Consequences of laser transverse imperfections on laser wakefield acceleration at the Apollon facility

With the currently available laser powers, it is possible to reach the blowout regime in the Laser WakeField Acceleration (LWFA) where the electrons are completely expelled off-axis behind the laser pulse. This regime is particularly interesting thanks to its linear focusing forces and to its accelerating forces that are independent of the transverse coordinates. In fact, these features ensure a quite stable propagation of electron bunches with low phase-space volume. In this context, the Apollon laser is designed to reach an exceptional multi-petawatt laser peak power, thus aiming at achieving unprecedented accelerating gradients and bringing a scientific breakthrough in the field of LWFA. Since the quality of the self-injected electron bunches is very sensitive to the condition of the laser, it is very important to take into account realistic laser features when performing LWFA simulations. In this paper, we aim at understanding the implications of laser imperfections on the electrons produced with the self-injection scheme in the bubble regime. For this purpose, we carry on a numerical study of LWFA where we include experimentally measured laser profiles from the Apollon facility in full three dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations

Joint versus separate inpatient rehabilitation treatment for patients with alcohol use disorder or drug use disorder : an observational study

Background: In many national treatment systems, patients with alcohol use disorders (AUD) and those with drug use disorders (DUD) are treated separately, while other systems provide joint treatment for both kinds of substance use disorders (SUDs). Regarding long-term rehabilitation treatment of DUD and AUD patients, there is however a lack of empirical studies on the comparison between a separate versus joint treatment modality. Methods: Data were gathered from 2 rehabilitation units located in small towns from the same German region. One unit provided treatment to a mixed group of AUD and DUD patients, while the other unit treated the 2 groups separately. Staffing, funding, and treatment programs were otherwise similar between facilities. Data were gathered from standardized routine documentation and standardized interviews. In order to understand correlates of premature treatment termination, a logistic regression analysis was performed, with treatment modality and type of SUD as main predictors, and a range of patient characteristics as covariates. Results: Patients (N=319) were diagnosed with AUD (48%), DUD (34%), or AUD plus DUD (18%). Patients in joint treatment showed a higher prevalence of lapses during treatment than those in separate treatment (26% versus 12%; p=0.009), but there was no significant difference in the prevalence of premature terminations (38% versus 44%, p=0.26). Treatment modality and interaction between modality and type of SUD was not significantly associated with premature termination. Joint treatment completers showed higher satisfaction with treatment than separate treatment completers ( p<0.001). Conclusion: We found no evidence here for a difference between treatment modalities in terms of premature termination rate. Satisfaction level was higher in those who completed joint treatment compared to separate treatment.Peer reviewe

Opiate maintenance patients’ attitudes and self-reported adherence to protective measures against SARS-CoV-2 infections

© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic we assessed to which extent patients in opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) adhere to official recommendations regarding preventive intervention strategies against COVID-19. Methods: Patients enrolled in two OMT clinics in Germany were interviewed applying a standardized questionnaire, which covered socio-demographic information, recent psychotropic substance use, recent social activities, the history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, attitudes toward official protection recommendations, and levels of adherence to these suggestions. Current mental and medical diagnoses were retrieved from medical files. In subjects without known infection and without vaccination, blood samples were tested for the identification of anti-SARS-CoV-2-S-antibodies. Interviews were performed between the end of May and the end of September 2021. Results: Patients’ (n = 155) average age was 47 years; 74% were males. In addition to the opiate dependence, in nearly 80% of cases another medical disorder was recorded. The range of medical factors that predispose for severe COVID-19 outcomes were present in 39% of patients; 18% of the sample refused to be vaccinated. Nearly all patients reported having carried out a range of activities outside their residence during the week prior to the interviews, including visits of treatment facilities (86.5%; 95% confidence interval [80.2%; 91.0%]) or meeting with friends (64.5% [65.7–71.6%]). Despite the fact that only about 47.1% [39.2%; 55%] felt well informed about measures against infection, adherence to COVID-19 countermeasures was generally high: 83.9% [77.3; 88.8%] claimed to have worn face masks always/nearly always; social distancing was performed always/nearly always by 58.7% [50.8%; 66.2%]; and hand hygiene was conducted by 64.5% [56.7%; 71.6%] of participants. None out of n = 25 tests from unvaccinated subjects was positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2-S-antibodies. Psychiatric comorbidity and educational degree were not statistically significantly associated with attitudes and compliance, except that patients with lower education felt relatively worse informed. Conclusion: Self-reported adherence to recommended non-therapeutic intervention strategies and vaccination rates were similar to the German general population. Provision of more health-related information tailored to OMT patients appears necessary.Peer reviewe

Mapping the X-Ray Emission Region in a Laser-Plasma Accelerator

The x-ray emission in laser-plasma accelerators can be a powerful tool to understand the physics of relativistic laser-plasma interaction. It is shown here that the mapping of betatron x-ray radiation can be obtained from the x-ray beam profile when an aperture mask is positioned just beyond the end of the emission region. The influence of the plasma density on the position and the longitudinal profile of the x-ray emission is investigated and compared to particle-in-cell simulations. The measurement of the x-ray emission position and length provides insight on the dynamics of the interaction, including the electron self-injection region, possible multiple injection, and the role of the electron beam driven wakefield.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Bewertung der Chancen und Risiken des Energiepflanzenanbaus vor dem Hintergrund der Wasserrahmenrichtlinie und Ableitung erster Handlungsempfehlungen

Ein wesentliches Ziel der EU Wasserrahmenrichtlinie zur Sicherung der Grundwasserqualität ist die Einhaltung des 50 mg NO3/l Grenzwertes. Die Gestaltung von Anbauverfahren für Energiepflanzen hat wesentlichen Einfluss auf den Stickstoffaustrag in das Grundwasser. In diesem Artikel werden Haupt- und Zweitfruchtanbau sowie etablierte neue Fruchtarten untersucht. Die Anbauverfahren werden Bewertet auf Basis von Nmin-Werten nach der Ernte sowie vor Winter. Versuchsbasis sind 6-jährige Parzellenversuche an 8 Standorten. Ergebnisse zeigen, dass gerade bei Mais N-Einsparpotenziale vorhanden sind, die in i.d.R. auch ohne Ertragsverluste eine Senkung der Herbst Nmin Werte und somit der potenziell auswaschungsgefährdeten Stickstoffmengen vor Winter ermöglichen. Der Energiepflanzenanbau bietet durch die breite Palette einsetzbarer Kulturen die Möglichkeit, auf Grenzstandorten ergänzend zum Mais, verstärkt Winterungen wie Roggen und Triticale mit Ganzpflanzennutzung oder Sorghum-Arten anzubauen. Diese haben ein geringeres N-Düngeniveau, sowie das Potenzial die Nmin-Werte nach der Ernte und vor Winter zu senken. Die im Energiepflanzenanbau vorhandenen Potenziale zum grundwasserschonenden Wirtschaften müssen genutzt und in die Praxis getragen werden

Ist Mais gleich Mais? Vergleich der Parametrisierung verschiedener Mais-Sorten am Modell MONICA

Aktuell werden verschiedene Mais-Sorten im Energiepflanzenanbau eingesetzt, darunter speziell für diese Nutzungsform gezüchtete Energiemais-Sorten. Die sortenspezifischen Unterschiede von Mais müssen auch in der Modellierung berücksichtigt werden. Zur Kalibrierung des Modells wurden Messdaten zu Trockenmasseertrag, Stickstoffkonzentration der oberirdischen Biomasse, Bodenbedeckungsgrad, Entwicklungsstadium (BBCH-Stadium), Bodenwassergehalt und Boden-Nmin verwendet. Zur Bewertung der Modellergebnisse wurden verschiedene statistische Indizes verwendet, die auf den Unterschiedenen zwischen beobachteten und gemessenen Werten basieren. Auf Basis der Messdaten des EVA Projekts konnten keine genetisch erklärbaren Abgrenzungen der vier Parametersätze für die untersuchten Mais-Sorten vorgenommen werden. Allerdings zeigte der Parametrisierungsversuch, dass mit Hilfe des Modells Umweltstressfaktoren identifiziert und quantifiziert werden können

Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSO) Use in Opioid Dependents Entering Detoxification Treatment

© 2022 Specka, Kuhlmann, Bonnet, Sawazki, Schaaf, Kühnhold, Steinert, Grigoleit, Eich, Zeiske, Niedersteberg, Steiner, Schifano and Scherbaum. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Introduction: Over the last decade, the use of New/Novel Synthetic Opioids (NSO) has emerged as an increasing problem, and especially so in the USA. However, only little is known about the prevalence and history of NSO use in European heroin dependents. Method: A cross-sectional multicenter study, carried out with the means of both standardized interviews and urine toxicology enhanced screening, in a sample of opioid addicted patients referred for an in-patient detoxification treatment. Results: Sample size included here n = 256 patients; prior to admission, 63.7% were prescribed with an opioid maintenance treatment. Lifetime use of heroin and opioid analgesics was reported by 99.2 and 30.4%, respectively. Lifetime NSO/fentanyl use was reported by 8.7% (n = 22); a regular use was reported by 1.6% (n = 4), and ingestion over the 30 days prior to admission by 0.8% (n = 2). Most typically, patients had started with a regular consumption of heroin, followed by maintenance opioids; opioid analgesics; and by NSO. Self-reported data were corroborated by the toxicology screenings carried out; no evidence was here identified for the presence of heroin being contaminated by fentanyl/derivatives. Discussion: NSO and also opioid analgesics did not play a relevant role in the development and the course of opioid/opioid use disorders in German patients referred for an inpatient detoxification treatment.Peer reviewe

A summary of the beatwave experiments at Ecole Polytechnique

We present a summary of the beatwave particle acceleration program developed at Ecole Polytechnique. In dedicated experiments, plasma formation, plasma wave generation and saturation, and particle acceleration were successively studied and understood in detail. A maximum energy gain of 1.3 MeV was obtained, which is compatible with an accelerating gradient of 0.7 GV/m.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure