The LISA PathFinder DMU and Radiation Monitor

The LISA PathFinder DMU (Data Management Unit) flight model was formally accepted by ESA and ASD on 11 February 2010, after all hardware and software tests had been successfully completed. The diagnostics items are scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2010. In this paper we review the requirements and performance of this instrumentation, specially focusing on the Radiation Monitor and the DMU, as well as the status of their programmed use during mission operations, on which work is ongoing at the time of writing.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, prepared for the Proceedings of the 8th International LISA Symposium, Classical and Quantum Gravit

Proliferation, bcl-2 expression and angiogenesis in pituitary adenomas: relationship to tumour behaviour

The prediction of pituitary tumour behaviour, in terms of response to treatment from which can be derived optimal management strategies, is a challenge that has been approached using several different means. Angiogenesis in other tumour types has been shown to be correlated with poor response to treatment and tumour recurrence. The aim of this paper is to assess the role of measurements of cell proliferation and angiogenesis in predicting pituitary tumour behaviour. The proliferative capacity of the tumour was assessed using the Ki-67 labelling index (LI) while bcl-2 expression was used to assess anti-apoptotic pathways. The microvessel density (MVD) was assessed using antibodies to CD31 and factor VIII-related antigen, and with biotinylated ulex europaeus agglutinin I. There was no difference between Ki-67 LI and MVD of functionless tumours that recurred and those that did not, but bcl-2 expression was significantly lower in tumours that subsequently regrew. Macroprolactinomas had significantly higher LI than microprolactinomas and than all other tumours. Cell proliferation and angiogenesis were not related, showing that both processes are under different control mechanisms in pituitary tumours. In contrast there was a positive relationship between markers of angiogenesis and bcl-2 expression in prolactinomas, GH-secreting tumours and non-recurrent functionless tumours with higher levels of bcl-2 expression being found in the more vascular tumours. These findings may suggest that angiogenesis is related to the ability of tumour cells to survive rather than their proliferative activity. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Charge Management for Gravitational Wave Observatories using UV LEDs

Accumulation of electrical charge on the end mirrors of gravitational wave observatories, such as the space-based LISA mission and ground-based LIGO detectors, can become a source of noise limiting the sensitivity of such detectors through electronic couplings to nearby surfaces. Torsion balances provide an ideal means for testing gravitational wave technologies due to their high sensitivity to small forces. Our torsion pendulum apparatus consists of a movable Au-coated Cu plate brought near a Au-coated Si plate pendulum suspended from a non-conducting quartz fiber. A UV LED located near the pendulum photoejects electrons from the surface, and a UV LED driven electron gun directs photoelectrons towards the pendulum surface. We have demonstrated both charging and discharging of the pendulum with equivalent charging rates of $\sim$$10^5 e/\mathrm{s}$, as well as spectral measurements of the pendulum charge resulting in a white noise level equivalent to $3\times10^5 e/\sqrt{Hz}$.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to PR

LISA and LISA PathFinder, the endeavour to detect low frequency GWs

This is a review about LISA and its technology demonstrator, LISA PathFinder. We first describe the conceptual problems which need to be overcome in order to set up a working interferometric detector of low frequency Gravitational Waves (GW), then summarise the solutions to them as currently conceived by the LISA mission team. This will show that some of these solutions require new technological abilities which are still under development, and which need proper test before being fully implemented. LISA PathFinder (LPF) is the the testbed for such technologies. The final part of the paper will address the ideas and concepts behind the PathFinder as well as their impact on LISA.Comment: 25 pages, 21 figures, presented at the Spanish Relativity Meeting, Mallorca September 2006. Will be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series, IOP. To be published in Journal of Physics: Conference Series, IO

A consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly complications

In March 2011, the Acromegaly Consensus Group met to revise and update the guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly complications. The meeting was sponsored by the Pituitary Society and the European Neuroendocrinology Association and included experts skilled in the management of acromegaly. Complications considered included cardiovascular, endocrine and metabolic, sleep apnea, bone diseases, and mortality. Outcomes in selected, related clinical conditions were also considered, and included pregnancy, familial acromegaly and invasive macroadenomas. The need for a new disease staging model was considered, and design of such a tool was proposed

Slip behavior in liquid films on surfaces of patterned wettability: Comparison between continuum and molecular dynamics simulations

