Compact, high-yield neutron sources are essential for applications in imaging, materials science, and security screening, yet existing systems remain bulky and costly. Here, we demonstrate a laser-driven photoneutron source producing up to 3.0 (+/- 0.8) & times; 107 neutrons per shot from a similar to 270 MeV electron beam generated by a 150 TW laser. These measurements provide experimental validation of a predictive framework that reliably projects significantly higher yields-up to 1.6 & times; 108 neutrons/shot with optimized converter materials. We further show that the resulting neutron energy spectrum is nearly insensitive to fluctuations in electron energy and converter geometry, ensuring the spectral stability required for pulsed fast neutron transmission spectroscopy. In simulation, this stability enabled reliable material discrimination, distinguishing explosives such as cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) from benign substances within a 10 s acquisition time. Together, these results establish a validated and scalable pathway toward next-generation, high-fidelity compact neutron sources for real-world applications.

Abstract A collinear laser spectroscopy apparatus named CLaSsy has been installed at the RAON ISOL facility to investigate nuclear properties of unstable nuclei. The first on-line commissioning experiment was performed using 22–24 Na ion beams. Optical spectra of the sodium D 1 and D 2 transitions were successfully observed for these isotopes, thereby commissioning the on-line operation of CLaSsy with radioactive ion beams. Hyperfine structure spectra were analyzed and isotope shifts were extracted as part of the commissioning study. These commissioning results provide a foundation for future on-line laser spectroscopy studies of unstable nuclei at RAON.

Laser-cluster fusion offers a unique compact platform for studying nuclear reactions in the sub-100 keV regime. Here we report the first experimental demonstration of secondary beam-target DD fusion reactions in laser-cluster fusion experiments by surrounding a CD4 cluster jet with a CD2 foil. Deuterons accelerated to high ion temperatures of 60–100 keV through Coulomb explosion interacted with the surrounding CD2 target, enhancing neutron yields by up to a factor of 3.5 compared with the cluster-only case. This enhancement was quantitatively reproduced by a time-resolved model, confirming the effectiveness of the additional target. Our results demonstrate a practical route to boost neutron production and to establish laser-cluster fusion as a compact platform for investigating a wider range of fusion reactions and cross-sections relevant to astrophysics.

Aims This study aimed to compare the performance of survival prediction models for bone metastases of the extremities (BM- E) with pathological fractures in an Asian cohort, and investigate patient characteristics associated with survival. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 469 patients, who underwent surgery for BM- E between January 2009 and March 2022 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Postoperative survival was calculated using the PATHFx3.0, SPRING13, OPTIModel, SORG, and IOR models. Model performance was assessed with area under the curve (AUC), calibration curve, Brier score, and decision curve analysis. Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the factors contributing to survival. Results The SORG model demonstrated the highest discriminatory accuracy with AUC (0.80 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76 to 0.85)) at 12 months. In calibration analysis, the PATHfx3.0 and OPTIModel models underestimated survival, while the SPRING13 and IOR models overestimated survival. The SORG model exhibited excellent calibration with intercepts of 0.10 (95% CI -0.13 to 0.33) at 12 months. The SORG model also had lower Brier scores than the null score at three and 12 months, indicating good overall performance. Decision curve analysis showed that all five survival prediction models provided greater net benefit than the default strategy of operating on either all or no patients. Rapid growth cancer and low serum albumin levels were associated with three-, six-, and 12- month survival. Conclusion State - of - art survival prediction models for BM- E (PATHFx3.0, SPRING13, OPTIModel, SORG, and IOR models) are useful clinical tools for orthopaedic surgeons in the decisionmaking process for the treatment in Asian patients, with SORG models offering the best predictive performance. Rapid growth cancer and serum albumin level are independent, statistically significant factors contributing to survival following surgery of BM- E. Further refinement of survival prediction models will bring about informed and patient- specific treatment of BM- E.

Abstract BACKGROUND To address an intraoperative brain tumor diagnosis by frozen section(FS) which is time-consuming and traumatic, confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) has actively been explored as a promising alternative tool. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate that novel CLE image evaluation by a neuropathologist is as effective as frozen section diagnosis for histopathological assessment during brain tumor surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS Utilizing a novel confocal endomicroscopy (cCeLL) wherein tissues were pretreated with indocyanine green, a prospective multicenter, assessor-blinded interim analysis was conducted at three tertiary medical institutions in the Republic of Korea. Patients newly diagnosed with brain tumors between May 2023 and April 2024 were included. Each tissue sample was divided into three smaller pieces for permanent section analysis, frozen section analysis and cCeLL-Ex vivo imaging. A designated neuropathologist interpreted all cCeLL-Ex vivo images. Statistic evaluation was performed by comparing both frozen section analysis and cCeLL-Ex vivo with permanent H&E diagnosis. The total time from sample preparation to diagnosis was also calculated. RESULTS A total of 274 samples were acquired from 242 patients. The predominant tumor types were meningioma (32.1%), glioma (24.8%) and pituitary adenoma (9.49%). The majority of tissue samples (86.9%) were obtained from the tumor core. Non-diagnostic tissues constituted 4.38% in frozen section and 6.57% in cCeLL-Ex vivo imaging. The diagnostic accuracy of cCeLL-Ex vivo was on par with frozen section analysis, with 96.1% and 96.9%, respectively. Both methods demonstrated comparable diagnostic sensitivity (FS vs cCeLL-Ex vivo: 99.2% vs 98.3%) and specificity(FS vs cCeLL-Ex vivo: 76.0% vs 77.8%). There were no statistically significant differences in diagnostic accuracy between frozen section (FS) and cCeLL imaging for each tumor type. The average number of cCeLL images required for neuropathologic assessment was 15.84, varing based on the tumor type, with a range of 5.05 to 27.8. The mean duration from sample preparation to diagnosis was 8 minutes and 40 seconds in cCeLL-Ex vivo and 24 minutes and 35 seconds in frozen section (p-value < 0.001). CONCLUSION cCeLL-Ex vivo has shown promising tool as an alternative intraoperative brain tumor diagnosis compared to frozen section analysis. Future studies are anticipated to further validate its clinical utility and provide additional evidence supporting the potential of cCeLL imaging in clinical practice.

Matter-antimatter plasmas, such as electron-positron pair plasmas, are frequently observed in various astrophysical phenomena. In laboratory settings, electron-positron pairs have often been generated using high-Z converters irradiated by either direct laser pulses or laser-driven electron beams. Here we generate charge-neutral electron-positron beams with energies in the GeV range, utilizing bremsstrahlung gamma rays. Specifically, intense high-energy gamma rays produced electron-positron pair particles in a lead converter via the Bethe-Heitler process. The produced pair beams exhibited neutrality across all converter thicknesses throughout the energy spectrum spanning from 10 MeV to 1.8 GeV. Pairs with energies surpassing 1 GeV constituted up to 26% of the total kinetic energy within the spectrum. The experimental results were in good agreement with our Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations. These GeV-scale neutral pair particle beams have potential applications for understanding energetic astrophysical phenomena and high-energy particle physics.

