Trojan Horse as an indirect technique in nuclear astrophysics. Resonance reactions

The Trojan Horse method is a powerful indirect technique that provides information to determine astrophysical factors for binary rearrangement processes $x + A \to b + B$ at astrophysically relevant energies by measuring the cross section for the Trojan Horse reaction $a + A \to y+ b + B$ in quasi-free kinematics. We present the theory of the Trojan Horse method for resonant binary subreactions based on the half-off-energy-shell R matrix approach which takes into account the off-energy-shell effects and initial and final state interactions.Comment: 6 pages and 1 figur

7Li quasi-free scattering off the alpha-cluster in 9Be nucleus

Spectra of coincident charged particles from the reactions induced by a 52 MeV 7Li beam incident on a beryllium target were measured. Strong contributions of the 7Li quasi-free scattering off the alpha-cluster in 9Be nucleus were observed. This observation supports the conclusions from the study of complete fusion of weakly bound light nuclei at low energies that the "fragility" of the nuclei makes their fusion less probable.Comment: Short Note, 3 pages, 3 Postscript figures, latex with The European Physical Journal style, to be published in The European Physical Journal

Radioactivity of sand from several renowned public beaches and assessment of the corresponding environmental risks

The radiological risk due to the presence of natural and man-made radionuclides in beach sands from several renowned seaside and riverbank public beaches was estimated in this study. The exposure levels to terrestrial radiation of the beaches were determined, as well as hazards due to human use of the analyzed sands in industry and in building constructions. Specific radionuclides concentrations in the sand samples were determined by standard gamma-spectrometry. The corresponding radiation hazards arising due to the use of sand as a building material were estimated by three different radiological hazard indices. The total absorbed gamma dose rate in the air was determined and the corresponding annual effective dose outdoors was estimated. The obtained data are relevant both from human health and environmental monitoring aspects

Report of IRPA task group on the impact of the eye lens dose limits

In 2012 IRPA established a task group (TG) to identify key issues in the implementation of the revised eye lens dose limit. The TG reported its conclusions in 2013. In January 2015, IRPA asked the TG to review progress with the implementation of the recommendations from the early report and to collate current practitioner experience. This report presents the results of a survey on the view of the IRPA professionals on the new limit to the lens of the eye and on the wider issue of tissue reactions. Recommendations derived from the survey are presented. This report was approved by IRPA Executive Council on 31 January 2017

alpha-particle production in the scattering of 6He by 208Pb at energies around the Coulomb barrier

New experimental data from the scattering of 6He+208Pb at energies around and below the Coulomb barrier are presented. The yield of breakup products coming from projectile fragmentation is dominated by a strong group of $\alpha$ particles. The energy and angular distributions of this group have been analyzed and compared with theoretical calculations. This analysis indicates that the $\alpha$ particles emitted at backward angles in this reaction are mainly due to two-neutron transfer to weakly bound states of the final nucleus.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures. Nuclear Physics A792 (2007) 2-1

EURADOS education and training activities

This paper provides a summary of the Education and Training (E&amp ; T) activities that have been developed and organized by the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS) in recent years and in the case of Training Courses over the last decade. These E&amp ; T actions include short duration Training Courses on well-established topics organized within the activity of EURADOS Working Groups (WGs), or one-day events integrated in the EURADOS Annual Meeting (workshops, winter schools, the intercomparison participants' sessions and the learning network, among others). Moreover, EURADOS has recently established a Young Scientist Grant and a Young Scientist Award. The Grant supports young scientists by encouraging them to perform research projects at other laboratories of the EURADOS network. The Award is given in recognition of excellent work developed within the WGs' work programme. Additionally, EURADOS supports the dissemination of knowledge in radiation dosimetry by promoting and endorsing conferences such as the individual monitoring (IM) series, the neutron and ion dosimetry symposia (NEUDOS) and contributions to E&amp ; T sessions at specific events

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised