Palliative care in Dutch nursing homes

Inleiding De populatie in Nederland veroudert en net als in andere Westerse landen overlijden steeds meer mensen op hoge leeftijd. De Nederlandse populatie telt op dit moment ongeveer 16.2 miljoen mensen, waarvan 13.3% 65 jaar en ouder is. Naar verwachting zal dit percentage 65+ in 2040 tot 25% gestegen zijn. In 2005 overleed 22.2% van de totale Nederlandse populatie in een verpleeghuis. Met het groeiend aantal ouderen zal er een toename naar de behoefte van palliatieve zorg in verpleeghuizen plaatsvinden. Palliatieve zorg is door de Wereld Gezondheidsorganisatie in 2002 gedefinieerd als: een benadering die de kwaliteit van het leven verbetert van patiënten en hun naasten die te maken hebben met een levensbedreigende aandoening, door het voorkomen en verlichten van lijden, d.m.v. vroegtijdige signalering en zorgvuldige beoordeling en behandeling van pijn en andere problemen van lichamelijke, psychosociale en spirituele aard. Traditioneel is palliatieve zorg gericht op patiënten met kanker, maar de meeste ouderen in verpleeghuizen overlijden ten gevolge van andere chronische ziekten. Er is een groeiend besef dat relatief weinig onderzoek is gedaan naar de behoeften van ouderen aan palliatieve zorg. De beginselen voor een professionele stervensbegeleiding dateren uit de 70er jaren van de vorige eeuw. Pas vanaf de negentiger jaren is de ontwikkeling van de palliatieve zorg in Nederland in een stroomversnelling gekomen, resulterend in de oprichting van de eerste hospices. De Nederlandse gezondheidszorg beschikt momenteel over een breed scala aan diensten die palliatieve zorg verlenen. Het principe is dat goede kwaliteit van palliatieve zorg voor iedere terminale zieke patiënt en diens familie toegangbaar en beschikbaar moet zijn (generalistische benadering). Binnen de intramurale zorg telt het verpleeghuis tot de grootste dienstinstelling waarin palliatieve zorg verleend wordt. Met het stijgend aantal ouderen wordt verwacht dat in de nabije toekomst het verpleeghuis een steeds belangrijker plaats zal worden voor het geven van palliatieve zorg aan stervenden. Omdat er tot op heden geen representatieve data beschikbaar waren over de incidentie en kwaliteit van de palliatieve terminale zorg in Nederlandse verpleeghuizen, heeft het COPZ (Centrum voor Ontwikkeling van Palliatieve Zorg) dit onderzoek, dat onderwerp is van dit proefschrift, geïnitieerd.Ribbe, M.W. [Promotor]Wal, G. van der [Promotor]Deliens, L.H.J. [Promotor

Proposal of an experimental scheme for realising a translucent eavesdropping on a quantum cryptographic channel

Purpose of this paper is to suggest a scheme, which can be realised with today's technology and could be used for entangling a probe to a photon qubit based on polarisation. Using this probe a translucent or a coherent eavesdropping can be performed.Comment: in pres

Quantum version of the Monty Hall problem

©2002 The American Physical SocietyA version of the Monty Hall problem is presented where the players are permitted to select quantum strategies. If the initial state involves no entanglement the Nash equilibrium in the quantum game offers the players nothing more than that obtained with a classical mixed strategy. However, if the initial state involves entanglement of the qutrits of the two players, it is advantageous for one player to have access to a quantum strategy while the other does not. Where both players have access to quantum strategies there is no Nash equilibrium in pure strategies, however, there is a Nash equilibrium in quantum mixed strategies that gives the same average payoff as the classical game.A. P. Flitney and D. Abbot

Density functional method for nonequilibrium electron transport

We describe an ab initio method for calculating the electronic structure, electronic transport, and forces acting on the atoms, for atomic scale systems connected to semi-infinite electrodes and with an applied voltage bias. Our method is based on the density functional theory (DFT) as implemented in the well tested Siesta approach (which uses non-local norm-conserving pseudopotentials to describe the effect of the core electrons, and linear combination of finite-range numerical atomic orbitals to describe the valence states). We fully deal with the atomistic structure of the whole system, treating both the contact and the electrodes on the same footing. The effect of the finite bias (including selfconsistency and the solution of the electrostatic problem) is taken into account using nonequilibrium Green's functions. We relate the nonequilibrium Green's function expressions to the more transparent scheme involving the scattering states. As an illustration, the method is applied to three systems where we are able to compare our results to earlier ab initio DFT calculations or experiments, and we point out differences between this method and existing schemes. The systems considered are: (1) single atom carbon wires connected to aluminum electrodes with extended or finite cross section, (2) single atom gold wires, and finally (3) large carbon nanotube systems with point defects.Comment: 18 pages, 23 figure

Evidence of Color Coherence Effects in W+jets Events from ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV

We report the results of a study of color coherence effects in ppbar collisions based on data collected by the D0 detector during the 1994-1995 run of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, at a center of mass energy sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV. Initial-to-final state color interference effects are studied by examining particle distribution patterns in events with a W boson and at least one jet. The data are compared to Monte Carlo simulations with different color coherence implementations and to an analytic modified-leading-logarithm perturbative calculation based on the local parton-hadron duality hypothesis.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for Higgs bosons decaying to tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV

We present a search for the production of neutral Higgs bosons decaying into tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1, were collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits at the 95% C.L. on the product of production cross section and branching ratio for a scalar resonance decaying into tautau pairs, and we then interpret these limits as limits on the production of Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) and as constraints in the MSSM parameter space.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL

Measurement of the photon+b+b-jet production differential cross section in ppˉp\bar{p} collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV

We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron $p\bar{p}$ Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Limits on anomalous trilinear gauge boson couplings from WW, WZ and Wgamma production in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV

We present final searches of the anomalous gammaWW and ZWW trilinear gauge boson couplings from WW and WZ production using lepton plus dijet final states and a combination with results from Wgamma, WW, and WZ production with leptonic final states. The analyzed data correspond to up to 8.6/fb of integrated luminosity collected by the D0 detector in pp-bar collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. We set the most stringent limits at a hadron collider to date assuming two different relations between the anomalous coupling parameters Delta\kappa_\gamma, lambda, and Delta g_1^Z for a cutoff energy scale Lambda=2 TeV. The combined 68% C.L. limits are -0.057<Delta\kappa_\gamma<0.154, -0.015<lambda<0.028, and -0.008<Delta g_1^Z<0.054 for the LEP parameterization, and -0.007<Delta\kappa<0.081 and -0.017<lambda<0.028 for the equal couplings parameterization. We also present the most stringent limits of the W boson magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL

Measurement of three-jet differential cross sections d sigma-3jet / d M-3jet in p anti-p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV

We present the first measurement of the inclusive three-jet differential cross section as a function of the invariant mass of the three jets with the largest transverse momenta in an event in p anti-p collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. The measurement is made in different rapidity regions and for different jet transverse momentum requirements and is based on a data set corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.7 fb^{-1} collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The results are used to test the three-jet matrix elements in perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling constant. The data allow discrimination between parametrizations of the parton distribution functions of the proton.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Phys. Lett. B, corrected chi2 values for NNPD

Search for pair production of the scalar top quark in muon+tau final states

We present a search for the pair production of scalar top quarks ($\tilde{t}_{1}$), the lightest supersymmetric partners of the top quarks, in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of {7.3 $fb^{-1}$} collected with the \dzero experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. Each scalar top quark is assumed to decay into a $b$ quark, a charged lepton, and a scalar neutrino ($\tilde{\nu}$). We investigate final states arising from $\tilde{t}_{1} \bar{\tilde{t}_{1}} \rightarrow b\bar{b}\mu\tau \tilde{\nu} \tilde{\nu}$ and $\tilde{t}_{1} \bar{\tilde{t}_{1}} \rightarrow b\bar{b}\tau\tau \tilde{\nu} \tilde{\nu}$. With no significant excess of events observed above the background expected from the standard model, we set exclusion limits on this production process in the ($m_{\tilde{t}_{1}}$,$m_{\tilde{\nu}}$) plane.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Lett.