Waterpipe tobacco smoking legislation and policy enactment: a global analysis

Objective (1) To review how current global tobacco control policies address regulation of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS). (2) To identify features associated with enactment and enforcement of WTS legislation. Data Sources (1) Legislations compiled by Tobacco Control Laws (www.tobaccocontrollaws.org). (2) Weekly news articles by ‘Google Alerts’ (www.google.com/alerts) from July 2013 to August 2014. Study Selection (1) Countries containing legislative reviews, written by legal experts, were included. Countries prohibiting tobacco sales were excluded. (2) News articles discussing aspects of the WHO FCTC were included. News articles related to electronic-waterpipe, crime, smuggling, opinion pieces or brief mentions of WTS were excluded. Data Abstraction (1) Two reviewers independently abstracted the definition of “tobacco product” and/or “smoking”. Four tobacco control domains (smokefree law, misleading descriptors, health warning labels and advertising/promotion/sponsorship) were assigned one of four categories based on the degree to which WTS had specific legislation. (2) Two investigators independently assigned at least one theme and associated subtheme to each news article. Data Synthesis (1) Reviewed legislations of 62 countries showed that most do not address WTS regulation but instead rely on generic tobacco/smoking definitions to cover all tobacco products. Where WTS was specifically addressed, no additional legislative guidance accounted for the unique way it is smoked, except for in one country specifying health warnings on waterpipe apparatuses (2) News articles mainly reported on noncompliance with public smoking bans, especially in India, Pakistan and the UK. Conclusions A regulatory framework evaluated for effectiveness and tailored for the specificities of WTS needs to be developed

Force of Beauty or Object of Desire? The Priming Effects of Makeup Video Advertisements on Self-Objectification in College Women

Women are too often valued for their beauty and have shifted their focus from character to body improvement (Brumberg, 1998). Objectification theory (Frederickson & Roberts, 1997) posits that sexual objectification socializes females to evaluate themselves based on looks. Self-objectification is the attempt to control this external perception by monitoring one’s physical appearance. Women are more likely to think “How do I look?” than “What am I capable of?” The priming effects of positive and negative body-focused makeup advertisements on college-aged women’s level of self-objectification were examined in two separate studies. In study one, 87 participants viewing positive vs. negative advertisements reported more traits and abilities; this was especially true for high self-objectifiers. Participants viewing positive advertisements reported more positive emotions, suggesting the salutary role that positive messaging may play. Results were replicated in study two, with 172 participants who viewed positive vs. negative advertisements reporting significantly fewer body shape statements, more trait and abilities, as well as more physical competence statements. In addition, individuals who viewed advertisements with non-objectifying content responded with a significantly greater number of positively valenced statements and significantly fewer negative statements about themselves in comparison to women who viewed objectifying advertisements. These results suggest that marketers should eschew advertising that sexually objectifies women and promotes unattainable beauty goals. Future research should evaluate cumulative and long-term effects of advertisement and examine whether exposure that leads to lower levels of objectification also minimizes negative consequences associated with objectifying media influences (e.g., body shame, depression, eating disorder)

The Tuning System for the HIE-ISOLDE High-Beta Quarter Wave Resonator

A new linac using superconducting quarter-wave resonators (QWR) is under construction at CERN in the framework of the HIE-ISOLDE project. The QWRs are made of niobium sputtered on a bulk copper substrate. The working frequency at 4.5 K is 101.28 MHz and they will provide 6 MV/m accelerating gradient on the beam axis with a total maximum power dissipation of 10 W on cavity walls. A tuning system is required in order to both minimize the forward power variation in beam operation and to compensate the unavoidable uncertainties in the frequency shift during the cool-down process. The tuning system has to fulfil a complex combination of RF, structural and thermal requirements. The paper presents the functional specifications and details the tuning system RF and mechanical design and simulations. The results of the tests performed on a prototype system are discussed and the industrialization strategy is presented in view of final production.Comment: 5 pages, The 16th International Conference on RF Superconductivity (SRF2013), Paris, France, Sep 23-27, 201

Design of the EURISOL multi-MW target assembly: radiation and safety issues

The multi-MW target proposed for the EURISOL facility will be based on fission of uranium (or thorium) compounds to produce rare isotopes far from stability. A two-step process is used for the isotope production. First, neutrons are generated in a liquid mercury target, irradiated by the 1 GeV proton or deuteron beam, provided by the EURISOL linac driver. Then, the neutrons induce fission in a surrounding assembly of uranium carbide. R&D projects on several aspects of the target assembly are ongoing. Key criteria for the target design are a maximum beam power capability of 4 MW, a remote handling system with minimum downtime and maximum reliability, as well as radiation safety, minimization of hazards and the classification of the facility. In the framework of the ongoing radiation characterization and safety studies, radiation transport simulations have been performed to calculate the prompt radiation dose in the target and surrounding materials, as well as to determine shielding material and angle-dependent parameters. In this paper, we report the results of these studies and the proposed radiation shield design for the multi-MW target area. Furthermore, accurate estimates have been performed of the amount of fissile elements being produced in the uranium target assembly, for typical running conditions, in order to understand the implications for the classification of the facility. The results are reported and briefly discussed.Comment: 11 pages,5 figures, Invited talk at the SATIF-8 Workshop, May 22-24,2006, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Rep. Of Kore

