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charged tracks or associated with photons or neutral hadrons. Hardware effort: A Digital Hadron fine segmentation, the energy resolution for single hadrons is preserved with a simple digital readout Physics Division Digital Hadron Calorimeter with RPCs (US effort) CALICE Collaboration American Linear

[Factors affecting residual stones after percutaneous nephrolithotomy in patients with renal calculus].

PubMed

Qiao, Mingzhou; Zhang, Haifang; Zhou, Chenlong

2015-11-24

To explore the factors affecting the residual stones after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in patients with renal calculus. A retrospective analysis was performed for 1 200 patients who were affected by renal calculus and treated with PCNL between Jan 2008 and May 2014 in People's Hospital of Anyang City. Among those patients, 16 were diagnosed as bilateral renal stone and had two successive operations. The size, location and number of stones, previous history of surgery, the degree of hydronephrosis, urinary infection were included in the univariate analysis. Significant factors in univariate analysis were included in the multivariate analysis to determine factors affecting stone residual. A total of 385 cases developed stone residual after surgery. The overall residual rate was 31.7%. In univariate analysis, renal pelvis combined with caliceal calculus (P=0.006), stone size larger than 4 cm (P=0.005), stone number more than 4 (P=0.002), the amount of bleeding more than 200 ml (P=0.025), operation time longer than 120 minutes (P=0.028) were associated with an increased rate of stone residual. When subjected to the Cox multivariate analysis, the independent risk factors for residual stones were renal pelvis combined with caliceal calculus (P=0.049), stone size larger than 4 cm (P=0.038) and stone number more than 4 (P=0.018). Factors affecting the incidence of residual stones after PCNL are the size, location and number of stones. Larger size stone and the presence of renal pelvis combined with caliceal calculus are significantly associated with residual stones. Nevertheless, stone number less than 4 indicates an increased stone clearance rate.

Lossless compression of grayscale medical images: effectiveness of traditional and state-of-the-art approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clunie, David A.

2000-05-01

Proprietary compression schemes have a cost and risk associated with their support, end of life and interoperability. Standards reduce this cost and risk. The new JPEG-LS process (ISO/IEC 14495-1), and the lossless mode of the proposed JPEG 2000 scheme (ISO/IEC CD15444-1), new standard schemes that may be incorporated into DICOM, are evaluated here. Three thousand, six hundred and seventy-nine (3,679) single frame grayscale images from multiple anatomical regions, modalities and vendors, were tested. For all images combined JPEG-LS and JPEG 2000 performed equally well (3.81), almost as well as CALIC (3.91), a complex predictive scheme used only as a benchmark. Both out-performed existing JPEG (3.04 with optimum predictor choice per image, 2.79 for previous pixel prediction as most commonly used in DICOM). Text dictionary schemes performed poorly (gzip 2.38), as did image dictionary schemes without statistical modeling (PNG 2.76). Proprietary transform based schemes did not perform as well as JPEG-LS or JPEG 2000 (S+P Arithmetic 3.4, CREW 3.56). Stratified by modality, JPEG-LS compressed CT images (4.00), MR (3.59), NM (5.98), US (3.4), IO (2.66), CR (3.64), DX (2.43), and MG (2.62). CALIC always achieved the highest compression except for one modality for which JPEG-LS did better (MG digital vendor A JPEG-LS 4.02, CALIC 4.01). JPEG-LS outperformed existing JPEG for all modalities. The use of standard schemes can achieve state of the art performance, regardless of modality, JPEG-LS is simple, easy to implement, consumes less memory, and is faster than JPEG 2000, though JPEG 2000 will offer lossy and progressive transmission. It is recommended that DICOM add transfer syntaxes for both JPEG-LS and JPEG 2000.

Construction and beam-tests of silicon-tungsten prototype modules for the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter for HL-LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quast, Thorben

2018-02-01

As part of its HL-LHC upgrade program, CMS is developing a High Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL) to replace the existing endcap calorimeters. The HGCAL will be realised as a sampling calorimeter, including an electromagnetic compartment comprising 28 layers of silicon pad detectors with pad areas of 0.5-1.0 cm2 interspersed with absorbers. Prototype modules, based on 6-inch hexagonal silicon pad sensors with 128 channels, have been constructed and include many of the features required for this challenging detector. In 2016, beam tests of sampling configurations made from these modules have been conducted both at FNAL and at CERN using the Skiroc2 front-end ASIC (designed by the CALICE collaboration for ILC). In 2017, the setup has been extended with CALICE's AHCAL prototype, a scinitillator based sampling calorimeter, and it was further tested in dedicated beam tests at CERN. There, the new Skiroc2-CMS front-end ASIC was used for the first time. We highlight final results from our studies in 2016, including position resolution as well as precision timing-measurements. Furthermore, the extended setup in 2017 is discussed and first results from beam tests with electrons and pions are shown.

Forever in the dark: the cave-dwelling azooxanthellate reef coral Leptoseris troglodyta sp. n. (Scleractinia, Agariciidae)

PubMed Central

Hoeksema, Bert W.

2012-01-01

Abstract The coral species Leptoseris troglodyta sp. n. (Scleractinia, Agariciidae) is described as new to science. It is the first known azooxanthellate shallow-water agariciid and is recorded from the ceilings of caves at 5-35 m depth in West Pacific coral reefs. The corals have monocentric cup-shaped calices. They may become colonial through extramural budding from the basal coenosteum, which may cause adjacent calices to fuse. The size, shape and habitat of Leptoseris troglodyta are unique compared to other Leptoseris species, many of which have been recorded from mesophotic depths. The absence of zooxanthellae indicates that it may survive well in darkness, but endolithic algae in some corals indicate that they may be able to get some light. The presence of menianes on the septal sides, which may help to absorb light at greater depths in zooxanthellate corals, have no obvious adaptive relevance in the new species and could have been inherited from ancestral species that perhaps were zooxanthellate. The new species may be azooxanthellate as derived through the loss of zooxanthellae, which would be a reversal in Leptoseris phylogeny. PMID:23166468

First negative ion beam measurement by the Short-Time Retractable Instrumented Kalorimeter Experiment (STRIKE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serianni, G.; De Muri, M.; Muraro, A.; Veltri, P.; Bonomo, F.; Chitarin, G.; Pasqualotto, R.; Pavei, M.; Rizzolo, A.; Valente, M.; Franzen, P.; Ruf, B.; Schiesko, L.

2014-02-01

The Source for Production of Ion of Deuterium Extracted from Rf plasma (SPIDER) test facility is under construction in Padova to optimise the operation of the beam source of ITER neutral beam injectors. The SPIDER beam will be characterised by the instrumented calorimeter STRIKE, whose main components are one-directional carbon-fibre-carbon-composite tiles. A small-scale version of the entire system has been employed in the BAvarian Test MAchine for Negative ions (BATMAN) testbed by arranging two prototype tiles in the vertical direction. The paper presents a description of the mini-STRIKE system and of the data analysis procedures, as well as some results concerning the BATMAN beam under varying operating conditions.

First negative ion beam measurement by the Short-Time Retractable Instrumented Kalorimeter Experiment (STRIKE)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Serianni, G., E-mail: gianluigi.serianni@igi.cnr.it; De Muri, M.; Veltri, P.

2014-02-15

The Source for Production of Ion of Deuterium Extracted from Rf plasma (SPIDER) test facility is under construction in Padova to optimise the operation of the beam source of ITER neutral beam injectors. The SPIDER beam will be characterised by the instrumented calorimeter STRIKE, whose main components are one-directional carbon-fibre-carbon-composite tiles. A small-scale version of the entire system has been employed in the BAvarian Test MAchine for Negative ions (BATMAN) testbed by arranging two prototype tiles in the vertical direction. The paper presents a description of the mini-STRIKE system and of the data analysis procedures, as well as some resultsmore » concerning the BATMAN beam under varying operating conditions.« less

High energy flux thermo-mechanical test of 1D-carbon-carbon fibre composite prototypes for the SPIDER diagnostic calorimeter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Muri, M., E-mail: michela.demuri@igi.cnr.it; Pasqualotto, R.; Dalla Palma, M.

2014-02-15

Operation of the thermonuclear fusion experiment ITER requires additional heating via injection of neutral beams from accelerated negative ions. In the SPIDER test facility, under construction in Padova, the production of negative ions will be studied and optimised. STRIKE (Short-Time Retractable Instrumented Kalorimeter Experiment) is a diagnostic used to characterise the SPIDER beam during short pulse operation (several seconds) to verify if the beam meets the ITER requirements about the maximum allowed beam non-uniformity (below ±10%). The major components of STRIKE are 16 1D-CFC (Carbon-Carbon Fibre Composite) tiles, observed at the rear side by a thermal camera. This contribution givesmore » an overview of some tests under high energy particle flux, aimed at verifying the thermo-mechanical behaviour of several CFC prototype tiles. The tests were performed in the GLADIS facility at IPP (Max-Plank-Institut für Plasmaphysik), Garching. Dedicated linear and nonlinear simulations were carried out to interpret the experiments and a comparison of the experimental data with the simulation results is presented. The results of some morphological and structural studies on the material after exposure to the GLADIS beam are also given.« less

The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 12, Number 5.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

response 80-957 This paper presents a way of analyzing the vibration of a The Dynamics of Rotor- Bearing Systems with Axial t rotor shaft system coupled with...Research on the Flutter of Axial Turbomachine To use this stability criteria the loading must be conservative. The numerical results are compared...Stiffness on the Statically radial bearing forces and the load cal-icity are found approxi- Optimum Distance Between the Double Row Rolling mately valid for

In Vitro Comparison of Stone Fragmentation When Using Various Settings with Modern Variable Pulse Holmium Lasers.

PubMed

Bell, John Roger; Penniston, Kristina L; Nakada, Stephen Y

2017-10-01

There are limited data regarding optimal laser and energy settings during stone fragmentation. We assessed effects on fragmentation using a variety of energy and frequency settings with two laser systems. Artificial stones were created using BegoStone. A clear polyvinylchloride (PVC) tube with an inner diameter of 13 mm was closed at one end with a removable plug to create the in vitro ureteral and caliceal environments. The Lumenis Pulse 120H and the Cook Rhapsody H-30 holmium lasers were studied in the caliceal and ureteral models. A single urologist fragmented each stone to <2 mm. The caliceal studies assessed the time to fragmentation (n = 56). The ureteral studies measured the retropulsion distance of each stone phantom after 5 minutes of laser treatment time using different pulse width settings (n = 15). Complete treatment of the stone with the 120H required 10.9 minutes at ≥1 J vs 26.9 minutes at <1 J (p < 0.001). The H-30 showed similar results with treatment times of 11.2 minutes at ≥1 J vs 22.8 minutes at <1 J (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in treatment time when comparing the two lasers using settings of 0.8 J × 8 Hz and 1.5 J × 10 Hz (25.5 minutes vs 24.8 minutes, p = 0.861; and 13.2 minutes vs 9.5 minutes, p = 0.061; respectively). Retropulsion distances using the 120H were 13.9 cm using long pulse, 25.2 cm using medium pulse, and 56.6 cm using short pulse. Retropulsion distances using the H-30 laser were 7 cm using long pulse and 14.5 cm using short pulse, which differed from the 120H (p < 0.001). Laser fragmentation was faster with both lasers when energy settings of ≥1 J were used. Treatment times using the 120H and the H-30 lasers were equivalent. Retropulsion distances were less with both lasers when longer pulse widths were used. The H-30 resulted in less stone retropulsion compared with the 120H.

Pyrame 3, an online framework for Calice SiW-Ecal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magniette, F.; Irles, A.

2018-03-01

Pyrame 3 is the new version of the Pyrame framework [1], with emphasize on the online data treatment and the complex tasks scripting. A new mechanism has been implemented to allow any module to treat and publish data in real time. Those data are made available to any requesting module. A circular buffer mechanism allows to break the real-time constraint and to serve the slower programs in a generic subsampling way. On the other side, a programming facility called event-loop has been provided in C/C++ language to ease the development of monitoring programs. On the SiW-Ecal prototype, the acquisition chain launches a bunch of online decoders that makes available raw data plus some basic reconstruction data (true coordinate, true time, data quality tags\\ldots). With the event-loop, it is now really very easy to implement new online monitoring programs. On the other side, the scripting mechanism has been enhanced to provide complete control of the detector to the scripts. This way, we are able to script and monitor complex behaviours like position or energy scanning, calibrations or data driven reconfigurations.

Comparison of supine and prone positions for percutaneous nephrolithotomy in treatment of staghorn stones.

PubMed

Gökce, Mehmet İlker; Ibiş, Arif; Sancı, Adem; Akıncı, Aykut; Bağcı, Uygar; Ağaoğlu, Eylül Asya; Süer, Evren; Gülpınar, Ömer

2017-12-01

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) is the primary treatment modality for management of staghorn stones. PNL in supine position has important advantages over prone positon. However, studies comparing prone and supine positions for PNL in staghorn stone patients have conflicting results, and the aim of the current study was to compare prone and supine positions for PNL in staghorn stone cases. Data of patients underwent PNL for staghorn stones in supine or prone position by a single urologist were collected prospectively. The supine and prone position groups were compared for stone free rate (SFR) and complication rates. All patients were evaluated with NCCT for evaluation of SFR. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables and Student t test was applied for continuous variables of the treatment groups. The groups were similar for demographic and stone-related characteristics. Multi-caliceal and intercostal access was more common in prone position. Operation duration was significantly shorter and hemoglobin drop was significantly less in supine group. SFR was 64.1 and 60.4% in the supine and prone groups, respectively (p = 0.72). Complication rates were similar in the two groups but Clavien III complications were observed in two patients in the prone group. PNL in supine position is an effective treatment for management of staghorn stones. The need for multi-caliceal and intercostal puncture is less when combined with retrograde intrarenal surgery. PNL in supine position should be considered as primary treatment option in staghorn stone cases.

Basket design as a factor in retention and release of calculi in vitro.

PubMed

Zeltser, Ilia S; Bagley, Demetrius H

2007-03-01

To compare stone retrieval and release from seven basket designs in vitro. We tested two tipped and one tipless NCompass models, three other tipless Nitinol designs (NCircle, Sur-Catch, and Dimension), and the Segura Hemisphere for their ability to retrieve and release single beads 8, 6, 5.6, and 5 mm diameter and multiple beads 3.6 mm diameter in both a ureteral and a caliceal model in three separate attempts. In the ureteral model, all baskets were successful in retrieving all sizes of single beads. With multiple 3.6-mm beads, only the NCompass and Dimension designs were able to retrieve at least two of three beads in all attempts. With the exception of the Segura Hemisphere, all designs were successful in releasing all bead sizes. In the caliceal model, only the NCircle, Dimension, and tipless NCompass models were able to retrieve all bead sizes in 100% of the trials. The tipped NCompass and Hemisphere designs were unable to retrieve any beads in this model. The Sur-Catch basket was successful in the retrieval of large beads only. The Dimension articulating design was the only basket able to release all bead sizes in all attempts. The tipless NCompass basket did not release any of the beads once engaged. Nitinol basket designs show excellent retrieval and release capabilities in the in-vitro ureteral model. The articulating Nitinol basket has the best stone-releasing capability of all baskets tested.

Towards a muon radiography of the Puy de Dôme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cârloganu, C.; Niess, V.; Béné, S.; Busato, E.; Dupieux, P.; Fehr, F.; Gay, P.; Miallier, D.; Vulpescu, B.; Boivin, P.; Combaret, C.; Labazuy, P.; Laktineh, I.; Lénat, J.-F.; Mirabito, L.; Portal, A.

2012-09-01

High energy (above 100 GeV) atmospheric muons are a natural probe for geophysical studies. They can travel through kilometres of rock allowing for a radiography of the density distribution within large structures, like mountains or volcanoes. A collaboration between volcanologists, astroparticle and particle physicists, TOMUVOL, was formed in 2009 to study tomographic muon imaging of volcanoes with high resolution, large scale tracking detectors. We report on two campaigns of measurements at the flank of the Puy de Dôme using Glass Resistive Plate Chambers (GRPCs) developed for Particle Physics, within the CALICE collaboration.

Restoration of hot pixels in digital imagers using lossless approximation techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadar, O.; Shleifer, A.; Cohen, E.; Dotan, Y.

2015-09-01

During the last twenty years, digital imagers have spread into industrial and everyday devices, such as satellites, security cameras, cell phones, laptops and more. "Hot pixels" are the main defects in remote digital cameras. In this paper we prove an improvement of existing restoration methods that use (solely or as an auxiliary tool) some average of the surrounding single pixel, such as the method of the Chapman-Koren study 1,2. The proposed method uses the CALIC algorithm and adapts it to a full use of the surrounding pixels.

Cyphastreakausti sp. n. (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia), a new species of reef coral from the Red Sea.

