Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGAD) for particle physics and synchrotron applications

A new avalanche silicon detector concept is introduced with a low gain in the region of ten, known as a Low Gain Avalanche Detector, LGAD. The detector's characteristics are simulated via a full process simulation to obtain the required doping profiles which demonstrate the desired operational characteristics of high breakdown voltage (500 V) and a gain of 10 at 200 V reverse bias for X-ray detection. The first low gain avalanche detectors fabricated by Micron Semiconductor Ltd are presented. The doping profiles of the multiplication junctions were measured with SIMS and reproduced by simulating the full fabrication process which enabled further development of the manufacturing process. The detectors are 300 μm thick p-type silicon with a resistivity of 8.5 kΩcm, which fully depletes at 116 V. The current characteristics are presented and demonstrate breakdown voltages in excess of 500 V and a current density of 40 to 100 nAcm−2 before breakdown measured at 20oC. The gain of the LGAD has been measured with a red laser (660 nm) and shown to be between 9 and 12 for an external bias voltage range from 150 V to 300 V

Conservation of energy and momenta in nonholonomic systems with affine constraints

We characterize the conditions for the conservation of the energy and of the components of the momentum maps of lifted actions, and of their `gauge-like' generalizations, in time-independent nonholonomic mechanical systems with affine constraints. These conditions involve geometrical and mechanical properties of the system, and are codified in the so-called reaction-annihilator distribution

Nonholonomic systems with symmetry allowing a conformally symplectic reduction

Non-holonomic mechanical systems can be described by a degenerate almost-Poisson structure (dropping the Jacobi identity) in the constrained space. If enough symmetries transversal to the constraints are present, the system reduces to a nondegenerate almost-Poisson structure on a ``compressed'' space. Here we show, in the simplest non-holonomic systems, that in favorable circumnstances the compressed system is conformally symplectic, although the ``non-compressed'' constrained system never admits a Jacobi structure (in the sense of Marle et al.).Comment: 8 pages. A slight edition of the version to appear in Proceedings of HAMSYS 200

Geometry and topology of knotted ring polymers in an array of obstacles

We study knotted polymers in equilibrium with an array of obstacles which models confinement in a gel or immersion in a melt. We find a crossover in both the geometrical and the topological behavior of the polymer. When the polymers' radius of gyration, $R_G$, and that of the region containing the knot, $R_{G,k}$, are small compared to the distance b between the obstacles, the knot is weakly localised and $R_G$ scales as in a good solvent with an amplitude that depends on knot type. In an intermediate regime where $R_G > b > R_{G,k}$, the geometry of the polymer becomes branched. When $R_{G,k}$ exceeds b, the knot delocalises and becomes also branched. In this regime, $R_G$ is independent of knot type. We discuss the implications of this behavior for gel electrophoresis experiments on knotted DNA in weak fields.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

The Impact of Heavy Load Carrying on Musculoskeletal Pain and Disability Among Women in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania.

BackgroundHeavy load carrying has been associated with musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and disability. However, there is a lack of research investigating this association in resource-constrained settings where heavy load carrying by women is common.ObjectivesWe assessed the impact of heavy load carrying on musculoskeletal pain and disability among women in Shinyanga Region, Tanzania, in an exploratory cross-sectional study.MethodsEligible participants were a convenience sample of women, at least 18 years of age, who passed a study recruitment site carrying a load. We collected information on load-carrying practices, including frequency and time spent carrying water, wood, agricultural products, coal, sand, or rocks, and measured the weight of the load carried at the time. Outcomes included self-reported MSDs, defined as experiencing pain lasting >3 days in the neck, head, back, knees, feet and/or ankles within the last 1 year, and related disability. Using multivariable logistic regression we assessed for associations between load carrying exposures and MSDs and disability.FindingsResults showed a high prevalence of MSDs across the body regions assessed and evidence to suggest a relationship of back pain and related disability with several measures of load-carrying, including duration, frequency, and weight. Multivariable analyses revealed associations of increased load carrying exposures with low back pain (LBP) and related disability, including statistically significant increases in odds of LBP with increasing weight, total duration of load carrying/week and cumulative loads/week.ConclusionsFindings indicate a substantial burden of MSDs and disability in this population of women who carry heavy loads daily. The extent of discomfort and disability increased with increasing exposure to various load-carrying measures, especially for LBP. Larger epidemiologic studies that definitively assess relationships of load carrying with MSDs and disability are warranted

Competency development for pharmacy: Adopting and adapting the Global Competency Framework

