Raman Scattering of Inorganic Fibers

We have examined evolution of Raman spectra of carbon fibers and SiC fibers through structural transformations caused by heat treatment. Raman spectra of the SiC fibers indicate that the fibers consist of amorphous or microcrystalline SiC and graphitic microcrystals. We discuss the correlation between the tensile strength of the fibers and their microscopic structure deduced from the Raman data

Lithium and strontium isotopic systematics of waters around Ontake volcano, Japan: Implications for deep-seated fluids and earthquake swarms

Since 1976, earthquake swarms have occurred beneath the southeast flank of Ontake volcano in central Japan. Electrical conductivity surveys have shown that these earthquake swarms are associated with the upwelling of deep-seated fluid. To investigate the nature of the deep-seated fluid, we analyzed 7Li/6Li and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of water samples collected from springs and wells around Ontake volcano in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009. The Li and Sr isotopic compositions of these water samples are largely explained by binary component mixing between near-surface meteoric water and non-surface fluid at each sampling site. On the basis of their Cl/Li and Cl/Sr ratios, we singled out water samples whose Li and Sr isotopic ratios were minimally affected by meteoric water contamination to represent non-surface fluids. The Li and Sr isotopic compositions of most Ontake non-surface fluids, except for samples from the earthquake swarm region, can be explained as the result of volcanic fluids reacting with basement rocks, where they acquired upper crustal signatures. We attribute the fluid associated with the region of earthquake swarms to the lower crust beneath the study area

Three-dimensional anisotropic pressure free boundary equilibria

Free boundary three-dimensional anisotropic pressure magnetohydrodynamic equilibria with nested magnetic flux surfaces are computed through the minimisation of the plasma energy functional $W={\int}_{V}{d^3}x\left[{B^2}/(2\mu_0)+p_{||}/(\Gamma-1)\right]$. The plasma–vacuum interface is varied to guarantee the continuity of the total pressure $\left[{p}_{\perp}+{B^2}/(2\mu_0)\right]$ across it and the vacuum magnetic field must satisfy the Neumann boundary condition that its component normal to this interface surface vanishes. The vacuum magnetic field corresponds to that driven by the plasma current and external coils plus the gradient of a potential function whose solution is obtained using a Green's function method. The energetic particle contributions to the pressure are evaluated analytically from the moments of the variant of a bi-Maxwellian distribution function that satisfies the constraint ${\bf B\cdot\nabla}{\cal F}_h=0$. Applications to demonstrate the versatility and reliability of the numerical method employed have concentrated on high-β off-axis energetic particle deposition with large parallel and perpendicular pressure anisotropies in a 2-field period quasiaxisymmetric stellarator reactor system. For large perpendicular pressure anisotropy, the hot particle component of the pperpendicular distribution localises in the regions where the energetic particles are deposited. For large parallel pressure anisotropy, the pressures are more uniform around the flux surfaces

Eligibility for bevacizumab as an independent prognostic factor for patients with advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab requires some unique eligibility criteria, such as absence of hemoptysis and major blood vessel invasion by the tumor. The prognostic impact of these bevacizumab-specific criteria has not been evaluated. METHODS: Patients with stage IIIB/IV, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer who started chemotherapy before the approval of bevacizumab were reviewed. Patients with impaired organ function, poor performance status or untreated/symptomatic brain metastasis were excluded before the evaluation of bevacizumab eligibility. We compared overall survival and time to treatment failure among patients who were eligible (Group A) or ineligible (Group B) to receive bevacizumab. RESULTS: Among 283 patients with stage IIIB/IV non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, eligibility for bevacizumab was evaluated in 154 patients. Fifty-seven patients were considered ineligible (Group B) based on one or more of a history of hemoptysis (n = 20), major blood vessel invasion (n = 43) and cardiovascular disease (n = 8). The remaining 97 patients were classified into Group A. Overall survival was significantly better in Group A (median, 14.6 months) than in Group B (median, 7.1 months; p<0.0001). Time to treatment failure was also significantly longer in Group A (median, 6.9 months) than in Group B (median, 3.0 months; p<0.0001). Adjusted hazard ratios of bevacizumab eligibility for overall survival and time to treatment failure were 0.48 and 0.38 (95% confidence intervals, 0.33-0.70 and 0.25-0.58), respectively. CONCLUSION: Eligibility for bevacizumab itself represents a powerful prognostic factor for patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. The proportion of patients who underwent first-line chemotherapy without disease progression or unacceptable toxicity can also be biased by bevacizumab eligibility. Selection bias can be large in clinical trials of bevacizumab, so findings from such trials should be interpreted with extreme caution

Postoperative recurrence in locally advanced rectal cancer: how does neoadjuvant treatment affect recurrence pattern?

Abstract Background The treatment strategy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) has recently expanded from total mesorectal excision to additional neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and/or systemic chemotherapy (NAC). Data on disease recurrence after each treatment strategy are limited. Methods Clinical stage II to III rectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery between July 2005 and February 2021 were analyzed. The cumulative incidence and site of first recurrence were assessed. The median follow-up duration was 4.6 years. Results Among the 332 patients, we performed nCRT and NAC in 15.4% (N=51) and 14.8% (N=49), respectively. The overall recurrence rate was 23.5% (N=78). Although several differences in tumor stage or location were observed, there was no significant difference in the rate among the surgery alone (N=54, 23.3%), nCRT (N=11, 21.6%), and NAC (N=13, 26.5%) groups. In this cohort, the local recurrence rate (18.4%) was higher than the rate of distant metastasis in the NAC group (14.3%). All patients with recurrence in the nCRT group had distant metastases (N=11: one patient had distant and local recurrences simultaneously). For pathological stage 0-I, the recurrence rate was higher in the nCRT and NAC groups than in the surgery-alone group (nCRT, 10.0%; NAC, 15.4%; and surgery-alone, 2.0%). Curative-intent resection of distant-only recurrences significantly improved patients’ overall survival (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.34 [0.14–0.84]), which was consistent even when stratified according to neoadjuvant treatment. Regardless of neoadjuvant treatment, >80% of recurrences occurred in the first 2.2 years, and 98.7% within 5 years after surgery. Conclusion Regardless of neoadjuvant treatment, detecting distant metastases with intensive surveillance, particularly in the first 2 years after surgery, is important. Also, even if neoadjuvant treatment can downstage LARC to pathological stage 0-I, careful follow-up is needed