Abstract
Single photon sensitive detectors used in high energy physics are, in some applications, required to cover areas the size of several m
2
, and more specifically in very strong demand with an ...ever finer imaging and timing capability for Cherenkov Ring Imaging Detector (RICH) configurations. We are evaluating the Large Area Picosecond Photo-detector (LAPPD) produced by INCOM company, as a possible candidate for future RICH detector upgrades. In this work we perform tests on the second generation device, which is capacitively coupled to a custom designed anode back plane, consisting of various pixels and strips varying in size, that allows for connecting various readout systems such as standard laboratory equipment, as well as the TOFPET2 ASIC from PETsys company. Our aim is to evaluate what can be achieved by merging currently available technology, in order to find directions for future developments adapted for specific uses.
Belle II Conditions Database Ritter, M; Wood, L; Kuhr, T ...
Journal of physics. Conference series,
09/2018, Letnik:
1085, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The Belle II experiment at KEK is preparing for taking first collision data in early 2018. For the success of the experiment it is essential to have information about varying conditions available to ...systems worldwide in a fast and efficient manner that is straightforward for both the user and maintainer. The Belle II Conditions Database was designed to make maintenance as easy as possible. To this end, a HTTP REST service was developed with industry-standard tools such as Swagger for the API interface development, Payara for the Java EE application server, and the Hazelcast in-memory data grid for support of scalable caching as well as transparent distribution of the service across multiple sites. On the client side, the online and offline software has to be able to obtain conditions data from the Belle II Conditions Database in a robust and reliable way under very different situations. As such the client side interface to the Belle II Conditions Database has been designed with a variety of access mechanisms which allow the software to be used with and without an internet connection. Different methods to access the payload information are implemented to allow for a high level of customization per site and to simplify testing of new payloads locally. Changes to the conditions data are usually handled transparently but users can actively check whether an object has changed or register callback functions to be called whenever a conditions data object is updated. In addition a command line user interface has been developed to simplify inspection and modification of the database contents.
Objective
The treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL) depends on its grade. The current World Health Organization (WHO) 2008 Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues recommends ...the grading of FL on histological samples according to the Mann and Berard method, taking into consideration the number of centroblasts. There is no generally accepted method for the grading of FL in fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples. The aim of the present study was to devise a grading system for FL in cytological samples.
Methods
Flow cytometry (FC) was performed on 60 FNAB samples of patients with primary FL. We assumed that FL cells larger than reactive T lymphocytes on FC histograms corresponded to centroblasts. The percentage of large cells was calculated and compared with histological grade, proliferative activity and number of centroblasts per high‐power field (HPF) on histological slides, and with survival.
Results
The histological analysis of lymph nodes revealed 20 patients with high‐grade and 40 patients with low‐grade FL. The percentage of large cells in FNAB samples correlated significantly with histological grade (P = 0.02), MIB1 status (P < 0.001) and the number of centroblasts per HPF (P < 0.001). An age over 60 years and a percentage of large cells over 50% in FNAB samples were found to have a statistically significant impact on survival by univariate analysis (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively).
Conclusions
The percentage of large lymphoma cells in FNAB samples of FL determined by FC can be used as a reliable method for FL grading, as it is comparable with the histological grading system.
Aims: To determine the prognostic usefulness of the Nottingham histological grade (NHG) and its components in a series of 270 patients with stage pT1N0M0 breast cancer with a median follow up of 12.5 ...years. Methods: Microscopic slides were re-examined and the degree of tubule formation, nuclear pleomorphism, and mitotic counts were assessed and scored according to the suggested guidelines. The association with cancer specific survival (CSS) was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Whereas tumour size, patient age, menopausal status, type of surgery, or adjuvant treatment were not related to prognosis, histological type (p < 0.01) and NHG (p < 0.005) were associated with CSS. When evaluating the components of NHG separately, survival was not related to the score for pleomorphism, but was significantly better in tumours with score 1 or 2 for tubule formation (p < 0.007) and in those with score 1 for mitotic counts (p < 0.006). The two components retained independent significance in multivariate analysis. When the proposed cut off points for mitotic counts were replaced by lower ones based on tertile values, the mitotic index became the strongest prognostic factor (p = 0.0001) and histological type was the only additional factor of independent prognostic significance. Conclusions: These findings confirm the prognostic value of NHG in pT1N0M0 breast carcinoma, show that the evaluation of tubule formation and mitotic rate provides independent prognostic information, and suggest that the proposed cut off points for mitotic counts may be too high for this particular group of tumours.