We investigate the behavior of the slip length in Newtonian liquids subject to planar shear bounded by substrates with mixed boundary conditions. The upper wall, consisting of a homogenous surface of finite or vanishing slip, moves at a constant speed parallel to a lower stationary wall, whose surface is patterned with an array of stripes representing alternating regions of no-shear and finite or no-slip. Velocity fields and effective slip lengths are computed both from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and solution of the Stokes equation for flow configurations either parallel or perpendicular to the stripes. Excellent agreement between the hydrodynamic and MD results is obtained when the normalized width of the slip regions, $a/\sigma \gtrsim {\cal O}(10)$, where $\sigma$ is the (fluid) molecular diameter characterizing the Lennard-Jones interaction. In this regime, the effective slip length increases monotonically with $a/\sigma$ to a saturation value. For $a/\sigma \lesssim {\cal O}(10)$ and transverse flow configurations, the non-uniform interaction potential at the lower wall constitutes a rough surface whose molecular scale corrugations strongly reduce the effective slip length below the hydrodynamic results. The translational symmetry for longitudinal flow eliminates the influence of molecular scale roughness; however, the reduced molecular ordering above the wetting regions of finite slip for small values of $a/\sigma$ increases the value of the effective slip length far above the hydrodynamic predictions. The strong inverse correlation between the effective slip length and the liquid structure factor representative of the first fluid layer near the patterned wall illustrates the influence of molecular ordering effects on slip in non-inertial flows.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures Web reference added for animations: http://www.egr.msu.edu/~priezjev/bubble/bubble.htm

Galactic cosmic-ray energy spectra and expected solar events at the time of future space missions

none8sìAccepted for publicationopenGrimani, Catia; Araujo, H. M.; Fabi, M.; Lobo, A.; Mateos, I.; Shaul, D. N. A.; Sumner, T. J.; Wass, P.Grimani, Catia; Araujo, H. M.; Fabi, M.; Lobo, A.; Mateos, I.; Shaul, D. N. A.; Sumner, T. J.; Wass, P

Home administration of lanreotide Autogel® by patients with acromegaly, or their partners, is safe and effective

Summary. Objective The introduction of ready-to-use lanreotide Autogel® has presented the possibility of patients receiving their acromegaly treatment at home. The objective of this study was to assess the ability of patients (or their partners) to administer repeat, unsupervised, injections of lanreotide Autogel without compromising efficacy or safety. Design Multicentre (10 UK regional endocrine centres), open-label, nonrandomised, controlled study. Patients elected either to receive/administer unsupervised home injections after injection technique training (Test group) or continued to receive injections from a healthcare professional (Control group). Patients received monthly injections of lanreotide Autogel® at their established dose. Effects were monitored for up to 40 weeks. Patients Thirty patients (15 per treatment group) with acromegaly treated with a stable dose of lanreotide Autogel® (60, 90 or 120 mg) for ≥ 4 months before screening. Measurements The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients/partners who successfully administered injections throughout the study. Results All Test group patients/partners qualified to administer injections. Fourteen of 15 patients fulfilled all criteria for successful administration of unsupervised injections (95% confidence interval, 70%–99%). Fourteen of 15 Test and 14/15 Control patients maintained growth hormone and IGF-1 control. Local injection tolerability was good for both treatment groups, and safety profiles were similar. All Test group patients continued with unsupervised injections after the study. Conclusions Patients with acromegaly or their partners were able to administer lanreotide Autogel® injections with no detrimental effect on efficacy and safety; therefore, unsupervised home injections are a viable alternative to healthcare professional injections for suitably motivated patients

Proteomic analysis of Plasmodium in the mosquito: progress and pitfalls

Here we discuss proteomic analyses of whole cell preparations of the mosquito stages of malaria parasite development (i.e. gametocytes, microgamete, ookinete, oocyst and sporozoite) of Plasmodium berghei. We also include critiques of the proteomes of two cell fractions from the purified ookinete, namely the micronemes and cell surface. Whereas we summarise key biological interpretations of the data, we also try to identify key methodological constraints we have met, only some of which we were able to resolve. Recognising the need to translate the potential of current genome sequencing into functional understanding, we report our efforts to develop more powerful combinations of methods for the in silico prediction of protein function and location. We have applied this analysis to the proteome of the male gamete, a cell whose very simple structural organisation facilitated interpretation of data. Some of the in silico predictions made have now been supported by ongoing protein tagging and genetic knockout studies. We hope this discussion may assist future studie

The diagnostics subsystem on board LISA PathFinder and LISA

The Data and Diagnostics Subsystem of the LTP hardware and software are at present essentially ready for delivery. In this presentation we intend to describe the scientific and technical aspects of this subsystem, which includes thermal diagnostics, magnetic diagnostics and a Radiation Monitor, as well as the prospects for their integration within the rest of the LTP. We also sketch a few lines of progress recently opened up towards the more demanding diagnostics requirements which will be needed for LISA.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, pdflatex, prepared for the Proceedings of the 7th International LISA Symposium (Barcelona, Spain, 16-20 June-2008), submitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit