Fiber R and D for the CMS HCAL

This paper documents the fiber R and D for the CMS hadron barrel calorimeter (HCAL). The R and D includes measurements of fiber flexibility, splicing, mirror reflectivity, relative light yield, attenuation length, radiation effects, absolute light yield, and transverse tile uniformity. Schematics of the hardware for each measurement are shown. These studies are done for different diameters and kinds of multiclad fiber.Comment: 23 pages, 30 Figures 89 pages, 41 figures, corresponding author: H. Budd, [email protected]

Demonstration of fine pitch FCOB (Flip Chip on Board) assembly based on solder bumps at Fermilab

Bump bonding is a superior assembly alternative compared to conventional wire bond techniques. It offers a highly reliable connection with greatly reduced parasitic properties. The Flip Chip on Board (FCOB) procedure is an especially attractive packaging method for applications requiring a large number of connections at moderate pitch. This paper reports on the successful demonstration of FCOB assembly based on solder bumps down to 250um pitch using a SUESS MA8 flip chip bonder at Fermilab. The assembly procedure will be described, microscopic cross sections of the connections are shown, and first measurements on the contact resistance are presented.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figure

Čitanke o zdravlju

O čitankama o zdravlju Zdravlje i bolest

Čitanke o zdravlju

O čitankama o zdravlju Zdravlje i bolest

Multiscale Adaptive Marginal Analysis of Longitudinal Neuroimaging Data with Time-Varying Covariates

Neuroimaging data collected at repeated occasions are gaining increasing attention in the neuroimaging community due to their potential in answering questions regarding brain development, aging, and neurodegeneration. These datasets are large and complicated, characterized by the intricate spatial dependence structure of each response image, multiple response images per subject, and covariates that may vary with time. We propose a multiscale adaptive generalized method of moments (MA-GMM) approach to estimate marginal regression models for imaging datasets that contain time-varying, spatially-related responses and some time-varying covariates. Our method categorizes covariates into types to determine the valid moment conditions to combine during estimation. Further, instead of assuming independence of voxels (the components that make up each subject’s response image at each time point) as many current neuroimaging analysis techniques do, this method “adaptively smoothes” neuroimaging response data, computing parameter estimates by iteratively building spheres around each voxel and combining observations within the spheres with weights. MA-GMM’s development adds to the few available modeling approaches intended for longitudinal imaging data analysis. Simulation studies and an analysis of a real longitudinal imaging dataset from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative are used to assess the performance of MA-GMM

Risk of Ocular Complications in Patients with Noninfectious Intermediate Uveitis, Posterior Uveitis, or Panuveitis

PurposeNoninfectious uveitis results in vision loss and ocular complications without adequate treatment. We compared the risk of developing ocular complications between patients with noninfectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis (NIIPPU) and matched controls.DesignRetrospective analysis of insurance claims data (OptumHealth, Eden Prairie, MN; January 1, 1998–March 31, 2012).ParticipantsCases 18 to 64 years of age with 2 or more NIIPPU diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes) were matched 1:1 by sex, age, region, company, employment status, and index date with controls without uveitis. Patients with an ocular complication during baseline were excluded.MethodsContinuous eligibility for 6 months or more before the first NIIPPU diagnosis date was required. Risks of ocular complications developing during patients' continuous eligibility in the study period were compared using unadjusted Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to estimate risk of and time to complications and adjusted Cox regression analysis to estimate hazard ratios (HRs).Main Outcome MeasuresPercentages of cases and controls who demonstrate ocular complications and 1-, 5-, and 10-year risks and HRs for each complication.ResultsMean age of the 1769 cases and matched controls was 47 years and 47% were men; 302 cases had persistent NIIPPU. During the study period, NIIPPU cases had a higher risk of any ocular complication (P < 0.001); the 5-year risk of any ocular complication was 66% for patients versus 24% for controls. Specifically, NIIPPU patients had greater 5-year risks of glaucoma (20% vs. 9%), cataract (35% vs. 13%), visual disturbance (29% vs. 9%), blindness or low vision (5% vs. 0.5%), retinal detachment (11% vs. 0.8%), and retinal disorder (28% vs. 2%) compared with controls. Hazard ratios indicated greater risks of ocular complications in cases versus controls during the overall observation period (HR, 5.2 for any ocular complication; HR, 4.8 for visual disturbance; HR, 3.2 for cataract; and HR, 2.7 for glaucoma; all P < 0.001). Hazard ratios for persistent cases indicated even greater risks.ConclusionsNoninfectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis, particularly persistent disease, is associated with a substantial risk of ocular complications. Optimal treatment initiatives remain imperative to reduce the ocular complication–related burden of NIIPPU

Exercise-induced motor improvement after complete spinal cord transection and its relation to expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and presynaptic markers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>It has been postulated that exercise-induced activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may account for improvement of stepping ability in animals after complete spinal cord transection. As we have shown previously, treadmill locomotor exercise leads to up-regulation of BDNF protein and mRNA in the entire neuronal network of intact spinal cord. The questions arise: (i) how the treadmill locomotor training, supplemented with tail stimulation, affects the expression of molecular correlates of synaptic plasticity in spinal rats, and (ii) if a response is related to BDNF protein level and distribution.</p> <p>We investigated the effect of training in rats spinalized at low thoracic segments on the level and distribution of BDNF immunoreactivity (IR) in ventral quadrants of the lumbar segments, in conjunction with markers of presynaptic terminals, synaptophysin and synaptic zinc.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Training improved hindlimb stepping in spinal animals evaluated with modified Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scale. Grades of spinal trained animals ranged between 5 and 11, whereas those of spinal were between 2 and 4. Functional improvement was associated with changes in presynaptic markers and BDNF distribution. Six weeks after transection, synaptophysin IR was reduced by 18% around the large neurons of lamina IX and training elevated its expression by over 30%. The level of synaptic zinc staining in the ventral horn was unaltered, whereas in ventral funiculi it was decreased by 26% postlesion and tended to normalize after the training. Overall BDNF IR levels in the ventral horn, which were higher by 22% postlesion, were unchanged after the training. However, training modified distribution of BDNF in the processes with its predominance in the longer and thicker ones. It also caused selective up-regulation of BDNF in two classes of cells (soma ranging between 100-400 μm²and over 1000 μm²) of the ventrolateral and laterodorsal motor nuclei.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results show that it is not BDNF deficit that determines lack of functional improvement in spinal animals. They indicate selectivity of up-regulation of BDNF in distinct subpopulations of cells in the motor nuclei which leads to changes of innervation targeting motoneurons, tuned up by locomotor activity as indicated by a region-specific increase of presynaptic markers.</p