Epitaxial growth of FeSe0.5_{0.5}Te0.5_{0.5} thin films on CaF2_2 substrates with high critical current density

In-situ epitaxial growth of FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ thin films is demonstrated on a non-oxide substrate CaF$_2$. Structural analysis reveals that compressive stress is moderately added to 36-nm thick FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$, which pushes up the critical temperature above 15 K, showing higher values than that of bulk crystals. Critical current density at $T$ = 4.5 K reaches 5.9 x 10$^4$ Acm$^{-2}$ at $\mu_0H$ = 10 T, and 4.2 x 10$^4$ Acm$^{-2}$ at $\mu_0H$ = 14 T. These results indicate that fluoride substrates have high potential for the growth of iron-based superconductors in comparison with popular oxide substrates.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Applied Physics Express 4, 053101 (2011

Thin Film Growth and Device Fabrication of Iron-Based Superconductors

Iron-based superconductors have received much attention as a new family of high-temperature superconductors owing to their unique properties and distinct differences from cuprates and conventional superconductors. This paper reviews progress in thin film research on iron-based superconductors since their discovery for each of five material systems with an emphasis on growth, physical properties, device fabrication, and relevant bulk material properties.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Adenomyoma of the Ileum Leading to Intussusception

Adenomyoma of the ileum is a rare condition. A 68-year-old Japanese man presented with nausea and distension of the abdomen. Enhanced computed tomography of his abdomen revealed wall thickening in the ileum and dilation of the proximal small intestine. Open laparotomy was performed to find the cause of the patient's small bowel obstruction, and a tumor was found in the ileum, which had resulted in intussusception. The tumor and 20 cm of the adjacent ileum were resected. The resected specimen displayed a macroscopic appearance suggestive of a submucosal tumor. Histopathological evaluation showed duct cell proliferation and bundles of smooth muscle cells from the mucosa to the serosa, leading to a diagnosis of adenomyoma. Immunohistochemical examination found that cytokeratin 7 and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 were expressed in the duct epithelia. We report a rare case of ileal adenomyoma leading to intussusception in an adult and present the immunohistochemical evaluation of the adenomyoma

To respond or not to respond - a personal perspective of intestinal tolerance

For many years, the intestine was one of the poor relations of the immunology world, being a realm inhabited mostly by specialists and those interested in unusual phenomena. However, this has changed dramatically in recent years with the realization of how important the microbiota is in shaping immune function throughout the body, and almost every major immunology institution now includes the intestine as an area of interest. One of the most important aspects of the intestinal immune system is how it discriminates carefully between harmless and harmful antigens, in particular, its ability to generate active tolerance to materials such as commensal bacteria and food proteins. This phenomenon has been recognized for more than 100 years, and it is essential for preventing inflammatory disease in the intestine, but its basis remains enigmatic. Here, I discuss the progress that has been made in understanding oral tolerance during my 40 years in the field and highlight the topics that will be the focus of future research

The effect of body mass index and fasting glucose on the relationship between blood pressure and incident diabetes mellitus: a 5-year follow-up study

There is no consensus on the relationship between high blood pressure (BP) and incident diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the independent association between BP and incident DM and identify the metabolic components that influence incident DM in Korean subjects. The current study included 14 054 non-diabetic subjects (mean age of 41 years) at the start of the study who were followed for an average of 5 years. We measured the risk for incident DM according to the subjects' baseline BP. Subjects were separated into three groups as follows: normotensive (<120/80 mm Hg), pre-hypertensive (120/80 mm Hg ⩽BP <140/90 mm Hg) and hypertensive (⩾140/90 mm Hg). The overall incidence of DM was 1.8% (246 subjects), comprising 0.9% of the normotensive group, 1.9% of the pre-hypertensive group and 4.0% of the hypertensive group (P<0.01). Within the hypertensive group, subjects with high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting-glucose levels were 40 times more likely to develop DM compared with those with low BMI and low glucose levels (0.3 vs. 13.2%, P=0.001). The risk for incident DM was significantly higher in the hypertensive group compared with that in the normotensive group (OR 3.41 vs. 1.00, P<0.0001). However, the significance disappeared after making adjustments for the baseline BMI and fasting glucose levels (OR 1.18 vs. 1.00, P=0.83). We found that the significance of high BP in predicting incident DM was influenced by the baseline BMI and fasting glucose levels of the subjects

