Coulomb Excitation of Proton-rich N = 80 Isotones at HIE-ISOLDE

A projectile Coulomb-excitation experiment was performed at the radioactive ion beam facility HIE-ISOLDE at CERN. The radioactive ¹⁴⁰Nd and ¹⁴²Sm ions were post accelerated to the energy of 4.62 MeV/A and impinged on a 1.45 mg/cm²-thin ²⁰⁸Pb target. The γ rays depopulating the Coulomb-excited states were recorded by the HPGe-array MINIBALL. The scattered charged particles were detected by a double-sided silicon strip detector in forward direction. Experimental γ-ray intensities were used for the determination of electromagnetic transition matrix elements. Preliminary results for the reduced transition strength of the B(M1;23+→21+)=0.35(19)μN2 of ¹⁴⁰Nd and a first estimation for ¹⁴²Sm have been deduced using the Coulomb-excitation calculation software GOSIA. The 2³₊ states of ¹⁴⁰Nd and ¹⁴²Sm show indications of being the main fragment of the proton-neutron mixed-symmetry 2⁺₁,ms state

Implementation of a person-centered approach on team level in residents with dementia and symptoms of agitation or agression

status: accepte

The SpecMAT active target

SpecMAT is a magnetic active target (AT) for transfer reaction studies with low-intensity radioactive ion beams at the ISOLDE facility (CERN). SpecMAT combines two types of detectors: a gas-filled time projection chamber (TPC), the core detector for tracking charged particles emitted in nuclear reactions, and an array of auxiliary scintillation detectors for in-flight γ-ray spectroscopy. All active target components are optimised for operation in a strong background magnetic field. The TPC has a cylindrical shape. Its electron detector is a bulk Micromegas segmented into 2916 triangular pads for sampling charged particle tracks. The scintillation array is composed of 45 detectors with cubic 48 × 48 × 48 mm3 CeBr3 crystals. The General Electronics for TPC (GET) is used in SpecMAT to read out both detector types allowing correlation of the detected γ-rays with the TPC events. This article describes the SpecMAT active target and its characterisation with the α-decay of 241Am. A γ-ray spectrum obtained in correlation with 3D tracks left by charged particles in an active target is reported for the first time for such detectors.SCOPUS: ar.jDecretOANoAutActifinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Gain-of-function FHF1 mutation causes early-onset epileptic encephalopathy with cerebellar atrophy

Voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav)-encoding genes are among early-onset epileptic encephalopathies (EOEE) targets, suggesting that other genes encoding Nav-binding proteins, such as fibroblast growth factor homologous factors (FHFs), may also play roles in these disorders.status: publishe

The impact of need-based care on formal caregivers' wellbeing in nursing homes : a cluster randomized controlled trial

Abstract: Background Need-based care is a structured and standardized model that supports formal caregivers in nursing homes in delivering person-centered care by responding with tailored non-pharmacological interventions on residents' unmet needs as well as having positive effects on behavioral and psychological symptoms on residents with dementia. However, limited resources as well as the shortage of caregivers in nursing homes make the implementation of need-based care challenging, especially when it comes to finding ways to spend more time with residents. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the implementation of need-based care in nursing homes on formal caregivers' wellbeing. Methods A three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was set up in 24 Belgian nursing homes: formal caregivers in the \u2018need-based care\u2019 group (intervention; n\u202f=\u202f195) spent time twice a week with residents who had behavioral and psychological symptoms according to the principles of need-based care while formal caregivers in the \u2018time\u2019 group (n\u202f=\u202f257) filled in the way they spent time twice a week; a third group delivered standard care (n\u202f=\u202f299). An implementation strategy was built upon the Implementation Quality Framework and used in the \u2018need-based care group\u2019. A total of 741 formal caregivers completed the digital questionnaire at one or more of the five time points (every nine weeks) between November 2021 and July 2022; they rated their sense of competence in dementia care, level of burnout, and, level of engagement. Moments of time were registered in a printed registration book. Results Only formal caregivers from the \u2018need-based care\u2019 group experienced a higher sense of competence in dementia care at time points three (p\u202f=\u202f0.010) and four (p\u202f=\u202f0.001) compared with baseline with an increase of respectively 1.5 (95\u202f% confidence interval [0.25, 2.84]) and 2.4 (95\u202f% confidence interval [0.77, 4.04]) points. No differences in scores on burnout and engagement were found. Conclusion Despite challenging workforce circumstances in nursing homes, caregivers in the need-based care group as well as in the time group were able to spend time twice a week with residents with behavioral and psychological symptoms. No negative effects were found on formal caregivers' wellbeing after the implementation of need-based care in nursing homes. However, it requires strong leadership and the use of well-considered implementation strategies including reflective practice