First characterization of the Hamamatsu R11265 multi-anode photomultiplier tube

The characterization of the new Hamamatsu R11265-103-M64 multi-anode photomultiplier tube is presented. The sample available in our laboratory was tested and in particular the response to single photon was extensively studied. The gain, the anode uniformity and the dark current were measured. The tube behaviour in a longitudinal magnetic field up to 100 G was studied and the gain loss due to the ageing was quantified. The characteristics and performance of the photomultiplier tube make the R11265-103-M64 particularly tailored for an application in high energy physics experiments, such as in the LHCb Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector at LHC

Intranasal ketorolac and opioid in treatment of acute renal colic

The usual treatment of pain in acute renal colic is analgesic in intravenous (IV) route. We tried a rapid, non-painful, non-invasive route of administration using intranasal ketorolac plus fentanyl versus IV standard treatment with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug plus opioid for the relief of pain in renal colic presenting patients to an Emergency Department (ED). We conducted a prospective nonblinded clinical trial. A sample of 82 adult patients with clinical diagnosis of acute renal colic was included to receive either intravenous ketorolac plus fentanyl or intranasal ketorolac plus fentanyl. Pain score was rated by using a 10 cm visual analogue scale at 0, 30 and 60 minutes after the treatment. Primary outcome was pain reduction. Secondary outcomes were adverse events and rescue treatment. Eighty-two patients were enrolled. The first forty-one patients received intranasal ketorolac plus fentanyl and the second forty-one received intravenous ketorolac plus fentanyl. There were not statistically significant differences in reduction of pain between the two groups at 30 and 60 minutes (P-value at 30=0,225; P-value at 60=0,312) although the trend was in favour of IV group. There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to secondary outcomes (adverse events and rescue treatment). Intranasal ketorolac and fentanyl are equivalent in analgesic effect to intravenous ketorolac and fentanyl treatment for ED patients with acute renal colic and the intranasal treatment can be considered a valid alternative to the standard intravenous treatment

Characterization of a Hamamatsu R7600 multi-anode photomultiplier tube with single photon signals

The characterization of the single photon response of the Hamamatsu R7600 multi-anode photomultiplier tube (MaPMT) is presented, in view of a possible application in Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detectors and high rate single photon counting applications in general. For most of the measurements the main source of single photons was a commercial blue LED biased with a small current of a few nA. The spectra obtained with this source match those obtained with Cherenkov light from a PbF2 crystal illuminated with a 22Na gamma source, confirming that the test signals are single photons. Dark current and cross-talk were measured at the single photoelectron level. The single photon response of the PMT was also studied as a function of the bias ratio between dynodes. The sensitivity to magnetic field up to 30 G and the effectiveness of three magnetic shields with different geometries were evaluated. Gain loss due to aging was also studied up to 2000 hours of operation at high counting rate

Aging and time resolution measurements for the Hamamatsu R7600 multi-anode photomultiplier tube

The Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector at LHCb is now readout by Hybrid Photon Detectors. In view of its upgrade a possible option is the adoption of the flat panel Photon Multipliers Tubes R7600, manufactured by Hamamatsu. This detector has just been fully tested in the single photon condition and in this paper the last measurements are presented. The study of the Transit Time Spread was done using Cherenkov light from a PbF 2 crystal and a 22Na source. The time difference between signals from individual pixels was estimated by means of an offline analysis algorithm and the TTS is estimated to be about 200 ps RMS. A system to measure the gain decrease of the PMT due to aging was also assembled. In this measurements the light was produced by a commercial blue LED and the system was run for about two months; after 500 hours the conversion gain reduced to about 60%. © 2011 IEEE

Characterization of a Hamamatsu R7600 multi-anode photomultiplier tube with single photon signals

We present measurements aimed to characterize the Hamamatsu R7600 multi anode Photon Multiplier Tube (PMT), in view of its application for a new generation of Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detectors at LHCb. Single photon signals were used as tools for characterization. A commercial blue LED slightly forward biased was the main source of photon light. Spectra obtained with this source coincided with those obtained with the Cherenkov light from a PbF 2 crystal and a 22Na gamma source. Dark current and cross-talk performances were measured. PMT response was studied for single photon signals as a function of the dynodes bias level ratio and magnetic field. Results obtained so far showed that the R7600 PMTs are adequate for the LHCb RICH detectors at high luminosity. © 2010 IEEE

Excellent outcomes of 2G-TKI therapy after imatinib failure in chronic phase CML patients

Second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (2G-TKIs) dasatinib and nilotinib produced historical rates of about 50% complete cytogenetic response (CCyR) and about 40% major molecular response (MMR) in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients failing imatinib. Direct comparisons between dasatinib and nilotinib are lacking, and few studies addressed the dynamics of deep molecular response (DMR) in a "real-life" setting. We retrospectively analyzed 163 patients receiving dasatinib (n= 95) or nilotinib (n= 68) as second-line therapy after imatinib. The two cohorts were comparable for disease's characteristics, although there was a higher rate of dasatinib use in imatinib-resistant and of nilotinib in intolerant patients. Overall, 75% patients not in CCyR and 60% patients not in MMR at 2G-TKI start attained this response. DMR was achieved by 61 patients (37.4%), with estimated rate of stable DMR at 5 years of 24%. After a median follow-up of 48 months, 60% of patients persisted on their second-line treatment. Rates and kinetics of cytogenetic and molecular responses, progression-free and overall survival were similar for dasatinib and nilotinib. In a "real-life" setting, dasatinib and nilotinib resulted equally effective and safe after imatinib failure, determining high rates of CCyR and MMR, and a significant chance of stable DMR, a prerequisite for treatment discontinuation

Implementation and performances of the IPbus protocol for the JUNO Large-PMT readout electronics

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a large neutrino detector currently under construction in China. Thanks to the tight requirements on its optical and radio-purity properties, it will be able to perform leading measurements detecting terrestrial and astrophysical neutrinos in a wide energy range from tens of keV to hundreds of MeV. A key requirement for the success of the experiment is an unprecedented 3% energy resolution, guaranteed by its large active mass (20 kton) and the use of more than 20,000 20-inch photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs) acquired by high-speed, high-resolution sampling electronics located very close to the PMTs. As the Front-End and Read-Out electronics is expected to continuously run underwater for 30 years, a reliable readout acquisition system capable of handling the timestamped data stream coming from the Large-PMTs and permitting to simultaneously monitor and operate remotely the inaccessible electronics had to be developed. In this contribution, the firmware and hardware implementation of the IPbus based readout protocol will be presented, together with the performances measured on final modules during the mass production of the electronics

Mass testing of the JUNO experiment 20-inch PMTs readout electronics

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a multi-purpose, large size, liquid scintillator experiment under construction in China. JUNO will perform leading measurements detecting neutrinos from different sources (reactor, terrestrial and astrophysical neutrinos) covering a wide energy range (from 200 keV to several GeV). This paper focuses on the design and development of a test protocol for the 20-inch PMT underwater readout electronics, performed in parallel to the mass production line. In a time period of about ten months, a total number of 6950 electronic boards were tested with an acceptance yield of 99.1%