Lowering and Raising Operators for the Orthogonal Group in the Chain O(n) ⊃ O(n − 1) ⊃ … , and their Graphs

Normalized lowering and raising operators are constructed for the orthogonal group in the canonical group chain O(n) ⊃ O(n − 1) ⊃ … ⊃ O(2) with the aid of graphs which simplify their construction. By successive application of such lowering operators for O(n), O(n − 1), … on the highest weight states for each step of the chain, an explicit construction is given for the normalized basis vectors. To illustrate the usefulness of the construction, a derivation is given of the Gel'fand‐Zetlin matrix elements of the infinitesimal generators of O(n).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70553/2/JMAPAQ-8-6-1233-1.pd

On the Wigner Supermultiplet Scheme

Calculation of Wigner and Racah coefficients for the group SU(4)⊃[SU(2)×SU(2)]SU(4)⊃[SU(2)×SU(2)] make it possible to perform the spin—isospin sums in the cfp (fractional parentage coefficients) expansion of the matrix elements of one‐ and two‐body operators in the Wigner supermultiplet scheme. The SU(4) coefficients needed to evaluate one‐ and two‐particle cfp's, the matrix elements of one‐body operators, and the diagonal matrix elements of two‐body operators are calculated in general algebraic form for many‐particle states characterized by the SU(4) irreducible representations [yy0], [y y − 1 0], [yy1], [y11], [y y − 1 y − 1], [y10], [yy y − 1], [y00], and [yyy], whose states are specified completely by the spin and isospin quantum numbers (y = arbitrary integer). Applications are made to the calculation of the matrix elements of the complete space‐scalar part of the Coulomb interaction and the space‐scalar part of the particle‐hole interaction for nucleons in different major oscillator shells.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70485/2/JMAPAQ-10-9-1571-1.pd

Molecular strategies to reduce unnecessary repeat prostate biopsies of men with elevated serum PSA

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men. It is a heterogeneous disease and currently there are no reliable biomarkers available to stratify men for prostate biopsy (PBx) and treatment. Hence, there is a risk of over-diagnosing insignificant disease, or under-diagnosing significant disease. We aimed to evaluate FDA approved Prostate Cancer gene 3 (PCA3, FDA approved) and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) for diagnostic properties. PCA3 is a long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) that is unstable, has an unclear biological role and is expensive to chemically treat to prevent degradation prior to analysis. Furthermore, the biological role of this RNA is unclear. Long ncRNAs are degraded into shorter forms, we explored whether this was the fatecase for PCA3. We identified a short segment of RNA within intron 1 of PCA3 bioinformatically which we termed PCA3 short RNA2 (PCA3-shRNA2). The and showed that PCA3-shRNA2 expression of this short RNA correlated to that of PCA3 in PCa cell lines, urinary samples and PBx tissue. PCA3-shRNA2 was overexpressed in urinary samples obtained from men with PCa compared to BPH, was regulated by testosterone and had a diagnostic accuracy similar to that of PCA3. We identified oncogenic mRNA targets of PCA3-shRNA2 and that are involved in oncogenesis and found that COPS2 was underexpressed in cancerous urinary samples. There are over a hundred RNA modifications described and methylation of N6-adenosine base is the most common methylated site. m6A is reversible and may be, involved in oncogenesis. and has recently been mapped throughout the transcriptome. We profiled m6A in PCa cell lines by immunoprecipitation and RNA sequencing, and found interesting oncogenic RNAs (e.g. PARG,) that were differentially expressed in LNCaP-LN3 cells. We identified a novel RNA within PCA3 that is stable, easy to measure, overexpressed in PCa samples and appeared to target oncogenic mRNAs. We profiled m6A in PCa cell lines and have identified important N6-adenosine methylated RNAs associated with PCa development. In conclusion PCA3-shRNA2 and m6A have evolving roles in cancer and may function well as biomarkers

Bladder Cancer at the time of COVID-19 Outbreak

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Annual educational expenses of European urology residents and the role of sponsorship in urology training: a survey-based analysis.

Introduction The aim of this article was to evaluate the personal monetary costs associated with the urology residency. Material and methods The European Society of Residents in Urology (ESRU) designed a 35-item survey and distributed it via email and social media to urology residents in Europe.Monthly net salary and educational expenses (general expenses, literature, congresses and courses) and opinions regarding sponsorship and expenditure were evaluated. Comparisons between different countries and salary cut-offs were made. Results A total of 211 European urology residents completed the survey from 21 European countries. The median interquartile range (IQR) age was 30 (18-42) years and 83.0% were male. A total of 69.6% receive less than €1500 net per month and 34.6% spent ≥€3000 on education in the previous 12 months. Sponsorships came mainly from the pharmaceutical industry (57.8%), but 56.4% of trainees thought that the ideal sponsor should be the hospital/urology department. Only 14.7% of respondents stated that their salary is sufficient to cover training expenses, and 69.2% agreed that training costs have an influence on family dynamics. Conclusions Personal expenses during training are high, are not sufficiently covered by the salary and impact family dynamics for a majority of residents in Europe. The majority thought that hospitals/national urology associations should contribute to the educational costs. For homogeneous opportunities across Europe, institutions should strive to increase sponsorship.post-print1388 K

