Missed opportunities for vaccination in health facilities in Swaziland

Objectives. To determine whether potential exists to increase vaccination coverage in Swaziland by reducing missed opportunities.Design. The standard World Health Organisation Expanded Programme on Immunisation (WHO EPI) protocol forassessing missed opportunities for vaccination was used to conduct this study. It involved client exit interviews and review of health cards.Setting. Selected variety of health facilities in Swaziland.Subjects. Children less than 2 years of age and women of child-bearing age exiting each facility.                           Outcome measures. Children and women eligible for vaccination exiting sampled health facilities.Results. Fifty-four per cent of eligible children less than 2 years of age were missed for vaccination. This constitutes 26% of all children less than 2 years old leaving the facilities studied. Almost 100% of eligible women of childbearing age were missed for vaccination, constituting 88% of women leaving the study facilities. The distribution of the proportion of missed opportunities varied considerably between regions and health facility types. Missed opportunities occurred more frequently among those children requiring the first dose of all antigens and this may be linked to the high proportion of children missed for vaccination who did not possess a health card. Missed opportunities were more likely to occur in facilities providing integrated services.Conclusions. The frequent attendance at hea,lth facilities of the target group presents a valuable opportunity to increase vaccination coverage through avoidance of missed opportunities. All regions need to set vaccination coverage targets and develop plans to increase coverage, which should include strategies to ensure that all health workers routinely screen all clients for eligibility and vaccinate as required

Quantum driven Bounce of the future Universe

It is demonstrated that due to back-reaction of quantum effects, expansion of the universe stops at its maximum and takes a turnaround. Later on, it contracts to a very small size in finite future time. This phenomenon is followed by a " bounce" with re-birth of an exponentially expanding non-singular universe

Reconstruction of the Dark Energy equation of state

One of the main challenges of modern cosmology is to investigate the nature of dark energy in our Universe. The properties of such a component are normally summarised as a perfect fluid with a (potentially) time-dependent equation-of-state parameter $w(z)$. We investigate the evolution of this parameter with redshift by performing a Bayesian analysis of current cosmological observations. We model the temporal evolution as piecewise linear in redshift between `nodes', whose $w$-values and redshifts are allowed to vary. The optimal number of nodes is chosen by the Bayesian evidence. In this way, we can both determine the complexity supported by current data and locate any features present in $w(z)$. We compare this node-based reconstruction with some previously well-studied parameterisations: the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL), the Jassal-Bagla-Padmanabhan (JBP) and the Felice-Nesseris-Tsujikawa (FNT). By comparing the Bayesian evidence for all of these models we find an indication towards possible time-dependence in the dark energy equation-of-state. It is also worth noting that the CPL and JBP models are strongly disfavoured, whilst the FNT is just significantly disfavoured, when compared to a simple cosmological constant $w=-1$. We find that our node-based reconstruction model is slightly disfavoured with respect to the $\Lambda$CDM model.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, minor correction

Feeding of superdeformed bands: The mechanism and constraints on band energies and the well depth

Entry distributions leading to normal and superdeformed (SD) states in Hg192 have been measured. A model, based on Monte Carlo simulations of γ cascades, successfully reproduces the entry distribution for SD states, as well as all other known observables connected with the population of SD states. Comparison of experimental and model results, together with the measured SD entry distribution, suggest that the SD band lies 3.3-4.3 MeV above the normal yrast line when it decays around spin 10 and that the SD well depth is 3.5-4.5 MeV at spin 40

Gamma ray studies of neutron-rich sdf shell nuclei produced in heavy ion collisions

Reanalysis of ichproductsofbinaryreactio nsof$34S, S36, and Cl37 beams on Gd160 targets. Gates set on known amma$raysin$A∼160 products selected individual react ion channels and identified coincident amma$raysin$A∼36 partner products. Transfers of protons from projectile to target and of neutrons from target to projectile were generally favored, leading to excited neutron-rich light nuclei, including some difficult to reach by other means. Notable results include the observation of amma$raycascadesupthehigh e stknownyraststatesinfour$N=20 isotones. In two N=19 nuclei, Si33 and P34, the two N=22 nuclei, S38 and Cl39, previously unknown yrast states were identified

Phase transitions above the yrast line in 154Dy

Spectra of the E2 quasicontinuum γ rays feeding different spin regions of the 154Dy yrast line have been extracted. These are compared with corresponding theoretical spectra obtained by numerical simulations based on temperature-dependent Hartree-Fock theory, with thermal shape fluctuations. In this manner, different regions of the spin-energy plane can be examined. The results support the predictions of a smeared-out phase transition at high spin above the yrast line

Lifetime measurements in the superdeformed band of Hg192

Lifetimes were measured for transitions in the superdeformed band of Hg192 with the Doppler-shift attenuation method. The results yield an essentially constant quadrupole moment of 202 e b and indicate that the sidefeeding lifetimes are of the same order as the state lifetimes. The data are consistent with calculations using the cranked Woods-Saxon Strutinsky method with pairing

Few particle excitations of NA = 83 isotones 134Sb and 135Te from 248Cm fission

Gamma-ray cascades in the two- and three-valence-particle nuclei 134Sb and 135Te have been studied with Gammasphere using a 248Cm spontaneous fission source. Isotopic assignments were based in part on coincidences with γ rays from complementary Rh and Ru fission partners. The 134Sb and 135Te level schemes have been considerably extended, with placement of many new high-energy g rays; delayed γ-ray coincidences observed across a 0.51-μs yrast isomer in135Te were especially fruitful. The yrast level spectra of both nuclei are interpreted using empirical nucleon-nucleon interactions and compared with the known yrast excitations of their counterparts 210Bi and 211Po

Magic Nucleus 132Sn and Its One-Neutron-Hole Neighbor 131Sn

Prompt and delayed γ-ray cascades in doubly magic 132Sn and its neighbor 131Sn have been studied at Gammasphere using a 248Cm fission source. Isotopic assignments of unknown γ rays were based on coincidences with known transitions in A=112-116Pd fission partners. The yrast level spectra of both tin nuclei are interpreted using empirical nucleon-nucleon interactions from the 132Sn and 208Pb regions. Results include identification of the (νf7/2h11/2-1)9+ aligned state in 132Sn and of extensive (νf7/2h11/2-2), (νf7/2d3/2-1h11/2-1) and (νh11/2-1×3-2) multiplets in 131Sn. The previously reported β- decay of an unusual 131In high-spin isomer to levels in 131Sn is also elucidated