217 research outputs found
COVID-19-Associated Orphanhood and Caregiver Death in the United States
Background: Most COVID-19 deaths occur among adults, not children, and attention has
focused on mitigating COVID-19 burden among adults. However, a tragic consequence of adult
deaths is that high numbers of children might lose their parents and caregivers to COVID-19-
associated deaths.
Methods: We quantified COVID-19-associated caregiver loss and orphanhood in the US and for
each state using fertility and excess and COVID-19 mortality data. We assessed burden and rates
of COVID-19-associated orphanhood and deaths of custodial and co-residing grandparents,
overall and by race/ethnicity. We further examined variations in COVID-19-associated
orphanhood by race/ethnicity for each state.
Results: We found that from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, over 140,000 children in the
US experienced the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver. The risk of such loss was 1.1 to
4.5 times higher among children of racial and ethnic minorities, compared to Non-Hispanic
White children. The highest burden of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers
occurred in Southern border states for Hispanic children, Southeastern states for Black children,
and in states with tribal areas for American Indian/Alaska Native populations.
Conclusions: We found substantial disparities in distributions of COVID-19-associated death of
parents and caregivers across racial and ethnic groups. Children losing caregivers to COVID-19
need care and safe, stable, and nurturing families with economic support, quality childcare and
evidence-based parenting support programs. There is an urgent need to mount an evidence-based
comprehensive response focused on those children at greatest risk, in the states most affected
COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death in the United States
Background: Most COVID-19 deaths occur among adults, not children, and attention has focused on mitigating COVID-19 burden among adults. However, a tragic consequence of adult deaths is that high numbers of children might lose their parents and caregivers to COVID-19-associated deaths. Methods: We quantified COVID-19-associated caregiver loss and orphanhood in the US and for each state using fertility and excess and COVID-19 mortality data. We assessed burden and rates of COVID-19-associated orphanhood and deaths of custodial and co-residing grandparents, overall and by race/ethnicity. We further examined variations in COVID-19-associated orphanhood by race/ethnicity for each state. Results: We found that from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, over 140,000 children in the US experienced the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver. The risk of such loss was 1.1 to 4.5 times higher among children of racial and ethnic minorities, compared to Non-Hispanic White children. The highest burden of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers occurred in Southern border states for Hispanic children, Southeastern states for Black children, and in states with tribal areas for American Indian/Alaska Native populations. Conclusions: We found substantial disparities in distributions of COVID-19-associated death of parents and caregivers across racial and ethnic groups. Children losing caregivers to COVID-19 need care and safe, stable, and nurturing families with economic support, quality childcare and evidence-based parenting support programs. There is an urgent need to mount an evidence-based comprehensive response focused on those children at greatest risk, in the states most affected
A new measurement of the neutron detection efficiency for the NaI Crystal Ball detector
We report on a measurement of the neutron detection efficiency in NaI
crystals in the Crystal Ball detector obtained from a study of single p0
photoproduction on deuterium using the tagged photon beam at the Mainz
Microtron. The results were obtained up to a neutron energy of 400 MeV. They
are compared to previous measurements made more than 15 years ago at the pion
beam at the BNL AGS
Electroencephalographic Findings, Antiepileptic Drugs and Risk Factors of 433 Individuals Referred to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Ethiopia
Background: Little is known about the characteristics of electroencephalogram (EEG) findings in epileptic patients in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to characterize the EEG patterns, indications, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and epilepsy risk factors.Methods: A retrospective observational review of EEG test records of 433 patients referred to our electrophysiology unit between July 01, 2020 and December 31, 2021.Results: The age distribution in the study participants was right skewed unipolar age distribution for both sexes and the mean age of 33.8 (SD=15.7) years. Male accounted for 51.7%. Generalized tonic clonic seizure was the most common seizure type. The commonest indication for EEG was abnormal body movement with loss of consciousness (35.2%). Abnormal EEG findings were observed in 55.2%; more than half of them were Interictal epileptiform discharges, followed by focal/or generalized slowing. Phenobarbitone was the commonest AEDs. A quarter (20.1%) of the patients were getting a combination of two AEDs and 5.2% were on 3 different AEDs. Individuals taking the older AEDs and those on 2 or more AEDs tended to have abnormal EEG findings. A cerebrovascular disorder (27.4%) is the prevalent risk factor identified followed by brain tumor, HIV infection, and traumatic head injury respectively.Conclusion: High burden of abnormal EEG findings among epileptic patients referred to our unit. The proportion of abnormal EEG patterns was higher in patients taking older generation AEDs and in those on 2 or more AEDs. Stroke, brain tumor, HIV infection and traumatic head injury were the commonest identified epilepsy risk factors
and photoproduction with fine center-of-mass energy resolution
Measurements of and cross-sections have been obtained with the photon
tagging facility and the Crystal Ball calorimeter at MAMI-C. The measurement
uses a novel meson identification technique in which the weak decay
products are characterized using the energy and timing characteristics of the
energy deposit in the calorimeter, a method that has the potential to be
applied at many other facilities. The fine center-of-mass energy ()
resolution and statistical accuracy of the new data results in a significant
impact on partial wave analyses aiming to better establish the excitation
spectrum of the nucleon. The new analyses disfavor a strong role for
quark-diquark dynamics in the nucleon.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Measurement of the beam-helicity asymmetry in the photoproduction of -pairs off protons and off neutrons
Beam-helicity asymmetries have been measured at the MAMI accelerator in Mainz
for the photoproduction of mixed-charge pion pairs in the reactions
off free protons and
and
off quasi-free nucleons bound
in the deuteron for incident photon energies up to 1.4 GeV. Circularly
polarized photons were produced from bremsstrahlung of longitudinally polarized
electrons and tagged with the Glasgow-Mainz magnetic spectrometer. The charged
pions, recoil protons, recoil neutrons, and decay photons from mesons
were detected in the 4 electromagnetic calorimeter composed of the Crystal
Ball and TAPS detectors. Using a complete kinematic reconstruction of the final
state, excellent agreement was found between the results for free and
quasi-free protons, suggesting that the quasi-free neutron results are also a
close approximation of the free-neutron asymmetries. A comparison of the
results to the predictions of the Two-Pion-MAID reaction model shows that the
reaction mechanisms are still not well understood, in particular at low
incident photon energies in the second nucleon-resonance region.Comment: accepted for publication in Eur. phys. J.