We examined electron–positron pair production in solid iron, zinc, tungsten, and lead targets irradiated by a laser-accelerated electron beam generated with a 100 TW laser. These targets were assessed at the target thickness of 0.5, 1.25, and 2.0 radiation lengths for each material. Using a 0.75-T-magnetic spectrometer, we measured the electron and positron yields and spectra, producing 3 × 108 positrons per shot with a peak leptonic density of 4 × 1012 cm−3. These experimental results agree very well with Monte Carlo simulations conducted with the simulation code Geant4. Importantly, our findings show that normalizing the target thickness to each material’s radiation length results in consistent electron and positron yields across the materials, effectively reducing discrepancies due to material differences.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of stent graft placement for portal vein occlusion due to periampullary malignancies. This retrospective single-center study included 58 patients (36 men and 22 women; mean ± SD age, 64.2 ± 9.1 years) who underwent percutaneous transhepatic portal vein stent (n = 45) or stent graft (n = 13) placement for portal vein occlusion due to periampullary malignancies (38 cases of pancreas cancer and 20 cases of biliary cancer). from January 2018 to December 2022. These patients were referred to interventional radiology for portal hypertension-related symptoms such as refractory ascites (n = 36), variceal bleeding (n = 19), and portal hypertensive gastropathy (n = 3). Portal vein stent or stent graft was placed via the transhepatic route to relieve the portal hypertension-related symptoms. Clinical success was defined as the resolution of portal hypertension-related symptoms. Clinical success, stent patency, recurrence of symptoms, overall survival, and procedure-related adverse events were compared between stent placement and stent graft placement groups. Clinical success rate was higher in the stent graft group (12/13, 92.3%) than that in the stent group (29/45, 64.4%) (p = 0.052). After the initial relief of portal hypertension-related symptoms, a larger proportion of patients had a recurrence of symptoms in the stent group (18/29, 62.1%) than in the stent graft group (4/12, 33.3%) (p = 0.093). While the overall survival was not significantly different between the two groups (13 months in the stent graft group vs. 13 months in the stent group), longer patency was observed in the stent graft group (13 months) than in the stent group (10 months) (p =.0.018). The procedure-related adverse events were not observed in both groups. The stent graft placement for the malignant portal vein occlusion may provide more immediate symptom relief and longer patency compared to those in the stent placement without the expense of patient safety.

Recent studies have successfully demonstrated a high-flux GeV-scale gamma-ray spectrometer using energy spectra of electron–positron pairs generated in a high-Z converter. In a confined space of a meter, resolving GeV-scale pair particles using a permanent magnet is challenging owing to its relatively weak magnetic field strength of around 1 T. In this study, we present a compact low-background GeV-scale e-e + pair spectrometer design, utilizing permanent magnets and imaging plates, and its experimental validation. We investigated the arrangement of magnet blocks using Geant4 simulations to enhance energy resolution over a wide spectral range from MeV to GeV. An asymmetrical yoke design was implemented to maximize the bending power without obstructing particle trajectories. We utilized and evaluated the pair spectrometer system in pair-production experiments using a multi-petawatt laser, successfully detecting GeV-range electron–positron pair particles. Additional Geant4 simulations were conducted to validate the spectrometer’s performance. This research contributes to the advancement of experimental capabilities in particle physics, especially for gamma-ray spectrometers in space-constrained environments.

Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) can be difficult to diagnose in children due to its rare occurrence, tendency to mimic common pediatric conditions, and limited scientific studies.Leveraging 30 years of longitudinal electronic health record (EHR) data within Mass General Brigham healthcare system, this study compares a pediatric cohort with DRESS to clinical manifestations in adults.Specialist-diagnosed cases were obtained using natural language processing on multiple EHR data types,and validated with manual chart review.11 pediatric DRESS cases were identified.Median age was 15[range: 3-17,IQR:7].Regiscar scores indicated probable(n¼4,36%), possible(n¼3,27%), and no DRESS(n¼4,36%).Causal agents identified were Vancomycin(n¼4,36%), anticonvulsants(n¼3,27%), Bactrim(n¼2,18%),minocycline(n¼1,9%), and ibuprofen(n¼1,9%).Compared to adults, erythematous maculopapular rash (n¼10,91%), fever(n¼11,100%), lymphadenopathy(n¼4,36%),atypical lymphocytes (n¼3,27%), liver injury(n¼7,64%) were more prevalent while eosinophilia (n¼6,55%); n¼249,68%) and kidney injury(n¼1,9%; n¼145,39%) were less prevalent.EBV and HHV-6 were detected in 2/6 tested patients and 2/ 2 tested patients respectively.Three patients presented with infection prior to hospitalization with DRESS.Median length of stay was 6 days[range:0-27,IQR:15] in pediatric patients and 11 days [range:0-166,IQR 21] in adults.Zero pediatric patients compared to 4 adults suffered death from DRESS.Greater incongruence between clinical diagnosis and Regiscar score existed in pediatric patients.More pediatric cases scored probable or possible(n¼7,64%;n¼198,54%) and less scored definite(n¼0,0%;n¼55,15%). Future studies examining systemic manifestations, treatment, reliability of Regiscar scoring, and potential alterative diagnostic scales in pediatric patients should be explored. 518Synergistic anti-acne activity of carnitine salicylate ionic pair (IP-BHA) and magnolol combinational application K Kwon, J Won, M Kim, S Park and Y Song R&D center, LG Household and Health Care Ltd, Seoul, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of) Salicylic acid has been used as an anti-acne agent with its comedolytic property and antimicrobial activity.However, there is a limit to use for leave-on cosmetics because of the transient skin irritation and low efficacy at neutral pH condition.We prepared a salicylic acidbased ionic pair with L -carnitine (named IP-BHA) through hydrogen bonding and dipoledipole interaction overcoming the limitation of salicylic acid.Through in vitro study, the efficacy of IP-BHA on exfoliation at weakly acidic pH and cytotoxicity and alleviation of the pro-inflammatory factor nitric oxide was superior to that of salicylic acid.As anti-acne agent, we examined the combinational effect of IP-BHA and magnolol, a bioactive organic lignan, in order to clarify their efficacy as anti-acne agents.The antibacterial activity of IP-BHA and magnolol was evaluated by determining the minimum antibacterial inhibitory concentration (MIC).Magnolol showed strong activity against C. acnes, which was better than a medical antibiotic acne drug, clindamycin.The combined application with IP-BHA was more effective in antibacterial activity.It was confirmed that testosterone-induced lipogenesis was significantly inhibited by treatment with IP-BHA and magnolol, while single treatment had no significant inhibitory effect.Interestingly, MMP-1 and VEGF were induced by C. acnes lysate in human keratinocytes.We found that these inflammatory molecules were completely inhibited by combined application of IP-BHA and magnolol.In human skin in vivo, the dosedependent exfoliation effect of IP-BHA was confirmed at pH 5.5, and the synergic exfoliation effect was shown in the combined application of IP-BHA and magnolol.When topically applied, the emulsion containing IP-BHA and magnolol improved inflamed acne with papule and pustule.Based on the dual administration effects, we suggest that IP-BHA and magnolol may be the potential agent for acne by improving inflammatory skin condition.

To compare pain and embolic effect after uterine artery embolization (UAE) with resorbable gelatin microspheres (RGM, Nexsphere) particles and tris-acryl gelatin microspheres (TAGM, Embosphere). In this randomized controlled trial, participants were assigned to RGM or TAGM. Both groups were administered fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia during the first 24 hours after UAE and rescue analgesics. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC) were measured to assess inflammatory response before and 24 hours after the procedure. Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) was also measured to assess the impact of UAE on ovarian function. Contrast-enhanced MRI 1 day and 3 months after UAE were used to evaluate the necrosis of the dominant fibroid and recanalization of the embolized uterine arteries. Symptom severity score (SSS) and health-related quality of life score (HRQOL) were assessed before and 3 months after UAE. 60 patients (mean age, 45.7 ± 3.6) were evaluated. Although pain scores were not different between the two groups, fentanyl consumption during 24 h was significantly lower in the RGM group. NLR, CRP, and WBC count were significantly higher in the RGM group at 24 hours (P < 0.001 for all the parameters). At 3 months, SSS and HRQOL were not significantly different between the two groups (P =0.81 for SSS, P = 0.1 for HRQOL). Serum AMH levels were significantly decreased in both groups after the procedure (P< 0.001 for RGM, P = 0.003 for TAGM). The rates of complete necrosis of the dominant fibroids were not significantly different (P = 0.85). The rates of recanalization of the embolized uterine arteries were significantly higher in the RGM group (P = 0.001) When used in UAE, RGM and TAGM were equally effective in obtaining complete necrosis of the dominant fibroids and improvement in symptoms. RGM induced a higher degree of inflammatory response and required less fentanyl consumption, but pain scores were similar between the two groups. Recanalization of the embolized uterine artery was more commonly observed in the RGM.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by immune dysregulation, pruritus, and abnormal epidermal barrier function. Compared with conventional mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stem cell (iMSC) is recognized as a unique source for producing extracellular vesicles (EVs) because it can be obtained in a scalable manner with an enhanced homogeneity. In this study, we investigated whether, EVs from IFN-γ stimulated of iMSCs have immune-regulatory, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-repairing potential in a mice model of AD. After DNCB was applied to the dorsal skin of NC/Nga mice for three weeks, AD symptoms were assessed. Then mice were treated with the IFN-γ-iMSC-EVs or a JAK inhibitor (Baricitinib) for four weeks. AD-like symptoms were demonstrated in the DNCB application mice, such as increased dermatitis score, scratching number, serum IgE level, epidermal thickness, and immune cell infiltration. Also, IFN-γ-iMSC-EVs decreased the expression of IL-4Rα, IL-13Rα1, TSLP, and their corresponding intracellular signaling molecules activated in AD-like mice. Furthermore, IFN-γ-iMSC-EVs decreased atopic dermatitis score, which was supported by reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and mast cells in AD skin . Impaired skin barrier, as evidenced by upregulation of keratin, filaggrin, and ceramide synthase, was also observed in AD mice that received IFN-γ-iMSC-EVs. The results of our study may contribute to developing novel cell-free therapeutic strategies for AD. IFN-γ-iMSC-EVs is currently undergoing phase 1 clinical trials in patients with atopic dermatitis.

A direct comparison of the properties of electron beam generated by antiparallel circularly polarized Laguerre–Gaussian (CPLG) laser pulse and parallel CPLG laser pulse has been performed with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. It is known that the longitudinal field of an antiparallel CPLG laser pulse with opposite signs of spin and orbital quantum number preferentially accelerates electrons to high energy. However, a direct comparison of electron beam between the other combination of spin and orbital angular momentum, the parallel CPLG laser pulse with the same sign of spin and orbital angular quantum number, has not been conducted. While the two pulses have an identical transverse field envelope, the generated electron beam properties are different. Although the magnitude of the longitudinal field is about one order of magnitude less than that of the transverse field, it has a significant effect on beam divergence. For antiparallel CPLG laser pulse, collimated electron bunches are formed with small divergence (< 50 mrad); while for parallel CPLG laser pulse, a diverging (> 100 mrad) electron beam is formed. This difference in beam quality can indicate a field-induced acceleration in actual experiments. A few-cycle laser pulse and low-density plasma are used to rule out the effect of laser–plasma interaction. It is also shown that for antiparallel CPLG laser pulse, the maximum kinetic energy increases with the square root of incident laser power, consistent with the scaling law for field-induced acceleration.

We present a scaling law ( Y ∼ E β ) of fusion neutron yields ( Y ) for laser pulse energy ( E ) in laser-cluster fusion experiments. We compare the available neutron yield data from previous deuterium cluster fusion experiments with those calculated using the cylindrical fusion plasma model. The calculated neutron yields are shown as functions of the incident laser pulse energy, average number density, and ion temperature. Although the deuterium–deuterium fusion reactivity is known to increase rapidly with ion temperature, the neutron yield shows a modest increase above ∼10 keV for a given laser pulse energy. We find the scaling exponent β approaching 1.0 as the ion temperature increases from 1 keV to 100 keV. We explain the observed temperature dependence of β by examining the temperature dependence of the beam–beam and beam–target fusion neutron yields separately. Our scaling law differs from previously reported scaling laws from individual experiments, but it shows an excellent agreement with the scaling law determined by the maximum neutron yields of individual experiments.

