CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROJECTS OF THE ITHEMBA LABS

The cyclotron facilities at iThemba LABS have been<br />utilized for isotope production, nuclear physics research,<br />proton therapy and neutron therapy for nearly 25 years.<br />The upgrading and replacing of redundant systems is<br />essential, in order to keep the interruptions due to<br />equipment failure to a minimum. The computer control<br />system will be replaced by an Experimental Physics and<br />Industrial Control System (EPICS) and the analogue lowlevel<br />RF control systems will be replaced with digital<br />systems. The Minimafios ECR ion source is being<br />replaced with an ECR source that was used at the former<br />Hahn Meitner Institute. Another source, based on the<br />design of the Grenoble test source, will be commissioned<br />later this year. To increase the production of radioisotopes,<br />the 66 MeV proton beam is split with an electrostatic<br />channel to deliver two beams simultaneously. The first<br />results with the beam splitter will be reported. A phase<br />measuring system for the separated-sector cyclotron,<br />comprising 21 fixed probes, has been installed. The<br />progress of these projects and the status of the facilities<br />will be presented. Plans for new facilities for proton<br />therapy and radioactive beams will also be discussed

High energy-resolution zero-degree facility for light-ion scattering and reactions at iThemba LABS

The setup and experimental techniques for measurements of zero-degree inelastic scattering and reactions involving light ions with the K=600 magnetic spectrometer at iThemba LABS are described. Measurements were performed for inelastic proton scattering at an incident energy of 200 MeV for targets ranging from 27Al to 208Pb. An energy-resolution of 45 keV (FWHM) was achieved by utilizing the faint-beam dispersion-matching technique. A background subtraction procedure was applied and allowed for the extraction of excitation energy spectra with low background. Measurements of the (p,t) reaction at zero degrees for Ep=100 and 200 MeV benefited from the difference in magnetic rigidity between the reaction products and the beam particles, resulting in background-free spectra with an excitation energy-resolution of 32 and 48 keV (FWHM), respectively, and a scattering angle resolution of 0.55° (FWHM). The addition of Double Sided Silicon Strip Detectors (DSSSD) at backward scattering angles allowed for coincident measurements of particle-decay of states excited in the (p,t) reaction at Ep=200MeV. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All right reserved.Articl

Erratum: High energy-resolution zero-degree facility for light-ion scattering and reactions at iTHEMBA LABS (Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment (2011) 654:1 (29-39))

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The rise and fall of HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe: The social, political and economic context

For more than 10 years Zimbabwe has experienced social, political and economic instability, including the near collapse in 2008 of its health system. Paradoxically, this period has also seen a fall in estimated HIV prevalence, from 25.6% in 1996 to 13.7% in 2009. This article examines this development in a socio-political and historical context. We focus on the complex interplay of migration, mortality, individual behaviour change, and economic patterns in shaping the presumed epidemiological waning of HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe and explore the evolution and management of the country's HIV/AIDS response. Our assessment of the role that the Zimbabwean state has played in this development leads to the conclusion that a decline in HIV prevalence has been as much an artefact of dire social, political and economic conditions as the outcome of deliberate interventions. Lastly, we propose the need to contextualise available epidemiological data through qualitative research into the social aspects of HIV and the everyday lives of individuals affected by it