A compact design for beam transport

A double-achromatic, double-focusing magnet system of very small size is described which will be used in the injection line for an undulator in a FEL experiment. Because of the double focusing no quadrupoles are needed between the dipole, which couples the electrons in the FEL cavity, and the undulator. An example will be worked out for an electron bunch of 25 MeV, 100 A which is focused on a spot of 1 mm diameter

Type D personality in the general population:a systematic review of health status, mechanisms of disease, and work-related problems

BACKGROUND: The objective was to review all available literature concerning Type D (distressed) personality among the general population and to discuss its implications for research on health status, disease-promoting mechanisms and work-related problems in non-clinical populations. METHODS: A computerized search of the literature was performed independently and in duplicate by both investigators on December 21(st), 2009. Published research reports were included if they studied Type D personality among the general population. Nineteen articles were selected and they were subjected to an 11-item standardised quality checklist by both investigators. RESULTS: The methodological quality of the selected studies was adequate to high. The studies included in this review showed that the presence of Type D characteristics had a negative impact on mental health status (more symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, mental distress, passive coping, and less social support) and physical health status (more somatic complaints, lower health status, more influenza-like illness reporting). Other studies reported on behavioral and biological mechanisms of disease in apparently healthy individuals with a Type D personality. Finally, some studies also showed a negative effect of Type D personality on work-related problems (higher absence-leave, higher levels of vital exhaustion and burnout, and more work-related stress). CONCLUSIONS: Type D personality is a vulnerability factor for general psychological distress that affects mental and physical health status and is associated with disease-promoting mechanisms and work-related problems in apparently healthy individuals

Personality, health behaviors and quality of life among colorectal cancer survivors:Results from the PROFILES registry

Contains fulltext : 170340.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)PURPOSE: There is a paucity of research looking into the relationship between personality and health behaviors among cancer survivors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Type D personality and its two constituent components, negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI), are associated with health behaviors, quality of life (QoL), and mental distress among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors. METHODS: A population-based study was conducted among 2,620 CRC patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2009, who completed measures of personality (DS14), health behaviors, QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30), and mental distress (hospital anxiety and depression scale). RESULTS: Personality was not associated with body mass index or smoking. Those scoring high on NA (with or without SI) were more often nondrinkers and less physically active compared to those scoring high on neither or only SI. Personality (high scores NA) and health behaviors (inactivity) were independently associated with poor QoL and mental distress. CONCLUSIONS: CRC survivors with high scores on NA are at risk of being inactive and have worse health outcomes

A new three-step method for using inverse propensity weighting with latent class analysis

Bias-adjusted three-step latent class analysis (LCA) is widely popular to relate covariates to class membership. However, if the causal effect of a treatment on class membership is of interest and only observational data is available, causal inference techniques such as inverse propensity weighting (IPW) need to be used. In this article, we extend the bias-adjusted three-step LCA to incorporate IPW. This approach separates the estimation of the measurement model from the estimation of the treatment effect using IPW only for the later step. Compared to previous methods, this solves several conceptual issues and more easily facilitates model selection and the use of multiple imputation. This new approach, implemented in the software Latent GOLD, is evaluated in a simulation study and its use is illustrated using data of prostate cancer patients

The discrimination capabilities of Micromegas detectors at low energy

The latest generation of Micromegas detectors show a good energy resolution, spatial resolution and low threshold, which make them idoneous in low energy applications. Two micromegas detectors have been built for dark matter experiments: CAST, which uses a dipole magnet to convert axion into detectable x-ray photons, and MIMAC, which aims to reconstruct the tracks of low energy nuclear recoils in a mixture of CF4 and CHF3. These readouts have been respectively built with the microbulk and bulk techniques, which show different gain, electron transmission and energy resolutions. The detectors and the operation conditions will be described in detail as well as their discrimination capabilities for low energy photons will be discussed.Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the TIPP2011 conference (Physics Procedia

Recreation reduces tick density through fine-scale risk effects on deer space-use

Altered interactions between pathogens, their hosts and vectors have potential consequences for human disease risk. Notably, tick-borne pathogens, many of which are associated with growing deer abundance, show global increasing prevalence and pose increasing challenges for disease prevention. Human activities can largely affect the patterns of deer space-use and can therefore be potential management tools to alleviate human-wildlife conflicts. Here, we tested how deer space-use patterns are influenced by human recreational activities, and how this in turn affects the spatial distribution of the sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus), a relevant disease vector of zoonoses such as Lyme borrelioses. We compared deer dropping and questing tick density on transects near (20 m) and further away from(100 m) forest trails that were either frequently used (open for recreation) or infrequently used (closed for recreation, but used by park managers). In contrast to infrequently used trails, deer dropping density was 31% lower near (20 m) than further away from (100 m) frequently used trails. Similarly, ticks were 62% less abundant near (20 m) frequently used trails compared to further away from (100 m) these trails, while this decline in tick numbers was only 14% near infrequently used trails. The avoidance by deer of areas close to human-used trails was thus associated with a similar reduction in questing tick density near these trails. As tick abundance generally correlates to pathogen prevalence, the use of trails for recreation may reduce tick-borne disease risk for humans on and near these trails. Our study reveals an unexplored effect of human activities on ecosystems and how this knowledge could be potentially used to mitigate zoonotic disease risk