Metastasis to the breast from an adenocarcinoma of the lung with extensive micropapillary component: a case report and review of the literature

Breast metastasis from extra-mammary malignancy is rare. Based on the literature an incidence of 0.4-1.3% is reported. The primary malignancies most commonly metastasizing to the breast are leukemia-lymphoma, and malignant melanoma. We present a case of metastasis to the breast from a pulmonary adenocarcinoma, with extensive micropapillary component, diagnosed concomitantly with the primary tumor. A 73-year-old female presented with dyspnea and dry cough of 4 weeks duration and a massive pleural effusion was found on a chest radiograph. Additionally, on physical examination a poorly defined mass was noted in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast. The patient underwent bronchoscopy, excisional breast biopsy and medical thoracoscopy. By cytology, histology and immunohistochemistry primary lung adenocarcinoma with metastasis to the breast and parietal pleura was diagnosed. Both the primary and metastatic anatomic sites demonstrated histologically extensive micropapillary component, which is recently recognized as an important prognostic factor. The patient received chemotherapy but passed away within 7 months. Accurate differentiation of metastatic from primary carcinoma is of crucial importance because the treatment and prognosis differ significantly

Measurement of the inclusive and dijet cross-sections of b-jets in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The inclusive and dijet production cross-sections have been measured for jets containing b-hadrons (b-jets) in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements use data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb^-1. The b-jets are identified using either a lifetime-based method, where secondary decay vertices of b-hadrons in jets are reconstructed using information from the tracking detectors, or a muon-based method where the presence of a muon is used to identify semileptonic decays of b-hadrons inside jets. The inclusive b-jet cross-section is measured as a function of transverse momentum in the range 20 < pT < 400 GeV and rapidity in the range |y| < 2.1. The bbbar-dijet cross-section is measured as a function of the dijet invariant mass in the range 110 < m_jj < 760 GeV, the azimuthal angle difference between the two jets and the angular variable chi in two dijet mass regions. The results are compared with next-to-leading-order QCD predictions. Good agreement is observed between the measured cross-sections and the predictions obtained using POWHEG + Pythia. MC@NLO + Herwig shows good agreement with the measured bbbar-dijet cross-section. However, it does not reproduce the measured inclusive cross-section well, particularly for central b-jets with large transverse momenta.Comment: 10 pages plus author list (21 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version published in European Physical Journal

Stereotactic body radiation therapy with or without transarterial chemoembolization for patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma: preliminary analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objectives of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for small non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and SBRT combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for advanced HCC with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty one patients with HCC who were treated with SBRT were used for the study. We studied 32 HCC lesions, where 23 lesions (22 patients) were treated targeting small non-resectable primary HCC, and 9 lesions (9 patients) targeting PVTT using the Cyberknife. All the 9 patients targeting PVTT received TACE for the advanced HCC. Tumor volume was 3.6–57.3 cc (median, 25.2 cc) and SBRT dose was 30–39 Gy (median, 36 Gy) in 3 fractions for consecutive days for 70–85% of the planned target volume.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The median follow up was 10.5 months. The overall response rate was 71.9% [small HCC: 82.6% (19/23), advanced HCC with PVTT: 44.4% (4/9)], with the complete and partial response rates of 31.3% [small HCC: 26.1% (6/23), advanced HCC with PVTT: 11.1% (1/9)], and 50.0% [small HCC: 56.5% (13/23), advanced HCC with PVTT: 33.3% (3/9)], respectively. The median survival period of small HCC and advanced HCC with PVTT patients was 12 months and 8 months, respectively. No patient experienced Grade 4 toxicity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SBRT for small HCC and SBRT combined with TACE for advanced HCC with PVTT showed feasible treatment modalities with minimal side effects in selected patients with primary HCC.</p

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV

The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pT≥20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}η{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60≤pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2≤{pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration