Development and external validation of new ultrasound-based mathematical models for preoperative prediction of high-risk endometrial cancer

To develop and validate strategies, using new ultrasound-based mathematical models, for the prediction of high-risk endometrial cancer and compare them with strategies using previously developed models or the use of preoperative grading only

The Role of Bile in the Regulation of Exocrine Pancreatic Secretion

As early as 1926 Mellanby (1) was able to show that introduction of bile into the duodenum of anesthetized cats produces a copious flow of pancreatic juice. In conscious dogs, Ivy & Lueth (2) reported, bile is only a weak stimulant of pancreatic secretion. Diversion of bile from the duodenum, however, did not influence pancreatic volume secretion stimulated by a meal (3,4). Moreover, Thomas & Crider (5) observed that bile not only failed to stimulate the secretion of pancreatic juice but also abolished the pancreatic response to intraduodenally administered peptone or soap

Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal

Improved Laplacian photoluminescence image evaluation regarding the local diode back voltage distribution

Laplacian photoluminescence-based local diode voltage evaluation was shown recently to lead to correct mean values of the local saturation current density in mm-sized regions, but local maxima in the positions of recombination-active grain boundaries appear overestimated. It is shown here by 2-D device simulations that this effect is at least partly due to the influence of the local diode back voltage, which is caused by the voltage drop at the bulk and back contact resistances. Visually the image of this back voltage appears like a blurred copy of the local diode current density. It is shown in this work that indeed the diode back voltage can be simulated in good approximation by blurring the diode current image, which comes out of the Laplacian evaluation, multiplied with an effective vertical bulk resistance. The corresponding point spread function can be obtained e.g. by device simulation. An iterative procedure is proposed leading to self-consistent results for the diode current density and the diode back voltage. If this method is applied to simulated local cell data, the assumed distribution of the saturation current density is retrieved accurately. Applying this method to measured photoluminescence images leads to a better correspondence to non-linear Fuyuki PL evaluation results than the previously performed direct evaluation of the local diode voltage data. Remaining differences will be discussed

DLIT- versus ILIT-based efficiency imaging of solar cells

Efficiency imaging of solar cells means to know which region of an inhomogeneous cell contributes by which degree to the efficiency at maximum power point of the cell. This knowledge allows us to judge how strong certain defect regions influence the efficiency of the whole cell. Efficiency imaging can be performed based on dark lock-in thermography (DLIT) imaging within the model of independent diodes, or based on illuminated lock-in thermography (ILIT), which does not assume any cell model. Moreover, by 2-dimensional finite element simulation of the cell based on DLIT results, an efficiency image can be obtained, which takes into account the distributed nature of the series resistance. In this contribution these three methods are applied to one and the same multicrystalline cell containing ohmic shunts and the results are compared to each other. Conclusions to the accuracy of solely DLIT-based efficiency imaging are drawn