Microscopic Description of Super Heavy Nuclei

The results of extensive microscopic Relativistic Mean Field (RMF) calculations for the nuclei appearing in the alpha - decay chains of recently discovered superheavy elements with Z = 109 to 118 are presented and discussed. The calculated ground state properties like total binding energies, Q values, deformations, radii and densities closely agree with the corresponding experimental data, where available. The double folding (t-rho-rho) approximation is used to calculate the interaction potential between the daughter and the alpha, using RMF densities along with the density dependent nucleon - nucleon interaction (M3Y). This in turn, is employed within the WKB approximation to estimate the half lives without any additional parameter for alpha - decay. The half lives are highly sensitive to the Q values used and qualitatively agree with the corresponding experimental values. The use of experimental Q values in the WKB approximation improves the agreement with the experiment, indicating that the resulting interaction potential is reliable and can be used with confidence as the real part of the optical potential in other scattering and reaction processes.Comment: Accepted for publication in Annals of Physics (NY

Alles im weißen Bereich?: Institutioneller Rassismus in Sachsen: Erweiterter Tagungsband

Die Tagung «Alles im weißen Bereich. Institutioneller Rassismus in Sachsen», die im Februar 2014 stattfand, war die fünfte Tagung in unserer Reihe zu Fragen der Demokratie. Der Gegenstand von Tagung und Sammelband steht für uns einerseits in logischer Reihenfolge bisheriger Fragen und Diskussionen zu den Zuständen Sächsischer Demokratie. Insbesondere war unsere Entscheidung in der Vorbereitung aber auch von der Arbeit der Untersuchungs-ausschüsse zum «NSU» angeregt worden. Ohne den Rassismus, der als grundlegender gesellschaftlicher Wissensbestand existiert, ist die Geschichte und das Versagen des staatlichen Sicherheitsapparates im Zusammenhang mit dem NSU schwer vorstellbar oder nicht möglich. Rassismus ist damit nicht nur das Motiv für die Ermordung von Menschen, sondern auch ein entscheidender Grund dafür, dass diese Morde nicht wirksam verhindert und teilweise nicht oder erst sehr spät aufgeklärt werden können. Diese Feststellung scheint offensichtlich, sie hat sich aber trotz einer breit geführten öffentlichen Debatte und der Arbeit verschiedener Untersuchungsausschüsse als nicht mehrheitsfähig erwiesen. Ebenso wenig konnte Institutioneller Rassismus als Perspektive und Analyseinstrument politisch etabliert werden. Redaktionsschluss: November 201

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8–13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05–6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50–75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life. Funding Pfizer, Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi–Aventis, Daiichi Sankyo, and Regeneron

Buscando un espacio contra la intolerancia

Sigue siendo un tema pendiente la atención por parte del Estado a la discriminación a este sector de la sociedad. Sin protección legal se está expuesto a la intolerancia y a las restricciones para ejercer los derechos como personas

Hacia una sociedad paraguaya sin discriminación

El Estado paraguayo está obligado por mandato de su Carta Magna a garantizar la igualdad y el respeto de los derechos de personas con orientación e identidad sexual diversa. Está exigido a implementar campañas educativas que promuevan la tolerancia y el respeto a las diferencias, así como brindar condiciones de una vida digna, de justicia eficiente y equidad social

Continúa la intolerancia contra grupos de orientación sexual diversa

Pese a la veta positiva abierta con el proyecto de Ley contra la Discriminación presentado en el Senado; la violencia e intentos de segregación sufridos por personas transgéneros; la invisibilidad y discriminación de las lesbianas, así como la persistente asociación con la perversidad y el crimen de la homosexualidad masculina, nos presentan a finales del año 2004, una realidad que no ha cambiado mucho para el sector

Importance de l’introduction des langues nationales dans le systeme educatif formel au Benin

Les langues nationales ont un rôle primordial à jouer en ce qui concerne le perfectionnement de notre système éducatif. L’enseignement en langues nationales allié à un contenu adapté à nos réalités s’impose de façon urgente. Mais malheureusement, l’enfant béninois est marqué dès le début de sa scolarisation par une  situation linguistique conflictuelle entre le français langues officielle et langue d’enseignement. Malgré la prise de plusieurs décisions traduites en actes législatifs et réglementaires, l’introduction des langues nationales dans le système éducatif n’est toujours pas une réalité. Cette situation trouve son fondement dans un manque de volonté politique réelle dans la mesure où les décisions ne pas souvent accompagnées de moyens ; la concrétisation de cette ambition nécessitant des  préalables qui demandent assez de moyens pour régler les problèmes liés à la recherche linguistique, l’élaboration des matériels didactiques, la formation des   enseignants à la didactique de cet enseignement.Mots clés: Langues nationales, système éducatif,  enseignement, enfant, langue maternelle