Scattering effects from microtopographic surface roughness are merely nonparaxial diffraction phenomena resulting from random phase variations in the reflected or transmitted wavefront. Rayleigh-Rice, Beckmann-Kirchhoff. or Harvey-Shack surface scatter theories are commonly used to predict surface scatter effects. Smooth-surface and/or paraxial approximations have severely limited the range of applicability of each of the above theoretical treatments. A recent linear systems formulation of nonparaxial scalar diffraction theory applied to surface scatter phenomena resulted first in an empirically modified Beckmann-Kirchhoff surface scatter model, then a generalized Harvey-Shack theory that produces accurate results for rougher surfaces than the Rayleigh-Rice theory and for larger incident and scattered angles than the classical Beckmann-Kirchhoff and the original Harvey-Shack theories. These new developments simplify the analysis and understanding of nonintuitive scattering behavior from rough surfaces illuminated at arbitrary incident angles.

No abstract

No abstract

Image degradation due to scattered radiation is a serious problem in many short-wavelength ͑x-ray and EUV͒ imaging systems. Most currently available image analysis codes require the scattering behavior ͓data on the bidirectional scattering distribution function ͑BSDF͔͒ as input in order to calculate the image quality from such systems. Predicting image degradation due to scattering effects is typically quite computation-intensive. If using a conventional optical design and analysis code, each geometrically traced ray spawns hundreds of scattered rays randomly distributed and weighted according to the input BSDF. These scattered rays must then be traced through the system to the focal plane using nonsequential ray-tracing techniques. For multielement imaging systems even the scattered rays spawn more scattered rays at each additional surface encountered in the system. In this paper we describe a generalization of Peterson's analytical treatment of in-field stray light in multielement imaging systems. In particular, we remove the smooth-surface limitation that ignores the scattered-scattered radiation, which can be quite large for EUV wavelengths even for state-of-the-art optical surfaces. Predictions of image degradation for a two-mirror EUV telescope with the generalized Peterson model are then numerically validated with the much more computation-intensive ZEMAX ® and ASAP ® codes.

Background: Both trans-arterial radioembolization (TARE) and conventional trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) can effectively control hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients who are not suitable for curative resection. This study compared the effectiveness of TARE and conventional TACE as the initial trans-arterial treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) assessed by tumor response and clinical outcomes. Material and Methods: Data were retrospectively analyzed the propensity score-matched cohort for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and intrahepatic PFS in patients who have received TARE or TACE as the first HCC treatment from March 2012 to December 2017. Results: A total of 138 patients initially treated with TARE (n = 54) or TACE (n = 84) was included in this study. Of 138 patients, median age was 59 years and the mean follow-up period was 27.6 months. TARE showed better OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31-0.92, log-rank P = 0.02), better PFS (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.36-0.97, log-rank P = 0.04), and better intrahepatic PFS (HR = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.30-0.88, log-rank P = 0.01) compared with TACE. TARE was an independent prognostic factor for OS (adjusted HR [aHR] = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.30-0.90, P = 0.02), PFS (aHR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.35-0.94, P = 0.03), and intrahepatic PFS (aHR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.28-0.84, P = 0.01). Conclusion: TARE as initial trans-arterial treatment is associated with better clinical outcomes such as longer OS compared with TACE in patients with HCC.

Background/aim In a randomized controlled trial, lenvatinib was non-inferior to sorafenib in overall survival (OS) of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). This study aimed to compare the effects of sorafenib and lenvatinib as first-line systemic therapy against uHCC with real-world data in chronic hepatitis B patients. Methods This retrospective single-center study involved 132 patients with HBV-related uHCC. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the baseline characteristics, including age, sex, serum alpha-fetoprotein levels, Child–Pugh class, tumor size, and tumor stage. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), time to progression (TTP), and tumor response. Results After PSM, the final analysis included 44 patients treated with lenvatinib and 88 with sorafenib. The OS (7.0 vs 9.2 months, p = 0.070) and PFS (4.6 vs 2.4 months, p = 0.134) were comparable between the two drugs. Multivariable analysis showed that lenvatinib and sorafenib were not independent prognostic factors of OS (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence interval = 0.96–2.08, p = 0.077) after adjustment for baseline alpha-fetoprotein levels, total bilirubin levels, alanine aminotransferase level, performance status, tumor stage, and tumor size. However, the lenvatinib group had a significantly prolonged TTP (5.2 vs 2.5 months, p = 0.018) and a higher objective response rate (18.2% vs 4.5%, p = 0.020) and disease control rate (77.3% vs 47.7%, p = 0.001) than the sorafenib group. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that lenvatinib had a comparable OS and PFS but longer TTP and better tumor response compared to sorafenib in patients with HBV-related uHCC.

The generalized Harvey-Shack (GHS) surface scatter theory has been shown to accurately predict the BRDF produced by moderately rough mirror surfaces from surface metrology data. The predicted BRDF also holds for both large incident and scattering angles. Furthermore, it provides good agreement with the classical Rayleigh-Rice theory for those surfaces that satisfy the smooth-surface criterion. The two-dimensional band-limited portion of the surface PSD contributing to scattered radiation is discussed and illustrated for arbitrary incident angles, and the corresponding relevant roughness necessary to calculate the total integrated scatter (TIS) is determined. It is shown that BRDF data measured with a large incident angle can be used to expand the range of surface roughness for which the inverse scattering problem can be solved; i.e., for which the surface PSD can be calculated from measured BRDF data. This PSD and the GHS surface scatter theory can then be used to calcu late the BRDF of that surface for arbitrary incident angles and wavelengths that do not satisfy the smooth-surface criterion. Finally, the surface transfer function characterizing both the BTDF and the BRDF of a moderately rough interface separating two media of arbitrary refractive index is derived in preparation for modeling the scattering of structured thin film solar cells

0 1 7 ) A 3 9 9 -A 8 1 1 A717 objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the most recent literature to better understand the efficacy and safety of current treatment for women with PPD. Methods: A systematic review of Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and several congresses was conducted according to the PRISMA Statement through February 2017 to identify literature on the treatment of PPD. Disease search terms included "postpartum depression", "postnatal depression", and "peripartum depression". Inclusion criteria included women with PPD aged ≥ 15 years treated in observational or interventional studies with any pharmacologic therapy. Results: In total, 889 unique studies were screened by two independent researchers by title and abstract; of these 58 full-text studies were evaluated and 31 were included in this review. In general, evidence supporting the efficacy of pharmacological therapies is limited; in particular, 3 placebo-controlled studies of 303 total patients did not report statistically significant improvements in various depression symptoms scores for nortriptyline or sertraline. In another study of 70 patients with PPD who were randomized to paroxetine or placebo, statistically significant improvements of pharmacologic therapy over placebo were shown for certain outcomes (e.g., proportion achieving remission by week 8, 37% vs. 15%; p = 0.04), whereas other measures of efficacy had borderline or non-significant differences between groups. Overall, evidence supporting the treatment of women with PPD is limited and complicated by variability in the study design and methods used to assess symptoms. ConClusions: Several treatments in women with PPD have been studied; however, evidence supporting the efficacy of these therapies is limited.