Implementation and modeling of a femtosecond laser-activated streak camera

8 June 2017) A laser-activated streak camera was built to measure the duration of femtosecond electron pulses. The streak velocity of the device is 1.89 mrad/ps, which corresponds to a sensitivity of 34.9 fs/pixels. The streak camera also measures changes in the relative time of arrival between the laser and electron pulses with a resolution of 70 fs RMS. A full circuit analysis of the structure is presented to describe the streaking field and the general behavior of the device. We have developed a general mathematical model to analyze the streaked images. The model provides an accurate method to extract the pulse duration based on the changes of the electron beam profile when the streaking field is applied

Ibuprofen Ameliorates Fatigue- And Depressive-Like Behavior in Tumor-Bearing Mice

Aims: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is often accompanied by depressed mood, both of which reduce functional status and quality of life. Research suggests that increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines is associated with skeletal muscle wasting and depressive- and fatigue-like behaviors in rodents and cancer patients. We have previously shown that treatment with ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, preserved muscle mass in tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine the behavioral effects of ibuprofen in a mouse model of CRF. Main methods: Mice were injected with colon-26 adenocarcinoma cells and treated with ibuprofen (10 mg/kg) in the drinking water. Depressive-like behavior was determined using the forced swim test (FST). Fatigue-like behaviors were determined using voluntary wheel running activity (VWRA) and grip strength. The hippocampus, gastrocnemius muscle, and serum were collected for cytokine analysis. Key findings: Tumor-bearing mice showed depressive-like behavior in the FST, which was not observed in mice treated with ibuprofen. VWRA and grip strength declined in tumor-bearing mice, and ibuprofen attenuated this decline. Tumor-bearing mice had decreased gastrocnemius muscle mass and increased expression of IL-6, MAFBx and MuRF mRNA, biomarkers of protein degradation, in the muscle. Expression of IL-1β and IL-6 was also increased in the hippocampus. Treatment with ibuprofen improved muscle mass and reduced cytokine expression in both the muscle and hippocampus of tumor-bearing mice. Significance: Ibuprofen treatment reduced skeletal muscle wasting, inflammation in the brain, and fatigue- and depressive-like behavior in tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, ibuprofen warrants evaluation as an adjuvant treatment for CRF

Detection of blood aspiration in deadly head gunshots comparing postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and autopsy

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to analyze the reliability of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) versus autopsy in detecting signs of blood aspiration in a distinct group of patients following deadly head, mouth or floor of mouth gunshot injuries. METHODS: In this study, in 41 cases PMCT was compared to autopsy reports, the gold standard of postmortem exams, regarding detection of blood aspiration. PMCT was evaluated for the presence and level of typical signs of blood aspiration in the major airways and lung using a semi-quantitative scale ranging from level 0 (no aspiration) to 3 (significant aspiration) also taking density values of the described potential aspiratory changes into account. RESULTS: Overall, in 29 (70.7%) of 41 enrolled cases PMCT and autopsy revealed the same level of aspiration. A difference of one level between PMCT and autopsy resulted for 5 (12.2%) of the remaining 12 cases. More than one level difference between both methods resulted for 7 cases (17.2%). Autopsy described no signs of aspiration in 10 cases, compared to 31 cases with reported blood aspiration. In contrast, PMCT revealed no signs of blood aspiration in 15 cases whereas 26 cases were rated as positive for signs of aspiration in the major airways. In 18 of these 26 cases considered positive for blood aspiration by autopsy and PMCT, clear signs of aspiration signs were also described bilaterally by both methods. CONCLUSIONS: The presented study provides evidence for the assumption that PMCT seems to be helpful in the detection of blood aspiration in cases of deadly head gunshots. In conclusion, it seems reasonable to suggest performing PMCT additionally to traditional postmortem exams in cases of suspected aspiration to rule out false-negative cases and to possibly allow for a more detailed and rather evidence based examination reconnoitering the cause of death. However, the adequate use of PMCT in this context needs further evaluation and the definition of an objective scale for aspiration detection on PMCT needs to be established in future studies

Fluoxetine Prevents the Development of Depressive-like Behavior in a Mouse Model of Cancer Related Fatigue

Cancer patients frequently suffer from fatigue, a complex syndrome associated with tiredness and depressed mood. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) can be present at the time of diagnosis, escalates during treatment, and can persist for years after treatment. CRF negatively influences quality of life, limits functional independence, and is associated with decreased survival in patients with incurable disease. We have previously shown that increased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the brain contributes to depressive- and fatigue-like behaviors in a mouse model of CRF. Inflammatory cytokines increase the activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), which competitively reduce serotonin synthesis. Reduced serotonin availability in the brain and increased production of alternative neuroactive metabolites of tryptophan are thought to contribute to the development of depression and fatigue. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), on brain cytokines and behavioral measures of fatigue and depression in tumor-bearing mice. Here we show that tumor growth increased brain expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and KMO. Treatment with fluoxetine had no effect on tumor growth, muscle wasting, fatigue behavior, or cytokine expression in the brain. Fluoxetine, however, reduced depressive-like behaviors in tumor bearing mice. In conclusion, our data confirm that increased brain expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines is associated with tumor-induced fatigue- and depressive-like behaviors. However, it is possible to separate the effects of tumor growth on mood and fatigue-like behaviors using SSRIs such as fluoxetine

