This Letter reports the results from a haloscope search for dark matter axions with masses between 2.66 and 2.81 μeV. The search excludes the range of axion-photon couplings predicted by plausible ...models of the invisible axion. This unprecedented sensitivity is achieved by operating a large-volume haloscope at subkelvin temperatures, thereby reducing thermal noise as well as the excess noise from the ultralow-noise superconducting quantum interference device amplifier used for the signal power readout. Ongoing searches will provide nearly definitive tests of the invisible axion model over a wide range of axion masses.
The μeV axion is a well-motivated extension to the standard model. The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) collaboration seeks to discover this particle by looking for the resonant conversion of ...dark-matter axions to microwave photons in a strong magnetic field. In this Letter, we report results from a pathfinder experiment, the ADMX "Sidecar," which is designed to pave the way for future, higher mass, searches. This testbed experiment lives inside of and operates in tandem with the main ADMX experiment. The Sidecar experiment excludes masses in three widely spaced frequency ranges (4202-4249, 5086-5799, and 7173-7203 MHz). In addition, Sidecar demonstrates the successful use of a piezoelectric actuator for cavity tuning. Finally, this publication is the first to report data measured using both the TM_{010} and TM_{020} modes.
Electromagnetic pollution is a great concern in the present day. Activated carbon derived from waste sources can prove to be a green and cost-effective solution in this situation. In this work, a ...comparative study has been conducted to explore the potential of cowdung (animal waste)-derived activated carbon towards microwave absorption. Cowdung, which is abundantly available in the environment as a source of biomass, is used as the filler after being activated through two different routes, physical (carbonization) and chemical (acid and base activation). Due to the properties of being lightweight, flexible, corrosion resistive and having ease of large area fabrication, polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) elastomer has been chosen as a matrix for the composites. Characterizations such as SEM, XRD and FTIR were performed to investigate the morphological and the functionalities present in the porous carbon structure. BET was further performed to investigate parameters such as specific surface area and pore volumes of the samples. Apart from the contribution from interfacial polarization owing to the dielectric properties of the filler material, the induced porosity resulted in hollow carbon structures which contributed to the microwave absorbing properties by scattering and reflecting the incident radiation. In the systems studied, the physically activated samples and the H
2
SO
4
-activated sample amongst chemical-activated samples are seen to reach values of ~ − 25 dB thickness as low as 4 mm. The best result is seen correspond to the composite carbonized at 600 °C, which shows ~ − 26 dB of microwave absorption with a bandwidths below − 10 dB (which corresponds to 90% absorption) ranging over 2 GHz. Hence these results indicate the suitability of these systems for real-time applications electronic system shielding.
New Nomenclature for Mammalian BSP Genes Manjunath, Puttaswamy; Lefebvre, Jasmine; Jois, Prashanth S ...
Biology of reproduction,
03/2009, Letnik:
80, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
BSP proteins and their homologs are a family of structurally related proteins characterized by the presence of tandem fibronectin type II domains. In the bovine species, BSP proteins were shown to be ...involved in sperm capacitation, a posttesticular maturation event necessary for sperm to acquire the ability to fertilize an oocyte. Recently, many new genes from this family have been discovered in numerous mammalian species. However, inconsistency in the nomenclature is creating much confusion. In light of the rapid growth of the BSP superfamily of proteins, we propose a new nomenclature in collaboration with the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee.
The traumatic bone cyst was first described by Lucas in 1929 and later by Rushton. A solitary bone cyst (SBC) is a nonneoplastic osseous lesion affecting ≥95% of the metaphyses of long bones such as ...the proximal humerus and femur. The incidence of cyst affecting the jaws is 1% of all the cyst. About 89% of the lesion occurs in the mandible and 11% in the maxilla. Majority of the lesions occur in the posterior mandible, especially in the premolar-molar region. In this case report, we are presenting one such case of multiple lesions of SBC in mandible with systematic review of the literature.
Background
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of death amongst women in Europe. Amongst five invasive cancers per 1000 women detected in screening, 2.7 were ...< 15 mm in diameter; and others reported that over one third of excised breast lesions were clinically occult. The challenge is to accurately locate small non‐palpable lesions intraoperatively for optimal therapeutic outcome. A secondary important goal is to remove the smallest amount possible of healthy glandular tissue for optimal cosmesis. Currently the most widely adopted approach (80% in one survey) in guided breast‐conserving surgery for excising non‐palpable breast lesions is wire‐guided localization (WGL). With the clinical setting shifting towards earlier non‐palpable breast lesions being detected through screening, we investigated whether the current standard in assisting surgical excision of these lesions, WGL, yields the best therapeutic outcome for women with breast cancer.
Objectives
To assess the therapeutic outcomes of any new form of guided surgical intervention for non‐palpable breast lesions against wire‐guided localization, the current gold standard.
Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group's (CBCG) Specialized Register, MEDLINE (via PubMed), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) search portal from the earliest available date up to 30 March 2015. We also handsearched recent conference proceedings and sought information from experts in the field.
Selection criteria
Two review authors, BC and RJ, independently screened by title and the studies we had identified through the search strategy; when this was inconclusive, they examined the full‐text article for inclusion. We resolved any discrepancies regarding eligibility by discussion with a third review author, RA.
Data collection and analysis
Three review authors, BC, JW, and RJ, independently extracted data using a standardized data sheet. We performed all analyses using Review Manager (RevMan) or the R meta package, and in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We reported results via a graphical assessment using forest plots showing the study estimates. We considered and discussed additional subgroup and sensitivity analyses.