EURISOL High Power Targets

Modern Nuclear Physics requires access to higher yields of rare isotopes, that relies on further development of the In-flight and Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) production methods. The limits of the In-Flight method will be applied via the next generation facilities FAIR in Germany, RIKEN in Japan and RIBF in the USA. The ISOL method will be explored at facilities including ISAC-TRIUMF in Canada, SPIRAL-2 in France, SPES in Italy, ISOLDE at CERN and eventually at the very ambitious multi-MW EURISOL facility. ISOL and in-flight facilities are complementary entities. While in-flight facilities excel in the production of very short lived radioisotopes independently of their chemical nature, ISOL facilities provide high Radioisotope Beam (RIB) intensities and excellent beam quality for 70 elements. Both production schemes are opening vast and rich fields of nuclear physics research. In this article we will introduce the targets planned for the EURISOL facility and highlight some of the technical and safety challenges that are being addressed. The EURISOL Radioactive Ion Beam production relies on three 100 kW target stations and a 4 MW converter target station, and aims at producing orders of magnitude higher intensities of approximately one thousand different radioisotopes currently available, and to give access to new rare isotopes. As an illustrative example of its potential, beam intensities of the order of 1013 132Sn ions pe r second will be available from EURISOL, providing ideal primary beams for further fragmentation or fusion reactions studies

Prise En Charge Des Plaies Pénétrantes De L’abdomen À L’hôpital National De Niamey

Objectif : rapporter les résultats de la prise en charge des plaies pénétrantes de l’abdomen à l’hôpital national de Niamey au Niger. Patients et méthodes : il s’agissait d’une étude rétrospective et descriptive sur une période de 2 ans. L’étude a concerné tous les patients de tout âge pris en charge à l’hôpital national de Niamey pour plaie pénétrantes de l’abdomen. Résultats : l’étude incluait 51 patients, soit 0,88% des traumatismes. Il s’agissait de 6 femmes et 45 hommes, soit un sex ratio de 7,5. L’âge moyen des patients était de 28 ans [±10,2]. Le délai moyen d’admission était de 4,86 heures [±2,08]. Dans 84,32% des cas les patients étaient transportés à l’hôpital dans un véhicule non médicalisé. Les agressions représentaient 78,44% des circonstances de survenue et la plaie abdominale s’intégrait dans un contexte de polytraumatisme chez 21,53% des patients. Une éviscération était présente chez 31,37% des patients. Le traitement était opératoire chez 90,19% des patients avec 19,56% de laparotomie non thérapeutique. L’organe le plus lésé était l’intestin grêle dans 31,37% des cas suivi du colon dans 23,52% des cas. La morbidité globale était de 33,37% dominée par les hémorragies postopératoires dans 8,69% des cas. La mortalité était de 13,73% avec 50,14% de décès en postopératoire immédiat par hémorragie secondaire ; 28,58% de décès par retard de l’hémostase chirurgicale et 14,28% de décès par défaut de compensation des pertes sanguines en urgence.Conclusion : les plaies de l’abdomen sont fréquentes chez l’adulte jeune de sexe masculin. Elles sont souvent dues à une agression par armes blanches avec un taux élevé de décès. Objective: to report the results of the management of the penetrating abdominal wounds at the national hospital of Niamey. Patients and method: it was a retrospective and descriptive study over 2 years. The study included the patients of all ages managed for penetrating abdominal wounds at national hospital of Niamey in Niger. Results: the study includes 51 patients whether 0.88 % of trauma. They were 45 men and 6 women, with a sex ratio of 7.5. The average age was 28 [±10.2] years old. The average intake time was 4.86 [2.08] hours. In 84. 32% of cases, patients were transported to the hospital in non-medical vehicle. The assault accounted for 78.44% of the circumstances of the occurrence and the penetrating abdominal wound was integrated into a polytrauma in 21.53% of cases. An evisceration was present in 31.37 % of cases. The management was operative in 90.19% of cases with 19.56% of non-therapeutic laparotomy. The most injured organ was the small intestine in 31.37% of cases followed by the colon in 23.52% of cases. The overall morbidity was 33.37%, dominated by postoperative hemorrhages in 8.69% of cases. The mortality was 13.73% with 50.14% of immediate deaths by secondary hemorrhage, 28.58% of deaths by delay of the surgical hemostasis and 14.28% of deaths by a failure of compensation of the blood losses in emergency room. Conclusion: the penetrating abdominal wounds are common in young adult males. They are often due to a stabbing assault with a high death rate

Desferrioxamine biosynthesis : diverse hydroxamate assembly by substrate-tolerant acyl transferase DesC

