.</p

Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Alone or in Combination With Chemotherapy in NSCLC Harboring ERBB2 Mutations

Introduction: In contrast to other driver mutations, no targeted therapies have yet been approved in ERBB2-mutated NSCLC (HER2mu NSCLC). Nevertheless, several compounds have revealed promising early efficacy data, which need to be evaluated in the context of current standard approaches. Although data on the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in second or subsequent lines of treatment remain limited and conflicting, there are virtually no data on patient outcome under ICI/platinum-doublet combinations in the first-line setting. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated outcomes of patients with HER2mu NSCLC treated with ICI alone or in combination with chemotherapy within the German National Network Genomic Medicine Lung Cancer consortium by means of overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results: ICI either in combination with chemotherapy or as monotherapy was applied as first-line treatment in 27 patients, whereas 34 received single-agent ICI in second or subsequent lines. Patient characteristics were in line with previously published data. In treatment-naive patients receiving ICI in combination with chemotherapy, the ORR, median PFS, and OS rate at 1 year were 52%, 6 months, and 88%, respectively. In second or subsequent lines, ICI monotherapy was associated with an ORR of 16%, a median PFS of 4 months, and a median OS of 10 months. Conclusions: ICIs are effective as monotherapy and in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy. Therefore, ICI-based treatments may be found as the current standard of care and benchmark for targeted therapies in HER2mu NSCLC. (C) 2021 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved