3,349 research outputs found
New results from an extensive aging test on bakelite Resistive Plate Chambers
We present recent results of an extensive aging test, performed at the CERN
Gamma Irradiation Facility on two single--gap RPC prototypes, developed for the
LHCb Muon System. With a method based on a model describing the behaviour of an
RPC under high particle flux conditions, we have periodically measured the
electrode resistance R of the two RPC prototypes over three years: we observe a
large spontaneous increase of R with time, from the initial value of about 2
MOhm to more than 250 MOhm. A corresponding degradation of the RPC rate
capabilities, from more than 3 kHz/cm2 to less than 0.15 kHz/cm2 is also found.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, presented at Siena 2002, 8th Topical Seminar on
Innovative Particle and Radiation Detectors 21-24 October 2002, Siena, Ital
Pengaruh Promosi Jabatan dan Hubungan Interpersonal terhadap Kepuasan Kerja Pegawai PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Divre II Sumatera Barat
ABSTRACTDika Yuliastuti, 2009 / 09090127: "Influence of Interpersonal Relations Campaign Against the Occupation and Job Satisfaction Employee PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra". Main Supervisor : Yolanda Hayu Utami, SE, MBA Secon Supervisor : Arnaldi, SE, M.Si.This study aims to analyze: 1) The extent to which the effect of promotions on job satisfaction of employees of PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra. 2) The extent to which the influence of interpersonal relationships on the job satisfaction of employees of PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra. 3) The extent to which the effect of promotion and interpersonal relationships on the job satisfaction of employees of PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra.This type of research is descriptive associative. This research was carried out for 1 month. The population of this study were all employees at PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra totaling 87 people. The sampling technique of this study is total sampling technique that means the whole population sampled, because its population is less than 100 respondents, the sample size was 87 employees. This type of data is the primary data (ie, questionnaires) and secondary data. Data analysis was descriptive and inferential analysis through hypothesis testing using the F test and t test with α = 0.05. The results of this study menunjuikkan that: 1) a significant difference between Interpersonal Relations Campaign Against Occupation in PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra, significance of 0.000, 2) a significant difference between Interpersonal Relations Against Employee Satisfaction in PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra, significance of 0,000, 3) Promotion of Employment and Relations Intepersonal significant effect simultaneously on Job Satisfaction in PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra, significance of 0.000.In this study the authors suggested that among employees further enhance interpersonal relationships with employees, namely mutual respect among fellow employee or supervisor and filled with a sense of responsibility towards the mandated employment and occupation, so that the boss can give promotions to employees in a fair, trust is based on the formation and procedures in accordance with the relevant agencies. In cooperation should be compact and harmonious team. As such conditions as it will directly impact both for employee satisfaction in PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) Division II West Sumatra, so as to achieve the goals and objectives as desired or expected by the agency
Recent Heavy-Flavor results at STAR
We present the recent results on non-photonic electron (NPE) yields from RHIC
run8 p+p collisions. The ratio as a function of in run8 with a
factor of 10 reduction of the inner detector material at STAR is found to be
consistent with those results from run3 taking into account the NPE from charm
leptonic decay and the difference of photonic electron yield from photon
conversion in detector material. \Jpsi spectra in \pp and \cucu collisions at
\sNN = 200 GeV with high sampled luminosity \Jpsi spectrum at high-\pT follows
scaling, but the scaling is violated at low \pT. -hadron
correlations in \pp collisions are studied to understand the \Jpsi production
mechanism at high . We observed an absence of charged hadrons accompanying
\Jpsi on the near-side, in contrast to the strong correlation peak in the
di-hadron correlations. This constrains the -meson contribution and jet
fragmentation to inclusive \Jpsi to be . Yields in
minimum-bias \cucu collisions are consistent with those in \pp collisions
scaled by the underlying binary nucleon-nucleon collisions in the measured \pT
range. Other measurements and future projects related to heavy-flavors are
discussed.Comment: 8 pages 4 figures, proceedings of the International Conference on
Strangeness in Quark Matter 2008 - Beijing, China, Oct. 6-10, 200
Electromagnetic Probes
A review is presented of dilepton and real photon measurements in
relativistic heavy ion collisions over a very broad energy range from the low
energies of the BEVALAC up to the highest energies available at RHIC. The
dileptons cover the invariant mass range \mll = 0 - 2.5 GeV/c, i.e. the
continuum at low and intermediate masses and the light vector mesons, . The review includes also measurements of the light vector mesons
in elementary reactions.Comment: To be published in Landolt-Boernstein Volume 1-23A; 40 pages, 24
figures. Final version updated with small changes to the text, updated
references and updated figure
Clinical and MRI Predictors of Conversion From Mild Behavioural Impairment to Dementia
As an analogy with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the mild behavioral impairment (MBI) construct has been proposed as a diagnostic label for those presenting late-onset behavioral symptoms. To date, however, the clinical, cognitive, and structural imaging features associated with an increased risk of conversion from MBI to dementia are poorly understood.
METHODS:
We retrospectively analyzed the cognitive performance and structural brain MRI of 113 subjects, with a clinical follow-up of at least 4 years available. Subjects were randomly assigned to a Group A (56 subjects; age: 65.4 \ub1 7.9 years, 15 females, MMSE score: 28.4 \ub1 2.3)) or to a Group B (57 subjects, age: 66.6 \ub1 6.4, 17 females, MMSE score: 28.0 \ub1 1.4). In the Group A, cognitive and structural variables were compared between converters (at 4 years) and nonconverters and then verified in the Group B group.
RESULTS:
In the Group A, 14 patients converted to behavioral-variant of frontotemporal dementia (bv-FTD) and 4 to Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Converters presented at baseline lower executive function scores and total Theory of Mind (ToM scores), as well as more severe focal frontal atrophy. In the Group B, 13 subjects converted to bv-FTD and none to AD. The combination of the variables identified in the Group A significantly (p <0.001) discriminated between converters and nonconverters in the Group B with a sensitivity of 0.615 and a specificity of 1 (total accuracy 91.22%).
CONCLUSION:
The combined presence of executive deficit, impaired ToM, and presence of isolated frontal atrophy was associated with risk of progression from MBI to a clinically evident neurodegenerative condition, mainly bv-FTD, over a 4-year period
Comparative study of MRI biomarkers in the substantia nigra to discriminate idiopathic Parkinson disease
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Several new MR imaging techniques have shown promising results in patients with Parkinson disease; however, the comparative diagnostic values of these measures at the individual level remain unclear. Our aim was to compare the diagnostic value of MR imaging biomarkers of substantia nigra damage for distinguishing patients with Parkinson disease from healthy volunteers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients and 20 healthy volunteers were prospectively included. The MR imaging protocol at 3T included 3D T2-weighted and T1-weighted neuromelanin-sensitive images, diffusion tensor images, and R2* mapping. T2* high-resolution images were also acquired at 7T to evaluate the dorsal nigral hyperintensity sign. Quantitative analysis was performed using ROIs in the substantia nigra drawn manually around the area of high signal intensity on neuromelanin-sensitive images and T2-weighted images. Visual analysis of the substantia nigra neuromelanin-sensitive signal intensity and the dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity on T2* images was performed. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in the neuromelanin-sensitive volume and signal intensity in patients with Parkinson disease. There was also a significant decrease in fractional anisotropy and an increase in mean, axial, and radial diffusivity in the neuromelanin-sensitive substantia nigra at 3T and a decrease in substantia nigra volume on T2* images. The combination of substantia nigra volume, signal intensity, and fractional anisotropy in the neuromelanin-sensitive substantia nigra allowed excellent diagnostic accuracy (0.93). Visual assessment of both substantia nigra dorsolateral hyperintensity and neuromelanin-sensitive images had good diagnostic accuracy (0.91 and 0.86, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of neuromelanin signal and volume changes with fractional anisotropy measurements in the substantia nigra showed excellent diagnostic accuracy. Moreover, the high diagnostic accuracy of visual assessment of substantia nigra changes using dorsolateral hyperintensity analysis or neuromelanin-sensitive signal changes indicates that these techniques are promising for clinical practice
On the background in the reaction and mixed event simulation
In this paper we evaluate sources of background for the , with the detected through its decay channel, to
compare with the experiment carried out at ELSA. We find background from
followed by decay of a into two ,
recombining one and one , and from the reaction with subsequent decay of the into two photons. This
background accounts for the data at invariant masses beyond 700
MeV, but strength is missing at lower invariant masses which was attributed to
photon misidentification events, which we simulate to get a good reproduction
of the experimental background. Once this is done, we perform an event mixing
simulation to reproduce the calculated background and we find that the method
provides a good description of the background at low invariant
masses but fakes the background at high invariant masses, making background
