1,566 research outputs found
The Union and Médecins Sans Frontières approach to operational research.
Operational research (OR) has become a hot topic at national meetings, international conferences and donor fora. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Operational Centre Brussels strongly promote and implement OR with colleagues in low- and middle-income countries. Here we describe how the two organisations define OR, and explain the guiding principles and methodology that underpin the strategy for developing and expanding OR in those countries. We articulate The Union's and MSF's approach to supporting OR, highlighting the main synergies and differences. Then, using the Malawi National Tuberculosis Control Programme as an example, we show how OR can be embedded within tuberculosis control activities, leading to changes in policy and practice at the national level. We discuss the difficult, yet vitally important, issue of capacity building, and share our vision of a new paradigm of product-related training and performance-based OR fellowships as two ways of developing the necessary skills at country level to ensure research is actually performed. Finally, we highlight the need to consider and incorporate into practice the ethical components of OR. This is a key moment to be involved in OR. We are confident that in partnership with interested stakeholders, including the World Health Organization, we can stimulate the implementation of quality, relevant OR as an integral part of health service delivery that in turn will lead to better health for people, particularly for those living in the poorer parts of the world
A new beamline for laser spin-polarization at ISOLDE
A beamline dedicated to the production of laser-polarized radioactive beams
has been constructed at ISOLDE, CERN. We present here different simulations
leading to the design and construction of the setup, as well as technical
details of the full setup and examples of the achieved polarizations for
several radioisotopes. Beamline simulations show a good transmission through
the entire line, in agreement with observations. Simulations of the induced
nuclear spin-polarization as a function of atom-laser interaction length are
presented for Na, [1] and for Ar, which is studied in this
work. Adiabatic spin rotation of the spin-polarized ensemble of atoms, and how
this influences the observed nuclear ensemble polarization, are also performed
for the same nuclei. For Ar, we show that multiple-frequency pumping
enhances the ensemble polarization by a factor 1.85, in agreement with
predictions from a rate equations model.
[1] J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys./174408400
Ground-State Electromagnetic Moments of Calcium Isotopes
High-resolution bunched-beam collinear laser spectroscopy was used to measure
the optical hyperfine spectra of the Ca isotopes. The ground state
magnetic moments of Ca and quadrupole moments of Ca were
measured for the first time, and the Ca ground state spin was
determined in a model-independent way. Our results provide a critical test of
modern nuclear theories based on shell-model calculations using
phenomenological as well as microscopic interactions. The results for the
neutron-rich isotopes are in excellent agreement with predictions using
interactions derived from chiral effective field theory including three-nucleon
forces, while lighter isotopes illustrate the presence of particle-hole
excitations of the Ca core in their ground state.Comment: Accepted as a Rapid Communication in Physical Review
Spins, Electromagnetic Moments, and Isomers of 107-129Cd
The neutron-rich isotopes of cadmium up to the N=82 shell closure have been
investigated by high-resolution laser spectroscopy. Deep-UV excitation at 214.5
nm and radioactive-beam bunching provided the required experimental
sensitivity. Long-lived isomers are observed in 127Cd and 129Cd for the first
time. One essential feature of the spherical shell model is unambiguously
confirmed by a linear increase of the 11/2- quadrupole moments. Remarkably,
this mechanism is found to act well beyond the h11/2 shell
Nuclear spins, magnetic moments and quadrupole moments of Cu isotopes from N = 28 to N = 46: probes for core polarization effects
Measurements of the ground-state nuclear spins, magnetic and quadrupole
moments of the copper isotopes from 61Cu up to 75Cu are reported. The
experiments were performed at the ISOLDE facility, using the technique of
collinear laser spectroscopy. The trend in the magnetic moments between the
N=28 and N=50 shell closures is reasonably reproduced by large-scale
shell-model calculations starting from a 56Ni core. The quadrupole moments
reveal a strong polarization of the underlying Ni core when the neutron shell
is opened, which is however strongly reduced at N=40 due to the parity change
between the and orbits. No enhanced core polarization is seen beyond
N=40. Deviations between measured and calculated moments are attributed to the
softness of the 56Ni core and weakening of the Z=28 and N=28 shell gaps.Comment: 13 pagers, 19 figures, accepted by Physical Review
Language in tuberculosis services: can we change to patient-centred terminology and stop the paradigm of blaming the patients?
The words 'defaulter', 'suspect' and 'control' have been part of the language of tuberculosis (TB) services for many decades, and they continue to be used in international guidelines and in published literature. From a patient perspective, it is our opinion that these terms are at best inappropriate, coercive and disempowering, and at worst they could be perceived as judgmental and criminalising, tending to place the blame of the disease or responsibility for adverse treatment outcomes on one side-that of the patients. In this article, which brings together a wide range of authors and institutions from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific, we discuss the use of the words 'defaulter', 'suspect' and 'control' and argue why it is detrimental to continue using them in the context of TB. We propose that 'defaulter' be replaced with 'person lost to follow-up'; that 'TB suspect' be replaced by 'person with presumptive TB' or 'person to be evaluated for TB'; and that the term 'control' be replaced with 'prevention and care' or simply deleted. These terms are non-judgmental and patient-centred. We appeal to the global Stop TB Partnership to lead discussions on this issue and to make concrete steps towards changing the current paradigm
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