147 research outputs found
Deconfinement transition in the revolving bag model
Based on the bag model, we revisit the deconfinement phase transition under
rotation. On top of the usual rotational energy for noninteracting particles,
we perturbatively analyze the revolution effect of the hadron bag, i.e., of the
potential confining quarks. The revolution effect can be phenomenologically
translated into the rotational correction to the QCD vacuum energy or the gluon
condensate. We demonstrate that if the revolution effect is (is not) taken into
account, the transition temperature increases (decreases) as the angular
velocity increased. The `revolving bag model' provides a feasible explanation
of the recent lattice simulations, contrary to effective models, showing that
rotation favors the confined phase.Comment: 6 page
Individual differences in L2 listening proficiency revisited: Roles of form, meaning, and use aspects of phonological vocabulary knowledge
The present study revisits the differential roles of form, meaning, and use aspects of phonological vocabulary knowledge in L2 listening proficiency. A total of 126 Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language listeners completed the TOEIC Listening test, working memory and auditory processing tests, the Metacognitive Awareness Listening Questionnaire, and several tasks designed to tap into three broad aspects of phonological vocabulary knowledge: (1) the ability to access phonological forms without any orthographic cues (phonologization), (2) the ability to recognize words regardless of the talker (generalization), and (3) the ability to determine the semantic and collocational appropriateness of words in global contexts in a fast and stable manner (automatization). Whereas the perceptual, cognitive, and metacognitive variables made relatively small contributions to L2 listening proficiency (0.4%–21.3%), the vocabulary factors explained a large amount of the variance (77.6%) in the full regression model (R2 = .507). These large lexical effects uniquely derived from the three different aspects of phonological vocabulary knowledge—automatization (55.3%), phonologization (20.8%), and generalization (1.5%). The findings suggest that successful L2 listening skill acquisition draws on not only various levels of phonological form-meaning mapping (phonologization, generalization) but also the spontaneous and robust retrieval of such vocabulary knowledge in relation to surrounding words (automatization)
Perioperative QOL in lung cancer patients
Objective : Patients with lung cancer generally undergo minimally invasive surgery, such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). This study examined the changes in health conditions and symptoms of patients with lung cancer using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ) C-30 questionnaires after surgery. Methods : This was a longitudinal descriptive study. One hundred and three patients with lung cancer who underwent lung resection at Tokushima University Hospital between 2012 and 2021 were eligible. They completed EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-LC13, the Cancer Dyspnea scale (CDS), and pulmonary-ADL (P-ADL) before and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Results : Regarding functional scale scores, impairments in physical and role functions persisted for 6 months after surgery. In symptom scale scores, fatigue, pain, dyspnea, and appetite loss continued for 6 months after surgery. In CDS, sense of effort, discomfort, and total dyspnea scale scores were elevated for 6 months after surgery. In P-ADL, most ADL were impaired 1 month after surgery, but recovered by 3 months. The dyspnea index of ADL was lower for 6 months after surgery. Conclusions : Impairments in health conditions and symptoms persisted for 6 months after surgery despite its minimally invasive nature
Long-term outcomes of SN idenitification
Background: Sentinel node (SN) biopsy is used in the management of numerous cancers to avoid unnecessary lymphadenectomy. This was a clinical exploration/feasibility study of a novel identification technique for SN biopsy using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging during lung cancer surgery.
Methods: SN biopsy using ICG was performed on 22 patients who had cT1 or T2N0M0 lung cancer. ICG was injected just around the primary tumor. The fluorescence imaging system enabled visualization of the lymphatic vessels draining from the primary tumor toward the lymph nodes. Fluorescently labeled nodes were dissected, and patients were followed-up for prognosis and recurrence to confirm the pattern of lymph node metastasis after surgery.
Results: SNs were successfully identified in 16 (72.7%) of 22 patients. A total of 13 of 16 patients had pathological N0 and three had SN metastasis. The median follow-up time was 92.7 months. Only one patient had no SN metastasis at the postoperative pathological examination and lymph node metastasis during the follow-up period. The accuracy rate was 93.8% (15/16) and the false-negative rate was 7.7% (1/13).
Conclusions: SNs were identified by ICG fluorescence imaging, and this technique during lung cancer surgery had good identification and accuracy rates throughout the follow-up period
Shoulder pain in patients following lung resection
Aim and objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency, influencing factors, and clinical course of shoulder pain in patients following lung resection.
Background: Thoracoscopes have been introduced in the surgical treatment of lung cancer, and allow for less invasive surgery with a minimal incision. However, decubitus position-related shoulder pain on the operated side has not yet been investigated.
Design: A longitudinal descriptive study.
Methods: Patients who underwent lung resection in the decubitus position. Patients were interviewed 2 days before surgery and once daily for 5 days after surgery. Interview items included background data, the concomitant use of epidural anesthesia, operative duration, presence of preoperative shoulder stiffness (excluding shoulder pain), type of surgery, and site of operation. The intensity of pain was approximately 5 on an 11-point numerical rating scale. Descriptive statistics on patient backgrounds were obtained using SPSS Statistics 22 for Windows.
Results: Of the 74 patients who underwent lung resection in a decubitus position, 30(40.5%) developed shoulder pain on the operated side. The highest rating occurred 1 day after surgery and decreased over time. The following two factors were found to influence shoulder pain on the operated side: operative duration(Z=-2·63;p=0·01), and presence of preoperative shoulder stiffness(excluding shoulder pain)(χ2=4·16;p=0·04).
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that approximately 40% of patients who underwent lung resection in the decubitus position developed shoulder pain.
Relevance to clinical practice: The presence of postoperative shoulder pain was related to both the duration of the operation and to the presence of preoperative shoulder stiffness. Although the shoulder pain resolves within 4 days, it causes the patient additional discomfort and distress. Therefore, further research is needed on positioning for thoracotomy in order to investigate ways to reduce or eliminate this complication of lung surgery
Psychological Adjustment in Lung Cancer Patients
The purpose of study was to clarify the psychological adjustment and related factors in lung cancer patients with recurrence/metastasis after curative surgery. Forty-one with lung cancer who were informed of a recurrence/metastasis after curative surgery completed a questionnaire comprised of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (MAC), Psychological Adjustment scale for Cancer Survivors (PACS), and information pertaining to demographic variables. When healthcare providers intervene in patients with lung cancer that has recurred/metastasized after curative surgery, it is necessary to assess patients’ psychological adjustment based on demographic information, such as age, sex, marital status, and employment status, and to provide effective support promptly. Factors associated with psychological adjustment with recurrent/metastatic lung cancer after curative surgery were 1) female, 2) having a job, 3) over 65 years of age, 4) having a spouse, and 5) advanced-stage cancer. There was no difference in psychological adjustment between treatment and the period from cancer incidence to recurrence/metastatic
TGF-β type II receptor expression in thymic epithelial cells inhibits the development of Hassall's corpuscles in mice
TGF-βRII signaling prevents the development of Hassall's corpuscle
Suzaku observations of the Hydra A cluster out to the virial radius
We report Suzaku observations of the northern half of the Hydra A cluster out
to ~1.4 Mpc, reaching the virial radius. This is the first Suzaku observations
of a medium-size (kT ~3 keV) cluster out to the virial radius. Two observations
were conducted, north-west and north-east offsets, which continue in a filament
direction and a void direction of the large-scale structure of the Universe,
respectively. The X-ray emission and distribution of galaxies elongate in the
filament direction. The temperature profiles in the two directions are mostly
consistent with each other within the error bars and drop to 1.5 keV at 1.5
r_500. As observed by Suzaku in hot clusters, the entropy profile becomes
flatter beyond r_500, in disagreement with the r^1.1 relationship that is
expected from accretion shock heating models. When scaled with the average
intracluster medium (ICM) temperature, the entropy profiles of clusters
observed with Suzaku are universal and do not depend on system mass. The
hydrostatic mass values in the void and filament directions are in good
agreement, and the Navarro, Frenk, and White universal mass profile represents
the hydrostatic mass distribution up to ~ 2 r_500. Beyond r_500, the ratio of
gas mass to hydrostatic mass exceeds the result of the Wilkinson microwave
anisotropy probe, and at r_100, these ratios in the filament and void
directions reach 0.4 and 0.3, respectively. We discuss possible deviations from
hydrostatic equilibrium at cluster outskirts. We derived radial profiles of the
gasmass- to-light ratio and iron-mass-to-light ratio out to the virial radius.
Within r_500, the iron-mass-to-light ratio of the Hydra A cluster was compared
with those in other clusters observed with Suzaku.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures; Accepted for publication in PAS
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