Measurement of the electron transmission rate of the gating foil for the TPC of the ILC experiment

We have developed a gating foil for the time projection chamber envisaged as a central tracker for the international linear collider experiment. It has a structure similar to the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) with a higher optical aperture ratio and functions as an ion gate without gas amplification. The transmission rate for electrons was measured in a counting mode for a wide range of the voltages applied across the foil using an $^{55}$Fe source and a laser in the absence of a magnetic field. The blocking power of the foil against positive ions was estimated from the electron transmissions.Comment: 25 pages containing 14 figures and 1 tabl

Towards an Efficient Finite Element Method for the Integral Fractional Laplacian on Polygonal Domains

We explore the connection between fractional order partial differential equations in two or more spatial dimensions with boundary integral operators to develop techniques that enable one to efficiently tackle the integral fractional Laplacian. In particular, we develop techniques for the treatment of the dense stiffness matrix including the computation of the entries, the efficient assembly and storage of a sparse approximation and the efficient solution of the resulting equations. The main idea consists of generalising proven techniques for the treatment of boundary integral equations to general fractional orders. Importantly, the approximation does not make any strong assumptions on the shape of the underlying domain and does not rely on any special structure of the matrix that could be exploited by fast transforms. We demonstrate the flexibility and performance of this approach in a couple of two-dimensional numerical examples

Clinical outcomes of stereotactic body radiotherapy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer using different doses depending on tumor size

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The treatment schedules for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer vary from institution to institution. Several reports have indicated that stage IB patients had worse outcomes than stage IA patients when the same dose was used. We evaluated the clinical outcomes of SBRT for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with different doses depending on tumor diameter.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between February 2004 and November 2008, 124 patients with stage I NSCLC underwent SBRT. Total doses of 44, 48, and 52 Gy were administered for tumors with a longest diameter of less than 1.5 cm, 1.5-3 cm, and larger than 3 cm, respectively. All doses were given in 4 fractions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For all 124 patients, overall survival was 71%, cause-specific survival was 87%, progression-free survival was 60%, and local control was 80%, at 3 years. The 3-year overall survival was 79% for 85 stage IA patients treated with 48 Gy and 56% for 37 stage IB patients treated with 52 Gy (<it>p </it>= 0.05). At 3 years, cause-specific survival was 91% for the former group and 79% for the latter (<it>p </it>= 0.18), and progression-free survival was 62% versus 54% (<it>p </it>= 0.30). The 3-year local control rate was 81% versus 74% (<it>p </it>= 0.35). The cumulative incidence of grade 2 or 3 radiation pneumonitis was 11% in stage IA patients and 30% in stage IB patients (<it>p </it>= 0.02).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There was no difference in local control between stage IA and IB tumors despite the difference in tumor size. The benefit of increasing the SBRT dose for larger tumors should be investigated further.</p

Survey on medicinal plant species traditionally used by Bambenga people: Pygmies of Dongo sector in Democratic Republic of Congo

According to the WHO, more than 80 % of the population in Africa resort to traditional medicine for their health care. In the present study, a survey was carried out among Bambenga Pygmies of the forest of Lobala-Poko, Sector of Dongo (Kungu Territory, Province of Sud-Ubangi) in Democratic Republic of Congo with the aim of inventorying medicinal plants used by these autochthonous peoples for various illnesses. The results established a floristic list of 35 species belonging to 17 families of which Leguminosae (17 %), Malvaceae and Meliaceae (with 14 % each) are the major used species. The results of this study also indicated that the 30 identified plants are trees (86 %), 03 plants are herbs (9 %) and finally 02 plants are lianas (6 %). The bark is the most used part (43 %), followed by the leaf (20 %), root (16 %), fruit (14 %) and sap (8 %). Among the 36 treated diseases, back pain is the most quoted, followed by dysentery and low stomach

Régime alimentaire des poissons de la rivière Lomami, RD du Congo

Une étude sur le régime alimentaire des poissons de la rivière Lomami a été menée sur une période de 8 mois, Février à Octobre 2012, dans le territoire de Katako-kombe pour évaluer les préférences alimentaires de son ichtyofaune. Ainsi, l’observation qualitative des contenus des estomacs de différents poissons capturés a été faite au laboratoire pour trouver les préférences alimentaires des poissons en calculant le taux d’occurrence ou de préférence. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les poissons de la rivière Lomami ont un régime alimentaire diversifié: les espèces Tilapia nyongana et Oreochromis niloticus sont phytophages à tendance omnivore; le Clarias angolensis et le Chanallabes apus sont polyphage à tendance vorace le Chrysichthys wagenaarii est benthophage à tendance vorace et enfin le Mormyrops zanclirostris est polyphage à tendance herbivore. Ces résultats en rapport avec le régime alimentaire de poissons capturés vont permettre aux pisciculteurs intéressés de faire le choix du type des poissons à élever, en rapport avec la disponibilité de l’aliment localement. Mots clés: Régime alimentaire, poisson, rivière Lomam

Culture du coton : manuel technique

Cette fiche technique sur la culture du coton a pour but de guider les agriculteurs dans la conduite de la culture cotonnière. Elle présente brièvement la plante, les variétés et dispositifs de multiplication, les produits et techniques pour le contrôle des ravageurs ainsi que l'itinéraire technique de la culture cotonnièr

Régime alimentaire des poissons de la rivière Lomami, RD du Congo

A study on the diet of fish from the Lomami River was conducted over a period of 8 months, from February to October 2012, in the territory of Katako-kombe to evaluate the food preferences of its ichthyofauna. Thus, the qualitative observation of the stomach contents of different fish caught was made in the laboratory to find the food preferences of the fish by calculating the rate of occurrence or preference. The results showed that the fish of the Lomami River have a diversified diet: the species Tilapia nyongana and Oreochromis niloticus are phytophagous with omnivorous tendency; Clarias angolensis and Chanallabes apus are polyphagous with voracious tendency, Chrysichthys wagenaarii is benthophage with voracious tendency, and finally Mormyrops zanclirostris is polyphagous with herbivorous tendency. These results in relation to the diet of fish caught will allow interested fish farmers to make the choice on the type of fish to be raised, based on the local feed availability. Keywords: Diet, fish, Lomami riverUne étude sur le régime alimentaire des poissons de la rivière Lomami a été menée sur une période de 8 mois, Février à Octobre 2012, dans le territoire de Katako-kombe pour évaluer les préférences alimentaires de son ichtyofaune. Ainsi, l’observation qualitative des contenus des estomacs de différents poissons capturés a été faite au laboratoire pour trouver les préférences alimentaires des poissons en calculant le taux d’occurrence ou de préférence. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les poissons de la rivière Lomami ont un régime alimentaire diversifié: les espèces Tilapia nyongana et Oreochromis niloticus sont phytophages à tendance omnivore; le Clarias angolensis et le Chanallabes apus sont polyphage à tendance vorace le Chrysichthys wagenaarii est benthophage à tendance vorace et enfin le Mormyrops zanclirostris est polyphage à tendance herbivore. Ces résultats en rapport avec le régime alimentaire de poissons capturés vont permettre aux pisciculteurs intéressés de faire le choix du type des poissons à élever, en rapport avec la disponibilité de l’aliment localement. Mots clés: Régime alimentaire, poisson, rivière Lomam

Phosphodiesterase-III Inhibitor Prevents Hemorrhagic Transformation Induced by Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice Treated with tPA

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor and antiplatelet drug, would prevent tPA-associated hemorrhagic transformation. Mice subjected to 6-h middle cerebral artery occlusion were treated with delayed tPA alone at 6 h, with combined tPA plus cilostazol at 6 h, or with vehicle at 6 h. We used multiple imaging (electron microscopy, spectroscopy), histological and neurobehavioral measures to assess the effects of the treatment at 18 h and 7 days after the reperfusion. To further investigate the mechanism of cilostazol to beneficial effect, we also performed an in vitro study with tPA and a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor in human brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes. Combination therapy with tPA plus cilostazol prevented development of hemorrhagic transformation, reduced brain edema, prevented endothelial injury via reduction MMP-9 activity, and prevented the blood-brain barrier opening by inhibiting decreased claudin-5 expression. These changes significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality at 18 h and 7 days after the reperfusion. Also, the administration of both drugs prevented injury to brain human endothelial cells and human brain pericytes. The present study indicates that a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor prevents the hemorrhagic transformation induced by focal cerebral ischemia in mice treated with tPA