A Proof-of-principle for Time-Of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography Imaging

Time-Of-Flight (TOF) is a noble technique that is used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging worldwide. The scintillator based imaging system that is being used around the world for TOF-PET is very expensive. Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) are gaseous detectors which are easy to fabricate, inexpensive and have excellent position and timing resolution. They can be used as a suitable alternative to highly expensive scintillators. For the sole purpose of TOF-PET, a pair of 18 cm $\times$ 18 cm, 5 gap, glass-based MRPC modules have been fabricated. Our main aim was to determine the shift in the position of the source (Na-22) with these fabricated MRPCs. In this document, the details of the experimental results will be presented

Heavy flavour Langevin diffusion with the chromo-electromagnetic field fluctuations in the quark-gluon plasma

The chromo-electromagnetic field is produced due to the motion of partons in a quark-gluon plasma created by relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The fluctuations in the produced chromo-electromagnetic field are important, since they cause heavy quarks to gain energy in the low velocity limit. We study the effect of such fluctuations on heavy quark diffusion in quark-gluon plasma within the framework of Langevin dynamics under the background matter described by the ($3+1$)-dimensional relativistic viscous hydrodynamics. Theoretical calculations of the nuclear modification factor ($R_{AA}$) of heavy mesons ($D$ and $B$ mesons), with the effect of these fluctuations, are compared with experimental measurements in $Au-Au$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV by the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and $Pb-Pb$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76$ and $5.02$ TeV by the ALICE and CMS experiments at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We find a significant effect of these fluctuations in describing the the measured $R_{AA}$ of $D$ and $B$ mesons in both RHIC and LHC energies

Maternal Healthcare Services Utilisation and Its Associated Risk Factors: A Pooled Study of 37 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Objectives: The utilisation of maternal healthcare services (MHS) can play an essential role in reducing maternal deaths. Thus, this study examines the prevalence and factors associated with MHS utilisation in 37 low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: A total of 264,123 women were obtained from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 37 LMICs. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with maternal healthcare services utilisation. Results: Around one-third (33.7%) of the respondents properly utilise MHS among women of childbearing age. In the pooled sample, the odds of MHS utilisation were significantly higher with the increase in wealth index, women's age, age at the first birth, and husband/partner's education. Urban residence (AOR [adjusted odds ratio] = 1.56; 95% CI [confidence interval]: 1.49-1.64), women's autonomy in healthcare decision-making (AOR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.15-1.24) and media exposure (AOR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.58-1.83) were found to be the strongest positive factors associated with utilisation of MHS. In contrast, larger family (AOR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.91-0.96), and families with 7 or more children (AOR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.68-0.77) were significantly negatively associated with MHS utilisation. Conclusion: The utilisation of MHS highly varied in LMICs and the associated factors. Expanding the wealth status, education, age at first birth, mothers' autonomy in healthcare decisions, and media exposure could be essential strategies for increasing the utilisation of MHS; however, country-specific programs should be considered in national policy discussions. There is a need to formulate policies and design maternal health services programs that target socially marginalised women