QuantEYE: The Quantum Optics Instrument for OWL

QuantEYE is designed to be the highest time-resolution instrument on ESO:s planned Overwhelmingly Large Telescope, devised to explore astrophysical variability on microsecond and nanosecond scales, down to the quantum-optical limit. Expected phenomena include instabilities of photon-gas bubbles in accretion flows, p-mode oscillations in neutron stars, and quantum-optical photon bunching in time. Precise timescales are both variable and unknown, and studies must be of photon-stream statistics, e.g., their power spectra or autocorrelations. Such functions increase with the square of the intensity, implying an enormously increased sensitivity at the largest telescopes. QuantEYE covers the optical, and its design involves an array of photon-counting avalanche-diode detectors, each viewing one segment of the OWL entrance pupil. QuantEYE will work already with a partially filled OWL main mirror, and also without [full] adaptive optics.Comment: 7 pages; Proceedings from meeting 'Instrumentation for Extremely Large Telescopes', held at Ringberg Castle, July 2005 (T.Herbst, ed.

Imaging the posterior mediastinum: A multimodality approach

The posterior mediastinum contains several structures that can produce a wide variety of pathologic conditions. Descending thoracic aorta, esophagus, azygos and hemiazygos veins, thoracic duct, lymph nodes, adipose tissue, and nerves are all located in this anatomical region and can produce diverse abnormalities. Although chest radiography may detect many of these pathologic conditions, computed tomography and magnetic resonance are the imaging modalities of choice for further defining the relationship of posterior mediastinal lesions to neighboring structures and showing specific imaging features that narrow the differential diagnosis. This review emphasizes modality-related answers to morphologic questions, which provide precise diagnostic information

European Non-native Species in Aquaculture Risk Analysis Scheme - a summary of assessment protocols and decision support tools for use of alien species in aquaculture

The European Non-native Species in Aquaculture Risk Analysis Scheme (ENSARS) was developed in response to European 'Council Regulation No. 708/2007 of 11 June 2007 concerning use of alien and locally absent species in aquaculture' to provide protocols for identifying and evaluating the potential risks of using non-native species in aquaculture. ENSARS is modular in structure and adapted from non-native species risk assessment schemes developed by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation and for the UK. Seven of the eight ENSARS modules contain protocols for evaluating the risks of escape, introduction to and establishment in open waters, of any non-native aquatic organism being used (or associated with those used) in aquaculture, that is, transport pathways, rearing facilities, infectious agents, and the potential organism, ecosystem and socio-economic impacts. A concluding module is designed to summarise the risks and consider management options. During the assessments, each question requires the assessor to provide a response and confidence ranking for that response based on expert opinion. Each module can also be used individually, and each requires a specific form of expertise. Therefore, a multidisciplinary assessment team is recommended for its completion

Crizotinib plus radiotherapy in brain oligoprogressive NSCLC ROS1 rearranged and PD-L1 strong

ROS1+ patients represent a unique molecular subset of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Early phase clinical trials have shown a high response rate to crizotinib in these patients. We describe a case of an 18 years old woman, never smoker, with NSCLC ROS1+ and miliary brain metastases treated with crizotinib and radiotherapy. From October 2014 to June 2015 the Patient was treated with crizotinib. The first intracranial time to progression (IT-TTP) occurred after 7 months; the patient underwent stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and continued TKI treatment. The second IT-TTP appeared after 16 months. A continued response in the chest was observed for all the 23 months of crizotinib treatment. At the progression, we assessed programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression by immunohistochemistry, that resulted highly expressed. Our report indicates that the integration of crizotinib with local treatments should be considered in ROS1 NSCLC patients experiencing oligometastatic progression. Moreover, this case is an example of PD-L1 strong in oncogene addicted patients

Unexpected long survival of brain oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with multimodal treatment: A single-center experience and review of the literature

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Fifty percent of the cases are metastatic at diagnosis and about 20% develop brain metastasis. The brain involvement represents a negative prognostic factor. However, some patients could benefit from locoregional treatments of metastatic foci and experience an unexpected long survival or healing. In the previous years some classifications were proposed to identify patients' prognostic category, according to stage of the primary tumor, the timing of metastases occurrence (synchronous or metachronous) and the number of metastatic sites. Several data show a benefit in patients receiving resection of both the primary tumor and brain metastases. Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) are the selected options in most cases. Overall, literature data showed highly variable outcome, with an overall survival (OS) ranging from 5.9 to 68 months. No data from randomized and homogeneous trials are currently available. Therefore, a growing interest in this field is observed. Different trials investigating the effectiveness of local treatments and studies analyzing biological mechanisms are ongoing. In this report we analyze literature data and we explore the current field of study. Furthermore, we show a single institutional experience of multimodal management of stage IV NSCLC with brain metastases, experiencing an unexpected long survival. We conclude that a better knowledge of this subpopulation of patients and new studies in this field can lead to distinguish the patients who can benefit from local treatment from those with poor prognosis

ICES Viewpoint background document: Evaluating and mitigating introduction of marine non-native species via vessel biofouling

Biofouled vessels create novel, mobile habitats characterized by great abundances of opportunistic and non-native species. Vessel biofouling1 affects the environment as well as the economics of vessel management..