PubMed

Bouwmeester, Jessica; Benzoni, Francesca; Baird, Andrew H; Berumen, Michael L

2015-01-01

A new scleractinian coral species, Cyphastreakausti sp. n., is described from 13 specimens from the Red Sea. It is characterised by the presence of eight primary septa, unlike the other species of the genus, which have six, ten or 12 primary septa. The new species has morphological affinities with Cyphastreamicrophthalma, from which it can be distinguished by the lower number of septa (on average eight instead of ten), and smaller calices and corallites. This species was observed in the northern and central Red Sea and appears to be absent from the southern Red Sea.

Testing hadronic interaction models using a highly granular silicon-tungsten calorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilki, B.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; Xia, L.; Deng, Z.; Li, Y.; Wang, Y.; Yue, Q.; Yang, Z.; Eigen, G.; Mikami, Y.; Price, T.; Watson, N. K.; Thomson, M. A.; Ward, D. R.; Benchekroun, D.; Hoummada, A.; Khoulaki, Y.; Cârloganu, C.; Chang, S.; Khan, A.; Kim, D. H.; Kong, D. J.; Oh, Y. D.; Blazey, G. C.; Dyshkant, A.; Francis, K.; Lima, J. G. R.; Salcido, P.; Zutshi, V.; Boisvert, V.; Green, B.; Misiejuk, A.; Salvatore, F.; Kawagoe, K.; Miyazaki, Y.; Sudo, Y.; Suehara, T.; Tomita, T.; Ueno, H.; Yoshioka, T.; Apostolakis, J.; Folger, G.; Ivantchenko, V.; Ribon, A.; Uzhinskiy, V.; Cauwenbergh, S.; Tytgat, M.; Zaganidis, N.; Hostachy, J.-Y.; Morin, L.; Gadow, K.; Göttlicher, P.; Günter, C.; Krüger, K.; Lutz, B.; Reinecke, M.; Sefkow, F.; Feege, N.; Garutti, E.; Laurien, S.; Lu, S.; Marchesini, I.; Matysek, M.; Ramilli, M.; Kaplan, A.; Norbeck, E.; Northacker, D.; Onel, Y.; Kim, E. J.; van Doren, B.; Wilson, G. W.; Wing, M.; Bobchenko, B.; Chadeeva, M.; Chistov, R.; Danilov, M.; Drutskoy, A.; Epifantsev, A.; Markin, O.; Mizuk, R.; Novikov, E.; Popov, V.; Rusinov, V.; Tarkovsky, E.; Besson, D.; Popova, E.; Gabriel, M.; Kiesling, C.; Simon, F.; Soldner, C.; Szalay, M.; Tesar, M.; Weuste, L.; Amjad, M. S.; Bonis, J.; Callier, S.; Conforti di Lorenzo, S.; Cornebise, P.; Doublet, Ph.; Dulucq, F.; Faucci-Giannelli, M.; Fleury, J.; Frisson, T.; Kégl, B.; van der Kolk, N.; Li, H.; Martin-Chassard, G.; Richard, F.; de La Taille, Ch.; Pöschl, R.; Raux, L.; Rouëné, J.; Seguin-Moreau, N.; Anduze, M.; Balagura, V.; Becheva, E.; Boudry, V.; Brient, J.-C.; Cornat, R.; Frotin, M.; Gastaldi, F.; Magniette, F.; Matthieu, A.; Mora de Freitas, P.; Videau, H.; Augustin, J.-E.; David, J.; Ghislain, P.; Lacour, D.; Lavergne, L.; Zacek, J.; Cvach, J.; Gallus, P.; Havranek, M.; Janata, M.; Kvasnicka, J.; Lednicky, D.; Marcisovsky, M.; Polak, I.; Popule, J.; Tomasek, L.; Tomasek, M.; Ruzicka, P.; Sicho, P.; Smolik, J.; Vrba, V.; Zalesak, J.; Jeans, D.; Götze, M.; Calice Collaboration

2015-09-01

A detailed study of hadronic interactions is presented using data recorded with the highly granular CALICE silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter. Approximately 350,000 selected π- events at energies between 2 and 10 GeV have been studied. The predictions of several physics models available within the GEANT4 simulation tool kit are compared to this data. A reasonable overall description of the data is observed; the Monte Carlo predictions are within 20% of the data, and for many observables much closer. The largest quantitative discrepancies are found in the longitudinal and transverse distributions of reconstructed energy.

Towards a muon radiography of the Puy de Dôme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cârloganu, C.; Niess, V.; Béné, S.; Busato, E.; Dupieux, P.; Fehr, F.; Gay, P.; Miallier, D.; Vulpescu, B.; Boivin, P.; Combaret, C.; Labazuy, P.; Laktineh, I.; Lénat, J.-F.; Mirabito, L.; Portal, A.

2013-02-01

High-energy (above a few hundred GeV) atmospheric muons are a natural probe for geophysical studies. They can travel through kilometres of rock allowing for a radiography of the density distribution within large structures, like mountains or volcanoes. A collaboration between volcanologists, astroparticle and particle physicists, Tomuvol was formed in 2009 to study tomographic muon imaging of volcanoes with high-resolution, large-scale tracking detectors. We report on two campaigns of measurements at the flank of the Puy de Dôme using glass resistive plate chambers (GRPCs) developed for particle physics, within the CALICE collaboration.

Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Scleractinia), a new species of reef coral from the Red Sea

PubMed Central

Bouwmeester, Jessica; Benzoni, Francesca; Baird, Andrew H.; Berumen, Michael L.

2015-01-01

Abstract A new scleractinian coral species, Cyphastrea kausti sp. n., is described from 13 specimens from the Red Sea. It is characterised by the presence of eight primary septa, unlike the other species of the genus, which have six, ten or 12 primary septa. The new species has morphological affinities with Cyphastrea microphthalma, from which it can be distinguished by the lower number of septa (on average eight instead of ten), and smaller calices and corallites. This species was observed in the northern and central Red Sea and appears to be absent from the southern Red Sea. PMID:25931952

High-Frequency Dusting Versus Conventional Holmium Laser Lithotripsy for Intrarenal and Ureteral Calculi.

PubMed

Li, Roger; Ruckle, David; Keheila, Mohamed; Maldonado, Jonathan; Lightfoot, Michelle; Alsyouf, Muhannad; Yeo, Alexander; Abourbih, Samuel R; Olgin, Gaudencio; Arenas, Javier L; Baldwin, D Duane

2017-03-01

The efficiency of holmium laser lithotripsy for urolithiasis depends upon several factors, including laser pulse energy and frequency and stone composition and retropulsion. This study investigates the complex interplay between these factors and quantifies lithotripsy efficiency using different laser settings in a benchtop kidney and ureter model. In vitro caliceal and ex vivo porcine ureteral models were constructed. Calcium oxalate monohydrate stones were fragmented using a 200-μm laser fiber. In the caliceal model, stone fragmentation and vaporization rates at settings of 0.6 J/5 Hz, 0.2 J/15 Hz, and 0.2 J/50 Hz were compared. In the ureteral model, fragmentation time, retropulsion rate, fragmentation rate, and fragmented stone weight were compared at settings of 0.6 J/5 Hz and 0.2 J/15 Hz. Retropulsive forces generated at 0.6 J/5 Hz, 0.2 J/15 Hz, and 0.2 J/50 Hz settings were compared. Analysis was performed using Student's t-test and one-way ANOVA. In the caliceal model, the 0.6 J/5 Hz setting fragmented and vaporized stones at a higher rate than the 0.2 J/15 Hz setting (0.072 vs. 0.049 mg/s; p < 0.001). However, when the 0.2 J energy setting was combined with the 50 Hz frequency, the fragmentation rate (0.069 mg/s) was similar to the fragmentation rate at 0.6 J/5 Hz (0.072 mg/s; p = 0.677). In the ureteral model, the 0.6 J/5 Hz setting produced higher fragmentation rates (0.089 vs. 0.049 mg/s; p < 0.001), but resulted in significantly lower fragmented stone weight overall (16.815 vs. 25.485 mg; p = 0.009) due to higher retropulsion rates (0.732 vs. 0.213 mm/s; p < 0.001). Retropulsive forces decreased significantly when pulse energy decreased from 0.6 to 0.2 J (0.907 vs. 0.223 N; p < 0.001). Frequency did not affect retropulsive force at 15 and 50 Hz settings (0.223 vs. 0.288 N; p = 0.509). Laser lithotripsy of calcium oxalate monohydrate stones in the ureter

The Advantage of a Ureteroscopic Navigation System with Magnetic Tracking in Comparison with Simulated Fluoroscopy in a Phantom Study.

PubMed

Yoshida, Kenji; Yokomizo, Akira; Matsuda, Tadashi; Hamasaki, Tsutomu; Kondo, Yukihiro; Yamaguchi, Kunihisa; Kanayama, Hiro-Omi; Wakumoto, Yoshiaki; Horie, Shigeo; Naito, Seiji

2015-09-01

To assess whether our ureteroscopic real-time navigation system has the possibility to reduce radiation exposure and improve performance of ureteroscopic maneuvers in surgeons of various ages and experience levels. Our novel ureteroscopic navigation system used a magnetic tracking device to detect the position of the ureteroscope and display it on a three-dimensional image. We recruited 31 urologists from five institutions to perform two tasks. Task 1 consisted of finding three internal markings on the phantom calices. Task 2 consisted of identifying all calices by ureteroscopy. In both tasks, participants performed with simulated fluoroscopy first, followed by our navigation system. Accuracy rates (AR) for identification, required time (T) for completing the task, migration length (ML), and time exposed to simulated fluoroscopy were recorded. The AR, T, and ML for both tasks were significantly better with the navigation system than without it (Task 1 with simulated fluoroscopy vs with navigation: AR 87.1 % vs 98.9%, P=0.003; T 355 s vs 191 s, P<0.0001; ML 4627 mm vs 2701 mm, P<0.0001. Task 2: AR 88.2% vs 96.7%, P=0.011; T 394 s vs 333 s, P=0.027; ML 5966 mm vs 5299 mm, P=0.0006). In both tasks, the participants used the simulated fluoroscopy about 20% of the total task time. Our navigation system, while still under development, could help surgeons of all levels to achieve better performances for ureteroscopic maneuvers compared with using fluoroscopic guidance. It also has the potential to reduce radiation exposure during fluoroscopy.

Does pelvicaliceal system anatomy affect success of percutaneous nephrolithotomy?

PubMed

Binbay, Murat; Akman, Tolga; Ozgor, Faruk; Yazici, Ozgur; Sari, Erhan; Erbin, Akif; Kezer, Cem; Sarilar, Omer; Berberoglu, Yalcın; Muslumanoglu, Ahmet Yaser

2011-10-01

To investigate the effect of the pelvicaliceal system (PCS) anatomy on the percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) success rate. Although the caliceal anatomy is effective for stone clearance after shock wave lithotripsy and retrograde intrarenal lithotripsy, the effect of the caliceal anatomy after PCNL has not been evaluated to date. A total of 498 patients who had undergone PCNL and preoperative intravenous urography were enrolled in our study. Kidney-related anatomic factors, such as the PCS surface area and type, degree of hydronephrosis, infundibulopelvic angle, upper-lower calix angle, infundibular length, and infundibular width were calculated using intravenous urography. The association between the PCNL success rate and kidney-related anatomic factors was retrospectively analyzed using chi-square tests, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and forward stepwise regression analysis. A success rate of 78.1% was achieved. No difference was seen the success rates among the PCS types. The mean PCS surface area was 20.1 ± 9.7 cm(2) in patients with successful outcomes and 24.5 ± 10.2 cm(2) in patients with remaining stones (P = .001). The mean infundibulopelvic angle, upper-lower calix angle, infundibular length, and infundibular width were similar in both groups. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that stone configuration and PCS surface area were independent factors affecting the PCNL success rates. The results of our study have shown that the PCS surface area is the only anatomic factor that affects the PCNL success rate and patients with a PCS surface area <20.5 cm(2) have greater PCNL success. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of the first prototype of the CALICE scintillator strip electromagnetic calorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francis, K.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; Smith, J.; Xia, L.; Baldolemar, E.; Li, J.; Park, S. T.; Sosebee, M.; White, A. P.; Yu, J.; Eigen, G.; Mikami, Y.; Watson, N. K.; Thomson, M. A.; Ward, D. R.; Benchekroun, D.; Hoummada, A.; Khoulaki, Y.; Apostolakis, J.; Dotti, A.; Folger, G.; Ivantchenko, V.; Ribon, A.; Uzhinskiy, V.; Cârloganu, C.; Gay, P.; Manen, S.; Royer, L.; Tytgat, M.; Zaganidis, N.; Blazey, G. C.; Dyshkant, A.; Lima, J. G. R.; Zutshi, V.; Hostachy, J.-Y.; Morin, L.; Cornett, U.; David, D.; Ebrahimi, A.; Falley, G.; Gadow, K.; Göttlicher, P.; Günter, C.; Hartbrich, O.; Hermberg, B.; Karstensen, S.; Krivan, F.; Krüger, K.; Lutz, B.; Morozov, S.; Morgunov, V.; Neubüser, C.; Reinecke, M.; Sefkow, F.; Smirnov, P.; Terwort, M.; Garutti, E.; Laurien, S.; Lu, S.; Marchesini, I.; Matysek, M.; Ramilli, M.; Briggl, K.; Eckert, P.; Harion, T.; Schultz-Coulon, H.-Ch.; Shen, W.; Stamen, R.; Bilki, B.; Norbeck, E.; Northacker, D.; Onel, Y.; Wilson, G. W.; Kawagoe, K.; Sudo, Y.; Yoshioka, T.; Dauncey, P. D.; Wing, M.; Salvatore, F.; Cortina Gil, E.; Mannai, S.; Baulieu, G.; Calabria, P.; Caponetto, L.; Combaret, C.; Della Negra, R.; Grenier, G.; Han, R.; Ianigro, J.-C.; Kieffer, R.; Laktineh, I.; Lumb, N.; Mathez, H.; Mirabito, L.; Petrukhin, A.; Steen, A.; Tromeur, W.; Vander Donckt, M.; Zoccarato, Y.; Calvo Alamillo, E.; Fouz, M.-C.; Puerta-Pelayo, J.; Corriveau, F.; Bobchenko, B.; Chadeeva, M.; Danilov, M.; Epifantsev, A.; Markin, O.; Mizuk, R.; Novikov, E.; Popov, V.; Rusinov, V.; Tarkovsky, E.; Besson, D.; Buzhan, P.; Ilyin, A.; Kantserov, V.; Kaplin, V.; Karakash, A.; Popova, E.; Tikhomirov, V.; Kiesling, C.; Seidel, K.; Simon, F.; Soldner, C.; Weuste, L.; Amjad, M. S.; Bonis, J.; Callier, S.; Conforti di Lorenzo, S.; Cornebise, P.; Doublet, Ph.; Dulucq, F.; Fleury, J.; Frisson, T.; van der Kolk, N.; Li, H.; Martin-Chassard, G.; Richard, F.; de la Taille, Ch.; Pöschl, R.; Raux, L.; Rouëné, J.; Seguin-Moreau, N.; Anduze, M.; Balagura, V.; Boudry, V.; Brient, J.-C.; Cornat, R.; Frotin, M.; Gastaldi, F.; Guliyev, E.; Haddad, Y.; Magniette, F.; Musat, G.; Ruan, M.; Tran, T. H.; Videau, H.; Bulanek, B.; Zacek, J.; Cvach, J.; Gallus, P.; Havranek, M.; Janata, M.; Kvasnicka, J.; Lednicky, D.; Marcisovsky, M.; Polak, I.; Popule, J.; Tomasek, L.; Tomasek, M.; Ruzicka, P.; Sicho, P.; Smolik, J.; Vrba, V.; Zalesak, J.; Belhorma, B.; Ghazlane, H.; Kotera, K.; Ono, H.; Takeshita, T.; Uozumi, S.; Jeans, D.; Chang, S.; Khan, A.; Kim, D. H.; Kong, D. J.; Oh, Y. D.; Götze, M.; Sauer, J.; Weber, S.; Zeitnitz, C.

2014-11-01

A first prototype of a scintillator strip-based electromagnetic calorimeter was built, consisting of 26 layers of tungsten absorber plates interleaved with planes of 45×10×3 mm3 plastic scintillator strips. Data were collected using a positron test beam at DESY with momenta between 1 and 6 GeV/c. The prototype's performance is presented in terms of the linearity and resolution of the energy measurement. These results represent an important milestone in the development of highly granular calorimeters using scintillator strip technology. A number of possible design improvements were identified, which should be implemented in a future detector of this type. This technology is being developed for a future linear collider experiment, aiming at the precise measurement of jet energies using particle flow techniques.

Performance of the first prototype of the CALICE scintillator strip electromagnetic calorimeter

DOE PAGES

Francis, K.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; ...

