4,736 research outputs found
Identifying Behavioral Differences Between People With and Without Previous Cancer Diagnosis
We undertake a study to determine and assess the effects of the statistically significant predictors of the behaviors and notions that are associated with a cancer diagnosis using the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data. We implemented a new and extensive logistic regression modeling using stepwise variable selection and jackknife parameter estimation that identified the best explanatory model. Our results show that age, average time spent watching TV or playing games, usage of sunscreen, fruit intake intent, and the opinion-based variables for behaviors affecting high blood pressure, as well as the participant preference of not knowing the chance of getting cancer are the optimal set of covariates impacting the chance of getting cancer. Moreover, using more sunscreen, and a higher age was associated with increases in the chances of getting cancer. Interestingly, many usually important background covariates such as race, income, gender, geographical location, and others were not significant predictors of the outcome variable of interest. The conclusions of our analysis reveal new insights in the complexity of the behaviors and “attitudes” associated with a higher chance of a cancer diagnosis and will undoubtedly have important implications on the design and success of future healthcare messages and campaigns
Health Product Risk Communication: Is the message getting through?
Risk communication is an important component of improving the health and safety of Canadians. For numerous departments and agencies at all levels of government, as well as public and private organizations, effective risk communication can protect Canadians from preventable hazards. The Minister of Health, on behalf of Health Canada (the Sponsor), asked the Council of Canadian Academies (the Council) to provide an evidence-based and authoritative assessment of the state of knowledge on measurement and evaluation of health risk communication. This assessment focuses on identifying tools, evaluation methods, gaps in the literature, and barriers and facilitators to carrying out successful communication and evaluation activities. Specifically, this assessment examines the following questions: How can the effectiveness of health risk communications be measured and evaluated? • What types of instruments/tools are currently available for health risk communication? • What methodological best practices can be used to evaluate the reach, use and benefit of health risk communication? • What research could be done to inform the measurement of the effectiveness of risk communications? • What are the existing barriers to effective risk communications and what best practices exist to address these challenges? To address the charge, the Council assembled a multi-disciplinary panel of 11 experts (the Panel) from Canada and abroad. The Panel’s composition reflected a balance of expertise, experience, and demonstrated leadership in academic, clinical, and regulatory fields. Each member served as an informed individual, rather than as a representative of a particular discipline, patron, organization, or region
The UN in the lab
We consider two alternatives to inaction for governments combating terrorism, which we term Defense and Prevention. Defense consists of investing in resources that reduce the impact of an attack, and generates a negative externality to other governments, making their countries a more attractive objective for terrorists. In contrast, Prevention, which consists of investing in resources that reduce the ability of the terrorist organization to mount an attack, creates a positive externality by reducing the overall threat of terrorism for all. This interaction is captured using a simple 3×3 “Nested Prisoner’s Dilemma” game, with a single Nash equilibrium where both countries choose Defense. Due to the structure of this interaction, countries can benefit from coordination of policy choices, and international institutions (such as the UN) can be utilized to facilitate coordination by implementing agreements to share the burden of Prevention. We introduce an institution that implements a burden-sharing policy for Prevention, and investigate experimentally whether subjects coordinate on a cooperative strategy more frequently under different levels of cost sharing. In all treatments, burden sharing leaves the Prisoner’s Dilemma structure and Nash equilibrium of the game unchanged. We compare three levels of burden sharing to a baseline in a between-subjects design, and find that burden sharing generates a non-linear effect on the choice of the efficient Prevention strategy and overall performance. Only an institution supporting a high level of mandatory burden sharing generates a significant improvement in the use of the Prevention strategy