The purpose of this study was to compare skating performance and on-ice fitness of elite and non-elite women's ice hockey players. Twenty-three players who were participants in an organized women's ...hockey training program were tested. Seven of the elite players were members of the 1996/ 1997 Canadian National Team and 1 was from the Finnish National Team. Skating tests included (a) agility cornering S turn (AGL), (b) 6.10-m acceleration (ACC), (c) 47.85-m speed (SPD), (d) 15.20-m full speed (FSPD), and (e) Reed repeat sprint skate test (RRS). Elite players were older (25 +/- 5.34 vs. 19 +/- 2.65 years) and had better performance in the following variables: FSPD (1.88 +/- 0.11 vs. 1.96 +/- 0.86 seconds); RRS, drop-off percent (23.25 +/- 5.85% vs. 34.98 +/- 8.45%), drop-off time (3.43 +/- 0.78 vs. 5.35 +/- 1.23 seconds); sum of 6 repeats (101.96 +/- 2.74 vs. 112.78 +/- 4.61 seconds); and anaerobic capacity (AnCap; 5.35 +/- 0.14 W x kg(-1) vs. 4.87 +/- 0.19 W x kg(-1)) as calculated by the formulas of Watson and Sargeant (23). These results suggest that elite women's ice hockey players are older, faster skaters; have a better drop-off percent, drop-off time, and sum of 6 repeats in a repeat skate test; and have greater on-ice anaerobic capacity than non-elite players.
We have developed a metadata service for the Belle experiment which provides a mechanism to locate files using descriptive information. However, for the Belle II experiment, we will have 50–60 times ...more data. This metadata service may have problems with performance, scalability, and durability when employed at Belle II. These issues are compounded when metadata searches are extended to the event-level. Accordingly, we have designed a new metadata scheme for Belle II which significantly reduces disk space and propose a new metadata service which provides good performance and scalability based on AMGA (Arda Metadata catalog for Grid Application). We find that the use of event-level metadata provides an efficient scheme for processing events with many tracks.
We study B --> K(*)l+l- decays (l = e, mu) based on a data sample of 657 x 10(6) BB pairs collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e- collider. We report the differential branching fraction, ...isospin asymmetry, K* polarization, and the forward-backward asymmetry (A(FB)) as functions of q2 = M(ll)(2)c2. The fitted A(FB) spectrum exceeds the standard model expectation by 2.7 standard deviations. The measured branching fractions are B(B --> K*l+l-) = (10.7(-1.0)(+1.1) +/- 0.9) x 10(-7) and B(B --> Kl+l-) = (4.8(-0.4)(+0.5) +/- 0.3) x 10(-7), where the first errors are statistical and the second are systematic, with the muon to electron ratios R(K*) = 0.83 +/- 0.17 +/- 0.08 and R(K) = 1.03 +/- 0.19 +/- 0.06.
Adjuvant treatments reduce the risk for recurrence and death from breast cancer; but even 10-15 years after diagnosis, these risks persist. The aim of our study was to identify prognostic factors for ...relapse and death in the second decade after primary surgery. Patients with early breast cancer treated from 1983-1987 (n=1035) were included. Patients' characteristics, tumor prognostic factors, treatments, data on recurrence and death were obtained from patients' charts and our cancer registry. Median follow-up was 17 (1-23) years. At 10 years after surgery, 515 (49.8%) patients were alive and of them 432 (41.7%) were relapse-free. Of the 432 patients being alive and relapse-free at 10 years 153 (35.4%) had an event thereafter, of them 38 (25%, 9% of all) had a relapse of breast cancer. For this period only the presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and positive estrogen receptors (ER) were found as independent unfavorable prognostic factors for relapse-free (HR 2.09, p=0.007; HR 1.50, p=0.021, respectively) and overall survival (HR 2.15, p=0.006; HR 1.41, p=0.05, respectively) while tumor size, grade and nodal status had no prognostic significance. Positive ER and LVI are independent prognostic factors for relapse and death in the second decade after surgery in patients with early breast cancer.
Background: The prognostic significance of DNA ploidy and the S‐phase fraction (SPF) have been extensively studied in breast cancer, but their clinical utility remains controversial. The type of ...tumour material can substantially influence flow cytometric DNA measurements. Material obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is very suitable for flow cytometric DNA analysis because it contains a low proportion of non‐tumour cells and less debris than tissue samples.
Methods: The prognostic significance of DNA ploidy and SPF, determined on FNA samples, was analysed in 770 breast cancer patients, diagnosed between 1992 and 1997. DNA ploidy and SPF were determined at the time of diagnosis as part of the diagnostic work‐up. The median follow‐up was 90 months. Survival analysis included overall cancer specific survival (OS), disease free survival (DFS) and survival after recurrence (SAR). Other variables included in survival analyses were age, histological grade, histological type, lymph node status and tumour size. Disease free interval and the site of recurrence were also included in SAR analysis.
Results: DNA ploidy and SPF correlated with tumour type, size, lymph node involvement and, especially, tumour grade. In a univariate analysis, both aneuploidy and high SPF were associated with shorter OS, DFS and SAR, but only SPF retained its independent prognostic significance in multivariate analyses. Independent prognostic variables for OS were node status, histological grade, SPF and tumour size. Node status, histological grade and SPF were independent predictors of DFS, while the site of recurrence, SPF, histological grade, disease free interval and age were independent predictors of SAR.
Conclusions: DNA ploidy and SPF can be efficiently and routinely determined on FNA samples. High SPF is independently associated with a worse clinical outcome of patients with breast cancer. Although SPF and histological grade share prognostic information to some degree, SPF provides additional, less subjective prognostic information. The prognostic value of SPF determined on FNA samples could be even more relevant in neoadjuvant settings and for patients not amenable for surgical treatment, when histological grade cannot be assessed.