Picosecond Laser Pulse Irradiation of Crystalline Silicon

Morphology changes introduced by picosecond laser pulses at λ = 532 nm and 355 nm in (111) and (100) silicon samples are studied by means of optical and high-voltage electron microscopy. Depending on energy fluence, orientation and wavelength, amorphous or highly defective regions may be created. From an analysis of damage thresholds and damage depth distributions it is concluded that melting and energy confinement precedes the formation of the structural changes

Use of quantitative T2 mapping for the assessment of renal cell carcinomas: first results

Background: Correct staging and grading of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cRCC) is of clinical relevance for the prediction of operability and for individualized patient management. As partial or radial resection with postoperative tumor grading currently remain the methods of choice for the classification of cRCC, non-invasive preoperative alternatives to differentiate lower grade from higher grade cRCC would be beneficial. Methods: This institutional-review-board approved cross-sectional study included twenty-seven patients (8 women, mean age ± SD, 61.3 ± 14.2) with histopathologically confirmed cRCC, graded according to the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP). A native, balanced steady-state free precession T2 mapping sequence (TrueFISP) was performed at 1.5 T. Quantitative T2 values were measured with circular 2D ROIs in the solid tumor portion and also in the normal renal parenchyma (cortex and medulla). To estimate the optimal cut-off T2 value for identifying lower grade cRCC, a Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) analysis was performed and sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Students’ t-tests were used to evaluate the differences in mean values for continuous variables, while intergroup differences were tested for significance with two-tailed Mann-Whitney-U tests. Results: There were significant differences between the T2 values for lower grade (ISUP 1–2) and higher grade (ISUP 3–4) cRCC (p < 0.001), with higher T2 values for lower grade cRCC compared to higher grade cRCC. The sensitivity and specificity for the differentiation of lower grade from higher grade tumors were 83.3% (95% CI: 0.59–0.96) and 88.9% (95% CI: 0.52–1.00), respectively, using a threshold value of ≥110 ms. Intraobserver/interobserver agreement for T2 measurements was excellent/substantial. Conclusions: Native T2 mapping based on a balanced steady-state free precession MR sequence might support an image-based distinction between lower and higher grade cRCC in a two-tier-system and could be a helpful addition to multiparametric imaging

The prismatic Sigma 3 (10-10) twin bounday in alpha-Al2O3 investigated by density functional theory and transmission electron microscopy

The microscopic structure of a prismatic $\Sigma 3$ $(10\bar{1}0)$ twin boundary in \aal2o3 is characterized theoretically by ab-initio local-density-functional theory, and experimentally by spatial-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), measuring energy-loss near-edge structures (ELNES) of the oxygen $K$-ionization edge. Theoretically, two distinct microscopic variants for this twin interface with low interface energies are derived and analysed. Experimentally, it is demonstrated that the spatial and energetical resolutions of present high-performance STEM instruments are insufficient to discriminate the subtle differences of the two proposed interface variants. It is predicted that for the currently developed next generation of analytical electron microscopes the prismatic twin interface will provide a promising benchmark case to demonstrate the achievement of ELNES with spatial resolution of individual atom columns

Safety and efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization with degradable starch microspheres (DSM-TACE) in the treatment of secondary liver malignancies

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of degradable starch microspheres (DSM) as embolic agents in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the treatment of secondary liver metastases. Methods: This was a national, multicenter observational study. Primary endpoints were safety and treatment response according to Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) criteria. Results: A total of 77 DSM-TACE procedures were performed in 20 patients. Minor immediate adverse events (AEs) were epigastric pain with an incidence of 45.5% (35/77), and nausea and vomiting at an incidence of 23.4% (18/77). Delayed minor AEs were epigastric pain in 13/77 (16.9%) treatments and nausea and vomiting in 10 (13.0%) treatments. No severe AEs were documented. Therapeutic efficacy of DSM-TACE procedures according to mRECIST was as follows: complete response 0/77, partial response 17/77, stable disease 33/77 and progressive disease 6/77, no data was available for 21/77 treatments. Overall, objective response was achieved in 8 of 20 patients (40.0%). Conclusion: DSM as embolic agent for TACE is safe in the treatment of liver metastases. An objective response in 40.0% of patients and disease control in 64.9% of procedures was achieved, and this should lead to further evaluation of DSM-TACE as treatment option for nonresectable liver metastases

A red tide in the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean

Source at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-45935-0. In the Arctic Ocean ice algae constitute a key ecosystem component and the ice algal spring bloom a critical event in the annual production cycle. The bulk of ice algal biomass is usually found in the bottom few cm of the sea ice and dominated by pennate diatoms attached to the ice matrix. Here we report a red tide of the phototrophic ciliate Mesodinium rubrum located at the ice-water interface of newly formed pack ice of the high Arctic in early spring. These planktonic ciliates are not able to attach to the ice. Based on observations and theory of fluid dynamics, we propose that convection caused by brine rejection in growing sea ice enabled M. rubrum to bloom at the ice-water interface despite the relative flow between water and ice. We argue that red tides of M. rubrum are more likely to occur under the thinning Arctic sea ice regime