Photoproduction of pi0-mesons off neutrons in the nucleon resonance region
Precise angular distributions have been measured for the first time for the
photoproduction of -mesons off neutrons bound in the deuteron. The
effects from nuclear Fermi motion have been eliminated by a complete kinematic
reconstruction of the final state. The influence of final-state-interaction
effects has been estimated by a comparison of the reaction cross section for
quasi-free protons bound in the deuteron to the results for free protons and
then applied as a correction to the quasi-free neutron data. The experiment was
performed at the tagged photon facility of the Mainz Microtron MAMI with the
Crystal Ball and TAPS detector setup for incident photon energies between
~GeV and ~GeV. The results are compared to the predictions from
reaction models and partial-wave analyses based on data from other isospin
channels. The model predictions show large discrepancies among each other and
the present data will provide much tighter constraints. This is demonstrated by
the results of a new analysis in the framework of the Bonn-Gatchina
coupled-channel analysis which included the present data.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys; Rev. Let
Photoproduction of -pairs off protons and off neutrons
Total cross sections, angular distributions, and invariant-mass distributions
have been measured for the photoproduction of pairs off free
protons and off nucleons bound in the deuteron. The experiments were performed
at the MAMI accelerator facility in Mainz using the Glasgow photon tagging
spectrometer and the Crystal Ball/TAPS detector. The accelerator delivered
electron beams of 1508 and 1557~MeV, which produced bremsstrahlung in thin
radiator foils. The tagged photon beam covered energies up to 1400~MeV. The
data from the free proton target are in good agreement with previous
measurements and were only used to test the analysis procedures. The results
for differential cross sections (angular distributions and invariant-mass
distributions) for free and quasi-free protons are almost identical in shape,
but differ in absolute magnitude up to 15\%. Thus, moderate final-state
interaction effects are present. The data for quasi-free neutrons are similar
to the proton data in the second resonance region (final state invariant masses
up to 1550~MeV), where both reactions are dominated by the
decay. At higher energies,
angular and invariant-mass distributions are different. A simple analysis of
the shapes of the invariant-mass distributions in the third resonance region is
consistent with strong contributions of an decay
for the proton, while the reaction is dominated by a sequential decay via a
intermediate state for the neutron. The data are compared to
predictions from the Two-Pion-MAID model and the Bonn-Gatchina coupled channel
analysis.Comment: accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.
The isospin structure of photoproduction of pi-eta pairs from the nucleon in the threshold region
Photoproduction of -pairs from nucleons has been investigated from
threshold up to incident photon energies of ~1.4~GeV. The quasi-free
reactions , ,
, and were for
the first time measured from nucleons bound in the deuteron. The corresponding
reactions from a free-proton target were also studied to investigate
final-state interaction effects (for neutral pions the free-proton results
could be compared to previous measurements; the reaction was measured for the first time). For the
final state coherent production via the
reaction was also investigated. The experiments were performed at the tagged
photon beam of the Mainz MAMI accelerator using an almost coverage
electromagnetic calorimeter composed of the Crystal Ball and TAPS detectors.
The total cross sections for the four different final states obey the relation
as expected for a
dominant contribution from a
reaction chain,
which is also supported by the shapes of the invariant-mass distributions of
nucleon-meson and - pairs. The experimental results are compared to
the predictions from an isobar reaction model.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.
Photoproduction of π0-pairs off protons and off neutrons
Total cross sections, angular distributions, and invariant-mass distributions have been measured for the photoproduction of π0π0 pairs off free protons and off nucleons bound in the deuteron. The experiments were performed at the MAMI accelerator facility in Mainz using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer and the Crystal Ball/TAPS detector. The accelerator delivered electron beams of 1508 and 1557MeV, which produced bremsstrahlung in thin radiator foils. The tagged photon beam covered energies up to 1400MeV. The data from the free proton target are in good agreement with previous measurements and were only used to test the analysis procedures. The results for differential cross sections (angular distributions and invariant-mass distributions) for free and quasi-free protons are almost identical in shape, but differ in absolute magnitude up to 15%. Thus, moderate final-state interaction effects are present. The data for quasi-free neutrons are similar to the proton data in the second resonance region (final-state invariant masses up to ≈1550 MeV), where both reactions are dominated by the N(1520)3/2−→Δ(1232)3/2+π decay. At higher energies, angular and invariant-mass distributions are different. A simple analysis of the shapes of the invariant-mass distributions in the third resonance region is consistent with strong contributions of an N⋆→Nσ decay for the proton, while the reaction is dominated by a sequential decay via a Δπ intermediate state for the neutron. The data are compared to predictions from the Two-Pion-MAID model and the Bonn-Gatchina coupled-channel analysis
- …