events at low invariant masses, which are due to misidentification
events, responsible for the background at high invariant masses which is due to
the and reactions.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
The degree of urinary hypercortisolism is not correlated with the severity of cushing’s syndrome
Cushing syndrome (CS) is characterized by increased morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. However, there are patients who have moreclinical aggressive forms than others. Aim of the study is to evaluate whether the degree of hypercortisolism, defined by the number of times urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels exceed the upper limit of the normal range (ULN), is related to the worsening of phenotypic features, as well as metabolic and cardiovascular parameters, in a cohort of CS patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 192 patients with active CS, consecutively presenting at the outpatients’ clinic of the University Hospitals of Ancona, Naples, and Palermo. Patients were grouped into mild (UFC not exceeding twice the ULN), moderate (2–5 times the ULN), and severe (more than 5 times the ULN) hypercortisolism. Thirty-seven
patients (19.3 %) had mild, 115 (59.8 %) moderate, and 40 (20.9 %) severe hypercortisolism. A significant trend of increase among the three groups was demonstrated for 8-, 16-, and 24-h serum cortisol levels (p.001) and serum cortisol after low dose of dexamethasone suppression test
(p = 0.001). No significant trend of increase was found regarding phenotype and comorbidities. The degree of hypercortisolism by itself does not appear to be a sufficient parameter to express the severity of CS. Therefore, estimating the severity of CS according to biochemical parameters
remains a challenge, while the clinical phenotype and the associated comorbidities might be more useful to assessing the severity of the CS
NA60 results on thermal dimuons
The NA60 experiment at the CERN SPS has measured muon pairs with
unprecedented precision in 158A GeV In-In collisions. A strong excess of pairs
above the known sources is observed in the whole mass region 0.2<M<2.6 GeV. The
mass spectrum for M<1 GeV is consistent with a dominant contribution from
pi+pi- -> rho -> mu+mu- annihilation. The associated rho spectral function
shows a strong broadening, but essentially no shift in mass. For M>1 GeV, the
excess is found to be prompt, not due to enhanced charm production, with
pronounced differences to Drell-Yan pairs. The slope parameter Teff associated
with the transverse momentum spectra rises with mass up to the rho, followed by
a sudden decline above. The rise for M<1 GeV is consistent with radial flow of
a hadronic emission source. The seeming absence of significant flow for M>1 GeV
and its relation to parton-hadron duality is discussed in detail, suggesting a
dominantly partonic emission source in this region. A comparison of the data to
the present status of theoretical modeling is also contained. The accumulated
empirical evidence, including also a Planck-like shape of the mass spectra at
low pT and the lack of polarization, is consistent with a global interpretation
of the excess dimuons as thermal radiation. We conclude with first results on
omega in-medium effects.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
Chiral Symmetry and light resonances in hot and dense matter
We present a study of the scattering amplitude in the and
channels at finite temperature and nuclear density within a chiral
unitary framework. Meson resonances are dynamically generated in our approach,
which allows us to analyze the behavior of their associated scattering poles
when the system is driven towards chiral symmetry restoration. Medium effects
are incorporated in three ways: (a) by thermal corrections of the unitarized
scattering amplitudes, (b) by finite nuclear density effects associated to a
renormalization of the pion decay constant, and complementarily (c) by
extending our calculation of the scalar-isoscalar channel to account for finite
nuclear density and temperature effects in a microscopic many-body
implementation of pion dynamics. Our results are discussed in connection with
several phenomenological aspects relevant for nuclear matter and Heavy-Ion
Collision experiments, such as mass scaling vs broadening from dilepton
spectra and chiral restoration signals in the channel. We also
elaborate on the molecular nature of resonances.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures. Contribution to Hard Probes 2008, Illa de A
Toxa, Spain, June 8th-14th 200
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