Hydroxamate groups play key roles in the biological function of diverse natural products. Important examples include trichostatin A, which inhibits histone deacetylases via coordination of the active site zinc(II) ion with a hydroxamate group, and the desferrioxamines, which use three hydroxamate groups to chelate ferric iron. Desferrioxamine biosynthesis in Streptomyces species involves the DesD-catalysed condensation of various N-acylated derivatives of N-hydroxycadaverine with two molecules of N-succinyl-N-hydroxycadaverine to form a range of linear and macrocyclic tris-hydroxamates. However, the mechanism for assembly of the various N-acyl-N-hydroxycadaverine substrates of DesD from N-hydroxycadaverine has until now been unclear. Here we show that the desC gene of Streptomyces coelicolor encodes the acyl transferase responsible for this process. DesC catalyses the N-acylation of N-hydroxycadaverine with acetyl, succinyl and myristoyl-CoA, accounting for the diverse array of desferrioxamines produced by S. coelicolor. The X-ray crystal structure of DesE, the ferrioxamine lipoprotein receptor, in complex with ferrioxamine B (which is derived from two units of N-succinyl-N-hydroxycadaverine and one of N-acetyl-N-hydroxycadaverine) was also determined. This shows that the acetyl group of ferrioxamine B is solvent exposed, suggesting that the corresponding acyl group in longer chain congeners can protrude from the binding pocket, providing insights into their likely functio

Breastfeeding and growth of healthy infants followed from birth to 18 months

Optimal nutrition and regular growth assessment are essential components of healthcare for all children in order to detect early  problems related to their nutritional status before they are seriously compromised. The objective of our study was to describe the feeding and growth of healthy breastfeeding infants (0-18 months) in North East of Algeria. A prospective and descriptive study of the observational type was conducted, in the service of maternal and child protection at the public health establishment of Skikda (Algeria).The population constituted mothers and their infants (1-3 months) who presented for the first or second immunization visit and were followed up to 18 months. Data were collected by interviewing mothers using an adapted WHO (2004) questionnaire according to visits of the Algerian vaccination calendar (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th and 18th months). Children were monitored for breastfeeding,  complementary feeding and growth. Monitoring growth from birth (1, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 18 months) was done by taking anthropometric measurements (weight, height and head circumference), the evaluation of motor development and the calculation of anthropometric growth indices according to WHO standards (2006, 2007): weight/age (W/A), height/age (H/A), weight/height (W/H), body mass index/age (BMI/A) and head circumference/age (HC/A). A total of 159 infants were enrolled, including 83 (52.2%) girls, giving a sex ratio of 0.92. From 1 to 5 months, exclusive and predominant breastfeeding did not differ by sex (p>0.05). Exclusive breastfeeding was observed in 15.7% of infants at the first month versus 7.5% at 5 months. Predominant breastfeeding increased from 84.3% in the first month to 92.5% at 5 months, while complementary feeding started from four months. All mothers continued partial breastfeeding for up to one year. All children had normal motor development. Weight status (4-18 months) did not differ by sex (p>0.05). At the end ofthe study, 5.8% of the infants showed body wasting, lean (4.8%), stunted (2.7%) while 83.8% were within the normal weight range. To improve the nutritional status of Algerian infants, the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and management of their diet is necessary by provision of a diversified complementary diet, which includes all macro and micronutrients, meets all energy and nutritional needs and teaches them good eating habits and behaviors. Key words: Infants, breastfeeding, weight, height, BMI, monitoring, growth, complementary feeding, Algeri

Status of the HIE-ISOLDE project at CERN

The HIE-ISOLDE project represents a major upgrade of the ISOLDE nuclear facility with a mandate to significantly improve the quality and increase the intensity and energy of radioactive nuclear beams produced at CERN. The project will expand the experimental nuclear physics programme at ISOLDE by focusing on an upgrade of the existing Radioactive ion beam EXperiment (REX) linac with a 40 MV superconducting linac comprising thirty-two niobium-on-copper sputter-coated quarter-wave resonators housed in six cryomodules. The new linac will raise the energy of post-accelerated beams from 3 MeV/u to over 10 MeV/u. The upgrade will be staged to first deliver beam energies of 5.5 MeV/u using two high-$\beta$ cryomodules placed downstream of REX, before the energy variable section of the existing linac is replaced with two low-$\beta$ cryomodules and two additional high-$\beta$ cryomodules are installed to attain over 10 MeV/u with full energy variability above 0.45 MeV/u. An overview of the project including a status summary of the different R&D activities and the schedule will outlined.Comment: 7 pages, 12 figures, submitted to the Heavy Ion Accelerator Technology conference (HIAT) 2012, in Chicag

Radioprotection calculations for the TRADE experiment

The TRADE project is based on the coupling of, in a sub-critical configuration, of a 115 MeV, 2 mA proton cyclotron with a TRIGA research reactor at the ENEA Casaccia centre (Rome). Detailed radioprotection calculations using the FLUKA and EA-MC Monte Carlo codes were performed during the feasibility study. The study concentrated on dose rates due to beam losses in normal operating conditions and in the calculation of activation in the most sensitive components of the experiment. Results show that a shielding of 1.4 m of barytes concrete around the beam line will be sufficient to maintain the effective doses below the level of 10 Mu Sv/h, provided that the beam losses are at the level of 10 nA/m. The activation level around the beam line and in the water will be negligible, while the spallation target will reach an activation level comparable to the one of a fuel element at maximum burnup