Main results
We identified 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the inclusion criteria of this Cochrane review and included eight trials in the meta‐analyses. Six RCTs compared radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL) versus WGL, and two RCTs compared radioactive iodine (125I) seed localization (RSL) versus WGL. Of the three remaining trials, one RCT compared cryo‐assisted techniques (CAL) versus WGL, one compared intraoperative ultrasound‐guided lumpectomy (IOUS) versus WGL, and one compared modified ROLL technique in combination with methylene dye (RCML) versus WGL. Of the trials we included in the meta‐analysis, there were a total of 1273 participants with non‐palpable breast lesions (627 participants (WGL); 443 participants (ROLL); and 203 participants (RSL)). The participant population varied considerably between included trials, which included participants with both non‐palpable benign and malignant lesions, and varied in defining clear margins. The included trials did not report any long‐term outcomes.
In general, the outcomes of WGL, ROLL and RSL were comparable.
ROLL demonstrated favourable results in successful localization (risk ratio (RR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16 to 2.28; 869 participants; six trials), positive excision margins (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.29; 517 participants; five trials), and re‐operation rates (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.23; 583 participants; four trials) versus WGL, but none were statistically significant. WGL was significantly superior to RSL in successfully localizing non‐palpable lesions (RR 3.85, 95% CI 1.21 to 12.19; 402 participants; two trials). However, for successful excision, ROLL and RSL have comparable outcomes versus WGL (ROLL versus WGL: RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.01; 871 participants; six trials; RSL versus WGL: RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.01; 402 participants; two trials). These findings were similar in that RSL demonstrated favourable results over WGL in positive tumour margins (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.06; 366 participants; two trials), and re‐operation rates (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.32; 305 participants; one trial) but neither reached statistical significance. In contrast, WGL had fewer postoperative complications to both ROLL (RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.98; 642 participants; four trials) and RSL (RR 1.51, 95% CI 0.75 to 3.03; 305 participants; one trial), although this was also not statistically significant.
The overall quality of evidence was good. The main risk of bias amongst included studies consisted of incomplete data sets, selective reporting, and allocation concealment. Interpretation and applicability of this meta‐analysis was hindered by the mixed indication of diagnostic versus therapeutic purposes when undertaking WGL, ROLL, or RSL, leading to a high level of mixed pathology in numerous trials. Other limitations include underpowered studies, lack of data in standardized format for meta‐analysis, lack of complete data amongst the trials, and absence of long‐term data.
Authors' conclusions
Owing to a lack of trials in certain localization techniques, we could only draw conclusions about ROLL and RSL versus WGL. There is no clear evidence to support one guided technique for surgically excising a non‐palpable breast lesion over another. Results from this Cochrane review support the continued use of WGL as a safe and tested technique that allows for flexibility in selected cases when faced with extensive microcalcification. ROLL and RSL could be offered to patients as a comparable replacement for WGL as they are equally reliable. Other techniques such as IOUS, RCML, and CAL are of academic interest, but recommendation for routine use in the clinical environment and oncological outcomes require further validation. The results of this Cochrane review also stress the need for more fully powered RCTs to evaluate the best technique according to the comprehensive criteria described, with a more consistent and standardized approach in outcome reporting.
Biologically sourced filler such as a dried cow dung (dielectric)-loaded polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) composite for broadband microwave absorption is explored in this study. PDMS is a well-known ...elastomer for electromagnetic (EM) applications due to its numerous advantages of being lightweight, flexible, and corrosion protective, and having facile preparation and large area fabrication. The optimally prepared a 8-mm thick PDMS-cow dung (PC) composite showed a minimum reflection loss (RL) value of −6 dB in the Ku-band (12.4-18 GHz), and it did not meet the percolation limit (RL ≤ −10 dB). In order to enhance the microwave absorption and absorption bandwidth (RL ≤ −10 dB), numerous macroscopic designs, such as pyramidal and multi-layered pyramidal PC composite design were carried out for the same thickness. The optimized multi-layered pyramidal PC composite exhibited more effective absorption, and obtained a minimum RL value of −43 dB, having two specific absorption bandwidth in the frequency range of 8.2-18 GHz (both X-band and Ku-band). Mechanistically, the edge scattering and combined one-fourth resonances as well as high dielectric loss, which led to more storage of electromagnetic energy, were the major contribution factors. Further electromagnetic power loss was more prominent in the multi-layered pyramidal PC composite due to inhomogeneous energy losses. The simulated results were compared to the experimental data and showed the suitability of this composite for real time applications, particularly for defence. This study also indicates that low dielectric composites can be used for real time microwave absorption through different macroscopic designs.
Macroscopic designs of dried cow dung loaded polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) composite for broadband microwave absorption is explored in this study.
Rectovaginal group B streptococcal (GBS) colonisation affects approximately 30% of pregnant women, which significantly increases the use of antibiotics in mothers and babies. In this review, we aim ...to answer two questions: (i) In pregnant women, does the use of probiotics prevent GBS colonisation prior to delivery when compared with placebo; and (ii) In GBS positive pregnant women, does the use of probiotics reduce the risk of GBS colonisation prior to delivery when compared with standard treatment. Pubmed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, OVID, clinical trials.gov, grey literature and conference proceedings were systematically searched to identify eligible trials. References of included trials were also reviewed. A total of four studies (n = 402) were included in the final review. Two studies reported on the prevention of GBS colonisation in healthy pregnant women, and two studies reported on the rate of GBS clearance after probiotic administration. Meta‐analysis of the two studies using random effects model indicated that GBS clearance with probiotics was not statistically significant with odds ratio 2.12 (95% confidence interval 0.60–7.50, P = 0.17). Collection of adverse events data was not a primary or secondary aim in any of the studies. We conclude that there is limited evidence to recommend the regular use of probiotics to minimise the risk of GBS colonisation. Results from ongoing studies are likely to add to the current existing evidence.
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