Two stage superconducting quantum interference device amplifier in a high-Q gravitational wave transducer

We report on the total noise from an inductive motion transducer for a gravitational-wave antenna. The transducer uses a two-stage SQUID amplifier and has a noise temperature of 1.1 mK, of which 0.70 mK is due to back-action noise from the SQUID chip. The total noise includes thermal noise from the transducer mass, which has a measured Q of 2.60 X 10^6. The noise temperature exceeds the expected value of 3.5 \mu K by a factor of 200, primarily due to voltage noise at the input of the SQUID. Noise from flux trapped on the chip is found to be the most likely cause.Comment: Accepted by Applied Physics Letters tentatively scheduled for March 13, 200

Solid tumors of the pancreas can put on a mask through cystic change

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Solid pancreatic tumors such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT), and pancreatic endocrine tumor (PET) may occasionally manifest as cystic lesions. In this study, we have put together our accumulated experience with cystic manifestations of various solid tumors of the pancreas.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>From 2000 to 2006, 376 patients with pancreatic solid tumor resections were reviewed. Ten (2.66%) of these tumors appeared on radiological imaging studies as cystic lesions. We performed a retrospective review of medical records and pathologic findings of these 10 cases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the ten cases in which solid tumors of the pancreas manifested as cystic lesions, six were PDAC with cystic degeneration, two were SPT undergone complete cystic change, one was cystic PET, and one was a cystic schwannoma. The mean tumor size of the cystic portion in PDAC was 7.3 cm, and three patients were diagnosed as 'pseudocyst' with or without cancer. Two SPT were found incidentally in young women and were diagnosed as other cystic neoplasms. One cystic endocrine tumor was preoperatively suspected as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm or mucinous cystic neoplasm.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cystic changes of pancreas solid tumors are extremely rare. However, the possibility of cystic manifestation of pancreas solid tumors should be kept in mind.</p

Malignant Mesothelioma in Body Fluids - with Special Reference to Differential Diagnosis from Metastatic Adenocarcinoma

Background : Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare malignant neoplasm occurring in pleura, pericardium, and peritoneum. The differential diagnosis between MM and metastatic adenocarcinoma (MA) causes diagnostic, staging, and therapeutic dilemmas. Herein, we investigated characteristic cytologic features of MM. Methods : Cytologic specimens of MM (n=10), MA (n=25) and reactive mesothelial hyperplasia (n=10) were retrieved and reviewed from archival materials in the Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from May 2003 to July 2008. Results : MM showed tumor cell clusters and singly scattered malignant tumor cells forming single cell populations with sparse reactive benign mesothelial cells. In contrast, MA showed distinct two cell populations of tumor cell clusters and scattered reactive mesothelial cells. Furthermore, MM frequently exhibited a characteristic long chain-like arrangement (hand-in-hand appearance) and intercellular windows, which were rarely evident in MA. Variable nuclear size, relatively consistent nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, i or multi-nucleation, and lacy cytoplasmic borders were also frequently observed in MM. Conclusions : Differential diagnosis of MM from MA in body fluids is possible based on meticulous examination of certain cytologic parameters, which could have significant implications in staging and treatment.Kao S, 2009, J THORAC ONCOL, V4, P920Klebe S, 2009, PATHOLOGY, V41, P140, DOI 10.1080/00313020802579250LEE HJ, 2009, LUNG CANC IN PRESSXU X, 2009, J THORAC ON IN PRESSZervos MD, 2008, CURR OPIN PULM MED, V14, P303Mimura T, 2007, CANCER, V109, P933, DOI 10.1002/cncr.22477Yaziji H, 2006, MODERN PATHOL, V19, P514, DOI 10.1038/modpathol.3800534Soini Y, 2006, J CLIN PATHOL, V59, P250, DOI 10.1136/jcp.2005.028589Muller AM, 2006, PATHOBIOLOGY, V73, P50, DOI 10.1159/000093091DUGGAN MA, 2006, PATHOL CASE REV, V11, P65BHATTI T, 2006, PATHOL CASE REV, V11, P67FILIE AC, 2006, PATHOL CASE REV, V11, P74JAIN R, 2006, PATHOL CASE REV, V11, P92TRAVIS WD, 2004, HLTH ORG CLASSIFICAT, P128GREENE FL, 2002, AJCC CANC STAGING MA, P167RENSHAW A, 1999, CHEST, V111, P106MalamouMitsi VD, 1996, DIAGN CYTOPATHOL, V15, P197PEDIO G, 1988, EXP CELL BIOL, V56, P211

