RD Collaboration Proposal: Development of pixel readout integrated circuits for extreme rate and radiation

This proposal describes a new RD collaboration to develop the next genrration of hybrid pixel readout chips for use in ATLAS and CMS PHase 2 upgrades. extrapolation of hybrid pixel technology to the HL-LHC presents major challenges on several fronts. Challenges include: smaller pixels to resolve tracks in boosted jets, much higher hit rates (1-2 GHz/cm2 ), unprecedented radiation tolerance (10 MGy), much higher output bandwidth, and large IC format with low power consumption in order to instrument large areas while keeping the material budget low. This collaboration is specifically focused on design of hybrid pixel readout chips, and not on more general chip design or on other aspects of hybrid pixel technology. Participants include 7 institutes on ATLAS and 7 on CMS, plus 2 on both experiments

Characterization of thin irradiated epitaxial silicon sensors for the CMS phase II pixel upgrade

The high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider foreseen for 2023 resulted on the decision to replace the tracker system of the CMS experiment. The innermost layer of the new pixel detector will experience fluences in the order of ϕeq ≈ 1016 cm−2 and a dose of ≈ 5 MGy after an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb−1. Several materials and designs are under investigation in order to build a detector that can withstand such high fluences. Thin planar silicon sensors are good candidates to achieve this goal since the degradation of the signal produced by traversing particles is less severe than for thicker devices. A study has been carried out in order to characterize highly irradiated planar epitaxial silicon sensors with an active thickness of 100 μm. The investigation includes pad diodes and strip detectors irradiated up to a fluence of ϕeq = 1.3 × 1016 cm−2, and 3 × 1015 cm−2, respectively. The electrical properties of diodes have been characterized using laboratory measurements, while measurements have been carried out at the DESY II test beam facility to characterize the charge collection of the strip detectors. A beam telescope has been used to determine precisely the impact position of beam particles on the sensor. This allows the unbiased extraction of the charge deposited in the strip sensor and good identification of the noise. In this paper, the results obtained for p-bulk sensors are shown. The charge collection efficiency of the strip sensors is 90% at 1000 V after a fluence of ϕeq = 3 × 1015 cm−2. The irradiated diodes show charge multiplication effects. The impact of the threshold applied to a detector on its efficiency is also discussed

Neuropsychological deficits in adults age 60 and above with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective Neuropsychological deficits are of major importance in ADHD, yet no previous studies have assessed clinically referred samples of older adults. The authors compared older adults with ADHD (60–75 years) with both younger adults with ADHD (18–45 years) and older healthy controls with regard to various neuropsychological deficits. Methods Well-established tests were used to investigate working memory, inhibition, switching, planning, fluency, and speed of processing. Self-ratings of executive functioning and delay-related behaviors were also included. Both variable-oriented and person-oriented analyses were conducted. Results Older adults with ADHD differed from controls with regard to working memory, inhibition, switching, and delay-related behaviors. In comparison to younger adults with ADHD, they performed at a similar level with regard to working memory and planning, but significantly better with regard to inhibition, switching, fluency, speed of processing, and delay aversion. Despite several significant group differences relative to controls, person-oriented analyses demonstrated that a majority of older adults with ADHD performed within the average range on each test and 20% showed no clear deficit within any neuropsychological domain. Conclusions The results are in line with models of heterogeneity that have identified different neuropsychological subtypes in ADHD as well as a subgroup of patients without any clear neuropsychological deficits. For older adults with ADHD, it will be important to assess their functioning across time as normal aging is related to memory decline and these patients could therefore end up with severe deficits as they grow older, which in turn could have serious negative effects on daily life functioning

Estimating a health production function for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

The paper estimates a health production function for Sub-Saharan Africa based on the Grossman (1972) theoretical model that treats social, economic, and environmental factors as inputs of the production system. In estimating this function, socioeconomic and environmental factors such as income per capita, illiteracy rate, food availability, ratio of health expenditure to GDP, urbanization rate, and carbon dioxide emission per worker are specified as determinants of health status. The parameters of the function are estimated by one-way and two-way fixed and random effects model of panel data analyses. The results of the two-way random effect model suggest that an increase in income per capita, a decrease in illiteracy rate, and an increase in food availability are strongly associated with an improvement in life expectancy at birth. Overall, the results imply that a health policy which may focus on the provision of health services, family planning programs, and emergency aids to the exclusion of other socioeconomic and environmental aspects may do little to improve the current health status of the region.