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Magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) are cryogenic, energy-dispersive single-particle detectors providing excellent energy resolution, intrinsically fast signal rise time, quantum efficiency close to 100\%, large dynamic range as well as almost ideal linear response. One of the remaining challenges to be overcome to ultimately allow for the utilization of large-scale MMC based detector arrays with thousands to millions of individual pixels is the realization of a SQUID based multiplexing technique particularly tailored for MMC readout. Within this context, we report on the first truly multiplexed readout of an MMC based detector array using a frequency-division multiplexing approach realized by a custom microwave SQUID multiplexer based readout system., Comment: Conference: ASC2022 (accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity)

This practice parameter (PP) for Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) DOTATATE peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) aims to guide authorized users in selection of appropriate adult candidates with gastroeneropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) from foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The essential selection criteria include somatostatin receptor-positive GEP-NETs, which are usually inoperable and progressed despite standard therapy. Lu-177 DOTATATE is a radiopharmaceutical with high avidity for somatostatin receptors that are overexpressed by these tumors. This document ensures safe handling of Lu-177 DOTATATE by the authorized users and safe management of affected patients.The document was developed according to the systematic process developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and described on the ACR Web site (https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Practice-Parameters-and-Technical-Standards). The PP development was led by 2 ACR Committees on Practice Parameters (Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and Radiation Oncology) collaboratively with the American College of Nuclear Medicine, American Society of Radiation Oncology, and Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.The Lu-177 DOTATATE PP reviewed pharmacology, indications, adverse effects, personnel qualifications, and required clinical evaluation before starting the treatment, as well as the recommended posttherapy monitoring, quality assurance, documentation, and appropriate radiation safety instructions provided in written form and explained to the patients.Lu-177 DOTATATE is available for therapy of inoperable and/or advanced GEP-NETs when conventional therapy had failed. It can reduce tumor size, improve symptoms, and increase the progression free survival. The PP document provides clinical guidance for authorized users to assure an appropriate, consistent, and safe practice of Lu-177 DOTATATE.

Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn, possesses an internal water ocean and jets expelling ocean material into space. Cassini investigations indicated that the subsurface ocean could be a habitable environment having a complex interaction with the rocky core. Further investigation of the composition of the plume formed by the jets is necessary to fully understand the ocean, its potential habitability, and what it tells us about Enceladus' origin. Moonraker has been proposed as an ESA M-class mission designed to orbit Saturn and perform multiple flybys of Enceladus, focusing on traversals of the plume. The proposed Moonraker mission consists of an ESA-provided platform, with strong heritage from JUICE and Mars Sample Return, and carrying a suite of instruments dedicated to plume and surface analysis. The nominal Moonraker mission has a duration of 13.5 years. It includes a 23-flyby segment with 189 days allocated for the science phase, and can be expanded with additional segments if resources allow. The mission concept consists in investigating: i) the habitability conditions of present-day Enceladus and its internal ocean, ii) the mechanisms at play for the communication between the internal ocean and the surface of the South Polar Terrain, and iii) the formation conditions of the moon. Moonraker, thanks to state-of-the-art instruments representing a significant improvement over Cassini's payload, would quantify the abundance of key species in the plume, isotopic ratios, and physical parameters of the plume and the surface. Such a mission would pave the way for a possible future landed mission., Accepted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal

So far, performance prediction and optimization of microwave SQUID multiplexers has largely been based on simple approximate analytical models and experimental results. This is caused by the complexity of the underlying physics and the intricacy of operation and readout parameters. As a simplified description can never account for all potential effects occurring in a real device, we have developed a software framework to simulate the characteristics and performance of a microwave SQUID multiplexer. Our simulation framework is a powerful tool to guide understanding and optimization of microwave SQUID multiplexers and other related devices. It includes common readout schemes such as open-loop or flux ramp modulated readout as well as the nonlinear behavior of Josephson tunnel junctions. Moreover, it accounts for the non-zero response time of superconducting microwave resonators with high loaded quality factors as well as the most significant noise contributions such as amplifier noise, resonator noise as well as SQUID noise. This ultimately leads to a prediction of device performance that is significantly better as compared simple analytical methods. Using the simulation framework, we discuss first steps towards a full microwave SQUID multiplexer optimization and highlight some other applications which our simulation framework can be used for., This article has been submitted to the Journal of Applied Physics

Due to the periodic characteristics of SQUIDs, a suitable linearization technique is required for SQUID-based readout. Flux-ramp modulation is a common linearization technique and is typically applied for the readout of a microwave-SQUID-multiplexer as well as since recently also for dc-SQUIDs. Flux-ramp modulation requires another stage in the signal processing chain to demodulate the SQUID output signal before further processing. For cryogenic microcalorimenters, these events are given by fast exponentially rising and slowly exponentially decaying pulses which shall be detected by a trigger engine and recorded by a storage logic. Since the data rate can be decreased significantly by demodulation and event detection, it is desirable to do both steps on the deployed fast FPGA logic during measurement before passing the data to a general-purpose processor. In this contribution, we show the implementation of efficient multi-channel flux-ramp demodulation computed at run-time on a SoC-FPGA. Furthermore, a concept and implementation for an online trigger and buffer mechanism with its theoretical trigger loss rates depending on buffer size is presented. Both FPGA modules can be operated with up to 500 MHz clock frequency and can efficiently process 32 channels. Correct functionality and data reduction capability of the modules are demonstrated in measurements utilizing magnetic microcalorimeter irradiated with an Iron-55 source for event generation and read out by a microwave SQUID multiplexer., LTD19 - Proceeding

We report on the development of an analytical model describing the readout power and SQUID hysteresis parameter dependence of the resonator characteristics used for frequency encoding in microwave SQUID multiplexers. Within the context of this model, we derived the different dependencies by analyzing the Fourier components of the non-linear response of the non-hysteretic rf-SQUID. We show that our model contains the existing model as a limiting case, leading to identical analytical expressions for small readout powers. Considering the approximations we made, our model is valid for rf-SQUID hysteresis parameters $\beta_{\mathrm{L}} < 0.6$ which fully covers the parameter range of existing multiplexer devices. We conclude our work with an experimental verification of the model. In particular, we demonstrate a very good agreement between measured multiplexer characteristics and predictions based on our model., Comment: This article has been submitted to Superconductor Science and Technology

The ECHo experiment has been designed for the determination of the effective electron neutrino mass by means of the analysis of the end-point region of the Ho-163 electron capture spectrum. Metallic magnetic calorimeters enclosing Ho-163 are used for the high energy resolution calorimetric measurement of the Ho-163 spectrum. For the first phase of the experiment, ECHo-1k, a 72-pixel MMC array has been developed. The single-pixel design has been optimised to reach 100% stopping power for the radiation emitted in the Ho-163 electron capture process (besides the electron neutrino) and an energy resolution < 10 eV FWHM. We describe the design of the ECHo-1k detector chip, the fabrication steps and the characterisation at room temperature, at 4 K and at the final operation temperatures. In particular, a detailed analysis of the results from these tests allowed to define a quality check protocol based on parameters measurable at room temperature. We discuss the performance achieved with the two ECHo-1k detector chips - the first one with Ho-163 implanted in gold and the second one with Ho-163 implanted in silver - which have been used for the high statistics measurement of the ECHo-1k experiment. An average activity per pixel of 0.81 Bq and 0.71 Bq and an average energy resolution of 6.07 eV FWHM and 5.55 eV FWHM have been achieved with these two detectors, fulfilling the requirements for the first phase of the ECHo experiment.

Background and purpose A major challenge for stroke rehabilitation and recovery research is the recruitment and retention of participants. Our prior challenges and successes have influenced our team to rethink our approach and the potential for large-scale stroke recruitment. Summary of key points In this special interest article, we highlight how the adoption and implementation of recruitment strategies such as physician engagement and a streamlined "customer service" approach helped us improve our enrollment and maximize efficiency. Another positive outcome of enrollment was increased representation of those who identify as underrepresented minority or live in rural areas. Recommendations for clinical practice Rethinking our recruitment processes and infrastructure allowed for greater interprofessional interactions, minimal burden for our stroke physician team members, and maximized enrollment into our stroke studies.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A324).

Despite its necessity for understanding healthy brain aging, the influence of exercise intensity on cerebrovascular kinetics is currently unknown. We, therefore characterized middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCAv) kinetics associated with two exercise intensities: low and moderate. We hypothesized that increasing exercise intensity would increase the MCAv amplitude response (Amp) and that age and estimated fitness (V̇O2max) would be related to Amp. Baseline (BL) values were collected for 90-seconds followed by a 6-minute exercise bout. Heart rate, end-tidal CO(2), mean arterial pressure and MCAv were recorded throughout. MCAv kinetics were described by Amp, time delay (TD) and time constant (τ). Sixty-four adults completed the study. Amp was greater during moderate compared to low exercise intensity (p

Recent numerical studies indicate that the low Earth orbit (LEO) debris environment has reached a point such that even if no further space launches were conducted, the Earth satellite population would remain relatively constant for only the next 50 years or so. Beyond that, the debris population would begin to increase noticeably, due to the production of collisional debris (Liou and Johnson, 2008). Measures to be enforced play thus a major role to preserve an acceptable space mission risk and ensure sustainable space activities. The identification of such measures and the quantification of their efficiency over time for LEO missions is of prime concern in the decision-making process, as it has been investigated for the last few decades by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). This paper addresses the final results of a generic methodology and the characteristics of a tool developed to assess the efficiency of the risk reduction measures identified for the Sentinel-1 (Si) mission. This work is performed as part of the 34-month P-2-ROTECT project (Prediction, Protection & Reduction of OrbiTal Exposure to Collision Threats), funded by the European Union within the Seventh Framework Programme. Three ways of risk reduction have been investigated, both in short and long-term, namely: better satellite protection, better conjunction prediction, and cleaner environment. According to our assumptions, the Si mission vulnerability evaluations in the long term (from 2093 to 2100) show that full compliance to the mitigation measures leads to a situation twice safer than that induced by an active debris removal of 5 objects per year in a MASTER(2009) Business-As-Usual context. Because these measures have visible risk reduction effects in the long term, complementary measures with short response time are also studied. In the short term (from 2013 to 2020), a better prediction of the conjunctions is more efficient than protecting the satellite Si itself. By combining a better prediction with an enhanced satellite protection the Si is estimated to extend its extra mission lifetime by 4% with respect to its nominal lifetime (7.25 years).

The isotope ^{163}Ho is in many ways the best candidate to perform experiments to investigate the value of the electron neutrino mass. It undergoes an electron capture process to ^{163}Dy with an energy available to the decay, Q_{EC}, of about 2.8 keV. According to the present knowledge, this is the lowest Q_{EC} value for such transitions. Here we discuss a newly obtained spectrum of ^{163}Ho, taken by cryogenic metallic magnetic calorimeters with ^{163}Ho implanted in the absorbers and operated in anticoincident mode for background reduction. For the first time, the atomic deexcitation of the ^{163}Dy daughter atom following the capture of electrons from the 5s shell in ^{163}Ho, the OI line, was observed with a calorimetric measurement. The peak energy is determined to be 48 eV. In addition, a precise determination of the energy available for the decay Q_{EC}=(2.858±0.010_{stat}±0.05_{syst}) keV was obtained by analyzing the intensities of the lines in the spectrum. This value is in good agreement with the measurement of the mass difference between ^{163}Ho and ^{163}Dy obtained by Penning-trap mass spectrometry, demonstrating the reliability of the calorimetric technique.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Previous work demonstrates that older adults have a lower response in the middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) to an acute bout of moderate-intensity exercise when compared with young adults. However, no information exists regarding MCAv response to exercise after stroke. We tested whether MCAv response to an acute bout of moderate-intensity exercise differed between participants 3 months after stroke and an age- and sex-matched control group of older adults (CON). A secondary objective was to compare MCAv response between the stroke- and non-stroke-affected MCAv. METHODS Using transcranial Doppler ultrasound, we recorded MCAv during a 90-second baseline (BL) followed by a 6-minute moderate-intensity exercise bout using a recumbent stepper. Heart rate (HR), end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2), and beat-to-beat mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) were additional variables of interest. The MCAv response measures included BL, peak response amplitude (Amp), time delay (TD), and time constant (τ). RESULTS The Amp was significantly lower in the stroke-affected MCAv compared with CON (P < 0.01) and in the nonaffected MCAv compared with CON (P = 0.03). No between-group differences were found between TD and τ. No significant differences were found during exercise for PETCO2 and MAP while HR was lower in participants with stroke (P < 0.01). Within the group of participants with stroke, no differences were found between the stroke-affected and non-stroke-affected sides for any measures. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Resolution of the dynamic response profile has the potential to increase our understanding of the cerebrovascular control mechanisms and test cerebrovascular response to physical therapy-driven interventions such as exercise.Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A284).

We introduce hierarchical woven coded continuous phase frequency-shift keying (hierarchical WCCPFSK) as the serial concatenation of different outer convolutional codes and inner CPFSK. We compare it to WCCPFSK with identical outer convolutional codes. With the proposed code combinations, hierarchical WCCPFSK achieves superior decoding capability. Simulations show that it performs better at medium SNRs.

Consistent with past research and theory explaining gender differences in information processing, the empirical study reported here showed that men process two forms of marketing information (advertising and product trial) differently than women. Specifically, women are more sensitive to the comprehensiveness of the trial information, recognizing manipulated differences in trial diagnosticity. In contrast, men tend to use readily available information to form brand judgments and are less likely to notice that other attribute information is unavailable in the product trial.

Purpose After a breast cancer diagnosis, patients are at high risk of reducing their physical activity and gaining weight. Lack of physical activity and weight gain are known negative but modifiable prognostic factors. An observational study of a 3-month adapted physical activity (APA) program was performed to assess its effectiveness in improving physical activity level and reducing risk factors related to health during or after breast cancer treatments. Method Height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) were measured at the beginning and end of the 26-session program. Body mass index (BMI) and WC to height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. Physical activity profile, aerobic capacity, and usual average daily energy expenditure were estimated. Median values were compared using nonparametric tests. Results Sixty-one (61) voluntary breast cancer patients attended 80 % of the sessions. At baseline, median (minimum–maximum) BMI was 23.3 (16.1–36.8)kg.m −2 and WC and WHtR showed metabolic risks. After 3 months, anthropometric data remained stable. Moderate physical activity significantly improved (+13 min/day) and sedentary tended to decrease (−18 min/day). Conclusion A 3-month APA program allows patients to limit risk factors related to health such as physical inactivity and metabolic risks. This study reinforces the need to promote physical activity as early as possible in cancer patients' care.

Several studies have shown that pretrial ad exposure can positively influence a subsequent product trial experience. In this study, we investigate several specific, positive ad effects on product trial using an experiment that exposes subjects to a trial only, an ad only, or an ad and trial. In general, the pretrial ad appeared to encourage consumers to process a subsequent product trial more deeply, purposefully, and carefully than was the case with the trial alone. Subjects exposed to a pretrial ad rated the subsequent trial higher in diagnosticity, formed more confidently held beliefs, and formed higher expectancy value and purchase intentions. In addition, consumers exposed to an ad prior to trial showed stronger structural relationships among expectancy value, brand attitude, and purchase intentions compared with those consumers that experienced a product trial alone. Such results suggest that posttrial responses are the result of more careful and focused processing of the trial information....

Grundlage fuer die Ermittlung der Mindestbewehrung in Stahl- und Spannbetonbauteilen ist die praezise Definition der von der Mindestbewehrung zu leistenden Aufgaben. Im Sinne einer technisch und wirtschaftlich optimalen Konstruktion muss die erforderliche Mindestbewehrung zielgerichtet auf diese Aufgaben ausgerichtet sein. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt auf die unterschiedlichen Aufgabenstellungen abgestimmte Berechnungs- und Bemessungsmodelle vor. Die mit Hilfe dieser Berechnungsmodelle fuer verschiedene Bauteile ermittelte Mindestbewehrung wird anschliessend mit derzeit geltenden normativen Regelungen verglichen. Dies ermoeglicht eine qualitative und quantitative Bewertung bestehender Vorschriften und erlaubt Rueckschluesse, fuer welche Aufgabenstellungen und in welchen Bereichen weiterfuehrende Forschungsarbeiten sinnvoll und Ergaenzungen zu den bisherigen Regelungen notwendig sind. (A) Erweiterte schriftliche Fassung eines Vortrages des Erstverfassers auf dem Deutschen Betontag 1999. Titel in Englisch: Minimum reinforcement in concrete structures.

Advertising message involvement (AMI) has long been a topic of interest in the advertising literature. Its effects on consumers' responses to advertising have been shown to be numerous and significant. This study investigates a theoretical and methodological issue regarding predispositional factors and the impact they have on experimenter-generated manipulations of advertising message involvement. Results of an empirical investigation indicate that subjects' pre-existing levels of product involvement and product knowledge are important determinants of advertising message involvement, even when there is an attempt to experimentally manipulate levels of the construct. Although the involvement manipulations used in this study were successful in creating significantly different high- and low-involvement groups, results show that the effects of enduring product class involvement and product knowledge on advertising message involvement could not be erased. These results, and others reported in the stud...

Affective and cognitive responses to a product trial are examined in an experiment containing two cells representing two product types: hedonic and functional. The stimulus products were a computer game and grammar-checking software. Forty-two college students comprised the sample for the experiment. The specific affective responses studied are pleasure and arousal, and brand cognitions are represented as the expectancy value from brand attributes (the product of brand beliefs, belief confidence, and attribute evaluations, summed across the attributes (σ biciei)). The relative level and influence of affective and cognitive responses to a product trial were shown to differ significantly, depending on whether the product was hedonic or functional in nature. Specifically, for the hedonic product, felt arousal during the trial was higher than for the functional product, and emotional responses were significant antecedents of subjects' evaluations of the trial experience. Brand cognitions, however, were not significantly related to trial evaluations for the hedonic product. In contrast, for the functional product, brand cognitions and pleasure were significant antecedents of trial evaluations, but arousal was not. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of considering both the cognitive structure created by a product trial and the consumer's emotional reactions to the trial. For hedonic products, especially, emotional responses to the trial were shown to be powerful antecedents to consumers' evaluations of a trial experience, and subsequently, brand attitude. Marketers and marketing researchers can use these results to predict which category of responses to product trial (affective or cognitive) will be most important for brand evaluation for the particular product in question. This knowledge may also enable marketers to manipulate aspects of a product trial that are most influential on the set of trial responses that this study has shown to significantly affect brand evaluation for that product type. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The purpose of this study was to review autopsy and gallium scan findings in two different acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patient populations who had a confirmed diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) to identify organs involved and accuracy of clinical diagnosis. The first group was comprised of 29 autopsies between January 1982 and December 1994, including only 18 patients who were diagnosed before death. Organs most commonly involved were the lymph nodes (59%), lungs (56%), spleen (53%), liver (45%), and kidneys (37%). Other opportunistic infections were present in 18 (59%) of autopsies, with more than one opportunistic infection present in 11 (37%) of the autopsies. Lungs were involved in 79% of all autopsies. The second population group included 94 patients with AIDS with a proven diagnosis of TB, only 24 of whom had gallium scans in the period between January 1992 and December 1994. Chest x-ray results were negative in 4 patients (17%); gallium scan results were positive in 16 patients (66%). The reasons for false-negative gallium scan results were due to anti-tuberculous treatment for periods varying from 2-21 months in 7 patients or the presence of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. The sites of TB involvement in the chest were: lung parenchyma in 5 patients (19%, 4 in mid and lower lung, and 1 in upper fields). There was lymph node involvement in all 16 patients (24 locations with mediastinal involvement in 23%, supraclavicular 23%, axillary 11%, retroperitoneal 11%, and inguinal region in 4%. We conclude that (1) tuberculosis in patients with AIDS behaves similar to primary tuberculosis; (2) the combination of chest x-ray and gallium imaging is sensitive for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with AIDS; (3) the involvement of mediastinal lymph nodes in gallium scans in the presence or absence of chest x-ray abnormalities should raise the possibility of TB involvement in patients with human immunodeficiency virus; (4) anti-TB treatment decreases the sensitivity of gallium scan.

Sea anemones of the genus Aiptasia are used as biological models for research and as a prey for the culture of the highly priced ornamental nudibranch Aeolidiella stephanieae. Symbiotic Aiptasia display a remarkable trophic plasticity, being able to fulfil their energetic demands heterotrophically and autotrophically. Consequently, they display a highly variable fatty acid (FA) profile. The objective of the present study was to analyse how light regime (12 h light: 12 h dark versus 24 h darkness), water temperature (22 versus 26 °C) and diet (Artemia nauplii versus enriched Artemia metanauplii) affect the FA composition of A. pallida. The FA profile of wild specimens was also analysed. The dominant FAs of cultured A. pallida were 16:0, 18:1n-9 and 22:6n-3. Higher FA levels were recorded when anemones were exposed to light, with this factor explaining the largest amount of variation in the composition of FA profiles. Cultured A. pallida that best mimicked wild anemones were obtained when using a regular light regime, Artemia metanauplii and 22 °C water temperature. Higher FA levels were obtained at a higher temperature and by providing nauplii to cultured anemones. The present study also indicated that A. pallida has the potential to recycle nutrients in marine aquacultures. Miguel C. Leal was supported by a PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/63783/2009) funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (QREN-POPH-Type 4.1 – Advanced Training, subsidized by the European Social Fund and national funds MCTES). We also thank Sofia Engrola for her support during the culture of Aiptasia, Maria M. Mays and Shanna D. Hanes for their assistance in the collection of wild A. pallida in the Florida Keys and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. published

Purpose Tl-201 chloride has been used to image viable tumors in various sites of the body. There has been limited use of Tl-201 below the diaphragm because of normal uptake in the liver, spleen, kidneys, and intestines. The use of sequential Tl-201 and Tc-99m sulfur colloid in the detection and characterization of suspected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was prospectively evaluated. Methods Four patients with indeterminate liver nodules on radiologic imaging studies were studied with sequential Tl-201 and sulfur colloid liver scans on a triple-headed gamma camera with planar and SPECT acquisition. All patients had subsequent pathologic correlation. Results There were three focal nodular HCC lesions and one case of multicentric HCC, size varying between 1.9 cm and greater than 4.0 cm (multicentric HCC). In all lesions, Tl-201 SPECT images showed abnormal increased uptake at sites of HCC, which corresponded to areas of photopenia on sulfur colloid. Computed tomography detected a lesion in two of four patients, whereas US was positive in all patients. However, US was specific for tumor in only one patient and CT was not specific in any patient. Conclusion We believe that in patients with suspected HCC, Tl-201 SPECT imaging will have an important role in the detection and characterization of HCC, especially in the cirrhotic patient. Planar Tl-201 hepatic images will usually be normal, except in large lesions, and high-resolution SPECT technique is essential in successful liver tumor imaging.

Past research suggests that the relationship between price and choice is highly situationally dependent but existing theories cannot account for this complexity. An exploratory study was conducted to provide systematic evidence of these changes. It is argued that a contingent processing approach may provide the basis for the development of a theory that explains changes in the price-choice relationship across choice situations. Some implications for future theory development and research are discussed.

Abnormal uptake of Tl-201 chloride in the liver along with correlative radiologic imaging is presented in an unusual case of an 11-year-old boy with a small 2.1 cm hepatocellular carcinoma. Although planar Tl-201 images were normal, triple-headed SPECT Tl-201 images showed a focal area of increased liver activity at the site of the tumor which corresponded to a photopenic area on Tc-99m SC SPECT images. The patient successfully underwent partial liver resection of a pathologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma.

Interstellar dust can enter the solar system through the relative motion of the Sun with respect to the Local Interstellar Cloud. The trajectories of the dust through the solar system are not only influenced by gravitation and solar radiation pressure forces, but also by the Lorentz forces due to the interaction of the interplanetary magnetic field with the charged dust particles. The interplanetary magnetic field changes on two major time scales: 25 days (solar rotation frequency) and 22 years (solar cycle). The short‐term variability averages out for regions that are not too close (>∼2 AU) to the Sun. This interplanetary magnetic field variability causes a time‐variability in the interstellar dust densities, that is correlated to the solar cycle.In this work we characterize the flow of interstellar dust through the solar system using simulations of the dust trajectories. We start from the simple case without Lorentz forces, and expand to the full simulation. We pay attention to the different ways of mod...

The NASA Lunar Institute's Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies has recently completed the construction of a new experimental facility to study hypervelocity dust impacts. The installation includes a 3 MV Pelletron, accelerating small particles in the size range of 0.1 to few microns to velocities in the range of 1 to 100 km/s. Here we report the capabilities of our facility, and the results of our first experiments.

