Objectives: To investigate diagnostic routes, echocardiographic substrates, outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with isolated ventricular non-compaction (IVNC) identified by echocardiographic ...laboratories with referral from specialists and primary care physicians. Patients and design: Since 1991, all patients with suspected IVNC were flagged and followed up on dedicated databases. Patients were divided into symptom-based and non-symptom-based diagnostic subgroups. Results: 65 eligible patients were followed up for 6–193 months (mean 46 (SD 44). In 53 (82%) patients, IVNC was associated with variable degrees of left ventricular (LV) dilatation and hypokinesia, and in the remaining 12 (18%) LV volumes were normal. Diagnosis was symptom based in 48 (74%) and non-symptom based in 17 (26%) (familial referral in 10). The non-symptom-based subgroup was characterised by younger age, lower prevalence of ECG abnormalities, better systolic function and lower left atrial size, whereas the extent of non-compaction was not different. No major cardiovascular events occurred in the non-symptom-based group, whereas 15 of 48 (31%) symptomatically diagnosed patients experienced cardiovascular death or heart transplantation (p = 0.01, Kaplan–Meier analysis). Independent predictors of cardiovascular death or heart transplantation were New York Heart Association class III–IV, sustained ventricular arrhythmias and left atrial size. Conclusions: IVNC is associated with a broad spectrum of clinical and pathophysiological findings, and the overall natural history and prognosis may be better than previously thought. Adult patients with incidental or familial discovery of IVNC have an encouraging outlook, whereas those who have symptoms of heart failure, a history of sustained ventricular tachycardia or an enlarged left atrium have an unstable course and more severe prognosis.
Runaway electron generation and control Esposito, B; Boncagni, L; Buratti, P ...
Plasma physics and controlled fusion,
01/2017, Letnik:
59, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We present an overview of FTU experiments on runaway electron (RE) generation and control carried out through a comprehensive set of real-time (RT) diagnostics/control systems and newly installed RE ...diagnostics. An RE imaging spectrometer system detects visible and infrared synchrotron radiation. A Cherenkov probe measures RE escaping the plasma. A gamma camera provides hard x-ray radial profiles from RE bremsstrahlung interactions in the plasma. Experiments on the onset and suppression of RE show that the threshold electric field for RE generation is larger than that expected according to a purely collisional theory, but consistent with an increase due to synchrotron radiation losses. This might imply a lower density to be targeted with massive gas injection for RE suppression in ITER. Experiments on active control of disruption-generated RE have been performed through feedback on poloidal coils by implementing an RT boundary-reconstruction algorithm evaluated on magnetic moments. The results indicate that the slow plasma current ramp-down and the simultaneous reduction of the reference plasma external radius are beneficial in dissipating the RE beam energy and population, leading to reduced RE interactions with plasma facing components. RE active control is therefore suggested as a possible alternative or complementary technique to massive gas injection.
Objective
The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) in the cingulum in bipolar disorder (BD) and its various ...phases.
Method
We combined resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging and probabilistic tractographic diffusion tensor imaging to investigate FC and SC of the cingulum and its portions, the SC–FC relationship, and their correlations with clinical and neurocognitive measures on sustained attention in manic (n = 21), depressed (n = 20), and euthymic (n = 20) bipolar patients and healthy controls (HC) (n = 42).
Results
First, we found decreased FC between the anterior and posterior parts of the cingulum in manic patients when compared to depressed patients and HC. Second, we observed decreased SC of the cingulum bundle, particularly in its anterior part, in manic patients when compared to HC. Finally, alterations in the cingulum FC (but not SC) correlated with clinical severity scores while changes in the cingulum SC (but not FC) were related with neurocognitive deficits in sustained attention in BD.
Conclusion
We demonstrate for the first time a reduction in FC and concomitantly in SC of the cingulum in mania, which correlated with psychopathological and neurocognitive parameters, respectively, in BD. This supports the central role of cingulum connectivity specifically in mania.
We report on the results achieved by installing two Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) single crystal diamond detectors in one of the equatorial ports of the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (FTU) tokamak, ...during the last six months of operation of the machine. The devices were fabricated at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” in a metal/instrinsic/p-type diamond layered structure, allowing them to be used as Schottky photodiodes for VUV and Soft-X ray detection. Both detectors were placed inside the machine and operated in current mode under high vacuum conditions.
The fast response capabilities of diamond detectors allowed to observe several plasma events, like the so-called Anomalous Doppler instabilities, the pellet injection and ablation, and Multifaceted Asymmetric Radiation From the Edge (MARFE). Diamond detectors often but not always followed the Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) activity, depending on their localization relative to the emitting region. Core temperature oscillations following Electron Cyclotron Heating system (ECH) modulation were also observed. In addition, the diamond signals were compared to selected channels of the FTU bolometry system with similar line-of-sight: the encouraging results have launched an R&D program for the development of diamond-based bolometers.
Characterization and calibration measurements of two Cherenkov probes have been performed in ENEA Frascati's laboratories. Different kinds of radiation have been used, from visible light to x-rays, ...in order to evaluate possible spurious responses of the probes. Moreover, a preliminary calibration is presented, as well as a first evaluation of the minimum single probe's detectable flux performed through an electron beam of 2.3 MeV. Additional results have been obtained thanks to spectrometry analysis, which gave deeper insights of the phenomena occurring inside the probes. In particular, a continuous emission spectrum, associated to cathodoluminescence, has been observed to dominate in the Cherenkov range, showing that scintillating phenomena are not negligible in this kind of probes. Results on non-thermal electron losses from recent FTU experimental campaigns are also presented. The signals acquired are compared to those from other diagnostics like x-rays, neutron and gamma detectors or plasma magnetic activity, showing good correlation between them. The analysis focuses on the capability and sensitivity of the probes to measure runaway electrons losses with energy discrimination in presence of perturbations due to kinetic and magnetic reconnection phenomena.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of bosentan (125 or 250 mg twice daily) on echocardiographic and Doppler variables in 85 patients with World Health Organization class III or ...IV pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
Bosentan, an orally active dual endothelin-receptor antagonist, improves symptoms, exercise capacity, and hemodynamics in patients with PAH.
Patients had primary pulmonary hypertension (84%) or PAH associated with connective tissue disease. Of these, 29 patients received placebo and 56 received bosentan (1:2 randomization). Six-minute walk tests and echocardiograms were performed at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment.
Baseline characteristics were similar in the placebo and bosentan groups, and echocardiographic and Doppler findings were consistent with marked abnormalities of right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) structure and function that were due to PAH. The treatment effect on 6-min walking distance was 37 m in favor of bosentan (p = 0.036). Treatment effects of bosentan compared with placebo on other parameters were as follows: Doppler-derived cardiac index = +0.4 l/min/m(2) (p = 0.007), LV early diastolic filling velocity = +10.5 cm/s (p = 0.003), LV end-diastolic area = +4.2 cm(2) (p = 0.003), LV systolic eccentricity index = -0.12 (p = 0.047), RV end-systolic area = -2.3 cm(2) (p = 0.057), RV:LV diastolic areas ratio = -0.64 (p = 0.007), Doppler RV index = -0.06 (p = 0.03), and percentage of patients with an improvement in pericardial effusion score = 17% (p = 0.05).
Bosentan improves RV systolic function and LV early diastolic filling and leads to a decrease in RV dilation and an increase in LV size in patients with PAH.
Abstract
The Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility 1, whose construction is starting in Frascati, will require robust and reliable diagnostics for the correct operation of the machine and the ...characterization of the plasma discharge. For this purpose, we are studying a common-path dispersion interferometer/polarimeter for the detection of plasma electron density and magnetic field in two different tangential chords in the equatorial plane. The physical principle is based on the generation of a second harmonic which crosses the plasma collinearly with the beam at its fundamental. Being the plasma a dispersive medium, the two beams are subject to different phase shifts from which it is possible to retrieve the plasma free electron density. Moreover, the unconverted part of the fundamental can be used for polarimetric measurement. Two different implementations of the interferometer have been considered, one with a CO
2
laser (
λ
= 10.6/5.3 µm) and another one with Nd:YAG (
λ
= 1.064/0.536 µm). The former is more sensitive to lower plasma densities and to Faraday rotation, while the latter is more robust to fringe jumps. We have studied the main aspects of these two possible solutions. In particular, we analysed the optics to be used and the expected maximum signals for the interferometry and the polarimetry in a possible plasma scenario of DTT. A tentative draft of the layout of the optics inside the machine will be also presented.
•PROTO-SPHERA is a new concept of spherical torus with closed flux surfaces and a force-free Screw Pinch with open flux surfaces.•A two colour interferometer is the diagnostic system to measure the ...line density and to characterize this uncommon plasma.•For the high densities and its rate variation which can provoke a beam refraction a CO2 laser is the wavelength choice.•A two-colour vibration compensation system is foreseen by using a He-Ne laser.•The interferometer was assembled in a laboratory, a test interferometric signal has been observed.
PROTO-SPHERA (Spherical Plasma for Helicity Relaxation Assessment) is a new concept of torus that aims to produce a spherical torus with closed flux surfaces and a force-free Screw Pinch with open flux surfaces, fed by electrodes. In order to verify the stability of the configuration and the technical components of the PROTO-SPHERA initial arc, the initial Phase-1 experiment was built, and its plasma, in the year 2108, has reached both the total current (10 kA) and total duration (1 s) targets.
A two colour interferometer is one of the diagnostic system proposed to provide PROTO-SPHERA with the measurement of its electron density, which is currently of the order of ∼1020 m−3. It will allow to obtain line density, necessary to characterize this uncommon plasma, as integrate measurement along the equatorial plane. The design and the interferometer characteristics are described in this paper.
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