Skin aging, represented by wrinkles, is caused by a decrease in the dermal components such as collagen, elastin, and fibroblast. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate cell-to-cell communication via cargo biomolecules in a cell-free manner. In previous studies, we produced mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived cargo-regulated EVs through various priming methods and reported that these cargo-regulated EVs affect the progression of various diseases. Here we report the effect of EVs derived from HA-primed iMSCs (HA-iMSC-EVs) on aged human dermal fibroblast (HDF). HA-iMSC-EVs increased cell proliferation and expression of HA receptor, CD44, and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) aged HDFs cultured for a in prolonged period. In addition, HA-iMSC-EVs enhanced the accumulation of extracellular elastin fibers in aged HDFs. Also, HA-iMSC-EVs decreased the senescence associated-beta-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity, while HA itself did not reduce SA-β-gal activity. In addition, HA-iMSC-EVs a shift toward S+G2/M phase of cell cycle was observed in HA-iMSC-EVs-treated HDFs. Consistently, similar outcome was observed in aged HDF's induced by glucocorticoid steroids and prolonged cultivation. In detail, dexamethasone reduced the type 1 collagen (COL1A1) and ELN expression in a concentration-dependent manner in aged HDF without affecting cell proliferation. However, HA-iMSC-EVs restored the expression of ELN and COL1A1, CD44, IGF1R expression Cyclin D expression was increased, suggesting that HA-iMSC-EVs also promotes the proliferation of aged HDF. Conclusively, our results suggest that HA-iMSC-EVs have potential to improve skin aging by stimulating the proliferation of fibroblast and restoring collagen and elastin production in dermal tissue.

The characterization of an electron–positron beam generated from the interaction of a multi-GeV electron beam with a lead plate is performed using GEANT4 simulations. The dependence of the positron beam size on driver electron beam energy and lead converter thickness is investigated in detail. A pancake-like positron beam structure is generated with a monoenergetic multi-GeV driver electron beam, with the results indicating that a 5 GeV driver electron beam with 1 nC charge can generate a positron beam with a density of 10 15 –10 16 cm −3 at one radiation length of lead. In addition, we find that electron–positron beams generated using above-GeV electron beams have neutralities greater than 0.3 at one radiation length of lead, whereas neutralities of 0.2 are observed when using a 200 MeV electron beam. The possibility of observing plasma instabilities in experiments is also examined by comparing the plasma skin depth with the electron–positron beam size. A quasi-neutral electron–positron plasma can be produced in the interaction between a 1 nC, 5 GeV electron beam and lead with a thickness of five radiation lengths. Our findings will aid in analyzing and interpreting laser-produced electron–positron plasma for laboratory astrophysics research.

Laser plasmas can be produced when high-power laser beams are focused in matter. A focused laser beam of TW(terawatt)-level high power has an extremely strong electric field, so neutral atoms are immediately ionized by the laser electric field, leading to a laser-produced plasma. The laser plasma can be produced by small table-top TW lasers based on the CPA (chirped-pulse amplification) technique, and now they are rather easily available even in university laboratories. In Korea, there are several CPA-based TW (or even petawatt) lasers in a few institutions, and they have been used for diverse laser plasma physics research and applications, including the laser acceleration for electrons and ions, high-power THz (tera-hertz) generation, advanced light sources, high-energy-density plasmas, plasma optics, etc. This paper reviews some of the laser plasma physics research and applications that have been performed in several universities and research institutes.

Energetic charged particles such as laser-driven protons or ions can transfer heat into a small solid-density sample very quickly, sometimes heating it to temperatures beyond 10,000 K. Uniform and efficient heat transfer would be desirable when measuring the physical properties of the sample after heating, but heating a thick solid-density sample both uniformly and efficiently in a short time has been very challenging. Here we show that a thick (> 1 cm) solid-density aluminum sample can be heated rapidly, uniformly, and efficiently all at the same time using an energetic proton beam with a finite energy spread. We perform Monte Carlo simulations to study the relationship between the energy spread of the incident protons and the heat transferred onto the sample for rapid, uniform, and efficient heating. We find that a 100 MeV proton beam with a Gaussian energy spread of ΔE/E ~ 70% can transfer heat into a 32 mm thick solid-density aluminum sample uniformly (temperature nonuniformity <2–6%) and efficiently (> 62% heat transfer efficiency) on a sub-nanosecond time scale.