A Carbon Nanofilament-Bead Necklace

Carbon nanofilaments with carbon beads grown on their surfaces were successfully synthesized reproducibly by a floating catalyst CVD method. The nanofilaments hosting the pearl-like structures typically show an average diameter of about 60 nm, which mostly consists of low-ordered graphite layers. The beads with diameter range 150−450 nm are composed of hundreds of crumpled and random graphite layers. The mechanism for the formation of these beaded nanofilaments is ascribed to two nucleation processes of the pyrolytic carbon deposition, arising from a temperature gradient between different parts of the reaction chamber. Furthermore, the Raman scattering properties of the beaded nanofilaments have been measured, as well as their confocal Raman G-line images. The Raman spectra reveal that that the trunks of the nanofilaments have better graphitic properties than the beads, which is consistent with the HRTEM analysis. The beaded nanofilaments are expected to have high potential applications in composites, which should exhibit both particle- and fiber-reinforcing functions for the host matrixes

Physical Electronics

Contains reports on three research projects

Gene expression and splicing alterations analyzed by high throughput RNA sequencing of chronic lymphocytic leukemia specimens.

BackgroundTo determine differentially expressed and spliced RNA transcripts in chronic lymphocytic leukemia specimens a high throughput RNA-sequencing (HTS RNA-seq) analysis was performed.MethodsTen CLL specimens and five normal peripheral blood CD19+ B cells were analyzed by HTS RNA-seq. The library preparation was performed with Illumina TrueSeq RNA kit and analyzed by Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing system.ResultsAn average of 48.5 million reads for B cells, and 50.6 million reads for CLL specimens were obtained with 10396 and 10448 assembled transcripts for normal B cells and primary CLL specimens respectively. With the Cuffdiff analysis, 2091 differentially expressed genes (DEG) between B cells and CLL specimens based on FPKM (fragments per kilobase of transcript per million reads and false discovery rate, FDR q &lt; 0.05, fold change &gt;2) were identified. Expression of selected DEGs (n = 32) with up regulated and down regulated expression in CLL from RNA-seq data were also analyzed by qRT-PCR in a test cohort of CLL specimens. Even though there was a variation in fold expression of DEG genes between RNA-seq and qRT-PCR; more than 90 % of analyzed genes were validated by qRT-PCR analysis. Analysis of RNA-seq data for splicing alterations in CLL and B cells was performed by Multivariate Analysis of Transcript Splicing (MATS analysis). Skipped exon was the most frequent splicing alteration in CLL specimens with 128 significant events (P-value &lt;0.05, minimum inclusion level difference &gt;0.1).ConclusionThe RNA-seq analysis of CLL specimens identifies novel DEG and alternatively spliced genes that are potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. High level of validation by qRT-PCR for a number of DEG genes supports the accuracy of this analysis. Global comparison of transcriptomes of B cells, IGVH non-mutated CLL (U-CLL) and mutated CLL specimens (M-CLL) with multidimensional scaling analysis was able to segregate CLL and B cell transcriptomes but the M-CLL and U-CLL transcriptomes were indistinguishable. The analysis of HTS RNA-seq data to identify alternative splicing events and other genetic abnormalities specific to CLL is an added advantage of RNA-seq that is not feasible with other genome wide analysis

Volume Navigation with Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound and Image Fusion for Percutaneous Interventions: First Results

Percutaneous biopsies and drainages, even of small lesions involving complex access pathways, can be accomplished with a high success rate by using 3D real time image fusion together with real time needle tracking

Concurrent validity of a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-A) in European adolescents: The HELENA Study.

Introduction: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed to measure health-enhancing physical activity in adult populations. This study explores the concurrent validity of a modified version of the long IPAQ (the IPAQ-A) for the assessment of physical activity among adolescents. Participants and methods: In total, 248 healthy adolescents, divided into one older and one younger age group (aged 15-17 years (N ¼ 188) and 12-14 years (N ¼ 60), respectively) from nine Healthy Lifestyle by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) Study centres across Europe, voluntarily participated in the study. Data on total physical activity, as well as activities in different intensities derived from the IPAQ-A, were compared using Spearman&apos;s correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman analysis, with data from an accelerometer. Tertiles of total physical activity for the IPAQ-A and the accelerometer were compared using Kendall&apos;s tau-b. Results: For the older age group, significant correlations between the instruments were found for time spent walking, for moderate and vigorous activities as well as for total physical activity (Rs ¼ 0.17-0.30, Po0.05). No significant correlations were found for any of the variables studied in the younger age group. Kendall&apos;s tau-b showed low but significant correlations for tertiles of total physical activity (Po0.001). Conclusions: The IPAQ-A has reasonable validity properties for assessing activities in different intensities and for total physical activity in healthy European adolescents aged 15-17 years. For adolescents aged 14 years and younger, the correlations were unsatisfactorily low and objective methodology, such as accelerometry, may be the appropriate alternative