Lambda production in central Pb+Pb collisions at CERN-SPS energies
In this paper we present recent results from the NA49 experiment for
and hyperons produced in central Pb+Pb collisions at
40, 80 and 158 AGeV. Transverse mass spectra and rapidity distributions
for are shown for all three energies. The shape of the rapidity
distribution becomes flatter with increasing beam energy. The multiplicities at
mid-rapidity as well as the total yields are studied as a function of collision
energy including AGS measurements. The ratio at mid-rapidity and
in 4 has a maximum around 40 AGeV. In addition,
rapidity distributions have been measured at 40 and 80 AGeV, which
allows to study the / ratio.Comment: SQM proceedings. J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys.: submitte
Observation of an Exotic S = -2, Q = -2 Baryon Resonance in Proton-Proton Collisions at the CERN SPS
Results of resonance searches in the Xi- pi-, Xi- pi+, antiXi+ pi- and
antiXi+ pi+ invariant mass spectra in proton-proton collisions at sqrt{s}=17.2
GeV are presented. Evidence is shown for the existence of a narrow Xi- pi-
baryon resonance with mass of 1.862+/-0.002 GeV/c^2 and width below the
detector resolution of about 0.018 GeV/c^2. The significance is estimated to be
4.0 sigma. This state is a candidate for the hypothetical exotic Xi_(3/2)^--
baryon with S = -2, I = 3/2 and a quark content of (d s d s ubar). At the same
mass a peak is observed in the Xi- pi+ spectrum which is a candidate for the
Xi_(3/2)^0 member of this isospin quartet with a quark content of (d s u s
dbar). The corresponding antibaryon spectra also show enhancements at the same
invariant mass.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Search for the QCD critical point in nuclear collisions at the CERN SPS
Pion production in nuclear collisions at the SPS is investigated with the aim
to search, in a restricted domain of the phase diagram, for power-laws in the
behavior of correlations which are compatible with critical QCD. We have
analyzed interactions of nuclei of different size (p+p, C+C, Si+Si, Pb+Pb) at
158 GeV adopting, as appropriate observables, scaled factorial moments in a
search for intermittent fluctuations in transverse dimensions. The analysis is
performed for pairs with invariant mass very close to the two-pion
threshold. In this sector one may capture critical fluctuations of the sigma
component in a hadronic medium, even if the -meson has no well defined
vacuum state. It turns out that for the Pb+Pb system the proposed analysis
technique cannot be applied without entering the invariant mass region with
strong Coulomb correlations. As a result the treatment becomes inconclusive in
this case. Our results for the other systems indicate the presence of power-law
fluctuations in the freeze-out state of Si+Si approaching in size the
prediction of critical QCD.Comment: 31 pages, 11 figure
Report from NA49
The most recent data of NA49 on hadron production in nuclear collisions at
CERN SPS energies are presented. Anomalies in the energy dependence of pion and
kaon production in central Pb+Pb collisions are observed. They suggest that the
onset of deconfinement is located at about 30 AGeV. Large multiplicity and
transverse momentum fluctuations are measured for collisions of intermediate
mass systems at 158 AGeV. The need for a new experimental programme at the CERN
SPS is underlined.Comment: invited talk presented at Quark Matter 2004, 10 page
Omega and Antiomega production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40 and 158 AGeV
Results are presented on Omega production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40
and 158 AGeV beam energy. Given are transverse-mass spectra, rapidity
distributions, and total yields for the sum Omega+Antiomega at 40 AGeV and for
Omega and Antiomega separately at 158 AGeV. The yields are strongly
under-predicted by the string-hadronic UrQMD model and are in better agreement
with predictions from a hadron gas models.Comment: 5 papes, 4 figures, 1 table, updated figure 4 and table 1. Final
version, including some editorial changes, as published in PR
System-size dependence of strangeness production in nucleus-nucleus collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}}=17.3 GeV
Emission of pi, K, phi and Lambda was measured in near-central C+C and Si+Si
collisions at 158 AGeV beam energy. Together with earlier data for p+p, S+S and
Pb+Pb, the system-size dependence of relative strangeness production in
nucleus-nucleus collisions is obtained. Its fast rise and the saturation
observed at about 60 participating nucleons can be understood as onset of the
formation of coherent partonic subsystems of increasing size.Comment: Phys.Rev.Lett in print; version2: changes made according to the
request of the referee
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