APOLAS - More Accurate Areal Precipitation Over Land and Sea

Long-term feild comparisons of four progressive precipitation sensors demonstrate their superior performance. Measurements yield differences in cloud micro physics between land and sea and between surface and higher altitutdes. A pattern recognition algorithm based on CAPPI-fields of Rostock weather radar was developed to separate convective from stratiform rain area

Implementation and strategies to ensure adequate coordination within a Urology Department during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Identification and Diagnostic Performance of a Small RNA within the PCA3 and BMCC1 Gene Locus That Potentially Targets mRNA

Background: PCA3 is a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) with unknown function, upregulated in prostate cancer. LncRNAs may be processed into smaller active species. We hypothesized this for PCA3. Methods: We computed feasible RNA hairpins within the BMCC1 gene (encompassing PCA3) and searched a prostate transcriptome for these. We measured expression using qRT-PCR in three cohorts of prostate cancer tissues (n = 60), exfoliated urinary cells (n = 484 with cancer and n = 166 controls), and in cell lines (n = 22). We used in silico predictions and RNA knockup to identify potential mRNA targets of short transcribed RNAs. Results: We predicted 13 hairpins, of which PCA3-shRNA2 was most abundant within the prostate transcriptome. PCA3-shRNA2 is located within intron 1 of PCA3 and appears regulated by androgens. Expression of PCA3-shRNA2 was upregulated in malignant prostatic tissues, exfoliated urinary cells from men with prostate cancer (13–273 fold change; t test P < 0.003), and closely correlated to PCA3 expression (r = 0.84–0.93; P < 0.001). Urinary PCA3-shRNA2 (C-index, 0.75–0.81) and PCA3 (C-index, 0.78) could predict the presence of cancer in most men. PCA3-shRNA2 knockup altered the expression of predicted target mRNAs, including COPS2, SOX11, WDR48, TEAD1, and Noggin. PCA3-shRNA2 expression was negatively correlated with COPS2 in patient samples (r = −0.32; P < 0.001). Conclusion: We identified a short RNA within PCA3, whose expression is correlated to PCA3, which may target mRNAs implicated in prostate biology

Developing a medical device-grade T2 phantom optimized for myocardial T2 mapping by cardiovascular magnetic resonance

INTRODUCTION: A long T2 relaxation time can reflect oedema, and myocardial inflammation when combined with increased plasma troponin levels. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) T2 mapping therefore has potential to provide a key diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. However, T2 varies by scanner, software, and sequence, highlighting the need for standardization and for a quality assurance system for T2 mapping in CMR. AIM: To fabricate and assess a phantom dedicated to the quality assurance of T2 mapping in CMR. METHOD: A T2 mapping phantom was manufactured to contain 9 T1 and T2 (T1|T2) tubes to mimic clinically relevant native and post-contrast T2 in myocardium across the health to inflammation spectrum (i.e., 43-74 ms) and across both field strengths (1.5 and 3 T). We evaluated the phantom's structural integrity, B0 and B1 uniformity using field maps, and temperature dependence. Baseline reference T1|T2 were measured using inversion recovery gradient echo and single-echo spin echo (SE) sequences respectively, both with long repetition times (10 s). Long-term reproducibility of T1|T2 was determined by repeated T1|T2 mapping of the phantom at baseline and at 12 months. RESULTS: The phantom embodies 9 internal agarose-containing T1|T2 tubes doped with nickel di-chloride (NiCl2) as the paramagnetic relaxation modifier to cover the clinically relevant spectrum of myocardial T2. The tubes are surrounded by an agarose-gel matrix which is doped with NiCl2 and packed with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) beads. All tubes at both field strengths, showed measurement errors up to ≤ 7.2 ms [< 14.7%] for estimated T2 by balanced steady-state free precession T2 mapping compared to reference SE T2 with the exception of the post-contrast tube of ultra-low T1 where the deviance was up to 16 ms [40.0%]. At 12 months, the phantom remained free of air bubbles, susceptibility, and off-resonance artifacts. The inclusion of HDPE beads effectively flattened the B0 and B1 magnetic fields in the imaged slice. Independent temperature dependency experiments over the 13-38 °C range confirmed the greater stability of shorter vs longer T1|T2 tubes. Excellent long-term (12-month) reproducibility of measured T1|T2 was demonstrated across both field strengths (all coefficients of variation < 1.38%). CONCLUSION: The T2 mapping phantom demonstrates excellent structural integrity, B0 and B1 uniformity, and reproducibility of its internal tube T1|T2 out to 1 year. This device may now be mass-produced to support the quality assurance of T2 mapping in CMR