Surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) are electromagnetic waves bound by the collective oscillations of free carrier plasma to the surface of a conductor surrounded by dielectric. These waves can be ...localized, concentrated or manipulated simply by processing the conductor surface. The choice of a convenient conductor is quite limited by the availability of natural materials and strong absorption losses associated with free electron plasma. For this reason new alternative plasmonic materials are actively being researched and developed. Most common approaches to this problem include doping of nonmetallic materials and fabrication of metal-dielectric nanocomposite metamaterials. In this contribution we perform an analysis of the suitability of the use of the heterometallic multilayers consisting of copper and nickel. Copper is an excellent plasmonic material, but the problem is formation of natural copper oxides on the surface. Therefore for this purpose a layer of nickel is used as a protection against oxidation of copper. Laminate composite structures of alternating nanocrystalline nickel and copper films on a cold-rolled polycrystalline copper foils were fabricated by electrochemical deposition technique. We simulated the electromagnetic properties of subwavelength Cu/Ni multilayers by the 2D finite element method using realistic material parameters to assess different electromagnetic modes. Our results show that the pair Cu/Ni can be viewed as an alternative tailorable plasmonic material. It has also been shown that it is possible to fabricate plasmonic structures without applying any complex lithographic processes.
Ž. Pohar-Marinšek and J. Lamovec Angiosarcoma in FNA smears: diagnostic accuracy, morphology, immunocytochemistry and differential diagnoses The aim of our study was to analyse the diagnostic ...accuracy in recognizing angiosarcoma from fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples and to determine morphological features of angiosarcoma in cytology. FNA samples from 18 histologically confirmed angiosarcomas obtained between 1985 and 2009 were included in the study. Original cytological diagnoses were retrieved, smears reviewed and morphological features analysed: cellularity, smear pattern, cell morphology, contents of background. Outcome of immunocytochemistry was noted and additional reactions performed if material was available. There were 13 primary angiosarcomas and five recurrent tumours; nine tumours were epithelioid. Twelve tumours were cytologically diagnosed as malignant, three as suspicious and three were judged unsatisfactory. Only two primary tumours were diagnosed as vascular. According to morphology, tumours were divided into those with predominantly epithelioid cells and those with predominantly spindle cells. Within these two groups were variations due to grade of tumour. Cytomorphology did not correlate well with histology in mixed and spindle cell types of angiosarcomas. Immunocytochemistry was applied in seven cases, specific vascular marker CD31 only twice at the time of diagnosis and three times retrospectively. Angiosarcomas are difficult to recognize on FNA smears when they lack the typical dual, spindle and epithelioid cell population and when they occur in internal organs where carcinomas are more common. Very few reliable data are available concerning specificity of CD31 on cytological material.
Fine-grained nickel thin films were electrodeposited from a self-made sulphamate-based electrolyte on different substrates: polycrystalline cold-rolled copper and single crystal silicon with two ...different orientations, namely (100) and (111). The influence of the substrate and chosen plating conditions on mechanical properties of these composite structures were investigated by Vickers microhardness testing for different loads. Above a certain critical penetration depth, a measured hardness value is not the hardness of the electrodeposited film, but the so-called “composite hardness”, because the substrate also participates in the plastic deformations during the indentation process. Four composite hardness models (Jönsson–Hogmark, Burnett–Rickerby, Chicot–Lesage and Korsunsky models) are chosen and applied to the experimental data. The applicability of mentioned models is critically tested on two types of composite systems: Ni film on Cu substrate, which is example for “hard film on soft substrate” and electrodeposited Ni on Si substrate (“soft film on hard substrate”) and their reliability is given.
In this paper we propose a new theoretical approach to the analysis of bimaterial infrared thermal detector (BMD) performance. In order to determine the basic parameters of a BMD—sensitivity, noise ...equivalent power, detectivity—we considered the BMD as a mechanical oscillating system and introduced an equivalent “thermomechanical” excitation force. This force is proportional with temperature changes and causes mechanical oscillations of the bimaterial cantilever. After identifying all of the relevant noise mechanisms (temperature fluctuations, Brownian motion), we solved the appropriate Langevin stochastic equation and obtained the mean square deflection of the bimaterial cantilever oscillator. This enabled us to determine all of the important BMD parameters. These parameters depend on the relevant thermal, mechanical and geometrical properties of the constituent parts of the detector and the chosen materials, as well as on the gas type and pressure inside the housing. Our analysis is focused on the study of pressure influence to the BMD performance. We showed that detectivity can approach the ideal value with pressure decrease if other bimaterial microcantilever parameters are properly chosen. Finally, we applied our theory on a BMD fabricated at ORNL.
The clinicopathological features of six cases of breast carcinomas showing features of acinic cell differentiation, which are similar to those seen in homologous tumors of salivary glands, are ...presented. The patients, all women, were 35-80 years of age. One case recurred after 4 years, and in two cases axillary lymph node metastases were found at the time of surgery. Histologically the tumors showed a microglandular pattern merging with solid areas. Cytologically, immunohistochemically, and ultrastructurally the tumors were very similar to cases of acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland. The differential diagnostic criteria with microglandular adenosis and carcinomas showing granular cytoplasm are discussed. It seems that acinic cell carcinomas of the breast have to be added to the long list of tumors that affect the salivary glands and can also arise in the breast.
Composite systems of alternately electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni and Cu
films on cold-rolled polycrystalline copper substrates were fabricated.
Highly-densified parallel interfaces which can give ...rise to high strength of
composites are obtained by depositing layers at a very narrow spacing. The
hardness properties of the composite systems were characterized using Vickers
microhardness testing with loads ranging from 1.96 N down to 0.049 N. Above a
certain critical penetration depth, a measured hardness value is not the
hardness of the electrodeposited film, but the so-called ?composite
hardness?, because the substrate also participates in the plastic
deformations during the indentation process. Dependence of microhardness on
layer thickness, Ni/Cu layer thickness ratio and total thickness of the film
was investigated. Model of Korsunsky was applied to the experimental data in
order to determine the composite film hardness. The microhardness increased
with decreasing the layer thickness down to 30 nm and it is consistent with
the Hall-Petch relation. Layer thickness and layer thickness ratio are the
important parameters which are responsible for making decision of the total
film thickness.
nema
PR Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR32008 i TR34011
We present clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and molecular genetic features of 20 cases of a peculiar form of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (CRCC) with morphology ...differing from that of conventional CRCC. Microscopically, the typical features of the tumors were microcystic arrangement and formation of adenomatous structures. Microcystic areas were composed of smaller eosinophilic and bigger pale cells having cytological appearance typical of conventional CRCC. Cytological features of the adenomatous structures were mostly different from those of conventional CRCC. They had a typical columnar arrangement with nuclei positioned at the base of the glandular structures and a small amount of a deeply eosinophilic cytoplasm often endowed with brush border facing the lumen of the glands. In addition, all the tumors showed a brown pigmentation. The pigmentation was located mostly extracellularly, where it formed pools of heavy deposits. Microscopic calcifications present in all cases formed psammoma bodies or else the calcifications were more extensive and amorphous in shape. Ultrastructurally, the cells showed features characteristic of CRCC: typical cytoplasmic vesicles were 100-700 nm in size and mitochondria had tubulovesicular, lamellar or circular cristae. Some tumor cells contained dark, variously sized electron-dense pigment granules. Neither melanosomes nor membrane-bound neurosecretory granules were seen. Using fluorescence in-situ hybridization probes for chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 10, 13, 17 and 21, the tumors revealed massive loss of tested chromosomes typical for conventional CRCC. Monosomy of chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 10, 13 and 21 was found in 100, 36, 91, 82, 82, 82 and 64% of cases, respectively. None of the cases showed mutation of exons 9, 11, 13 and 17 of the c-kit gene. The important feature of pigmented microcystic chromophobe renal cell carcinoma is a relatively benign biological behavior and the absence of distant metastases and sarcomatoid transformation.
We analysed cytomorphological characteristics of three fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples of acral myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma (AMIFS) as well as the features of a number of other ...benign and malignant myxoid lesions. The analysis showed that FNAB samples from two cases of AMIFS had similar cytomorphology, containing all the characteristic features described in surgical biopsies: myxoid material, spindle cells with bipolar cytoplasmic extensions, epithelioid cells with globules of extra‐cellular material, ganglion‐like and lipoblast‐like giant cells. Only the inflammatory component was scarce. The third sample did not contain features typical of AMIFS. Samples from other myxoid tumours resembled AMIFS to some extent, however, none of them contained all three tumour components characteristic of AMIFS. Cytomorphology of AMIFS may be characteristic enough to enable a definitive diagnosis from FNAB, provided all the distinctive features are sampled.
Axillary clearance in early breast cancer aims to improve locoregional control and provide staging information but is associated with undesirable morbidity. We therefore investigated whether avoiding ...axillary surgery in older women would result in improved quality of life (QL) with similar disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).
Between 1993 and 2002, women > or = 60 years old with clinically node-negative operable breast cancer in whom adjuvant tamoxifen was considered indicated regardless of pathologic nodal status were randomly assigned to primary surgery plus axillary clearance (Sx + Ax) followed by tamoxifen (Tam) versus Sx without Ax followed by Tam for 5 consecutive years. The primary end point was QL reported by the patient and by physician assessment.
A total of 473 patients (234 to Sx + Ax, 239 to Sx) were randomly assigned. The median age was 74 years; 80% had estrogen receptor-positive disease. In both the patients' subjective assessment of their QL and the physicians' perception of the patients' QL, the largest adverse QL effects of Ax were observed from baseline to the first postoperative assessment, but the differences tended to disappear in 6 to 12 months. At a median follow-up of 6.6 years, results for Sx + Ax and Sx yielded similar DFS (6-year DFS, 67% v 66%; hazard ratio HR Sx + Ax/Sx, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.42; P = .69) and OS (6-year OS, 75% v 73%; HR Sx + Ax/Sx, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.46; P = .77).
Avoiding axillary clearance for women > or = 60 years old who have clinically node-negative disease and receive Tam for endocrine-responsive disease yields similar efficacy with better early QL.
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