The quantum electrodynamics belongs to the best tested and established theories in modern physics. However, the evaluation of high order processes, as necessary in the presence of large electric fields, is still demanding. Of particular interest in this field is the Lamb shift of highly charged, hydrogen‐like ions, as the theoretically claimed error bars start to be smaller than the experimental ones. We recently started to develop a 1×8 detector array for high resolution x‐ray spectroscopy of hydrogen‐like Uranium at the GSI/FAIR. The detectors are designed to have an energy resolution below 30 eV in the relevant energy range up to 100 keV. We discuss the considerations that lead to our present detector design, as well as the present micro‐fabrication techniques.

By synthesis of TCNQ radical anion salts of poly(1,4-butadiene-b-4-vinylpyridine)(B4VP) blockcopolymers and subsequent doping with neutral TCNQ filmforming electrically conductive materials of good mechanical stability were obtained. The improved properties are achieved either by incorporation of butadiene microparticles in a coherent conductive P4VP phase or by generation of a percolating electrically conductive crystalline micronetwork embedded in a continous butadiene phase. In comparison to the homopolymers the resistance to oxidation is enhanced.

The structure analysis of two conductive polymer systems-poly-4-vinylpyridine and poly(butadiene-b-4-vinylpyridine) with 7,7′,8,8′-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ)-was done by X-ray diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and FTIR. The charge transfer complex formed between the pyridine group and the known electron acceptor, TCNQ, is supposed to be the conductive element in these systems. In order to understand the structure of this complex, a model compound, the complex of 4-ethylpyridine (4EP) with TCNQ, 4EP/TCNQ2, was studied by the mentioned methods. It appears that there are two crystalline modifications of the model compound with different type of stacks of the TCNQ molecules. In polymer systems only one type of the complex is dominant as revealed by joint analysis of X-ray diffraction diagrams, STM and FTIR data. In the STM image of the polymer surface one can distinguish that molecular stacks with periodicities of 4.1 A in a row are separated (12.5A) from each other. Such organization is similiar to the one observed in conductive charge transfer complexes such as tetrathiofulvalene (TTF) with TCNQ. The ordered molecular domains are scattered on the polymer surface and take part in the formation of the conductive network.

BACKGROUND: We studied the patterns of recurrence of patients with only reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) evidence of regional nodal spread to see whether or not proposed treatment interventions are likely to be effective. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred seventy-five patients who underwent selective lymphadenectomy for clinical stage I and II melanomas were included in this analysis. We preserved a portion of each sentinel lymph node (SLN) in liquid nitrogen in the operating room and performed RT-PCR on the specimens to detect the melanoma/melanocyte-specific marker tyrosinase. We then compared the pattern of recurrence (regional dermal metastases, regional nodal recurrence, or distant metastatic spread) of the patients with histologically positive SLNs to that of patients who had histologically negative SLNs. RESULTS: The mean followup time of the 175 patients was 33.83 months (SD = 15.94, median = 34.17, maximum = 62.95, minimum = 6.21). Thirty-four patients had at least one histologically positive SLN, and 17 of these patients had a recurrence (50%). Of the 141 patients that had histologically negative SLNs, 73 had SLNs that were also negative for tyrosinase by RT-PCR, and none of these patients had a recurrence. Of the 68 patients that had histologically negative but RT-PCR-positive SLNs, 14 had a recurrence (20.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Because the pattern of recurrence of patients with only RT-PCR evidence of melanoma in SLNs was identical to that in patients who had histologically evident melanoma in the SLN and underwent subsequent completion lymphadenectomy, we conclude that completion lymphadenectomy might be ineffective in decreasing the recurrence rate of patients with only RT-PCR evidence of melanoma in SLNs.

As part of the USAF Atmospheric Dispersion Model Validation Program (MVP), puffs of tracer gas were released from a blimp over the rocket launch sites at Cape Canaveral AS and Vandenberg AFB. Multiple infrared cameras imaged the transport and diffusion of the puffs. The imagery is being analyzed to determine the position, movement, and growth of the puffs with time. The objective of the activity is to correlate atmospheric diffusion rates with measurements of atmospheric turbulence. Results of the activity will be used to evaluate and improve the models that are used at the launch ranges to predict the dispersion of toxic clouds generated by launch operations. This is the first time that tracer gases have been released from a free flying blimp and imaged by infrared cameras at ground locations.