A NUMERICAL STUDY ON THE OPEN WATER PERFORMANCE OF A PROPELLER WITH SINUSOIDAL PITCH MOTION

When a ship operates in waves, the ship moves with 6 degrees-of-freedom, and a propeller at the stern of the ship cannot avoid moving due to the ship motion. Therefore, it is important to analyse the propulsion performance while considering the ship motion in waves for efficient ship operation. The pitch motion of the ship has a dominant effect on the variation of the propeller performance and results in sinusoidal pitch motion of the propeller. In this study, a numerical analysis was done using a KP458 model propeller with a diameter of 10 cm, which was designed for the KLVCC2 body plan. The propeller performance was calculated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) at several constant tilt angles. Numerical simulations were then conducted with sinusoidal pitch motion in several conditions of varying pitch angle. The variations of the thrust and torque of the propeller in sinusoidal pitch motion were compared with the results obtained in constant tilt angles

Correlation between Hyperghrelinemia and Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Purpose: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder characterized by childhood-onset obesity and endocrine dysfunction that leads to cardiovascular disability. The objective of the study is to assess the relationship between carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and atherosclerotic risk factors. Materials and Methods: Twentyseven PWS children and 24 normal controls were enrolled. Correlations of IMT with atherosclerotic risk factors were assessed. Results: IMTs in the PWS group did not differ from those in the controls (p = 0.172), although total ghrelin levels were higher in the PWS children (p = 0.003). The multivariate analysis revealed positive correlations between total ghrelin levels ( = 0.489, p = 0.046) and IMT in the PWS group and between body mass indexstandard deviation score (BMI-SDS) ( = 0.697, p = 0.005) and IMT in the controls. Conclusion: Considering the positive correlation of IMT with total ghrelin levels and the high level of ghrelin in PWS children, a further study is warranted to evaluate the role of elevated ghrelin on atherosclerosis for PWS

Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Activity Determines the Severity of Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Kidney

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) in endothelial cells determines the plasma concentrations of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which may act as vasoactive agents to control vascular tone. We hypothesized that the regulation of sEH activity may have a therapeutic value in preventing acute kidney injury by controlling the concentration of EETs. In this study, we therefore induced ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) in C57BL/6 mice and controlled sEH activity by intraperitoneal administration of the sEH inhibitor 12-(3-adamantan-1-ylureido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA). The deterioration of kidney function induced by IRI was partially moderated and prevented by AUDA treatment. In addition, AUDA treatment significantly attenuated tubular necrosis induced by IRI. Ischemic injury induced the down-regulation of sEH, and AUDA administration had no effect on the expression pattern of sEH induced by IRI. In vivo sEH activity was assessed by measuring the substrate epoxyoctadecenoic acid (EpOME) and its metabolite dihydroxyoctadec-12-enoic acid (DHOME). Ischemic injury had no effects on the plasma concentrations of EpOME and DHOME, but inhibition of sEH by AUDA significantly increased plasma EpOME and the EpOME/DHOME ratio. The protective effect of the sEH inhibitor was achieved by suppression of proinflammatory cytokines and up-regulation of regulatory cytokines. AUDA treatment prevented the intrarenal infiltration of inflammatory cells, but promoted endothelial cell migration and neovascularization. The results of this study suggest that treatment with sEH inhibitors can reduce acute kidney injury

An Arrhythmia Classification-Guided Segmentation Model for Electrocardiogram Delineation

Accurate delineation of key waveforms in an ECG is a critical initial step in extracting relevant features to support the diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions. Although deep learning based methods using a segmentation model to locate P, QRS and T waves have shown promising results, their ability to handle signals exhibiting arrhythmia remains unclear. In this study, we propose a novel approach that leverages a deep learning model to accurately delineate signals with a wide range of arrhythmia. Our approach involves training a segmentation model using a hybrid loss function that combines segmentation with the task of arrhythmia classification. In addition, we use a diverse training set containing various arrhythmia types, enabling our model to handle a wide range of challenging cases. Experimental results show that our model accurately delineates signals with a broad range of abnormal rhythm types, and the combined training with classification guidance can effectively reduce false positive P wave predictions, particularly during atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. Furthermore, our proposed method shows competitive performance with previous delineation algorithms on the Lobachevsky University Database (LUDB)