The design, fabrication, operation, and performance of a 3/4He dilution refrigerator and superconducting magnet system for holding a frozen-spin polarized hydrogen deuteride target in the Jefferson ...Laboratory CLAS detector during photon beam running is reported. The device operates both vertically (for target loading) and horizontally (for target bombardment). The device proves capable of maintaining a base temperature of 50mK and a holding field of 1T for extended periods. These characteristics enabled multi-month polarization lifetimes for frozen spin HD targets having proton polarization of up to 50% and deuteron up to 27%.
The well-established technology of electromagnetic calorimetry using Lead Tungstate crystals has recently seen an upheaval, with the closure of one of the most experienced large-scale suppliers of ...such crystals, the Bogoroditsk Technical Chemical Plant (BTCP), which was instrumental in the development of mass production procedures for PWO-II, the current benchmark for this scintillator. Obtaining alternative supplies of Lead Tungstate crystals matching the demanding specifications of contemporary calorimeter devices now presents a significant challenge to detector research and development programmes.
In this paper we describe a programme of assessment carried out for the selection, based upon the performance under irradiation, of Lead Tungstate crystals for use in the Forward Tagger device, part of the CLAS12 detector in Hall B at Jefferson Lab. The crystals tested were acquired from SICCAS, the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The tests performed are intended to maximise the performance of the detector within the practicalities of the crystal manufacturing process.
Results of light transmission, before and after gamma ray irradiation, are presented and used to calculate dk, the induced radiation absorption coefficient, at 420nm, the peak of the Lead Tungstate emission spectrum. Results for the SICCAS crystals are compared with identical measurements carried out on Bogoroditsk samples, which were acquired for the Forward Tagger development program before the closure of the facility.
Also presented are a series of tests performed to determine the feasibility of recovering radiation damage to the crystals using illumination from an LED, with such illumination available in the Forward Tagger from a light monitoring system integral to the detector.
Abstract Background The prognosis of younger patients with prostate cancer is unclear, and the very few studies assessing those with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) have ...mainly involved patients treated with older therapies. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of a contemporary series of docetaxel-treated patients with mCRPC who were 60 years and younger. Patients and methods We retrospectively identified 134 patients who were 60 years and younger who were treated with docetaxel in 25 Italian hospitals and recorded their predocetaxel history of prostate cancer, their characteristics at the start of chemotherapy, and their postdocetaxel treatment history and outcomes. Results Most of the 134 consecutive patients with mCRPC received the standard 3-week docetaxel schedule; median progression-free survival (PFS) was 7 months, and 90 patients underwent further therapies after progression. The median overall survival (OS) from the start of docetaxel treatment was 21 months, but OS was significantly prolonged by the postprogression treatments, particularly those based on the new agents such as cabazitaxel, abiraterone acetate, or enzalutamide. OS was significantly shorter in the patients with a shorter interval between the diagnosis of prostate cancer and the start of docetaxel treatment; those who received hormonal treatment for a shorter period; those with shorter prostate-specific antigen doubling times; and those with lower hemoglobin levels, a worse performance status, and higher lactate dehydrogenase levels before starting treatment with docetaxel. Conclusions The findings of this first study of clinical outcomes in a contemporary series of younger patients with mCRPC showed that their survival is similar to that expected in unselected patients with mCRPC who were of any age.
This article contains data on the variation in several physiological parameters of red blood cells (RBCs) donated by eligible glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient donors during storage ...in standard blood bank conditions compared to control, G6PD sufficient (G6PD+) cells. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, cell fragility and membrane exovesiculation were measured in RBCs throughout the storage period, with or without stimulation by oxidants, supplementation of N-acetylcysteine and energy depletion, following incubation of stored cells for 24h at 37°C. Apart from cell characteristics, the total or uric acid-dependent antioxidant capacity of the supernatant in addition to extracellular potassium concentration was determined in RBC units. Finally, procoagulant activity and protein carbonylation levels were measured in the microparticles population. Further information can be found in “Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient subjects may be better “storers” than donors of red blood cells” 1.
Abstract Objective To assess the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the Hypomania-Check-List 32-item, second revision (HCL-32-R2) for the detection of bipolarity in major depressive ...disorder (MDD) treatment-seeking outpatients. Methods A back-to-back Italian adaption of the “Bipolar Disorders: Improving Diagnosis, Guidance, and Education” English module of the HCL-32-R2 was administered between March 2013 and October 2014 across twelve collaborating sites in Italy. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth edition (DSM-IV) diagnoses were made adopting the mini-international neuropsychiatric interview, using bipolar disorder (BD) patients as controls. Results In our sample ( n =441, of whom, BD-I=68; BD-II=117; MDD=256), using a cut-off of 14 allowed the HCL-32-R2 to discriminate DSM-IV-defined MDD patients between “true unipolar” (HCL-32-R2− ) and “sub-threshold bipolar depression” (HCL-32-R2+ ) with sensitivity=89% and specificity=79%. Area under the curve was .888; positive and negative predictive values were 75.34% and 90.99% respectively. Owing to clinical interpretability considerations and consistency with previous adaptations of the HCL-32, a two-factor solution (F1=“ hyperactive / elated ” vs. F2=“ irritable / distractible / impulsive ”) was preferred using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, whereas items n.33 (“ I gamble more ”) and n.34 (“ I eat more ”) introduced in the R2 version of the scale slightly loaded onto F2 and F1 respectively. Cronbach׳s α=.88 for F1 and .71 for F2. Limitations No cross-validation with any additional validated screening tool; treatment-seeking outpatient sample; recall bias; no systematic evaluation of eventual medical/psychiatric comorbidities, current/lifetime pharmacological history, neither record of severity of current MDE. Conclusions Our results seem to indicate fair accuracy of HCL-32 as a screening instrument for BD, though replication studies are warranted.
Beam characterization of a monolithic ΔE/E silicon device Agosteo, S.; Barcellan, L.; Borsato, E. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
04/2015, Letnik:
779
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A full characterization of a ΔE/E monolithic silicon detector especially developed for microdosimetry was performed using monochromatic beams of α-particles and protons at the Italian National ...Laboratories of Legnaro at the CN van de Graaff accelerator. The investigation was performed in order to evaluate the limitations and the systematic effects affecting its use as a microdosimeter. The results can be extended to the standard use of these kind of devices as particle identifiers.
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