Development of a triple GEM UV-photon detector operated in pure CF4 for the PHENIX experiment

Results obtained with a triple GEM detector operated in pure CF4 with and without a reflective CsI photocathode are presented. The detector operates in a stable mode at gains up to 10^4. A deviation from exponential growth starts to develop when the total charge exceeds ~ 4 10^6 e leading to gain saturation when the total charge is ~ 2 10^7 e and making the structure relatively robust against discharges. No aging effects are observed in the GEM foils after a total accumulated charge of ~ 10 mC/cm^2 at the anode. The ion back-flow current to the reflective photocathode is comparable to the electron current to the anode. However, no significant degradation of the CsI photocathode is observed for a total ion back-flow charge of ~ 7 mC/cm^2.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, Submitted to NIM

Generating Functionals for Harmonic Expectation Values of Paths with Fixed End Points. Feynman Diagrams for Nonpolynomial Interactions

We introduce a general class of generating functionals for the calculation of quantum-mechanical expectation values of arbitrary functionals of fluctuating paths with fixed end points in configuration or momentum space. The generating functionals are calculated explicitly for harmonic oscillators with time-dependent frequency, and used to derive a smearing formulas for correlation functions of polynomial and nonpolynomials functions of time-dependent positions and momenta. These formulas summarize the effect of thermal and quantum fluctuations, and serve to derive generalized Wick rules and Feynman diagrams for perturbation expansions of nonpolynomial interactions.Comment: Author Information under http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/institution.html . Latest update of paper also at http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/28

Fredholm Determinants and the Statistics of Charge Transport

Using operator algebraic methods we show that the moment generating function of charge transport in a system with infinitely many non-interacting Fermions is given by a determinant of a certain operator in the one-particle Hilbert space. The formula is equivalent to a formula of Levitov and Lesovik in the finite dimensional case and may be viewed as its regularized form in general. Our result embodies two tenets often realized in mesoscopic physics, namely, that the transport properties are essentially independent of the length of the leads and of the depth of the Fermi se

Economic inequalities in burden of illness, diagnosis and treatment of five long-term conditions in England: panel study

We compared the distribution by wealth of self-reported illness burden (estimated from validated scales, biomarker and reported symptoms) for angina, cataract, depression, diabetes and osteoarthritis, with the distribution of self-reported medical diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to determine if the greater illness burden borne by poorer participants was matched by appropriately higher levels of diagnosis and treatment

What are children's trusts? Early findings from a national survey

<i>Background:</i> The Children Act 2004 and National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services require fuller integration of health, education and social services for children and young people in England and Wales. The UK government supported the establishment of 35 experimental children's trust pathfinders (henceforth called children's trusts) in England. <i>Methods:</i> A questionnaire was completed by managers in all 35 children's trusts a year after their start. Children's trust documents were examined. Census and performance indicators were compared between children's trust areas and the rest of England. <i>Results</i> Children's trust areas had demographic and social characteristics typical of England. All children's trusts aimed to improve health, education and social services by greater managerial and service integration. All had boards representing the three sectors; other agencies’ representation varied. Two-thirds of children's trusts had moved towards pooling budgets in at least some service areas. At this stage in their development, some had prioritized joint procurement or provision of services, with formal managerial structures, while others favoured an informal strategic planning, co-ordination and information sharing approach. The commonest priorities for services development were for disabled children (16 children's trusts), followed by early intervention (11) and mental health services (8). <i>Conclusions:</i> The diverse strategies adopted by these 35 children's trusts during their first year is due to their own characteristics and to the way government strategy developed during this period. Whilst some prioritized organizational development, joint financing and commissioning, and information sharing, others laid more emphasis on mechanisms for bringing front-line professionals closer together. Their experiences are of value to others deciding how best to integrate children's services

Dynamique structurale des îlots de forêt claire à Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. et Perr. dans le Sud-Ouest du Burkina Faso

Les forêts claires résultent de la dégradation des forêts denses sèches. Elles sont soumises aux facteurs climatiques et anthropiques. Cette étude vise à analyser la diversité floristique et la  dynamique des principales espèces dans la forêt classée de Koulbi. Les données ont été collectées dans 27 placeaux de 900 m2. Le diamètre (Dbh1,30 m) >5 cm et la hauteur des individus ont été mesurés. La régénération a été comptée et l’état sanitaire apprécié. Les indices de Shannon et de Piélou, la valeur d’importance écologique de l’espèce (IVI), la densité et la surface terrière ont été calculés. La distribution de Weibull a été appliquée à la structure des principales espèces. L’indice de Shanonn = 3,01 bits montre une diversité moyenne et l’indice de Pielou = 0,49 traduit la dominance de quelques espèces. Les espèces ayant un IVI significatif sont Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. Et Perr. (116,19), Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir. (21,66), Lannea barteri Oliv. Engl. (13,40), Adansonia digitata L. (12,92) et Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn. (11,80). La principale espèce, A. leiocarpa présente une bonne densité tant au niveau des adultes (316 pieds/ha) que des juvéniles (667 pieds/ha). Sa structure diamétrique en «J renversé» est synonyme d’une bonne dynamique. Cependant, elle est menacée par la mortalité (9,27%) par endroit des sujets.Mots clés : Diversité floristique, régénération, mortalité, forêt classée de Koulbi

Nuances of Public Diplomacy: China in Chilean Op-Eds (2018-2021)

This paper explores editorials and opinion columns published in four Chilean mainstream newspapers and analyzes how China is represented within the context of Chinese economic advances in the region and the contextual narratives surrounding bilateral relations. Through a content analysis of editorials and opinion pieces of elite media between 2018 and 2021, this study allows an understanding of how China and its growing influence are perceived locally. Ultimately, despite an overall alignment with China’s public diplomacy centered around an economic-commercial dimension, there are still nuances in how China is represented in Chilean op-eds

Orale Mukositis bei Patienten unter Tumortherapie

Zusammenfassung: Zu den unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen bestimmter Chemo- und Radiotherapien gehört die orale Mukositis, eine Entzündung der Mundschleimhaut. Da sie die Lebensqualität der Patienten in hohem Maße beeinträchtigen kann, sollten Pflegende der Mundhygiene einen besonders hohen Stellenwert beimessen. In der täglichen Praxis wird die orale Mukositis oft kontrovers diskutiert. In diesem Artikel werden aktuelle theoriebasierte und erfahrungsbasierte Grundlagen und Anleitungen für die Pflege und Behandlung vorgestell

Orientation Tracking for Humans and Robots Using Inertial Sensors

Proc. of 1999 International Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Robotics and Automation, Monterey, CA, December, 1999, pp. 187-194.Accepted/Published Conference Pape

Generation and characterization of a mitotane-resistant adrenocortical cell line

Mitotane is the only drug approved for the therapy of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Its clinical use is limited by the occurrence of relapse during therapy. To investigate the underlying mechanisms in vitro, we here generated mitotane-resistant cell lines. After long-term pulsed treatment of HAC-15 human adrenocortical carcinoma cells with 70 µM mitotane, we isolated monoclonal cell populations of treated cells and controls and assessed their respective mitotane sensitivities by MTT assay. We performed exome sequencing and electron microscopy, conducted gene expression microarray analysis and determined intracellular lipid concentrations in the presence and absence of mitotane. Clonal cell lines established after pulsed treatment were resistant to mitotane (IC50 of 102.2 ± 7.3 µM (n = 12) vs 39.4 ± 6.2 µM (n = 6) in controls (biological replicates, mean ± s.d., P = 0.0001)). Unlike nonresistant clones, resistant clones maintained normal mitochondrial and nucleolar morphology during mitotane treatment. Resistant clones largely shared structural and single nucleotide variants, suggesting a common cell of origin. Resistance depended, in part, on extracellular lipoproteins and was associated with alterations in intracellular lipid homeostasis, including levels of free cholesterol, as well as decreased steroid production. By gene expression analysis, resistant cells showed profound alterations in pathways including steroid metabolism and transport, apoptosis, cell growth and Wnt signaling. These studies establish an in vitro model of mitotane resistance in ACC and point to underlying molecular mechanisms. They may enable future studies to overcome resistance in vitro and improve ACC treatment in vivo