Production of photons by the parametric resonance in the dynamical Casimir effect

We calculate the number of photons produced by the parametric resonance in a cavity with vibrating walls. We consider the case that the frequency of vibrating wall is $n \omega_1 (n=1,2,3,...)$ which is a generalization of other works considering only $2 \omega_1$, where $\omega_1$ is the fundamental-mode frequency of the electromagnetic field in the cavity. For the calculation of time-evolution of quantum fields, we introduce a new method which is borrowed from the time-dependent perturbation theory of the usual quantum mechanics. This perturbation method makes it possible to calculate the photon number for any $n$ and to observe clearly the effect of the parametric resonance.Comment: 15 pages, RevTeX, no figure

UKIRT Widefield Infrared Survey for Fe+

The United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT)Widefield Infrared Survey for Fe+ (UWIFE) is a 180 deg2 imaging survey of the first Galactic quadrant (7° < l < 62° |b| <1°.5) that uses a narrow-band filter centred on the [Fe II] 1.644-μm emission line. The [Fe II] 1.644-μm emission is a good tracer of dense, shock-excited gas, and the survey will probe violent environments around stars: star-forming regions, evolved stars, and supernova remnants, among others. The UWIFE survey is designed to complement the existing UKIRTW idefield Infrared Survey for H2 (UWISH2). The survey will also complement existing broad-band surveys. The observed images have a nominal 5Ï? detection limit of 18.7 mag for point sources, with a median seeing of 0.83 arcsec. For extended sources, we estimate a surface brightness limit of 8.1 Ã? 10-20 W m-2 arcsec-2. In this paper, we present an overview and some preliminary results of this survey. © 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society

Long-term effect of stereotactic body radiation therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma ineligible for local ablation therapy or surgical resection. Stereotactic radiotherapy for liver cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We evaluated the long-term effect of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for primary small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ineligible for local therapy or surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty-two HCC patients with tumors ≤ 100 cc and ineligible for local ablation therapy or surgical resection were treated with SBRT: 30-39 Gy with a prescription isodose range of 70-85% (median 80%) was delivered daily in three fractions. Median tumor volume was 15.4 cc (3.0-81.8) and median follow-up duration 28.7 months (8.4-49.1).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Complete response (CR) for the in-field lesion was initially achieved in 59.6% and partial response (PR) in 26.2% of patients. Hepatic out-of-field progression occurred in 18 patients (42.9%) and distant metastasis developed in 12 (28.6%) patients. Overall in-field CR and overall CR were achieved in 59.6% and 33.3%, respectively. Overall 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 92.9% and 58.6%, respectively. In-field progression-free survival at 1 and 3 years was 72.0% and 67.5%, respectively. Patients with smaller tumor had better in-field progression-free survival and overall survival rates (<32 cc vs. ≥32 cc, <it>P </it>< 0.05). No major toxicity was encountered but one patient died with extrahepatic metastasis and radiation-induced hepatic failure.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>SBRT is a promising noninvasive-treatment for small HCC that is ineligible for local treatment or surgical resection.</p

Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy in FePt Patterned Media Employing a CrV Seed Layer

A thin FePt film was deposited onto a CrV seed layer at 400°C and showed a high coercivity (~3,400 Oe) and high magnetization (900–1,000 emu/cm3) characteristic of L10 phase. However, the magnetic properties of patterned media fabricated from the film stack were degraded due to the Ar-ion bombardment. We employed a deposition-last process, in which FePt film deposited at room temperature underwent lift-off and post-annealing processes, to avoid the exposure of FePt to Ar plasma. A patterned medium with 100-nm nano-columns showed an out-of-plane coercivity fivefold larger than its in-plane counterpart and a remanent magnetization comparable to saturation magnetization in the out-of-plane direction, indicating a high perpendicular anisotropy. These results demonstrate the high perpendicular anisotropy in FePt patterned media using a Cr-based compound seed layer for the first time and suggest that ultra-high-density magnetic recording media can be achieved using this optimized top-down approach

Positive Association between Aspirin-Intolerant Asthma and Genetic Polymorphisms of FSIP1: a Case-Case Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aspirin-intolerant asthma (AIA), which is caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, causes lung inflammation and reversal bronchi reduction, leading to difficulty in breathing. Aspirin is known to affect various parts inside human body, ranging from lung to spermatogenesis. <it>FSIP1</it>, also known as <it>HDS10</it>, is a recently discovered gene that encodes fibrous sheath interacting protein 1, and is regulated by amyloid beta precursor protein (APP). Recently, it has been reported that a peptide derived from APP is cleaved by α disintegrin and metalloproteinase 33 (<it>ADAM33</it>), which is an asthma susceptibility gene. It has also been known that the <it>FSIP1 </it>gene is expressed in airway epithelium.</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>Aim of this study is to find out whether <it>FSIP1 </it>polymorphisms affect the onset of AIA in Korean population, since it is known that AIA is genetically affected by various genes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted association study between 66 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the <it>FSIP1 </it>gene and AIA in total of 592 Korean subjects including 163 AIA and 429 aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA) patients. Associations between polymorphisms of <it>FSIP1 </it>and AIA were analyzed with sex, smoking status, atopy, and body mass index (BMI) as covariates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Initially, 18 SNPs and 4 haplotypes showed associations with AIA. However, after correcting the data for multiple testing, only one SNP showed an association with AIA (corrected <it>P</it>-value = 0.03, OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.23-2.16), showing increased susceptibility to AIA compared with that of ATA cases. Our findings suggest that <it>FSIP1 </it>gene might be a susceptibility gene for aspirin intolerance in asthmatics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although our findings did not suggest that SNPs of <it>FSIP1 </it>had an effect on the reversibility of lung function abnormalities in AIA patients, they did show significant evidence of association between the variants in <it>FSIP1 </it>and AIA occurrence among asthmatics in a Korean population.</p

Triple-negative, basal-like, and quintuple-negative breast cancers: better prediction model for survival

Background: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) and basal-like breast cancers (BLBCs) are known as poor outcome subtypes with a lack of targeted therapy. Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the difference of prognostic significance between TNBCs and BLBCs. In this study, we aimed to characterize the prognostic features of TNBCs, in view of BLBCs and quintuple-negative breast cancers (QNBC/5NPs). Methods: Using tissue microarray-based immunohistochemical analysis, we categorized 951 primary breast cancers into four or five subtypes according to the expression of ER, PR, HER2, and basal markers (CK5/6, EGFR). Results: The results of this study showed that both TNBCs and BLBCs were associated with high histological and/ or nuclear grades. When the TNBCs are divided into two subtypes by the presence of basal markers, the clinicopathologic characteristics of TNBCs were mainly maintained in the BLBCs. The 5-subgrouping was the better prediction model for both disease free and overall survival in breast cancers than the 4-subgrouping. After multivariate analysis of TNBCs, the BLBCs did not have a worse prognosis than the QNBC/5NPs. Interestingly, the patients with BLBCs showed significant adjuvant chemotherapy benefit. In addition, QNBC/5NPs comprised about 6~8% of breast cancers in publicly available breast cancer datasets Conclusion: The QNBC/5NP subtype is a worse prognostic subgroup of TNBCs, especially in higher stage and this result may be related to adjuvant chemotherapy benefit of BLBCs, calling for caution in the identification of subgroups of patients for therapeutic classification