Nanofabrication of Conductive Metallic Structures on Elastomeric Materials.

Existing techniques for patterning metallic structures on elastomers are limited in terms of resolution, yield and scalability. The primary constraint is the incompatibility of their physical properties with conventional cleanroom techniques. We demonstrate a reliable fabrication strategy to transfer high resolution metallic structures of <500 nm in dimension on elastomers. The proposed method consists of producing a metallic pattern using conventional lithographic techniques on silicon coated with a thin sacrificial aluminium layer. Subsequent wet etching of the sacrificial layer releases the elastomer with the embedded metallic pattern. Using this method, a nano-resistor with minimum feature size of 400 nm is fabricated on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and applied in gas sensing. Adsorption of solvents in the PDMS causes swelling and increases the device resistance, which therefore enables the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Sensitivity to chloroform and toluene vapor with a rapid response (~30 s) and recovery (~200 s) is demonstrated using this PDMS nano-resistor at room temperature

Modelling of the Total Electronic Content and magnetic field anomalies generated by the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami and associated acoustic-gravity waves,

International audienceIn this work, numerical simulations of the atmospheric and ionospheric anomalies are performed for the Tohoku-Oki tsunami (2011 March 11). The Tsunami-Atmosphere-Ionosphere (TAI) coupling mechanism via acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) is explored theoretically using the TAI-coupled model. For the modelled tsunami wave as an input, the coupled model simulates the wind, density and temperature disturbances or anomalies in the atmosphere and electron density/magnetic anomalies in the F region of the ionosphere. Also presented are the GPS-total electron content (TEC) and ground-based magnetometer measurements during the first hour of tsunami and good agreements are found between modelled and observed anomalies. At first, within 6 min from the tsunami origin, the simulated wind anomaly at 250 km altitude and TEC anomaly appear as the dipole-shaped disturbances around the epicentre, then as the concentric circular wave fronts radially moving away from the epicentre with the horizontal velocity ∼800 m s−1 after 12 min followed by the slow moving (horizontal velocity ∼250 m s−1) wave disturbance after 30 min. The detailed vertical-horizontal propagation characteristics suggest that the anomalies appear before and after 30 min are associated with the acoustic and gravity waves, respectively. Similar propagation characteristics are found from the GPS-TEC and magnetic measurements presented here and also reported from recent studies. The modelled magnetic anomaly in the F region ionosphere is found to have similar temporal variations with respect to the epicentre distance as that of the magnetic anomaly registered from the ground-based magnetometers. The high-frequency component ∼10 min of the simulated wind, TEC and magnetic anomalies in the F region develops within 6-7 min after the initiation of the tsunami, suggesting the importance of monitoring the high-frequency atmospheric/ionospheric anomalies for the early warning. These anomalies are found to maximize across the epicentre in the direction opposite to the tsunami propagation suggesting that the large atmospheric/ionospheric disturbances are excited in the region where tsunami does not travel

Environmental accounting and state power in the grand duchy of Tuscany (1537-1621)

Purpose. The study investigates the use of early forms of environmental accounting in the implementation of environmental strategies in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany between the 16th and 17th centuries. Design/methodology/approach. The study adopts the Foucauldian concept of raison d’État to shed light on the ways in which environmental accounting practices were used by Tuscan Grand Dukes to form a detailed knowledge of the territory to be governed and act accordingly. Findings. Financial and non-financial information relating to environmental issues enabled the Grand Dukes to ‘visualise’ the territory to be managed as an enclosed disciplinary space whereby the conduct of people living therein could be decisively influenced. Accounting practices as a tool for the implementation of environmental strategies did not merely aim to protect the environment but were a means to reinforce the power of the State. Research implications. The paper can inform future works that investigate the ways in which environmental policies and accounting are used to pursue far-reaching governmental goals. It encourages scholars to examine further the origins of environmental accounting and its early forms. Social implications. The study documents how environmental strategies and the related use of accounting can have a significant influence on how individuals are allowed to conduct themselves. It also shows that environmental accounting practices can be an important tool in a State’s machinery of power. Originality/value. The study offers a novel perspective on the use of environmental accounting information as a tool in the exercise of State power. It explores explicitly the interrelations between accounting, sustainability and power. It also adds new evidence to historical research that has engaged with early forms of environmental accounting