2014-11-01

A first prototype of a scintillator strip-based electromagnetic calorimeter was built, consisting of 26 layers of tungsten absorber plates interleaved with planes of 45 × 10 × 3 mm³ plastic scintillator strips. Data were collected using a positron test beam at DESY with momenta between 1 and 6 GeV/c. The prototype's performance is presented in terms of the linearity and resolution of the energy measurement. These results represent an important milestone in the development of highly granular calorimeters using scintillator strip technology. A number of possible design improvements were identified, which should be implemented in a future detector of thismore » type. This technology is being developed for a future linear collider experiment, aiming at the precise measurement of jet energies using particle flow techniques.« less

DHCAL with minimal absorber: measurements with positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freund, B.; Neubüser, C.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; Xia, L.; Dotti, A.; Grefe, C.; Ivantchenko, V.; Berenguer Antequera, J.; Calvo Alamillo, E.; Fouz, M.-C.; Marin, J.; Puerta-Pelayo, J.; Verdugo, A.; Brianne, E.; Ebrahimi, A.; Gadow, K.; Göttlicher, P.; Günter, C.; Hartbrich, O.; Hermberg, B.; Irles, A.; Krivan, F.; Krüger, K.; Kvasnicka, J.; Lu, S.; Lutz, B.; Morgunov, V.; Provenza, A.; Reinecke, M.; Sefkow, F.; Schuwalow, S.; Tran, H. L.; Garutti, E.; Laurien, S.; Matysek, M.; Ramilli, M.; Schroeder, S.; Bilki, B.; Norbeck, E.; Northacker, D.; Onel, Y.; Cvach, J.; Gallus, P.; Havranek, M.; Janata, M.; Kovalcuk, M.; Kvasnicka, J.; Lednicky, D.; Marcisovsky, M.; Polak, I.; Popule, J.; Tomasek, L.; Tomasek, M.; Sicho, P.; Smolik, J.; Vrba, V.; Zalesak, J.; van Doren, B.; Wilson, G. W.; Kawagoe, K.; Hirai, H.; Sudo, Y.; Suehara, T.; Sumida, H.; Takada, S.; Tomita, T.; Yoshioka, T.; Bilokin, S.; Bonis, J.; Cornebise, P.; Pöschl, R.; Richard, F.; Thiebault, A.; Zerwas, D.; Hostachy, J.-Y.; Morin, L.; Besson, D.; Chadeeva, M.; Danilov, M.; Markin, O.; Popova, E.; Gabriel, M.; Goecke, P.; Kiesling, C.; van der Kolk, N.; Simon, F.; Szalay, M.; Corriveau, F.; Blazey, G. C.; Dyshkant, A.; Francis, K.; Zutshi, V.; Kotera, K.; Ono, H.; Takeshita, T.; Ieki, S.; Kamiya, Y.; Ootani, W.; Shibata, N.; Jeans, D.; Komamiya, S.; Nakanishi, H.

2016-05-01

In special tests, the active layers of the CALICE Digital Hadron Calorimeter prototype, the DHCAL, were exposed to low energy particle beams, without being interleaved by absorber plates. The thickness of each layer corresponded approximately to 0.29 radiation lengths or 0.034 nuclear interaction lengths, defined mostly by the copper and steel skins of the detector cassettes. This paper reports on measurements performed with this device in the Fermilab test beam with positrons in the energy range of 1 to 10 GeV. The measurements are compared to simulations based on GEANT4 and a standalone program to emulate the detailed response of the active elements.

Preliminary results concerning the simulation of beam profiles from extracted ion current distributions for mini-STRIKE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agostinetti, P., E-mail: piero.agostinetti@igi.cnr.it; Serianni, G.; Veltri, P.

The Radio Frequency (RF) negative hydrogen ion source prototype has been chosen for the ITER neutral beam injectors due to its optimal performances and easier maintenance demonstrated at Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching in hydrogen and deuterium. One of the key information to better understand the operating behavior of the RF ion sources is the extracted negative ion current density distribution. This distribution—influenced by several factors like source geometry, particle drifts inside the source, cesium distribution, and layout of cesium ovens—is not straightforward to be evaluated. The main outcome of the present contribution is the development of a minimization method tomore » estimate the extracted current distribution using the footprint of the beam recorded with mini-STRIKE (Short-Time Retractable Instrumented Kalorimeter). To accomplish this, a series of four computational models have been set up, where the output of a model is the input of the following one. These models compute the optics of the ion beam, evaluate the distribution of the heat deposited on the mini-STRIKE diagnostic calorimeter, and finally give an estimate of the temperature distribution on the back of mini-STRIKE. Several iterations with different extracted current profiles are necessary to give an estimate of the profile most compatible with the experimental data. A first test of the application of the method to the BAvarian Test Machine for Negative ions beam is given.« less

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy as first line treatment for urinary tract stones in children: outcome of 500 cases.

PubMed

Badawy, Abdelbasset A; Saleem, Mohamed D; Abolyosr, Ahmad; Aldahshoury, Mohamed; Elbadry, Mohamed S B; Abdalla, Medhat A; Abuzeid, Abdelmoneim M

2012-06-01

The continued evolution of stone treatment modalities, such as endourologic procedures, open surgery and shock wave lithotripsy, makes the assessment of continuous outcomes are essential. Pediatric urolithiasis are an important health problem allover the world, especially in Middle East region. We evaluate the safety, efficacy and factors affecting success rate and clearance of stones in children treated with shock wave lithotripsy. Between 2005 and 2010, a total of 500 children with stones in the upper urinary tract at different locations were treated by Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) in our department, Sohag University, Egypt. We have used the Siemn's Lithostar Modularis machine, Germany. A total of 371 boys and 129 girls with the average age of 8.63 ± 5 years, and a range from 9 months to 17 years were included in this study. Diagnosis of their urinary calculi was established either by the use of abdominal ultrasound, plain X-ray, intravenous urography, or CT scan. The stones were located in the kidney in 450 (90%) patients; 298 (66%) pelvic, 26 (5.7%) upper calices, 57 (12.6%) mid calices, and lower calices in 69 (15.3%) patients. The average of their stone sizes was 12.5 ± 7.2 mm. The other 50 children their stone were located in the proximal ureteral stones in 35 patients (70%); middle third in 5 (10%) patients and in the distal ureter in 10 (20%) patients. The average ureteral stone size was 7.5 ± 3.2 mm. All children were treated under general anesthesia with adequate lung and testes shielding using air foam. We treated the distal ureteral stones of young children in the supine position through greater sciatic foramen and lesser sciatic foramen as the path of shockwave instead of prone position, which is not a comfortable or natural position and could adversely affect cardiopulmonary function especially under general anesthesia. Localization was mainly done by ultrasound, and X-ray was only used to localize ureteral calculi. For follow

Imaging hadron calorimetry for future Lepton Colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Repond, José

2013-12-01

To fully exploit the physics potential of a future Lepton Collider requires detectors with unprecedented jet energy and dijet-mass resolution. To meet these challenges, detectors optimized for the application of Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) are being designed and developed. The application of PFAs, in turn, requires calorimeters with very fine segmentation of the readout, so-called imaging calorimeters. This talk reviews progress in imaging hadron calorimetry as it is being developed for implementation in a detector at a future Lepton Collider. Recent results from the large prototypes built by the CALICE Collaboration, such as the Scintillator Analog Hadron Calorimeter (AHCAL) and the Digital Hadron Calorimeters (DHCAL and SDHCAL) are being presented. In addition, various R&D efforts beyond the present prototypes are being discussed.

Large Scale Beam-Tests of the Silicon and Scintillator-SiPM Modules for the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter at the HL-LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Shilpi

The High Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL) will replace the existing CMS endcap calorimeters during the High Luminosity run of the LHC (HL-LHC) era. The electromagnetic part, as well as the first layers of the hadronic part, foresees around 600 square metres of silicon sensors as the active material. The remainder of the HGCAL, in the lower radiation environment, will use plastic scintillators with on-tile silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readout. Prototype hexagonal silicon modules, featuring a new ASIC (Skiroc2-CMS), together with a modified version of the scintillator-SiPM CALICE AHCAL, have been tested in beams at CERN. This setup represents a full slice through HGCAL. Results from MIP calibration, energy resolution, electromagnetic and hadronic shower-shapes are presented using electrons, pions and muons.

POLLiCE (POLLen in the iCE): climate history from Adamello ice cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristofori, Antonella; Festi, Daniela; Maggi, Valter; Casarotto, Christian; Bertoni, Elena; Vernesi, Cristiano

2017-04-01

Glaciers can be viewed as the most complete and effective past climate and environment archives severely threatened by climate change. These threats are particularly dramatic across European Alps. The Adamello glacier is the largest, 16.4 km2, and deepest, 270 m, Italian glacier. We aim at estimating biodiversity changes over the last centuries in relation to climate and human activities in the Adamello catchment area. We, therefore, recently launched the POLLiCE project (pollice.fmach.it) for specifically targeting the biological component (e.g. pollen, leaves, plant remains) trapped in ice cores. Classical morphological pollen analysis will be accompanied by DNA metabarcoding. This approach has the potential to provide a detailed taxonomical identification - at least genus level- thus circumventing the limitations of microscopic analysis such as time-consuming procedures and shared features of pollen grains among different taxa. Moreover, ice cores are subjected to chemical and physical analyses - stable isotopes, ions, hyperspectral imaging, etc.- for stratigraphic and climatic determination of seasonality. A pilot drilling was conducted on March 2015 and the resulting 5 m core has been analysed in terms of pollen spectrum, stable isotopes and ions in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the study. The first encouraging results showed that even in this superficial core a stratigraphy is evident with indication of seasonality as highlighted by both by pollen taxa and stable isotopes. Finally, DNA has been successfully extracted and amplified with specific DNA barcodes. A medium drilling was performed on April 2016 with the extraction of a 45 m ice core. The analysis of this core constitutes the subject of a specific research project, CALICE*, just funded by Euregio Science Fund (IPN57). The entire depth, 270 m, of the Adamello glacier is scheduled to be drilled in 2018 winter to secure the unique memory archived by the ice. * See EGU2017 poster by Festi et al

Prognostic Impact of Stone-Scoring Systems After Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy for Staghorn Calculi: A Single Center's Experience Over 10 Years.

PubMed

Choi, Sae Woong; Bae, Woong Jin; Ha, U-Syn; Hong, Sung-Hoo; Lee, Ji Youl; Kim, Sae Woong; Cho, Hyuk Jin

2016-09-01

To investigate the prognostic factors associated with stone-free rate (SFR) and complications after percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for the treatment of staghorn stone and to compare the predictive value and accuracy of three stone-scoring systems for the treatment success of staghorn stone. We retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing PCNL at our center from June 2003 to June 2014. On the basis of noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) scan images, we calculated Guy's score, S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry, and Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) nomogram to assess the association with stone-free status and complications. For statistical evaluation, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. During the study period, 886 cases had medical records available. Cases who underwent PCNL for the treatment of staghorn calculi accounted for 34.4% (305/886 cases). Preoperative NCCT was performed in 217 cases. The 217 procedures (205 patients, 12 simultaneous bilateral PCNLs) had a mean stone size of 1358.3 ± 760.7 mm(2), with 111 (51.2%) partial staghorn and 106 (48.8%) complete staghorn stones. The initial and overall SFRs of PCNL were 53.9% and 70.1%, respectively. The overall complication rate was 32.7% (71/217 cases). On a multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent predictors for SFR were number of involved calices, S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry, and pre-existent urinary tract infection (UTI) (odds ratios [ORs] = 1.311, 1.933, and 2.340, respectively). Stone burden was an independent risk factor for the development of complications on multivariate analysis (OR = 2.846 and p = 0.001). The results of this study show that multiple involved calices, high grades of S.T.O.N.E. nephrolithometry, and pre-existent UTIs were associated with lower SFR after PCNL for staghorn calculi. Stone burden was an independent risk factor for the development of complications.

Management of calyceal diverticular calculi: a comparison of percutaneous nephrolithotomy and flexible ureterorenoscopy.

PubMed

Bas, Okan; Ozyuvali, Ekrem; Aydogmus, Yasin; Sener, Nevzat Can; Dede, Onur; Ozgun, Serhat; Hizli, Fatih; Senocak, Cagri; Bozkurt, Omer Faruk; Basar, Halil; Imamoglu, Abdurrahim

2015-04-01

To compare the outcomes in patients who have been treated with flexible ureterorenoscopy (f-URS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) in managing stone-bearing caliceal diverticula. Between April 2007 and October 2013, we performed a retrospective analysis of 54 evaluable patients (28 women and 26 men) with symptomatic stone-bearing caliceal diverticula, who underwent PNL (n = 29) or F-URS (n = 25) in four referral hospitals in Turkey. The groups were compared with respect to demographics, stone location/size, success rate, stone-free status, symptom-free status, complication rates, and hospital stay. The average stone burden preoperatively was significantly larger in patients who were treated with PNL, with the average size for f-URS being 154 ± 77 mm(2) and that for PNL being 211 ± 97 mm(2) (p = 0.023). Symptom-free rates, success rates, stone-free rates and clinically insignificant residual fragments were similar between the groups (p = 0.880 vs. p = 0.537 vs. p = 0.539, and p = 0.877, respectively). There was no statistical difference between the groups for minor complications (p = 0.521) but no major complication (Clavien III-V) occured in the f-URS group; although there were three major complications (10.3 %) (Clavien III) in the PNL group (p < 0.001). Hospitalization time per patient was 1.04 ± 0.20 days in the f-URS group, while it was 3.86 ± 1.94 days in the PNL group (p < 0.001). Even though this study clearly shows that both techniques have high overall success and symptom-free rates with similar complication rates for stone-bearing calyceal diverticulum, major complication rates may suggest consideration of the invasiveness of PNL. The f-URS procedure is advantageous with respect to a shorter hospital stay and absence of major complications. Therefore, it should be emphasized that the location of the stone and diverticula is an important factor for the selection of the procedure.

Construction of a technological semi-digital hadronic calorimeter using GRPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laktineh, I.

2011-04-01

A high-granularity semi-digital Hadronic calorimeter using GRPC as sensitive medium is one of the two HCAL options considered by the ILD collaboration to be proposed for the detector of the future International Linear Collider project. A prototype of 1m3 has been conceived within the CALICE collaboration in order to validate this option. The prototype intends to be as close as possible to the one proposed in the ILD Letter Of Intent. Few units made of 1m2 GRPC fully equipped with semi-digital readout electronics and new gas distribution design were produced and successfully tested. In 2010 we intend to produce 40 similar units to be inserted in a self-supporting mechanical structure. The prototype will then be exposed to TestBeams at CERN for final validation.

Test of 1D carbon-carbon composite prototype tiles for the SPIDER diagnostic calorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serianni, G.; Pimazzoni, A.; Canton, A.; Palma, M. Dalla; Delogu, R.; Fasolo, D.; Franchin, L.; Pasqualotto, R.; Tollin, M.

2017-08-01

Additional heating will be provided to the thermonuclear fusion experiment ITER by injection of neutral beams from accelerated negative ions. In the SPIDER test facility, under construction at Consorzio RFX in Padova (Italy), the production of negative ions will be studied and optimised. To this purpose the STRIKE (Short-Time Retractable Instrumented Kalorimeter Experiment) diagnostic will be used to characterise the SPIDER beam during short operation (several seconds) and to verify if the beam meets the ITER requirement regarding the maximum allowed beam non-uniformity (below ±10%). The most important measurements performed by STRIKE are beam uniformity, beamlet divergence and stripping losses. The major components of STRIKE are 16 1D-CFC (Carbon matrix-Carbon Fibre reinforced Composite) tiles, observed at the rear side by a thermal camera. The requirements of the 1D CFC material include a large thermal conductivity along the tile thickness (at least 10 times larger than in the other directions); low specific heat and density; uniform parameters over the tile surface; capability to withstand localised heat loads resulting in steep temperature gradients. So 1D CFC is a very anisotropic and delicate material, not commercially available, and prototypes are being specifically realised. This contribution gives an overview of the tests performed on the CFC prototype tiles, aimed at verifying their thermal behaviour. The spatial uniformity of the parameters and the ratio between the thermal conductivities are assessed by means of a power laser at Consorzio RFX. Dedicated linear and non-linear simulations are carried out to interpret the experiments and to estimate the thermal conductivities; these simulations are described and a comparison of the experimental data with the simulation results is presented.

Hibiscus sabdariffa extract lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function.

PubMed

Joven, Jorge; March, Isabel; Espinel, Eugenia; Fernández-Arroyo, Salvador; Rodríguez-Gallego, Esther; Aragonès, Gerard; Beltrán-Debón, Raúl; Alonso-Villaverde, Carlos; Rios, Lidia; Martin-Paredero, Vicente; Menendez, Javier A; Micol, Vicente; Segura-Carretero, Antonio; Camps, Jordi

2014-06-01

Polyphenols from Hibiscus sabdariffa calices were administered to patients with metabolic syndrome (125 mg/kg/day for 4 wk, n = 31) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (125 or 60 mg/kg in a single dose or daily for 1 wk, n = 8 for each experimental group). The H. sabdariffa extract improved metabolism, displayed potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, and significantly reduced blood pressure in both humans and rats. Diuresis and inhibition of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme were found to be less important mechanisms than those related to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and endothelium-dependent effects to explain the beneficial actions. Notably, polyphenols induced a favorable endothelial response that should be considered in the management of metabolic cardiovascular risks. © 2014 The Authors. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Lossless medical image compression using geometry-adaptive partitioning and least square-based prediction.

PubMed

Song, Xiaoying; Huang, Qijun; Chang, Sheng; He, Jin; Wang, Hao

2018-06-01

To improve the compression rates for lossless compression of medical images, an efficient algorithm, based on irregular segmentation and region-based prediction, is proposed in this paper. Considering that the first step of a region-based compression algorithm is segmentation, this paper proposes a hybrid method by combining geometry-adaptive partitioning and quadtree partitioning to achieve adaptive irregular segmentation for medical images. Then, least square (LS)-based predictors are adaptively designed for each region (regular subblock or irregular subregion). The proposed adaptive algorithm not only exploits spatial correlation between pixels but it utilizes local structure similarity, resulting in efficient compression performance. Experimental results show that the average compression performance of the proposed algorithm is 10.48, 4.86, 3.58, and 0.10% better than that of JPEG 2000, CALIC, EDP, and JPEG-LS, respectively. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Thermal Response to High-Power Holmium Laser Lithotripsy.

PubMed

Aldoukhi, Ali H; Ghani, Khurshid R; Hall, Timothy L; Roberts, William W

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate "caliceal" fluid temperature changes during holmium laser activation/lithotripsy using settings up to 40 W power output with different irrigation flow rates. The experimental system consisted of a glass test tube (diameter 10 mm/length 75 mm) filled with deionized water, to mimic a calix. Real-time temperature was recorded using a thermocouple (Physitemp, NJ) positioned 5 mm from the bottom of the tube. A 200 μm laser fiber (Flexiva; Boston Scientific, MA) was introduced through the working channel of a disposable ureteroscope (LithoVue; Boston Scientific) and the laser fiber tip was positioned 15 mm above the bottom of the test tube. Deionized water irrigation (room temperature) through the working channel of the ureteroscope was delivered at flow rates of 0, 7-8, 14-15, and 38-40 mL/minute. A 120-W holmium laser (pulse 120; Lumenis, CA) was used. The following settings were explored: 0.5 J × 10 Hz, 1.0 J × 10 Hz, 0.5 J × 20 Hz, 1.0 J × 20 Hz, 0.5 J × 40 Hz, 1.0 J × 40 Hz, and 0.5 J × 80 Hz. During each experiment, the laser was activated continuously for 60 seconds. Temperature increased with increasing laser power output and decreasing irrigation flow rate. The highest temperature, 70.3°C (standard deviation 2.7), occurred with laser setting of 1.0 J × 40 Hz and no irrigation after 60 seconds of continuous laser firing. None of the tested laser settings and irrigation parameters produced temperature exceeding 51°C when activated for only 10 seconds of continuous laser firing. High-power holmium settings fired in long bursts with low irrigation flow rates can generate high fluid temperatures in a laboratory "caliceal" model. Awareness of this risk allows urologist to implement a variety of techniques (higher irrigation flow rates, intermittent laser activation, and potentially cooled irrigation fluid) to control and mitigate thermal

A Concept for Power Cycling the Electronics of CALICE-AHCAL with the Train Structure of ILC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Göottlicher, Peter; The Calice-Collaboration

Particle flow algorithm calorimetry requires high granularity three-dimensional readout. The tight power requirement of 40 μW/channel is reached by enabling readout ASIC currents only during beam delivery, corresponding to a 1% duty cycle. EMI noise caused by current switching needs to be minimized by the power system and this paper presents ideas, simulations and first measurements for minimizing disturbances. A carefully design of circuits, printed circuit boards, grounding scheme and use of floating supplies allows current loops to be closed locally, stabilized voltages and minimal currents in the metal structures.

[Percutaneous renal puncture guide by a novel real-time needle-tracking ultrasound system for percutaneous nephrolithotomy: analysis of 16 cases].

PubMed

Ma, Kai; Huang, Xiao-bo; Xiong, Liu-lin; Xu, Qing-quan; Xu, Tao; Ye, Hai-yun; Yu, Lu-ping; Wang, Xiao-feng

2014-08-18

To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous renal puncture in percutaneous nephrolithotomy guided by novel needle-tracking ultrasound system. From may to october 2013, 16 cases of percutaneous nephrolithotomy were performed under the guidance of ultrasound system. The clinical data including the time of completing percutaneous renal puncture, the color of urine sucked out from the kidney calices, and the complications were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 16 patients, 18 percutaneous renal access were established guided by ultrasound system. All of them were successtul for the first time, and the average time of completing percutaneous renal punctures was (26.90 ± 11.37) s (15 to 54 s). After the operation, the hemoglobin decreased by (9.56 ± 5.27)%(1.41% to 24.06%), and no complications occurred except for postoperative fever in 2 case. The novel ultrasound system is a safe and effective technique that can reduce the technical difficulty of percutaneous renal puncture in percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

Construction of the DHCAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francis, Kurt; CALICE Collaboration

Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) have been proposed as a method of improving the jet energy resolution of future colliding beam detectors. PFAs require calorimeters with high granularity to enable three-dimensional imaging of events. The Calorimeter for the Linear Collider Collaboration (CALICE) is developing and testing prototypes of such highly segmented calorimeters. In this context, a large prototype of a Digital Hadron Calorimeter (DHCAL) was developed and constructed by a group led by Argonne National Laboratory. The DHCAL consists of 52 layers, instrumented with Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) and interleaved with steel absorber plates. The RPCs are read out by 1 x 1 cm2 pads with a 1-bit resolution (digital readout). The DHCAL prototype has approximately 480,000 readout channels. This talk reports on the design, construction and commissioning of the DHCAL. The DHCAL was installed at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility in fall 2010 and data was collected through the summer 2011.

Discovery and functional characterization of two diterpene synthases for sclareol biosynthesis in Salvia sclarea (L.) and their relevance for perfume manufacture

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Sclareol is a diterpene natural product of high value for the fragrance industry. Its labdane carbon skeleton and its two hydroxyl groups also make it a valued starting material for semisynthesis of numerous commercial substances, including production of Ambrox® and related ambergris substitutes used in the formulation of high end perfumes. Most of the commercially-produced sclareol is derived from cultivated clary sage (Salvia sclarea) and extraction of the plant material. In clary sage, sclareol mainly accumulates in essential oil-producing trichomes that densely cover flower calices. Manool also is a minor diterpene of this species and the main diterpene of related Salvia species. Results Based on previous general knowledge of diterpene biosynthesis in angiosperms, and based on mining of our recently published transcriptome database obtained by deep 454-sequencing of cDNA from clary sage calices, we cloned and functionally characterized two new diterpene synthase (diTPS) enzymes for the complete biosynthesis of sclareol in clary sage. A class II diTPS (SsLPPS) produced labda-13-en-8-ol diphosphate as major product from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) with some minor quantities of its non-hydroxylated analogue, (9 S, 10 S)-copalyl diphosphate. A class I diTPS (SsSS) then transformed these intermediates into sclareol and manool, respectively. The production of sclareol was reconstructed in vitro by combining the two recombinant diTPS enzymes with the GGPP starting substrate and in vivo by co-expression of the two proteins in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Tobacco-based transient expression assays of green fluorescent protein-fusion constructs revealed that both enzymes possess an N-terminal signal sequence that actively targets SsLPPS and SsSS to the chloroplast, a major site of GGPP and diterpene production in plants. Conclusions SsLPPS and SsSS are two monofunctional diTPSs which, together, produce the diterpenoid specialized metabolite sclareol

Discovery and functional characterization of two diterpene synthases for sclareol biosynthesis in Salvia sclarea (L.) and their relevance for perfume manufacture.

PubMed

Caniard, Anne; Zerbe, Philipp; Legrand, Sylvain; Cohade, Allison; Valot, Nadine; Magnard, Jean-Louis; Bohlmann, Jörg; Legendre, Laurent

2012-07-26

Sclareol is a diterpene natural product of high value for the fragrance industry. Its labdane carbon skeleton and its two hydroxyl groups also make it a valued starting material for semisynthesis of numerous commercial substances, including production of Ambrox® and related ambergris substitutes used in the formulation of high end perfumes. Most of the commercially-produced sclareol is derived from cultivated clary sage (Salvia sclarea) and extraction of the plant material. In clary sage, sclareol mainly accumulates in essential oil-producing trichomes that densely cover flower calices. Manool also is a minor diterpene of this species and the main diterpene of related Salvia species. Based on previous general knowledge of diterpene biosynthesis in angiosperms, and based on mining of our recently published transcriptome database obtained by deep 454-sequencing of cDNA from clary sage calices, we cloned and functionally characterized two new diterpene synthase (diTPS) enzymes for the complete biosynthesis of sclareol in clary sage. A class II diTPS (SsLPPS) produced labda-13-en-8-ol diphosphate as major product from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) with some minor quantities of its non-hydroxylated analogue, (9 S, 10 S)-copalyl diphosphate. A class I diTPS (SsSS) then transformed these intermediates into sclareol and manool, respectively. The production of sclareol was reconstructed in vitro by combining the two recombinant diTPS enzymes with the GGPP starting substrate and in vivo by co-expression of the two proteins in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Tobacco-based transient expression assays of green fluorescent protein-fusion constructs revealed that both enzymes possess an N-terminal signal sequence that actively targets SsLPPS and SsSS to the chloroplast, a major site of GGPP and diterpene production in plants. SsLPPS and SsSS are two monofunctional diTPSs which, together, produce the diterpenoid specialized metabolite sclareol in a two-step process. They

The aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calices modulates the production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in humans.

PubMed

Beltrán-Debón, R; Alonso-Villaverde, C; Aragonès, G; Rodríguez-Medina, I; Rull, A; Micol, V; Segura-Carretero, A; Fernández-Gutiérrez, A; Camps, J; Joven, J

2010-03-01

Diet supplementation and/or modulation is an important strategy to significantly improve human health. The search of plants as additional sources of bioactive phenolic compounds is relevant in this context. The aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa is rich in anthocyanins and other phenolic compounds including hydroxycitric and chlorogenic acids. Using this extract we have shown an effective protection of cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the cellular death induced by H(2)O(2) and a significant role in the production of inflammatory cytokines. In vitro, the extract promotes the production of IL-6 and IL-8 and decreases the concentration of MCP-1 in supernatants in a dose-dependent manner. In humans, the ingestion of an acute dose of the extract (10g) was well tolerated and decreased plasma MCP-1 concentrations significantly without further effects on other cytokines. This effect was not due to a concomitant increase in the antioxidant capacity of plasma. Instead, its mechanisms probably involve a direct inhibition of inflammatory and/or metabolic pathways responsible for MCP-1 production, and may be relevant in inflammatory and chronic conditions in which the role of MCP-1 is well established. If beneficial effects are confirmed in patients, Hibiscus sabdariffa could be considered a valuable traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases with the advantage of being devoid of caloric value or potential alcohol toxicity. Copyright 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Numerical Assessment of the Diagnostic Capabilities of the Instrumented Calorimeter for SPIDER (STRIKE)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalla Palma, M.; Pasqualotto, R.; Rizzolo, A.

An important feature of the ITER project is represented by additional heating via injection of neutral beams from accelerated negative ions. To study and optimise their production, the SPIDER test facility is under construction in Padova, with the aim of testing beam characteristics and to verify the source proper operation.STRIKE (Short-Time Retractable Instrumented Kalorimeter Experiment) is a diagnostic to characterise the SPIDER negative ion beam during short operation (several seconds). During long pulse operations, STRIKE is parked off-beam in the vacuum vessel. The most important measurements are beam uniformity, beamlet divergence and stripping losses. STRIKE is directly exposed to themore » beam and is formed of 16 tiles, one for each beamlet groups. The measurements are provided by thermal cameras, current sensors, thermocouples and electrostatic sensors. This paper presents the investigation of the influence on the response of STRIKE of: thermal characteristics of the tile material, exposure angle, features of some dedicated diagnostics. The uniformity of the beam will be studied by measurements of the current flowing through each tile and by thermal cameras. Simulations show that it will be possible to verify experimentally whether the beam meets the ITER requirement about the maximum allowed beam non-uniformity (below {+-}10%). In the simulations also the influence of the beam halo has been included; the effect of off-perveance conditions has been studied. To estimate the beamlet divergence, STRIKE can be moved along the beam direction at two different distances from the accelerator. The optimal positions have been defined taking into account design constraints. The effect of stripping on the comparison between currents and heat loads has been assessed; this will allow to obtain an experimental estimate of stripping. Electrostatic simulations have provided the suitable tile biasing voltage in order to reabsorb secondary particles into the same tile

Digital Hadron Calorimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilki, Burak

2018-03-01

The Particle Flow Algorithms attempt to measure each particle in a hadronic jet individually, using the detector providing the best energy/momentum resolution. Therefore, the spatial segmentation of the calorimeter plays a crucial role. In this context, the CALICE Collaboration developed the Digital Hadron Calorimeter. The Digital Hadron Calorimeter uses Resistive Plate Chambers as active media and has a 1-bit resolution (digital) readout of 1 × 1 cm2 pads. The calorimeter was tested with steel and tungsten absorber structures, as well as with no absorber structure, at the Fermilab and CERN test beam facilities over several years. In addition to conventional calorimetric measurements, the Digital Hadron Calorimeter offers detailed measurements of event shapes, rigorous tests of simulation models and various tools for improved performance due to its very high spatial granularity. Here we report on the results from the analysis of pion and positron events. Results of comparisons with the Monte Carlo simulations are also discussed. The analysis demonstrates the unique utilization of detailed event topologies.

Predominant Role of Cytosolic Phospholipase A2α in Dioxin-induced Neonatal Hydronephrosis in Mice

PubMed Central

Yoshioka, Wataru; Kawaguchi, Tatsuya; Fujisawa, Nozomi; Aida-Yasuoka, Keiko; Shimizu, Takao; Matsumura, Fumio; Tohyama, Chiharu

2014-01-01

Hydronephrosis is a common disease characterized by dilation of the renal pelvis and calices, resulting in loss of kidney function in the most severe cases. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) induces nonobstructive hydronephrosis in mouse neonates through upregulation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis pathway consisting of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) by a yet unknown mechanism. We here studied possible involvement of cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) in this mechanism. To this end, we used a cPLA2α-null mouse model and found that cPLA2α has a significant role in the upregulation of the PGE2 synthesis pathway through a noncanonical pathway of aryl hydrocarbon receptor. This study is the first to demonstrate the predominant role of cPLA2α in hydronephrosis. Elucidation of the pathway leading to the onset of hydronephrosis using the TCDD-exposed mouse model will deepen our understanding of the molecular basis of nonobstructive hydronephrosis in humans. PMID:24509627

A source-specific model for lossless compression of global Earth data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kess, Barbara Lynne

A Source Specific Model for Global Earth Data (SSM-GED) is a lossless compression method for large images that captures global redundancy in the data and achieves a significant improvement over CALIC and DCXT-BT/CARP, two leading lossless compression schemes. The Global Land 1-Km Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data, which contains 662 Megabytes (MB) per band, is an example of a large data set that requires decompression of regions of the data. For this reason, SSM-GED compresses the AVHRR data as a collection of subwindows. This approach defines the statistical parameters for the model prior to compression. Unlike universal models that assume no a priori knowledge of the data, SSM-GED captures global redundancy that exists among all of the subwindows of data. The overlap in parameters among subwindows of data enables SSM-GED to improve the compression rate by increasing the number of parameters and maintaining a small model cost for each subwindow of data. This lossless compression method is applicable to other large volumes of image data such as video.

KLauS: an ASIC for silicon photomultiplier readout and its application in a setup for production testing of scintillating tiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggl, K.; Dorn, M.; Hagdorn, R.; Harion, T.; Schultz-Coulon, H. C.; Shen, W.

2014-02-01

KLauS is an ASIC produced in the AMS 0.35 μm SiGe process to read out the charge signals from silicon photomultipliers. Developed as an analog front-end for future calorimeters with high granularity as pursued by the AHCAL concept in the CALICE collaboration, the ASIC is designed to measure the charge signal of the sensors in a large dynamic range and with low electronic noise contributions. In order to tune the operation voltage of each sensor individually, an 8-bit DAC to tune the voltage at the input terminal within a range of 2V is implemented. Using an integrated fast comparator with low jitter, the time information can be measured with sub-nanosecond resolution. The low power consumption of the ASIC can be further decreased using power gating techniques. Future versions of KLauS are under development and will incorporate an ADC with a resolution of up to 12-bits and blocks for digital data transmission. The chip is used in a setup for mass testing and characterization of scintillator tiles for the AHCAL test beam program.

Energy reconstruction of hadrons in highly granular combined ECAL and HCAL systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Israeli, Y.

2018-05-01

This paper discusses the hadronic energy reconstruction of two combined electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeter systems using physics prototypes of the CALICE collaboration: the silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter (Si-W ECAL) and the scintillator-SiPM based analog hadron calorimeter (AHCAL); and the scintillator-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter (ScECAL) and the AHCAL. These systems were operated in hadron beams at CERN and FNAL, permitting the study of the performance in combined ECAL and HCAL systems. Two techniques for the energy reconstruction are used, a standard reconstruction based on calibrated sub-detector energy sums, and one based on a software compensation algorithm making use of the local energy density information provided by the high granularity of the detectors. The software compensation-based algorithm improves the hadronic energy resolution by up to 30% compared to the standard reconstruction. The combined system data show comparable energy resolutions to the one achieved for data with showers starting only in the AHCAL and therefore demonstrate the success of the inter-calibration of the different sub-systems, despite of their different geometries and different readout technologies.

Anti-inflammatory activity and molecular mechanism of delphinidin 3-sambubioside, a Hibiscus anthocyanin.

PubMed

Sogo, Takayuki; Terahara, Norihiko; Hisanaga, Ayami; Kumamoto, Takuma; Yamashiro, Takaaki; Wu, Shusong; Sakao, Kozue; Hou, De-Xing

2015-01-01

Delphinidin 3-sambubioside (Dp3-Sam), a Hibiscus anthocyanin, was isolated from the dried calices of Hibiscus sabdariffa L, which has been used for folk beverages and herbal medicine although the molecular mechanisms are poorly defined. Based on the properties of Dp3-Sam and the information of inflammatory processes, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity and molecular mechanisms in both cell and animal models in the present study. In the cell model, Dp3-Sam and Delphinidin (Dp) reduced the levels of inflammatory mediators including iNOS, NO, IL-6, MCP-1, and TNF-α induced by LPS. Cellular signaling analysis revealed that Dp3-Sam and Dp downregulated NF-κB pathway and MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling. In animal model, Dp3-Sam and Dp reduced the production of IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α and attenuated mouse paw edema induced by LPS. Our in vitro and in vivo data demonstrated that Hibiscus Dp3-Sam possessed potential anti-inflammatory properties. © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Latest R&D news and beam test performance of the highly granular SiW-ECAL technological prototype for the ILC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irles, A.

2018-02-01

High precision physics at future colliders as the International Linear Collider (ILC) require unprecedented high precision in the determination of the energy of final state particles. The needed precision will be achieved thanks to the Particle Flow algorithms (PF) which require highly granular and hermetic calorimeters systems. The physical proof of concept of the PF was performed in the previous campaign of beam tests of physic prototypes within the CALICE collaboration. One of these prototypes was the physics prototype of the Silicon-Tungsten Electromagnetic Calorimeter (SiW-ECAL) for the ILC. In this document we present the latest news on R&D of the next generation prototype, the technological prototype with fully embedded very front-end (VFE) electronics, of the SiW-ECAL. Special emphasis is given to the presentation and discussion of the first results from the beam test done at DESY in June 2017. The physics program for such beam test consisted in the calibration and commissioning of the current set of available SiW ECAL modules; the test of performance of individual slabs under 1T magnetic fields; and the study of electromagnetic showers events.

Construction and first beam-tests of silicon-tungsten prototype modules for the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter for HL-LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, S.

2017-03-01

The High Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL) is the technology choice of the CMS collaboration for the endcap calorimetry upgrade planned to cope with the harsh radiation and pileup environment at the High Luminosity-LHC . The HGCAL is realized as a sampling calorimeter, including an electromagnetic compartment comprising 28 layers of silicon pad detectors with pad areas of 0.5-01. cm2 interspersed with absorbers made from tungsten and copper to form a highly compact and granular device. Prototype modules, based on hexagonal silicon pad sensors, with 128 channels, have been constructed and tested in beams at FNAL and at CERN. The modules include many of the features required for this challenging detector, including a PCB glued directly to the sensor, using through-hole wire-bonding for signal readout and 5 mm spacing between layers—including the front-end electronics and all services. Tests in 2016 have used an existing front-end chip —Skiroc2 (designed for the CALICE experiment for ILC). We present results from first tests of these modules both in the laboratory and with beams of electrons, pions and protons, including noise performance, calibration with mips and electron signals.

Voxel-based analysis of the immediate early gene, c-jun, in the honey bee brain after a sucrose stimulus.

PubMed

McNeill, M S; Robinson, G E

2015-06-01

Immediate early genes (IEGs) have served as useful markers of brain neuronal activity in mammals, and more recently in insects. The mammalian canonical IEG, c-jun, is part of regulatory pathways conserved in insects and has been shown to be responsive to alarm pheromone in honey bees. We tested whether c-jun was responsive in honey bees to another behaviourally relevant stimulus, sucrose, in order to further identify the brain regions involved in sucrose processing. To identify responsive regions, we developed a new method of voxel-based analysis of c-jun mRNA expression. We found that c-jun is expressed in somata throughout the brain. It was rapidly induced in response to sucrose stimuli, and it responded in somata near the antennal and mechanosensory motor centre, mushroom body calices and lateral protocerebrum, which are known to be involved in sucrose processing. c-jun also responded to sucrose in somata near the lateral suboesophageal ganglion, dorsal optic lobe, ventral optic lobe and dorsal posterior protocerebrum, which had not been previously identified by other methods. These results demonstrate the utility of voxel-based analysis of mRNA expression in the insect brain. © 2015 The Royal Entomological Society.

Construction and performance of a silicon photomultiplier/extruded scintillator tail-catcher and muon-tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adloff, C.; Blaha, J.; Blaising, J.-J.; Drancourt, C.; Espargilière, A.; Gaglione, R.; Geffroy, N.; Karyotakis, Y.; Prast, J.; Vouters, G.; Bilki, B.; Francis, K.; Repond, J.; Smith, J.; Xia, L.; Baldolemar, E.; Li, J.; Park, S. T.; Sosebee, M.; White, A. P.; Yu, J.; Buanes, T.; Eigen, G.; Mikami, Y.; Watson, N. K.; Mavromanolakis, G.; Thomson, M. A.; Ward, D. R.; Yan, W.; Benchekroun, D.; Hoummada, A.; Khoulaki, Y.; Benyamna, M.; Cârloganu, C.; Fehr, F.; Gay, P.; Manen, S.; Royer, L.; Blazey, G. C.; Boona, S.; Chakraborty, D.; Dyshkant, A.; Hedin, D.; Lima, J. G. R.; Powell, J.; Rykalin, V.; Scurti, N.; Smith, M.; Tran, N.; Zutshi, V.; Hostachy, J.-Y.; Morin, L.; Cornett, U.; David, D.; Dietrich, J.; Falley, G.; Gadow, K.; Göttlicher, P.; Günter, C.; Hermberg, B.; Karstensen, S.; Krivan, F.; Lucaci-Timoce, A.-I.; Lu, S.; Lutz, B.; Marchesini, I.; Morozov, S.; Morgunov, V.; Reinecke, M.; Sefkow, F.; Smirnov, P.; Terwort, M.; Vargas-Trevino, A.; Feege, N.; Garutti, E.; Eckert, P.; Kaplan, A.; Schultz-Coulon, H.-Ch; Shen, W.; Stamen, R.; Tadday, A.; Norbeck, E.; Onel, Y.; Wilson, G. W.; Kawagoe, K.; Uozumi, S.; Dauncey, P. D.; Magnan, A.-M.; Bartsch, V.; Wing, M.; Salvatore, F.; Calvo Alamillo, E.; Fouz, M.-C.; Puerta-Pelayo, J.; Bobchenko, B.; Chadeeva, M.; Danilov, M.; Epifantsev, A.; Markin, O.; Mizuk, R.; Novikov, E.; Rusinov, V.; Tarkovsky, E.; Kirikova, N.; Kozlov, V.; Soloviev, Y.; Buzhan, P.; Dolgoshein, B.; Ilyin, A.; Kantserov, V.; Kaplin, V.; Karakash, A.; Popova, E.; Smirnov, S.; Frey, A.; Kiesling, C.; Seidel, K.; Simon, F.; Soldner, C.; Weuste, L.; Bonis, J.; Bouquet, B.; Callier, S.; Cornebise, P.; Doublet, Ph; Dulucq, F.; Faucci Giannelli, M.; Fleury, J.; Li, H.; Martin-Chassard, G.; Richard, F.; de la Taille, Ch; Pöschl, R.; Raux, L.; Seguin-Moreau, N.; Wicek, F.; Anduze, M.; Boudry, V.; Brient, J.-C.; Jeans, D.; Mora de Freitas, P.; Musat, G.; Reinhard, M.; Ruan, M.; Videau, H.; Bulanek, B.; Zacek, J.; Cvach, J.; Gallus, P.; Havranek, M.; Janata, M.; Kvasnicka, J.; Lednicky, D.; Marcisovsky, M.; Polak, I.; Popule, J.; Tomasek, L.; Tomasek, M.; Ruzicka, P.; Sicho, P.; Smolik, J.; Vrba, V.; Zalesak, J.; Belhorma, B.; Ghazlane, H.; Takeshita, T.

2012-04-01

A prototype module for an International Linear Collider (ILC) detector was built, installed, and tested between 2006 and 2009 at CERN and Fermilab as part of the CALICE test beam program, in order to study the possibilities of extending energy sampling behind a hadronic calorimeter and to study the possibilities of providing muon tracking. The ``tail catcher/muon tracker'' (TCMT) is composed of 320 extruded scintillator strips (dimensions 1000 × 50 × 5 mm3) packaged in 16 one-meter square planes interleaved between steel plates. The scintillator strips were read out with wavelength shifting fibers and silicon photomultipliers. The planes were arranged with alternating horizontal and vertical strip orientations. Data were collected for muons and pions in the energy range 6 GeV to 80 GeV. Utilizing data taken in 2006, this paper describes the design and construction of the TCMT, performance characteristics, and a beam-based evaluation of the ability of the TCMT to improve hadronic energy resolution in a prototype ILC detector. For a typical configuration of an ILC detector with a coil situated outside a calorimeter system with a thickness of 5.5 nuclear interaction lengths, a TCMT would improve relative energy resolution by 6-16% for pions between 20 and 80 GeV.

Impact of Three-Dimensional Printed Pelvicaliceal System Models on Residents' Understanding of Pelvicaliceal System Anatomy Before Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy Surgery: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Atalay, Hasan Anıl; Ülker, Volkan; Alkan, İlter; Canat, Halil Lütfi; Özkuvancı, Ünsal; Altunrende, Fatih

2016-10-01

To investigate the impact of three-dimensional (3D) printed pelvicaliceal system models on residents' understanding of pelvicaliceal system anatomy before percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL). Patients with unilateral complex renal stones indicating PCNL were selected. Usable data of patients were obtained from CT-scans in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. Mimics software version 16.0 (Materialise, Belgium) was used for segmentation and extraction of pelvicaliceal systems (PCSs). All DICOM-formatted files were converted to the stereolithography file format. Finally, fused deposition modeling was used to create plasticine 3D models of PCSs. A questionnaire was designed so that residents could assess the 3D models' effects on their understanding of the anatomy of the pelvicaliceal system before PCNL (Fig. 3). Five patients' anatomically accurate models of the human renal collecting system were effectively generated (Figs. 1 and 2). After presentation of the 3D models, residents were 86% and 88% better at determining the number of anterior and posterior calices, respectively, 60% better at understanding stone location, and 64% better at determining optimal entry calix into the collecting system (Fig. 5). Generating kidney models of PCSs using 3D printing technology is feasible, and the models were accepted by residents as aids in surgical planning and understanding of pelvicaliceal system anatomy before PCNL.

Changes in intrarenal resistive index following electromagnetic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy.

PubMed

Mohseni, Mohammad Ghasem; H Khazaeli, Mahziar; Aghamir, Seyed Mohammad Kazem; Biniaz, Farzad

2007-01-01

Our aim was to study the changes in resistive index (RI) of the ipsilateral and contralateral kidneys following electromagnetic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) of the kidney calculi. Using color Doppler ultrasonography, the RI was determined in 21 patients with unilateral caliceal and pelvic kidney calculi. The RI of the interlobar renal arteries were measured for the regions near and far from the calculi (distance, less and more than 2 cm), before, 30 minutes after, and 1 week after SWL. The same measurements were carried out for the contralateral kidney. Changes in the RI values and their relation with age were evaluated. The RI near the calculi increased 30 minutes after SWL from 0.594 +/- 0.062 to 0.620 +/- 0.048 (P = .003; 95% confidence interval, 0.020 to 0.073), but returned to the pre-SWL values 1 week later. The RI values of the region remote from the calculus and in the contralateral kidney did not change significantly. There was a weak correlation between age and the RI far from the calculus before and 1 week after SWL. There were no relationships between the RI and age, sex, weight, blood pressure, and smoking. The results suggest that SWL of the kidney calculi changes the RI only near the calculus which is immediate, transient, and not age-related.

Impact of stone branch number on outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy for treatment of staghorn calculi.

PubMed

Qi, Shiyong; Li, Li; Liu, Ranlu; Qiao, Baomin; Zhang, Zhihong; Xu, Yong

2014-02-01

To determine the impact of staghorn calculi branch number on outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). Retrospectively, we evaluated 371 patients (386 renal units) who underwent PNL for staghorn calculi. All calculi were showed with CT three-dimensional reconstruction (3DR) imaging preoperatively. From 3DR images, the number of stone branching into minor renal calices was recorded. According to the number, patients were divided into four groups. Group 1: the branch number 2-4; Group 2: the branch number 5-7; Group 3: the branch number 8-10; Group 4: the branch number >10. The number of percutaneous tract, operative time, staged PNL, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, complications, main stone composition, and stone clearance rate were compared. A significantly higher ratio of multitract (p<0.001) and staged PNL (p<0.001), a longer operative time (p<0.001) and postoperative hospital stay (p=0.043), and a lower rate of stone clearance (p<0.05) were found in PNL for calculi with a stone branch number ≥5. There was no statistical difference in intraoperative blood loss (p=0.101) and main stone composition (p=0.546). There was no statistically meaningful difference among the four groups based on the Clavien complication system (p=0.46). With the stone branch number more than five, the possibility of multitract and staged PNL, lower rate of stone clearance, and a longer postoperative hospital stay increases for staghorn calculi.

Influence of Pelvicaliceal Anatomy on Stone Clearance After Flexible Ureteroscopy and Holmium Laser Lithotripsy for Large Renal Stones.

PubMed

Inoue, Takaaki; Murota, Takashi; Okada, Shinsuke; Hamamoto, Shuzo; Muguruma, Kouei; Kinoshita, Hidefumi; Matsuda, Tadashi

2015-09-01

This study was performed to evaluate the impact of pelvicaliceal anatomy on stone clearance in patients with remnant fragments in the lower pole after flexible ureteroscopy and holmium laser lithotripsy (fURSL) for renal stones >15 mm. This retrospective study included 67 patients with radiopaque residual fragments (>2 mm) in the lower pole after fURSL for large renal stones (>15 mm). The preoperative infundibular length (IL), infundibular width (IW), infundibulopelvic angle (IPA), and caliceal pelvic height (CPH) were measured using intravenous urography. Multivariate analysis was performed to determine whether any of these measurements affected stone clearance. Of the 67 patients, 55 (82.1%) were stone free (SF) 3 months after fURSL. The anatomic factors significantly favorable for an SF status were a short IL, broad IW, wide IPA, and low CPH. On multivariate analysis, the IPA had a significant influence on an SF status after fURSL (p=0.010). An IPA <30° was a negative risk factor (p=0.019). Postoperative complications occurred in nine patients (13.4%), including Clavien grade I complications in two patients (2.9%), grade II in six patients (8.9%), and grade IIIa in one patient (1.8%). Almost all complications were minor. An IPA <30° is the only negative risk factor for stone clearance after fURSL for large renal stones according to our multivariate analysis. Additional studies are required to further evaluate the characteristics of the pelvicaliceal anatomy influencing stone clearance.

Anatomical Relationship Between the Kidney Collecting System and the Intrarenal Arteries in the Sheep: Contribution for a New Urological Model.

PubMed

Buys-Gonçalves, Gabriela Faria; De Souza, Diogo Benchimol; Sampaio, Francisco José Barcellos; Pereira-Sampaio, Marco Aurélio

2016-04-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that the pig collecting system heals after partial nephrectomy without closure. Recently, a study in sheep showed that partial nephrectomy without closure of the collecting system resulted in urinary leakage and urinoma. The aim of this study was to present detailed anatomical findings on the intrarenal anatomy of the sheep. Forty two kidneys were used to produce tridimensional endocasts of the collecting system together with the intrarenal arteries. A renal pelvis which displayed 11-19 (mean of 16) renal recesses was present. There were no calices present. The renal artery was singular in each kidney and gave two primary branches one to the dorsal surface and one to ventral surface. Dorsal and ventral branches of the renal artery were classified based on the relationship between their branching pattern and the collecting system as: type I (cranial and caudal segmental arteries), type II (cranial, middle and caudal segmental arteries) or type III (cranial, cranial middle, caudal middle, and caudal segmental arteries). Type I was the most common branching pattern for the dorsal and ventral branches of the renal artery. The arterial supply of the caudal pole of the sheep kidney supports its use as an experimental model due to the similarity to the human kidney. However, the lack of a retropelvic artery discourages the use of the cranial pole in experiments in which the arteries are an important aspect to be considered. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphology, severity, and distribution of growth anomalies in the coral, Montipora capitata, at Wai`ōpae, Hawai`i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, J. H. R.; Rozet, N. K.; Takabayashi, M.

2011-09-01

This study investigated the morphology, severity, and distribution of growth anomalies (GAs) in the coral, Montipora capitata, from Wai`ōpae tide pools, southeast Hawai`i Island. A macro-image analysis of skeletal microstructure placed GAs into two definable categories; Type A and Type B. Type A GAs had polyp density reduced by 43.05 ± 0.80% (mean ± SE) compared to healthy M. capitata tissue, with many fused and protrusive tuberculae. Type B GAs had no discernable polyps or calices and fused protuberant coenosteum. The prevalence of Type A and Type B GAs among all M. capitata colonies ( n = 1,093) in 8 tide pools at Wai`ōpae was 22.1% (range 2.8-33.7%) and 8.2% (range 0.0-16.9%), respectively. The proportion of colony surface area occupied by GA (relative GA cover) was quantified to assess the severity of this disease among all surveyed colonies. The relative GA cover was significantly greater on colonies larger than 1 m in diameter than smaller colonies and in the central portion of colonies than in the periphery. Furthermore, relative GA cover was negatively related to water motion ( R 2 = 0.748, P < 0.01). Developing field diagnostic criteria of M. capitata GA allowed for a detailed epizootiological assessment that determined several cofactors associated with disease severity. Such epizootiological analysis is applicable to future studies of GAs elsewhere.

Polyuria-associated hydronephrosis induced by xenobiotic chemical exposure in mice.

PubMed

Yoshioka, Wataru; Kawaguchi, Tatsuya; Nishimura, Noriko; Akagi, Toshiya; Fujisawa, Nozomi; Yanagisawa, Hiroyuki; Matsumura, Fumio; Tohyama, Chiharu

2016-10-01

Hydronephrosis is a commonly found disease state characterized by the dilation of renal calices and pelvis, resulting in the loss of kidney function in the severest cases. A generally accepted etiology of hydronephrosis involves the obstruction of urine flow along the urinary tract. In the recent years, we have developed a mouse model of hydronephrosis induced by lactational exposure to dioxin and demonstrated a lack of anatomical obstruction in this model. We also showed that prostaglandin E 2 synthesis system plays a critical role in the onset of hydronephrosis. In the present study, we found that neonatal hydronephrosis was not likely to be associated with functional obstruction (impaired peristalsis) but was found to be associated with polyuria and low urine osmolality with the downregulation of proteins involved in the urine concentrating process. The administration of an antidiuretic hormone analog to the dioxin-exposed pups not only suppressed the increased urine output but also decreased the incidence and severity of hydronephrosis. In contrast to the case in pups, administration of dioxin to adult mice failed to induce polyuria and upregulation of prostaglandin E 2 synthesis system, and the adult mice were resistant to develop hydronephrosis. These findings suggest the possibility that polyuria could induce hydronephrosis in the absence of anatomical or functional obstruction of the ureter. It is concluded that the present animal model provides a unique example of polyuria-associated type of hydronephrosis, suggesting a need to redefine this disease state. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Detector Simulations with DD4hep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrič, M.; Frank, M.; Gaede, F.; Lu, S.; Nikiforou, N.; Sailer, A.

2017-10-01

Detector description is a key component of detector design studies, test beam analyses, and most of particle physics experiments that require the simulation of more and more different detector geometries and event types. This paper describes DD4hep, which is an easy-to-use yet flexible and powerful detector description framework that can be used for detector simulation and also extended to specific needs for a particular working environment. Linear collider detector concepts ILD, SiD and CLICdp as well as detector development collaborations CALICE and FCal have chosen to adopt the DD4hep geometry framework and its DDG4 pathway to Geant4 as its core simulation and reconstruction tools. The DDG4 plugins suite includes a wide variety of input formats, provides access to the Geant4 particle gun or general particles source and allows for handling of Monte Carlo truth information, eg. by linking hits and the primary particle that caused them, which is indispensable for performance and efficiency studies. An extendable array of segmentations and sensitive detectors allows the simulation of a wide variety of detector technologies. This paper shows how DD4hep allows to perform complex Geant4 detector simulations without compiling a single line of additional code by providing a palette of sub-detector components that can be combined and configured via compact XML files. Simulation is controlled either completely via the command line or via simple Python steering files interpreted by a Python executable. It also discusses how additional plugins and extensions can be created to increase the functionality.

Results of minimally invasive surgical treatment of allograft lithiasis in live-donor renal transplant recipients: a single-center experience of 3758 renal transplantations.

PubMed

Sarier, Mehmet; Duman, Ibrahim; Yuksel, Yucel; Tekin, Sabri; Demir, Meltem; Arslan, Fatih; Ergun, Osman; Kosar, Alim; Yavuz, Asuman Havva

2018-02-26

Allograft lithiasis is a rare urologic complication of renal transplantation (RT). Our aim is to present our experience with minimally invasive surgical treatment of allograft lithiasis in our series of live-donor renal transplant recipients. In a retrospective analysis of 3758 consecutive live-donor RTs performed in our center between November 2009 and January 2017, the results of minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of renal graft lithiasis diagnosed at follow-up were evaluated. Twenty-two (0.58%) patients underwent minimally invasive surgery for renal graft lithiasis. The mean age was 41.6 years, and duration between RT and surgical intervention was 27.3 months (range 3-67). The mean stone size was 11.6 mm (range 4-29). Stones were located in the urethra in 1, bladder in 2, ureter in 9, renal pelvis in 7 and calices in 3 patients. Surgical treatment included percutaneous nephrolithotomy in 1, cystoscopic lithotripsy in 3, flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy in 6 and rigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy in 12 patients. No major complications were observed. One patient (4.5%) who underwent flexible ureteroscopy developed postoperative urinary tract infection. All patients were stone-free except two (9%) patients who required a second-look procedure after flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy for residual stones. Stone recurrence was not observed in any patient during a mean follow-up duration of 30.2 months (range 8-84). Renal transplant lithiasis is uncommon and minimally invasive surgical treatment is rarely performed for its treatment. Endourological surgery may be performed safely, effectively and with a high success rate in these patients.

Comparison of renal pelvic pressure and postoperative fever incidence between standard- and mini-tract percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

PubMed

Wu, Cheng; Hua, Li-Xin; Zhang, Jian-Zhong; Zhou, Xun-Rong; Zhong, Wei; Ni, Hao-Dong

2017-01-01

This study was proposed to compare the clinical effectiveness of mini-tract percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL) with standard-tract percutaneous nephrolithotomy (SPCNL) and verify whether MPCNL is associated with both higher renal pelvic pressure (RPP) and incidence of postoperative fever. A total of 228 patients with kidney stone were randomly allocated to the MPCNL group (n=114) and SPCNL group (n=114). Both intraoperative and postoperative indexes along with the incidence of complications were compared between the two treatment groups. RPP was measured using a baroreceptor which was connected to an open-ended ureteric catheter during the operation of percutaneous nephrolithotomy. The MPCNL group exhibited significantly longer average operation time, more average amount of flush water, and lesser average amount of bleeding during the operation than the SPCNL group (p<0.05). Moreover, significantly lesser average amount of postoperative serum creatinine, shorter average hospital stay, and more average amount of postoperative hemoglobin were observed in the MPCNL group than in the SPCNL group (p<0.05). MPCNL were more applicable to clear caliceal stones (p<0.05), whereas SPCNL were more effective for the removal of simple pelvic stones. The difference in the incidence of postoperative fever between the two treatment groups also appeared to be significant (p<0.05). Logistic regression provided solid evidence that both RPP and its accumulation time at which RPP≥30 mmHg significantly affected the incidence of postoperative fever. MPCNL was correlated with both higher RPP and increased likelihood of postoperative fever compared with SPCNL. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Taiwan.. All rights reserved.

The Guy's stone score--grading the complexity of percutaneous nephrolithotomy procedures.

PubMed

Thomas, Kay; Smith, Naomi C; Hegarty, Nicholas; Glass, Jonathan M

2011-08-01

To report the development and validation of a scoring system, the Guy's stone score, to grade the complexity of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Currently, no standardized method is available to predict the stone-free rate after PCNL. The Guy's stone score was developed through a combination of expert opinion, published data review, and iterative testing. It comprises 4 grades: grade I, solitary stone in mid/lower pole or solitary stone in the pelvis with simple anatomy; grade II, solitary stone in upper pole or multiple stones in a patient with simple anatomy or a solitary stone in a patient with abnormal anatomy; grade III, multiple stones in a patient with abnormal anatomy or stones in a caliceal diverticulum or partial staghorn calculus; grade IV, staghorn calculus or any stone in a patient with spina bifida or spinal injury. It was assessed for reproducibility using the kappa coefficient and validated on a prospective database of 100 PCNL procedures performed in a tertiary stone center. The complications were graded using the modified Clavien score. The clinical outcomes were recorded prospectively and assessed with multivariate analysis. The Guy's stone score was the only factor that significantly and independently predicted the stone-free rate (P = .01). It was found to be reproducible, with good inter-rater agreement (P = .81). None of the other factors tested, including stone burden, operating surgeon, patient weight, age, and comorbidity, correlated with the stone-free rate. The Guy's stone score accurately predicted the stone-free rate after PCNL. It was easy to use and reproducible. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Diagnostic performance of MR imaging, coloscan and MRI/CT enterography for the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis: CNGOF-HAS Endometriosis Guidelines].

PubMed

Thomassin-Naggara, I; Bendifallah, S; Rousset, P; Bazot, M; Ballester, M; Darai, E

2018-03-01

Diagnostic performance of MR imaging for the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis are good. Even if some differences of performances exists according the location considered, the risk of misdiagnosis is lower than 10% for trained teams (NP2). The performance of pelvic MR imaging and surgery are quite similar to diagnose endometrioma (sensitivity and specificity>90%). A negative pelvic MR imaging allows to exclude deep pelvic endometriosis with a performance similar to surgery but a positive MR imaging is less accurate than surgery because of a high number of false positives (23%). Pelvic MR imaging is more sensitive and less specific than ultrasonography for the diagnosis of uterosacral ligament, vagina or recto vaginal septum (NP2). Pelvic ultrasonography is more sensitive than pelvic MR imaging for the diagnosis of colorectal location (NP3). Pelvic MR imaging is a reproducible technique for the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis (NP3). Regarding, quality criteria of pelvic MR imaging, no data are enough to recommend a specific MR unit, digestive preparation, or a specific moment during the menstrual cycle to realize the examination. Vaginal and/or rectal opacification are options. Most of studies are based a protocol including 3D T2W and 3DT1W sequences. Gadolinium injection is useful to characterize a complex adnexal mass. In clinical routine, slices crossing the kidneys are useful to evaluate the presence of pyelo calic distension. ColoCT is an accurate technique to diagnose pelvic digestive endometriosis (rectosigmoide and iléocaecal) (NP3). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Partial nephrectomy using radiofrequency incremental bipolar generator with multi electrode probe: experimental study in bench pig kidneys

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The aim of this research project was the realization of an incremental bipolar radiofrequency generator with inline 4-electrode probe for partial renal resection without clamping of the vessels. Methods The experimentation was carried out across two phases: the preliminary realization of a specific generator and an inline multielectrode probe for open surgery (Phase 1); system testing on 27 bench kidneys for a total of 47 partial resection (Phase 2). The parameters evaluated were: power level, generator automatisms, parenchymal coagulation times, needle caliber, thickness of the coagulated tissue “slice”, charring, ergonomy, feasibility of the application of “bolster” stitches. Results The analysis of the results referred to the homogeneity and thickness of coagulation, energy supply times with reference to the power level and caliber of the needles. The optimal results were obtained by using needles of 1.5 mm caliber at power level 5, and with coagulation times of 54 seconds for the first insertion and 30 seconds for the second. Conclusions The experimentation demonstrated that the apparatus, consisting of a generator named “LaparoNewPro” and fitted with a dedicated probe for open surgery, is able to carry out a coagulation of the line of resection of the renal parenchyma in a homogeneous manner, in short times, without tissue charring, and with the possibility of stitching both on coagulated tissue and the caliceal system. The generator automatism based on the flow of the current supplied by each electrode is reliable, and the cessation of energy supply coincides with optimal coagulation. PMID:24410789

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy of bilateral staghorn renal calculi in pediatric patients: 12 years experience in a tertiary care centre.

PubMed

Purkait, Bimalesh; Kumar, Manoj; Sokhal, Ashok Kumar; Bansal, Ankur; Sankhwar, Satya Narayan; Gupta, Ashok Kumar

2017-08-01

To assess the outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) in bilateral staghorn calculi in pediatric patients, we have performed a retrospective analysis. Staghorn calculus is defined as stone that fills a greater part of the pelvic-caliceal system. Still, in developing countries, patients may present with staghorn calculus. PCNL is the preferred treatment modality for staghorn calculus both in adult and children. Our study included fifty-one pediatric patients (<15 years) of bilateral staghorn calculi from 2004 to 2015. Staged PCNL was done after 2-3 days if needed and opposite side PCNL was performed after 10-14 days. Fifty-one patients with bilateral staghorn renal calculi underwent PCNL. The mean age of the study group was 10.25 ± 2.13 (range 3-15). Mean stone burden was 778.3 + 613.4 (range 231-3850 mm 2 ). Forty-five patients underwent single puncture, twenty-two patients underwent double punctures whereas six patients underwent triple punctures during first session PCNL procedure. Most common puncture location was through the superior calyx (58.82 %). The mean operating time was 77.25 + 30.21 (range 58-145). After the first session PCNL, the success rate was 76.47 %. Thirteen patients (17 renal units) underwent relook PCNL and seven patients underwent ESWL. Overall complication noted in twenty-four (47.05 %) cases. Most of the complications were minor grade. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy for staghorn calculus in children needs expertise. PCNL in B/L staghorn renal calculus in children is safe and effective. B/L staghorn renal calculi with compromised renal function have higher chance of complications including bleeding.

Bench-Top Feasibility Testing of a Novel Percutaneous Renal Access Technique: The Laser Direct Alignment Radiation Reduction Technique (DARRT).

PubMed

Khater, Nazih; Shen, Jim; Arenas, Javier; Keheila, Mohamed; Alsyouf, Muhannad; Martin, Jacob A; Lightfoot, Michelle A; Li, Roger; Olgin, Gaudencio; Smith, Jason C; Baldwin, D Duane

2016-11-01

Traditional techniques for obtaining percutaneous renal access utilize continuous fluoroscopy. In an attempt to minimize radiation exposure, we describe a novel laser direct alignment radiation reduction technique (DARRT) for percutaneous access and test it in a bench-top model. In this randomized-controlled bench-top study, 20 medical personnel obtained renal accesses using both the conventional bullseye technique and the laser DARRT. The primary endpoint was total fluoroscopy time. Secondary endpoints included insertion time, puncture attempts, course corrections, and subjective procedural difficulty. In the laser DARRT, fluoroscopy was used with the C-arm positioned with the laser beam at a 30° angle. The access needle and hub were aligned with the laser beam. Effective caliceal puncture was confirmed with fluoroscopy and direct vision. The Paired samples Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for statistical analysis with significance at p < 0.05. A total of 120 needle placements were recorded. Fluoroscopy time for needle access using the laser DARRT was significantly lower than the bullseye technique in all groups as follows: attendings (7.09 vs 18.51 seconds; p < 0.001), residents (6.55 vs 13.93 seconds; p = 0.001), and medical students (6.69 vs 20.22 seconds; p < 0.001). Students rated the laser DARRT easier to use (2.56 vs 4.89; p < 0.001). No difference was seen in total access time, puncture attempts, or course corrections between techniques. The laser DARRT reduced fluoroscopy time by 63%, compared with the conventional bullseye technique. The least experienced users found the laser DARRT significantly easier to learn. This novel technique is promising and merits additional testing in animal and human models.

Significance of lower-pole pelvicaliceal anatomy on stone clearance after shockwave lithotripsy in nonobstructive isolated renal pelvic stones.

PubMed

Sozen, Sinan; Kupeli, Bora; Acar, Cenk; Gurocak, Serhat; Karaoglan, Ustunol; Bozkirli, Ibrahim

2008-05-01

To investigate the probable effect of lower-pole pelvicaliceal anatomy on stone clearance after shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) in patients with nonobstructive renal pelvic stones. The clinical records of patients with isolated renal pelvic stones who underwent SWL between 1996 and 2005 were reviewed. After excluding patients with obstruction leading to dilatation, major anatomic abnormalities, noncalcium stones, metabolic abnormalities, history of recurrent stone disease, multiple stones, and previous renal surgery, 153 patients were enrolled in the study. Lower pole infundibulopelvic angle (IPA) and infundibular length and width were measured from intravenous urography. Patients were classified into three groups according to stone burden (group 1, <100 mm(2); group 2, 101-200 mm(2); group 3, 201-400 mm(2)). The mean stone size was 142.08+/-86.3 mm(2). Overall stone-free rate was 53.6%. Localization of clinically significant or insignificant residual fragments was in the lower calix, renal pelvis, and both in 50 (32.6%), 29 (18.9%), and 8 (5.2%) patients, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in pelvicaliceal anatomic features except narrower IPA (P=0.02) in group 1 patients with residual stones. The falling of stone fragments to the lower calix in spite of the ureter whether clinically significant or not after SWL of pelvic stones initially seems to be related to stone burden rather than lower caliceal anatomy. However, existence of a more narrow IPA in group 1 patients with residual fragments led us to believe that lower-pole IPA can play a role in stone clearance, especially for smaller stones, probably because of smaller residual fragment size or the more mobile nature of the primary stone.

Upper urinary tract urothelial cell carcinoma: location as a predictive factor for concomitant bladder carcinoma.

PubMed

Cosentino, Marco; Palou, Joan; Gaya, Josep M; Breda, Alberto; Rodriguez-Faba, Oscar; Villavicencio-Mavrich, Humberto

2013-02-01

To investigate the existence of predictive factors for concomitant, primary UUT-UCC and BC. Upper urinary tract urothelial cell carcinoma (UUT-UCC) is a pan-urothelial disease of the transitional epithelial cells. Although several studies have shown the association of bladder recurrence following UUT-UCC, little is known on the incidence of concomitant UUT-UCC and bladder cancer (BC) without previous BC. A retrospective review of 673 patients diagnosed and treated for UUT-UCC was performed. Patients with history of BC were excluded. We investigated age, sex, location of the upper tract tumor (calyx, renal pelvis, upper ureter, mid-ureter, lower ureter), multifocality, clinical symptoms, tumor grade and pathological stage. Contingency tables and chi-square test were used for categorical variables and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for quantitative variables. 450 patients eligible for inclusion were identified. Of these, 76 (17 %) presented concomitant primary UUT-UCC and BC. Location of primary UUT-UCC was in calyx and/or renal pelvis in 25 patients (34 %), upper ureter 8 (11 %) and lower ureter 37 (49 %). In 6 patients (8 %), data were missing. Concomitant BC was found in 10, 18, and 33 % of patients with primary caliceal/renal pelvis, upper ureter and lower ureter UUT-UCC, respectively. On multivariate analysis, location of UUT-UCC was the only predictive factor for concomitant bladder tumor (OR: 1.7; 95 % CI, 1.007-2.906 p = 0.047). Our findings suggest that the possibility of concomitant BC in primary diagnosed patient with UUT-UCC is as high as 33 % and mainly depends on upper tract tumor location.

Papillary vs Nonpapillary Puncture in Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: A Prospective Randomized Trial.

PubMed

Kallidonis, Panagiotis; Kyriazis, Iason; Kotsiris, Dimitrios; Koutava, Adamantia; Kamal, Wissam; Liatsikos, Evangelos

2017-04-01

Literature suggests that the percutaneous punctures for percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) must be performed at the papilla of the renal calix and a puncture at the infundibulum or the direction of the pelvis is not advisable because of increased hemorrhagic risk. A prospective randomized study was conducted to investigate the safety in terms of blood loss of the infundibular approach for PCNL. Patients with renal stones with an accumulative size of at least 2 cm were randomly assigned to one of two parallel groups to undergo PCNL with either papillary (Group 1) or infundibular (Group 2) renal access. The primary outcome measures were the reduction in hemoglobin on first postoperative day and the need for transfusion during the first postoperative month. Secondary endpoints included the operative and fluoroscopy time, number of accesses performed, overall complication rate, hospitalization time, and complications up to 3 months. In total, 27 and 28 patients were enrolled in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Patient age, body mass index, and stone size were similar among the groups (p = 0.672, 0.256, and 0.889, respectively). Reduction in hemoglobin and transfusion rate did not differ among Groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.916, p = 1.0, respectively). Operative time was higher in the case of Group 1 (p = 0.027). The overall complications rate was 7.4% for Group 1 and 7.14% for Group 2. Hospitalization time was not significantly different in the study groups (p = 0.724). The infundibular approach for PCNL to the posterior middle renal calices is not associated with higher blood loss or transfusion rate in comparison with the respective approach to the fornix of the papilla when the currently described technique is performed.

Evaluation of CROES Nephrolithometry Nomogram as a Preoperative Predictive System for Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Outcomes.

PubMed

Kumar, Sumit; Sreenivas, Jayaram; Karthikeyan, Vilvapathy Senguttuvan; Mallya, Ashwin; Keshavamurthy, Ramaiah

2016-10-01

Scoring systems have been devised to predict outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). CROES nephrolithometry nomogram (CNN) is the latest tool devised to predict stone-free rate (SFR). We aim to compare predictive accuracy of CNN against Guy stone score (GSS) for SFR and postoperative outcomes. Between January 2013 and December 2015, 313 patients undergoing PCNL were analyzed for predictive accuracy of GSS, CNN, and stone burden (SB) for SFR, complications, operation time (OT), and length of hospitalization (LOH). We further stratified patients into risk groups based on CNN and GSS. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) SB was 298.8 ± 235.75 mm 2 . SB, GSS, and CNN (area under curve [AUC]: 0.662, 0.660, 0.673) were found to be predictors of SFR. However, predictability for complications was not as good (AUC: SB 0.583, GSS 0.554, CNN 0.580). Single implicated calix (Adj. OR 3.644; p = 0.027), absence of staghorn calculus (Adj. OR 3.091; p = 0.044), single stone (Adj. OR 3.855; p = 0.002), and single puncture (Adj. OR 2.309; p = 0.048) significantly predicted SFR on multivariate analysis. Charlson comorbidity index (CCI; p = 0.020) and staghorn calculus (p = 0.002) were independent predictors for complications on linear regression. SB and GSS independently predicted OT on multivariate analysis. SB and complications significantly predicted LOH, while GSS and CNN did not predict LOH. CNN offered better risk stratification for residual stones than GSS. CNN and GSS have good preoperative predictive accuracy for SFR. Number of implicated calices may affect SFR, and CCI affects complications. Studies should incorporate these factors in scoring systems and assess if predictability of PCNL outcomes improves.

Feasibility of Retrograde Ureteral Contrast Injection to Guide Ultrasonographic Percutaneous Renal Access in the Nondilated Collecting System.

PubMed

Usawachintachit, Manint; Tzou, David T; Mongan, John; Taguchi, Kazumi; Weinstein, Stefanie; Chi, Thomas

2017-02-01

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) has become increasingly utilized. Patients with nondilated collecting systems represent a challenge: the target calix is often difficult to visualize. Here we report pilot study results for retrograde ultrasound contrast injection to aid in percutaneous renal access during ultrasound-guided PCNL. From April to July 2016, consecutive patients over the age of 18 years with nondilated collecting systems on preoperative imaging who presented for PCNL were enrolled. B-mode ultrasound imaging was compared with contrast-enhanced mode with simultaneous retrograde injection of Optison™ via an ipsilateral ureteral catheter. Five patients (four males and one female) with renal stones underwent PCNL with retrograde ultrasound contrast injection during the study period. Mean body mass index was 28.3 ± 5.6 kg/m 2 and mean stone size was 24.5 ± 12.0 mm. Under B-mode ultrasound, all patients demonstrated nondilated renal collecting systems that appeared as hyperechoic areas, where it was difficult to identify a target calix for puncture. Retrograde contrast injection facilitated delineation of all renal calices initially difficult to visualize under B-mode ultrasound. Renal puncture was then performed effectively in all cases with a mean puncture time of 55.4 ± 44.8 seconds. All PCNL procedures were completed without intraoperative complications and no adverse events related to ultrasound contrast injection occurred. Retrograde ultrasound contrast injection as an aide for renal puncture during PCNL is a feasible technique. By improving visualization of the collecting system, it facilitates needle placement in challenging patients without hydronephrosis. Future larger scale studies comparing its use to standard ultrasound-guided technique will be required to validate this concept.

Anderson-hynes pyeloplasty in patients less than 12 months old. Is the laparoscopic approach safe and feasible?

PubMed

García-Aparicio, Luis; Blazquez-Gomez, Eva; Martin, Oriol; Manzanares, Alejandro; García-Smith, Natalie; Bejarano, Miguel; Rodo, Joan; Ribó, Josep M

2014-08-01

The aim of our study is to compare the outcomes of open and laparoscopic pyeloplasty in children less than 12 months of age. We reviewed all medical charts of patients less than 12 months old who underwent pyeloplasty from January 2007 to February 2013. We divided them in two groups: Open pyeloplasty (OP) and laparoscopic pyeloplasty (LP). The following data were analyzed: age, sex, weight, US measurements, operative time, hospital stay, complications, and success rate. Quantitative data were analyzed with the Student t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test or Fisher test for qualitative data. Fifty-eight patients (46 boys and 12 girls) with a mean age of 4.66 months (±3.05) were included. Mean age was 4.25 months and 5.15 months in OP and LP group respectively. Mean weight was 6.78 kg and 7.02 kg in OP and LP groups. There were no statistical differences in age, weight, and sex between OP and LP groups. There were no statistical differences in preoperative ultrasonography measurements. Mean posterior-anterior (PA) pelvis diameter was 28.57 mm and 23.94 mm in OP and LP groups, respectively. Mean calices diameter were 10.86 mm and 10.96 mm in OP and LP groups, respectively. Mean operative time was 129.53 minutes in the OP group and 151.92 minutes in the LP group with statistical differences (P=0.018). Mean hospital stay was 6.34 days in the OP group and 3.46 in the LP group with statistical differences (P<0.05). No intraoperative and postoperative complications were found in either group. Hydronephrosis improved in all patients, and no patient needed a repeated pyeloplasty. The laparoscopic approach of Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty in patients less than 12 months old is a safe procedure with the same outcomes as the open approach.

How practical is the application of percutaneous nephrolithotomy scoring systems? Prospective study comparing Guy's Stone Score, S.T.O.N.E. score and the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) nomogram.

PubMed

Singla, Anurag; Khattar, Nikhil; Nayyar, Rishi; Mehra, Shibani; Goel, Hemant; Sood, Rajeev

2017-03-01

To prospectively compare the Guy's Stone Score (GSS), S.T.O.N.E. [stone size (S), tract length (T), obstruction (O), number of involved calices (N), and essence or stone density (E)] score and the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES) nephrolithometric nomogram to predict percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) success rate and assess the correlation with perioperative complications. We prospectively evaluated all consecutive PCNL patients at our institute between 1 November 2013 and 31 May 2015. The above scoring systems were applied to preoperative non-contrast computed tomography and the practical difficulties in such applications were noted. Perioperative complications and the stone-free rate (SFR) were also recorded. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn and the areas under curves were compared and appropriate statistical analysis done. In all, 48 renal units were included in the study. The overall SFR was 62.2%. The presence of staghorn stones ( β  = 27.285, 95% confidence interval 1.19-625.35; P  = 0.039) was the only significant variable associated with the residual stones on multivariate analysis. Stone-free patients had significantly lower median GSS (2 vs 4) and S.T.O.N.E. scores (6 vs 10) and higher median CROES scores (83% vs 63%) (all P  < 0.001) compared to residual-stone patients. All scoring systems were significantly associated with SFR (all P  < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the areas under curves of the scoring systems (0.858, 0.923, and 0.931, respectively). Furthermore, all scoring systems had weak correlations with Clavien-Dindo classified complications ( r  = 0.29, P  = 0.045; r  = 0.40, P  = 0.005 and r  = -0.295, P  = 0.04, respectively). We found no standardisation for the measurement of stone dimensions, tract length, Hounsfield units, and staghorn definition. All scoring systems equally predicted SFR and had a weak correlation with Clavien-Dindo complications

[Clinical analysis of percutaneous nephrolithotomy for staghorn calculi with different stone branch number].

PubMed

Qi, Shi-yong; Zhang, Zhi-hong; Zhang, Chang-wen; Liu, Ran-lu; Shi, Qi-duo; Xu, Yong

2013-12-01

To investigate the impact of staghorn stone branch number on outcomes of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL). From January 2009 to January 2013, the 371 patients with staghorn stones who were referred to our hospital for PNL were considered for this study. All calculi were showed with CT 3-dimentional reconstruction (3-DR) imaging. The computerized database of the patients had been reviewed. Our exclusion criterion was patients with congenital renal anomalies, such as horse-shoe and ectopic kidneys. And borderline stones that branched to one major calyx only were also not included. From 3-DR images, the number of stone branching into minor renal calices was recorded. We made "3" as the branch breakdown between groups. And the patients were divided into four groups. The number of percutaneous tract, operative time, staged PNL, intra-operative blood loss, complications, stone clearance rate, and postoperative hospital day were compared. The 371 patients (386 renal units) underwent PNL successfully, included 144 single-tract PNL, 242 multi-tract PNL, 97 staged PNL. The average operative time was (100 ± 50) minutes; the average intra-operative blood loss was (83 ± 67) ml. The stone clearance rate were 61.7% (3 days) and 79.5% (3 months). The postoperative hospital stay was (6.9 ± 3.4) days. A significantly higher ratio of multi-tract (χ(2) = 212.220, P < 0.01) and staged PNL (χ(2) = 49.679, P < 0.01), longer operative time (F = 4.652, P < 0.01) and postoperative hospital day (F = 2.067, P = 0.043) and lower rate of stone clearance (χ(2) = 10.691 and 47.369, P < 0.05) were found in PNL for calculi with stone branch number ≥ 5. There was no statistically meaningful difference among the 4 groups based on Clavien complication system (P = 0.460). The possibility of multi-tract and staged PNL, lower rate of stone clearance and longer postoperative hospital day increase for staghorn calculi with stone branch number more than 5.

Discrimination of alkalinity in granitoid Rocks: A potential TIMS application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruff, Steven W.

1995-01-01

In mineral exploration, the ability to distinguish and map petrochemical variations of magmatic rocks can be a useful reconnaissance tool. Alkalinity is one such petrochemical parameter and is used in the characterization of granitoid rocks. In quartz normative plutonic rocks, alkalinity is related to the composition and abundance of feldspars. Together with quartz abundance, knowledge of feldspar modes allows the classification of these igneous rocks according to the Streckeisen diagram. Alternative classification schemes rely on whole rock geochemistry instead of mineral identifications. The relative ease of obtaining whole rock analyses means that geochemical classifications tend to be favored in exploration geology. But the technique of thermal infrared spectroscopy of rocks yields information on mineralogy and is one that can be applied remotely. The goal of the current work then is to establish whether data from TIMS can be used to distinguish the mineralogical variations that relate to alkalinity. An ideal opportunity to test this thesis arises from the work presented in a paper by Dewitt (1989). This paper contains the results of mapping and analysis of Proterozoic plutonic rocks in north-central Arizona. The map resulting from this work delineates plutons according to alkalinity in an effort to establish a trend or polarity in the regional magmatism. Also contained within this paper are brief descriptions of the mineralogy of half of the region's plutons. This combination of mineralogical and geochemical information was the rationale behind choosing this area as a site for TIMS over flights. A portion of the region centered on the northern Bradshaw Mountains was selected because it contains plutons of all three alkalinity classifications (alkali-calcic, calc-alkalic, and calic) present on DeWitt's map within a relatively small area. The site was flown in August of 1994 and the data received a few days before the writing of this manuscript. Most of this

The Biological Nature of Geochemical Proxies: algal symbionts affect coral skeletal chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, K.; Cohen, A. L.; Shimizu, N.

2001-12-01

The strontium-calcium ratio (Sr/Ca) of reef coral skeleton is an important ocean temperature proxy that has been used to address some particularly controversial climate change issues. However, the paleothermometer has sometimes proven unreliable and there are indications that the temperature-dependence of Sr/Ca in coral aragonite is linked to the photosynthetic activity of algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) in coral tissue. We examined the effect of algal symbiosis on skeletal chemistry using Astrangia danae, a small colonial temperate scleractinian that occurs naturally with and without zooxanthellae. Live symbiotic (deep brown) and asymbiotic (white) colonies of similar size were collected in Woods Hole where water temperatures fluctuate seasonally between -2oC and 23oC. We used a microbeam technique (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry) and a 30 micron diameter sampling beam to construct high-resolution Sr/Ca profiles, 2500 microns long, down the growth axes of the outer calical (thecal) walls. Profiles generated from co-occuring symbiotic and asymbiotic colonies are remarkably different despite their exposure to identical water temperatures. Symbiotic coral Sr/Ca displays four large-amplitude annual cycles with high values in the winter, low values in the summer and a temperature dependence similar to that of tropical reef corals. By comparison, Sr/Ca profiles constructed from asymbiotic coral skeleton display little variability over the same time period. Asymbiont Sr/Ca is relatively insensitive to the enormous temperature changes experienced over the year; the temperature dependence is similar to that of nighttime skeletal deposits in tropical reef corals and non-biological aragonite precipitates. We propose that the large variations in skeletal Sr/Ca observed in all symbiont-hosting coral species are not related to SST variability per se but are driven primarily by large seasonal variations in skeletal calcification rate associated with symbiont photosynthesis. Our

Novel modes and adaptive block scanning order for intra prediction in AV1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadar, Ofer; Shleifer, Ariel; Mukherjee, Debargha; Joshi, Urvang; Mazar, Itai; Yuzvinsky, Michael; Tavor, Nitzan; Itzhak, Nati; Birman, Raz

2017-09-01

The demand for streaming video content is on the rise and growing exponentially. Networks bandwidth is very costly and therefore there is a constant effort to improve video compression rates and enable the sending of reduced data volumes while retaining quality of experience (QoE). One basic feature that utilizes the spatial correlation of pixels for video compression is Intra-Prediction, which determines the codec's compression efficiency. Intra prediction enables significant reduction of the Intra-Frame (I frame) size and, therefore, contributes to efficient exploitation of bandwidth. In this presentation, we propose new Intra-Prediction algorithms that improve the AV1 prediction model and provide better compression ratios. Two (2) types of methods are considered: )1( New scanning order method that maximizes spatial correlation in order to reduce prediction error; and )2( New Intra-Prediction modes implementation in AVI. Modern video coding standards, including AVI codec, utilize fixed scan orders in processing blocks during intra coding. The fixed scan orders typically result in residual blocks with high prediction error mainly in blocks with edges. This means that the fixed scan orders cannot fully exploit the content-adaptive spatial correlations between adjacent blocks, thus the bitrate after compression tends to be large. To reduce the bitrate induced by inaccurate intra prediction, the proposed approach adaptively chooses the scanning order of blocks according to criteria of firstly predicting blocks with maximum number of surrounding, already Inter-Predicted blocks. Using the modified scanning order method and the new modes has reduced the MSE by up to five (5) times when compared to conventional TM mode / Raster scan and up to two (2) times when compared to conventional CALIC mode / Raster scan, depending on the image characteristics (which determines the percentage of blocks predicted with Inter-Prediction, which in turn impacts the efficiency of the new

Ambient occlusion - A powerful algorithm to segment shell and skeletal intrapores in computed tomography data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titschack, J.; Baum, D.; Matsuyama, K.; Boos, K.; Färber, C.; Kahl, W.-A.; Ehrig, K.; Meinel, D.; Soriano, C.; Stock, S. R.

2018-06-01

During the last decades, X-ray (micro-)computed tomography has gained increasing attention for the description of porous skeletal and shell structures of various organism groups. However, their quantitative analysis is often hampered by the difficulty to discriminate cavities and pores within the object from the surrounding region. Herein, we test the ambient occlusion (AO) algorithm and newly implemented optimisations for the segmentation of cavities (implemented in the software Amira). The segmentation accuracy is evaluated as a function of (i) changes in the ray length input variable, and (ii) the usage of AO (scalar) field and other AO-derived (scalar) fields. The results clearly indicate that the AO field itself outperforms all other AO-derived fields in terms of segmentation accuracy and robustness against variations in the ray length input variable. The newly implemented optimisations improved the AO field-based segmentation only slightly, while the segmentations based on the AO-derived fields improved considerably. Additionally, we evaluated the potential of the AO field and AO-derived fields for the separation and classification of cavities as well as skeletal structures by comparing them with commonly used distance-map-based segmentations. For this, we tested the zooid separation within a bryozoan colony, the stereom classification of an ophiuroid tooth, the separation of bioerosion traces within a marble block and the calice (central cavity)-pore separation within a dendrophyllid coral. The obtained results clearly indicate that the ideal input field depends on the three-dimensional morphology of the object of interest. The segmentations based on the AO-derived fields often provided cavity separations and skeleton classifications that were superior to or impossible to obtain with commonly used distance-map-based segmentations. The combined usage of various AO-derived fields by supervised or unsupervised segmentation algorithms might provide a promising

Assessment of vesicoureteral reflux in patients with self-retaining ureteral stents: implications for upper urinary tract instillation.

PubMed

Yossepowitch, Ofer; Lifshitz, David A; Dekel, Yoram; Ehrlich, Yaron; Gur, Uri; Margel, David; Livne, Pinhas M; Baniel, Jack

2005-03-01

Conservative treatment of upper urinary tract tumors has been popularized during the last decade. Like in bladder cancer management, localized adjuvant therapy has been advocated to reduce the risk of disease recurrence or progression. In this study we tested the feasibility of creating vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) using a Double-J stent (Medical Engineering Corp., New York, New York) as a measure of efficacy for intravesical adjuvant treatment of the ureter and renal collecting system. The cohort included 100 consecutive patients in whom a Double-J stent was inserted for renal obstruction. All the patients underwent cystography in the supine position by retrograde filling of the bladder with a 50% dilute solution of 300 mgI/ml iopromide in serial increments of 50 ml up to a maximum of 350 ml. A total of 41 patients underwent cystography immediately following stent insertion (early group) and 59 patients with indwelling stents underwent cystography before further endourological intervention (late group). The presence of VUR and the level along the ureter and renal collecting system were assessed fluoroscopically. Overall VUR was detected in 56 patients (56%), specifically 11 of the 41 (27%) in the early group and 45 of the 59 (76%) in the late group (p <0.001). There was no correlation between stent diameter or length and VUR, or between patient sex, age or particular side and the likelihood of reflux. Mean minimal intravesical volume required to obtain reflux was 171 +/- 11 ml, which was significantly higher in the early (255 +/- 21 ml) than in the late (146 +/- 11 ml) cystogram group. In 24 of the 56 patients (43%) with VUR, there was complete visualization of the entire ureter and renal collecting system. However, 15 patients (26%) had opacified renal pelves and calices without concomitant visualization of the ureters, whereas 7 patients (31%) had reflux to the ureter without opacification of the renal pelvis. VUR is not a guaranteed consequence of Double-J stent

Upper pole access is safe and effective for pediatric percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

PubMed

Oner, Sedat; Karagozlu Akgul, Ahsen; Demirbas, Murat; Onen, Efe; Aydos, Murat; Erdogan, Abdullah

2018-04-01

Upper pole access in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) provides a straight tract to the ureter, resulting in easier placement of a guidewire to the ureter, good exposure of the pelvis, calices, and upper ureter, and comfortable manipulations. However, despite these benefits, upper pole access is usually avoided because of the risk of chest complications in both pediatric and adult patients. We aimed to evaluate the safety and morbidity of single upper pole access in pediatric patients undergoing PCNL. We retrospectively reviewed patients aged ≤17 years with renal stones who underwent PCNL with a single access between August 2004 and February 2016. The patients were separated into two groups: the single upper pole access group (SUPAG) and the single other pole access group (SOPAG). We compared the SUPAG and SOPAG in terms of the demographic features of the patients, stone burden and location, operative data, and postoperative outcomes. Complications were classified according to the modified Clavien system. During the study period, 101 PCNL procedures were performed, 77 of which were managed with only one access. The median age of the 77 patients managed with a single access was 12 years (range 3-17 years). The number of cases in the SUPAG and SOPAG was 10 and 67, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the SUPAG and SOPAG in terms of age, sex, stone location, hydronephrosis status, stone area, side of kidney, and previous stone treatment or renal surgery. Furthermoret, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the operative parameters. Although the difference was insignificant, the median operation times in the SUPAG and SOPAG were 37 and 45 min, respectively. There was no chest complication or bleeding that required transfusion in the SUPAG. Two cases required transfusion, and one case was managed with a double pigtail catheter (double-J) placement because of prolonged extravasation in the SOPAG. The

[Renal hematoma after extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy in a series of 324 consecutive sessions with the DOLI-S lithotripter: incidents, characteristrics, multifactorial analysis and review].

PubMed

Orozco Fariñas, Rodolfo; Iglesias Prieto, José Ignacio; Massarrah Halabi, Jorge; Mancebo Gómez, José M; Perez-Castro Ellendt, Enrique

2008-10-01

The objective is to know the prevalence of renal hematoma after lithotripsy in our unit, as well as the incidence of symptomatic and/or progressive hematomas, their clinical behavior and management, and also the factors potentially influencing those features. A prospective study in which we analyzed various parameters from the database on 314 patients undergoing SWL on 324 renal units. SPSS 15.01 was employed for statistical analysis under supervision of biostatistics experts. The diagnosis of hematoma was obtained with clinical data (history and physical examination), blood analysis, and ultrasound, this latter with the complement of CT scan in isolated cases. All patients underwent follow-up by means of phone contacts over a period between 7-19 months after lithotripsy. The prevalence of hematoma was 13% but only 6.2% were symptomatic. Accumulated incidence of hematoma with progressive evolution was 2.16%, and blood transfusion requirement due to hematoma was 0.92% of all lithotripsies, which represents 7.14% or them. Factors statistically associated with the incidence of hematoma were: number of shock waves (over 2300), total energy (above 150J), number of KV (above 17.5), preoperative microhematuria, perioperative hypertension, cystine lithiasis, hydrocalyx, caliceal localizations (mainly lower calyces), the association of coronary artery disease with hypertension, or hepatic diseases, chronic hepatopathy, elevation of transaminases, usual intake of anti platelet aggregation drugs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (mainly with prior low-weight heparin treatment for hematoma progression), and a combination of the previous with preoperative hypertension (for symptomatic hematoma), as well as the presence of multiple stones treated in the some session, with different degrees of association for the various subgroups of hematomas. We observed differences in clinical behavior depending on the type of hematoma (subcapsular and perirenal) and 12% of the patients

[Augmented reality for image guided therapy (ARIGT) of kidney tumor during nephron sparing surgery (NSS): animal model and clinical approach].

PubMed

Drewniak, Tomasz; Rzepecki, Maciej; Juszczak, Kajetan; Kwiatek, Wojciech; Bielecki, Jakub; Zieliński, Krzysztof; Ruta, Andrzej; Czekierda, Łukasz; Moczulskis, Zbigniew

2011-01-01

duration of data acquisition by laser scanner and obtain three-dimensional image of the operating field takes an average of 13 seconds +/- 2 seconds. Movements associated with breathing and heart rate did not affect on the quality of the reconstruction. The imposition of the scanned surface texture occurs in real time, allowing you to identify renal parenchymal structures such as renal cortex, pyramids, pyelo-calices complex. Imaging control of NSS procedures is possible in animal models and in real time intraoperatively. The comparison of tumor size and the tumor lodge obtained in preoperative CT scans with the measurements during NSS procedure provide the surgeon to assess the extent of macroscopic estimation of the resection. This procedure helps the surgeon in obtaining oncological radicality with saving as much normal tissue kidney as possible. Performance of the imaging methods should be evaluated on a larger group of patients with kidney tumors eligible for NSS treatment.

PREFACE: 16th International Conference on Calorimetry in High Energy Physics (CALOR 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novotny, Rainer W.

2015-02-01

The XVIth International Conference on Calorimetry in High Energy Physics - CALOR 2014 - was held in Giessen, Germany from 6-11 April 2014 at the Science Campus of the University. It was hosted by the Justus-Liebig-University and the HIC for FAIR Helmholtz International Center. The series of conferences on calorimetry were started in 1990 at Fermilab and are focusing primarily on operating and future calorimeter systems within the Hadron and High-Energy Physics community without neglecting the impact on other fields such as Astrophysics or Medical Imaging. Confirmed by the impressive list of over 70 oral presentations, 5 posters and over 100 attendees, the field of calorimetry appears alive and attractive. The present volume contains the written contributions of almost all presentations which can be found at http://calor2014.de. Time slots of 15 or 30 minutes including discussion were allocated. The conference was accompanied by a small exhibition of several industrial companies related to the field. The day before the opening of the scientific program, Richard Wigmans gave an excellent and vivid tutorial on basic aspects on calorimetry meant as an introduction for students and conference attendees new in the field. The opening ceremony was used to give an impression of the present and future status and the scientific program of the new FAIR facility nearby at Darmstadt presented by Klaus Peters from GSI. The conference program of the first day was dedicated to the performance and required future upgrade of the LHC experiments, dominated by ATLAS, CMS and LHCb. The program of the next day contained specific aspects on electronics and readout as well as calorimetry in outer space. Several contributions discussed in detail new concepts for hadron calorimeters within the CALICE collaboration completed by a session on sampling calorimeters. The next sections were dedicated to operating and future calorimeters at various laboratories and covering a wide range of

Calcic soils and calcretes in the southwestern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bachman, George Odell; Machette, Michael N.

1977-01-01

Secondary calcium carbonate of diverse origins, 'caliche' of many authors, is widespread in the southwestern United States. 'Caliche' includes various carbonates such as calcic soils and products of groundwater cementation. The term 'caliche' is generally avoided in this report in favor of such terms as calcrete, calcic soils, and pervasively cemented deposits. Criteria for the recognition of various types of calcrete of diverse origins include field relations and laboratory data. Calcic soils provide a comprehensive set of characteristics that aid in their recognition in the field. These characteristics include a distinctive morphology that is zoned horizontally and can frequently be traced over tens to hundreds of square kilometers. The major process in the formation of pedogenic calcrete and calic soils is the leaching of calcium carbonate from upper soil horizons by downward percolating soil solutions and reprecipitation of the carbonate in alluvial horizons near the base of the soil profile. The formation of pedogenic calcrete involves many factors including climate, source of carbonate, and tectonic stability of the geomorphic surface on which the calcrete is deposited. Most of the carbonate in pedogenic calcrete is probably derived from windblown sand, dust, and rain. Calcic soils and pedogenic calcretes follow a six-stage sequence morphologic development and is based on a classification devised by Gile, Peterson and Grossman in 1966. The .six morphologic stages of carbonate deposition in soils are related to the relative age of the soil and are as follows: I. The first or youngest stage includes filamentous or faint coatings of carbonate on detrital grains. II. The second stage includes pebble coatings which are continuous; firm carbonate nodules are few to common. III. The third stage includes coalesced nodules which occur in a friable or disseminated carbonate matrix. IV. The fourth stage includes platy, firmly cemented matrix which engulfs nodules

PREFACE: XVth International Conference on Calorimetry in High Energy Physics (CALOR2012)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akchurin, Nural

2012-12-01

reconstruction and trigger of jets, missing transverse energy, electrons, photons, and taus. Pile-up, anomalous signals, and noise mitigation techniques were also discussed in the conference. On the last day, several future R&D initiatives were presented: highly granular CALICE with different technology options and plans for the dual-readout DREAM projects were the main topics. Although these approaches are quite different conceptually, future experiments will certainly benefit from their innovations. Concluding remarks by the chair of the organizing committee, Nural Akchurin (TTU), summarized the highlights of the conference and invited proposals to host the CALOR2014 conference in Europe, as the conference venue rotates between the Americas, Europe, and Asia every two years. We strived hard to keep the cost of this conference as low as possible without sacrificing the scientific mission. I am delighted to report that we were able to provide support for six junior colleagues to participate in this conference. I am also grateful to the institutions, industrial partners, and agencies that provided the support that made a lot possible: Texas Tech University, the University of New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the US Department of Energy, CAEN, and the Wiener Plein & Baus, Corp. I also would like to thank the session conveners who organized sessions and reviewed the papers. The members of the local organizing committee were instrumental to the success of this conference: their experience and attention to detail were invaluable. Most of all, I extend my appreciation to the conference participants and to all my other colleagues who continue to enrich the field of calorimetry through their hard work and creativity. The future is bright. Nural Akchurin Chair of the Organizing Committee International Advisory Committee: Mikhail Danilov, ITEP Moscow Marcella Diemoz, INFN Roma I Antonio Ereditato, Univ. of Bern Franco L. Fabbri, INFN Frascati Tomio Kobayashi, ICEPP Tokyo Michele