Tumor Growth Increases Neuroinflammation, Fatigue and Depressive-like Behavior Prior to Alterations in Muscle Function

Cancer patients frequently suffer from fatigue, a complex syndrome associated with loss of muscle mass, weakness, and depressed mood. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) can be present at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, and persists for years after treatment. CRF negatively influences quality of life, limits functional independence, and is associated with decreased survival in patients with incurable disease. Currently there are no effective treatments to reduce CRF. The aim of this study was to use a mouse model of tumor growth and discriminate between two main components of fatigue: loss of muscle mass/function and altered mood/motivation. Here we show that tumor growth increased fatigue- and depressive-like behaviors, and reduced body and muscle mass. Decreased voluntary wheel running activity (VWRA) and increased depressive-like behavior in the forced swim and sucrose preference tests were evident in tumor-bearing mice within the first two weeks of tumor growth and preceded the loss of body and muscle mass. At three weeks, tumor-bearing mice had reduced grip strength but this was not associated with altered expression of myosin isoforms or impaired contractile properties of muscles. These increases in fatigue and depressive-like behaviors were paralleled by increased expression of IL-1β mRNA in the cortex and hippocampus. Minocycline administration reduced tumor-induced expression of IL-1β in the brain, reduced depressive-like behavior, and improved grip strength without altering muscle mass. Taken together, these results indicate that neuroinflammation and depressed mood, rather than muscle wasting, contribute to decreased voluntary activity and precede major changes in muscle contractile properties with tumor growth

Efficient computation of matched solutions of the Kapchinskij-Vladimirskij envelope equations for periodic focusing lattices

A new iterative method is developed to numerically calculate the periodic, matched beam envelope solution of the coupled Kapchinskij-Vladimirskij (KV) equations describing the transverse evolution of a beam in a periodic, linear focusing lattice of arbitrary complexity. Implementation of the method is straightforward. It is highly convergent and can be applied to all usual parameterizations of the matched envelope solutions. The method is applicable to all classes of linear focusing lattices without skew couplings, and also applies to all physically achievable system parameters -- including where the matched beam envelope is strongly unstable. Example applications are presented for periodic solenoidal and quadrupole focusing lattices. Convergence properties are summarized over a wide range of system parameters.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, Mathematica source code provide

Developing Automotive Products Using the EAST-ADL2, an AUTOSAR Compliant Architecture Description Language

International audienceCurrent development trends in automotive software feature increasing standardization of the embedded software structure. But it still remains the critical issue of the overall engineering information management to control the system definition and manage its complexity. System modeling based onan Architecture Description Language (ADL) is a way to keep these assets within one information structure. The original EAST-ADL was developed in the EAST-EEA project (www.east-eea.org) and basic concepts were reused in the AUTOSAR standardization initiative. The original EAST-ADL is currently refined in the ATESST project (www.atesst.org) to EAST-ADL2. This paper presents the results of the language extension provided by the EAST-ADL2 domain model and focuses on its possible extension of the AUTOSAR standard to support decomposition of E/E automotive systems

Metabolic syndrome predicts vascular changes in whole body magnetic resonance imaging in patients with long standing diabetes mellitus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although diabetic patients have an increased rate of cardio-vascular events, there is considerable heterogeneity with respect to cardiovascular risk, requiring new approaches to individual cardiovascular risk factor assessment. In this study we used whole body-MR-angiography (WB-MRA) to assess the degree of atherosclerosis in patients with long-standing diabetes and to determine the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and atherosclerotic burden.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Long standing (≥10 years) type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients (n = 59; 31 males; 63.3 ± 1.7 years) were examined by WB-MRA. Based on the findings in each vessel, we developed an overall score representing the patient's vascular atherosclerotic burden (MRI-score). The score's association with components of the MetS was assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median MRI-score was 1.18 [range: 1.00-2.41] and MetS was present in 58% of the cohort (type 2 diabetics: 73%; type 1 diabetics: 26%). Age (p = 0.0002), HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.016), hypertension (p = 0.0008), nephropathy (p = 0.0093), CHD (p = 0.001) and MetS (p = 0.0011) were significantly associated with the score. Adjusted for age and sex, the score was significantly (p = 0.02) higher in diabetics with MetS (1.450 [1.328-1.572]) compared to those without MetS (1.108 [0.966-1.50]). The number of MetS components was associated with a linear increase in the MRI-score (increase in score: 0.09/MetS component; r²= 0.24, p = 0.038). Finally, using an established risk algorithm, we found a significant association between MRI-score and 10-year risk for CHD, fatal CHD and stroke.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this high-risk diabetic population, WB-MRA revealed large heterogeneity in the degree of systemic atherosclerosis. Presence and number of traits of the MetS are associated with the extent of atherosclerotic burden. These results support the perspective that diabetic patients are a heterogeneous population with increased but varying prevalence of atherosclerosis and risk.</p