Background: With current accelerated changes in the role of the pharmacists across different sectors, evidence-based developmental tools are needed to re-define the scope of practice for early career pharmacists (foundation level) and to support pharmacists’ career development. This study aimed to develop a foundation competency framework for pharmacists in Kuwait using the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Competency Framework (GbCF) in an adopt and adapt approach. / Methods: A 4-phase adopt and adapt approach was followed to develop the Kuwait Foundation Competency Framework (KFCF). Phase one involved translating the FIP GbCF, into Arabic using parallel translation. Phase two utilises 2 consensus panels validation involving pharmacists from public and private sectors. Phase three involved a national survey to all registered pharmacists in Kuwait. The final phase involved focus groups with pharmacists and a consensus panel validation with key policy and decision makers in the pharmacy practice and education sectors in Kuwait. Qualitative data were thematically analysed, while quantitative data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows. / Results: The translation phase yielded a bilingual framework that could be utilised by pharmacists in Kuwait. The initial validation phase identified 70 behavioural statements (out of the GbCF's 100) as ‘highly relevant’ or ‘relevant’ to pharmacy practice in Kuwait. Findings from the national survey identified a list of behaviours that could be adapted in Kuwait context as well as competencies that were perceived as least relevant to Kuwait practice. The final validation phase generated a list of 98 behavioural statements to be included in the KFCF along with recommendations and an action plan to facilitate the adaptation of the framework. / Conclusion: This study presents the first bilingual (Arabic/English) pharmacy foundation competency framework that builds on the FIP GbCF. The KFCF could be utilised as a developmental tool to support pharmacists’ performance at foundation level

Bostonia. Volume 14

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Competency-Based Education: Developing an Advanced Competency Framework for Indonesian Pharmacists

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacists need to be adaptable, flexible, and capable of advancing their practice to adapt to rapidly changing population health needs. We describe an educational approach to pharmacy workforce transformation in Indonesia through an advanced practice competency framework development using an “adopt and adapt” methodology. METHODS: The competency framework development process comprised a translation phase, an adopt and adapt phase, validation through a nationwide mapping survey, and a completion phase through leadership consensus panels. We conducted a forward-backwards translation of a previously validated Advanced to Consultancy Level Framework (ACLF) to yield the Indonesian Advanced Development Framework (IADF) draft. The subsequent adoption and adaptation process was conducted through a series of consensus panels. We validated the IADF through a nationwide workforce survey. The final phase included leadership consensus panels with the professional leadership body in Indonesia. We analyzed the qualitative data thematically and the quantitative data using a Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) technique. RESULTS: We identified conceptual challenges in adopting and adapting the existing ACLF, which were addressed by providing a national glossary and concrete examples. A total of 6,212 pharmacists participated in the national workforce survey, of which 43% had <2 years of post-license (post-registration) experience. The MCA results showed that practitioner self-assessment to the IADF could discriminate their career development stages. The results also indicated a four-stage career model (including early years career training). Embedding this model in a structured national training program will enhance the professional workforce development through a more structured career journey. CONCLUSIONS: We describe the first validation of an advanced competency development framework for the pharmacy workforce in a non-Anglophone country, showing the possibility of transnational applicability of this framework. We argue that this methodology can be used in Low and Middle-income countries (LMICs) for the more rapid advancement of pharmaceutical care practice

Effective action for the field equations of charged black holes

In this article, we consistently reduce the equations of motion for the bosonic N = 2 supergravity action, using a multi-centered black hole ansatz for the metric. This reduction is done in a general, non-supersymmetric setup, in which we extend concepts of BPS black hole technology. First of all we obtain a more general form of the black hole potential, as part of an effective action for both the scalars and the vectors in the supergravity theory. Furthermore, we show that there are extra constraints specifying the solution, which we calculate explicitly. In the literature, these constraints have already been studied in the one-center case. We also show that the effective action we obtain for non-static metrics, can be linked to the "entropy function" for the spherically symmetric case, as defined by Sen and Cardoso et al.Comment: 18 pages, (v2: small corrections, version to be published in CQG

Validation of a model of the GAL regulatory system via robustness analysis of its bistability characteristics

In Saccharomyces cerevisiæ, structural bistability generates a bimodal expression of the galactose uptake genes (GAL) when exposed to low and high glucose concentrations. This indicates that yeast cells can decide between using either the limited amount of glucose or growing on galactose under changing environmental conditions. A crucial requirement for any plausible mechanistic model of this system is that it reproduces the robustness of the bistable response observed in vivo against inter-individual parametric variability and fluctuating environmental conditions