612 research outputs found
Robotically Steered Needles: A Survey of Neurosurgical Applications and Technical Innovations
This paper surveys both the clinical applications and main technical innovations related to steered needles, with an emphasis on neurosurgery. Technical innovations generally center on curvilinear robots that can adopt a complex path that circumvents critical structures and eloquent brain tissue. These advances include several needle-steering approaches, which consist of tip-based, lengthwise, base motion-driven, and tissue-centered steering strategies. This paper also describes foundational mathematical models for steering, where potential fields, nonholonomic bicycle-like models, spring models, and stochastic approaches are cited. In addition, practical path planning systems are also addressed, where we cite uncertainty modeling in path planning, intraoperative soft tissue shift estimation through imaging scans acquired during the procedure, and simulation-based prediction. Neurosurgical scenarios tend to emphasize straight needles so far, and span deep-brain stimulation (DBS), stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), intracerebral drug delivery (IDD), stereotactic brain biopsy (SBB), stereotactic needle aspiration for hematoma, cysts and abscesses, and brachytherapy as well as thermal ablation of brain tumors and seizure-generating regions. We emphasize therapeutic considerations and complications that have been documented in conjunction with these applications
Rapport de lâatelier de formation sur les mĂ©thodes et techniques de modĂ©lisation participative: Focus sur la mĂ©thode SGMB (Spatial Group Model Building)
Magnetic Reconnection in Extreme Astrophysical Environments
Magnetic reconnection is a basic plasma process of dramatic rearrangement of
magnetic topology, often leading to a violent release of magnetic energy. It is
important in magnetic fusion and in space and solar physics --- areas that have
so far provided the context for most of reconnection research. Importantly,
these environments consist just of electrons and ions and the dissipated energy
always stays with the plasma. In contrast, in this paper I introduce a new
direction of research, motivated by several important problems in high-energy
astrophysics --- reconnection in high energy density (HED) radiative plasmas,
where radiation pressure and radiative cooling become dominant factors in the
pressure and energy balance. I identify the key processes distinguishing HED
reconnection: special-relativistic effects; radiative effects (radiative
cooling, radiation pressure, and Compton resistivity); and, at the most extreme
end, QED effects, including pair creation. I then discuss the main
astrophysical applications --- situations with magnetar-strength fields
(exceeding the quantum critical field of about 4 x 10^13 G): giant SGR flares
and magnetically-powered central engines and jets of GRBs. Here, magnetic
energy density is so high that its dissipation heats the plasma to MeV
temperatures. Electron-positron pairs are then copiously produced, making the
reconnection layer highly collisional and dressing it in a thick pair coat that
traps radiation. The pressure is dominated by radiation and pairs. Yet,
radiation diffusion across the layer may be faster than the global Alfv\'en
transit time; then, radiative cooling governs the thermodynamics and
reconnection becomes a radiative transfer problem, greatly affected by the
ultra-strong magnetic field. This overall picture is very different from our
traditional picture of reconnection and thus represents a new frontier in
reconnection research.Comment: Accepted to Space Science Reviews (special issue on magnetic
reconnection). Article is based on an invited review talk at the
Yosemite-2010 Workshop on Magnetic Reconnection (Yosemite NP, CA, USA;
February 8-12, 2010). 30 pages, no figure
Endovascular Treatment for Acute Isolated Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion : A Propensity Score Matched Multicenter Study.
The benefit of endovascular treatment (EVT) in patients with acute symptomatic isolated occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) without involvement of the middle and anterior cerebral arteries is unclear. We aimed to compare clinical and safety outcomes of best medical treatment (BMT) versus EVTâŻ+ BMT in patients with stroke due to isolated ICA occlusion.
We conducted a retrospective multicenter study involving patients with isolated ICA occlusion between January 2016 and December 2020. We stratified patients by BMT versus EVT and matched the groups using propensity score matching (PSM). We assessed the effect of treatment strategy on favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale â€âŻ2) 90 days after treatment and compared reduction in NIHSS score at discharge, rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) and 3âmonth mortality.
In total, we included 149 patients with isolated ICA occlusion. To address imbalances, we matched 45 patients from each group using PSM. The rate of favorable outcomes at 90 days was 56% for EVT and 38% for BMT (odds ratio, OR 1.89, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.84-4.24; pâŻ= 0.12). Patients treated with EVT showed a median reduction in NIHSS score at discharge of 6 points compared to 1 point for BMT patients (pâŻ= 0.02). Rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (7% vs. 4%; pâŻ= 0.66) and 3âmonth mortality (11% vs. 13%; pâŻ= 0.74) did not differ between treatment groups. Periprocedural complications of EVT with early neurological deterioration occurred in 7% of cases.
Although the benefit on functional outcome did not reach statistical significance, the results for NIHSS score improvement, and safety support the use of EVT in patients with stroke due to isolated ICA occlusion
Defect-induced condensation and central peak at elastic phase transitions
Static and dynamical properties of elastic phase transitions under the
influence of short--range defects, which locally increase the transition
temperature, are investigated. Our approach is based on a Ginzburg--Landau
theory for three--dimensional crystals with one--, two-- or three--dimensional
soft sectors, respectively. Systems with a finite concentration of
quenched, randomly placed defects display a phase transition at a temperature
, which can be considerably above the transition temperature
of the pure system. The phonon correlation function is calculated in
single--site approximation. For a dynamical central peak
appears; upon approaching , its height diverges and its width
vanishes. Using an appropriate self--consistent method, we calculate the
spatially inhomogeneous order parameter, the free energy and the specific heat,
as well as the dynamical correlation function in the ordered phase. The
dynamical central peak disappears again as the temperatur is lowered below
. The inhomogeneous order parameter causes a static central
peak in the scattering cross section, with a finite width depending on the
orientation of the external wave vector relative to the soft sector.
The jump in the specific heat at the transition temperatur of the pure system
is smeared out by the influence of the defects, leading to a distinct maximum
instead. In addition, there emerges a tiny discontinuity of the specific heat
at . We also discuss the range of validity of the mean--field
approach, and provide a more realistic estimate for the transition temperature.Comment: 11 pages, 11 ps-figures, to appear in PR
Spring-neap tidal and circadian variability in the distribution of two groups of Pseudo-nitzschia species in an upwelling influenced estuary
High-resolution physical and biological measurements were carried out in the RĂa de Pontevedra (NW Spain) in late spring during the âHABIT Pontevedra 2007â survey, which utilized high vertical resolution instruments. Cell maxima of P. delicatissima (6 x 105 cells L-1) and P. seriata (2 x 106 cells L-1) groups were observed during the first half of the cruise during downwelling and a significant decrease in cell numbers occurred during subsequent upwelling conditions. The effect of tidal (both semidiurnal and spring-neap) and event driven (upwelling-downwelling cycle) variability were evident. The observed sequence of events suggests that Pseudo-nitzschia populations were advected from the shelf. The circadian variability was regulated by tidal forcing and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. maxima were observed at low tide. From results presented here we conclude that the magnitude of spring-neap tidal and circadian variability has to be considered when designing and implementing harmful algal bloom monitoring programmesEn prens
Topological Defects in the Random-Field XY Model and the Pinned Vortex Lattice to Vortex Glass Transition in Type-II Superconductors
As a simplified model of randomly pinned vortex lattices or charge-density
waves, we study the random-field XY model on square () and simple cubic
() lattices. We verify in Monte Carlo simulations, that the average
spacing between topological defects (vortices) diverges more strongly than the
Imry-Ma pinning length as the random field strength, , is reduced. We
suggest that for the simulation data are consistent with a topological
phase transition at a nonzero critical field, , to a pinned phase that is
defect-free at large length-scales. We also discuss the connection between the
possible existence of this phase transition in the random-field XY model and
the magnetic field driven transition from pinned vortex lattice to vortex glass
in weakly disordered type-II superconductors.Comment: LATEX file; 5 Postscript figures are available from [email protected]
From thermal rectifiers to thermoelectric devices
We discuss thermal rectification and thermoelectric energy conversion from
the perspective of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and dynamical systems
theory. After preliminary considerations on the dynamical foundations of the
phenomenological Fourier law in classical and quantum mechanics, we illustrate
ways to control the phononic heat flow and design thermal diodes. Finally, we
consider the coupled transport of heat and charge and discuss several general
mechanisms for optimizing the figure of merit of thermoelectric efficiency.Comment: 42 pages, 22 figures, review paper, to appear in the Springer Lecture
Notes in Physics volume "Thermal transport in low dimensions: from
statistical physics to nanoscale heat transfer" (S. Lepri ed.
Daratumumab monotherapy in refractory warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia and cold agglutinin disease
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is a rare autoantibody-mediated disease. For steroid and/or rituximab-refractory AIHA, there is no consensus on optimal treatment. Daratumumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, could be beneficial by suppression of CD38+ plasma cells and thus autoantibody secretion. In addition, because CD38 is also expressed by activated T cells, daratumumab may also act via immunomodulatory effects. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of daratumumab monotherapy in an international retrospective study including 19 adult patients with heavily pretreated refractory AIHA. In warm AIHA (wAIHA, n = 12), overall response was 50% with a median response duration of 5.5 months (range, 2-12), including ongoing response in 2 patients after 6 and 12 months. Of 6 nonresponders, 4 had Evans syndrome. In cold AIHA (cAIHA, n = 7) overall hemoglobin (Hb) response was 57%, with ongoing response in 3 of 7 patients. One additional patient with nonanemic cAIHA was treated for severe acrocyanosis and reached a clinical acrocyanosis response as well as a Hb increase. Of 6 patients with cAIHA with acrocyanosis, 4 had improved symptoms after daratumumab treatment. In 2 patients with wAIHA treated with daratumumab, in whom we prospectively collected blood samples, we found complete CD38+ T-cell depletion after daratumumab, as well as altered T-cell subset differentiation and a severely diminished capacity for cell activation and proliferation. Reappearance of CD38+ T cells coincided with disease relapse in 1 patient. In conclusion, our data show that daratumumab therapy may be a treatment option for refractory AIHA. The observed immunomodulatory effects that may contribute to the clinical response deserve further exploration.</p
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