Co-Creation of Breast Cancer Risk Communication Tools and an Assessment of Risk Factor Awareness: A Qualitative Study of Patients and the Public in India.

BACKGROUND: Low awareness of BC and its associated risk factors causes delays in diagnosis and impacts survival. It is critical to communicate BC risk to patients in a format that they are easily able to understand. Our study aim was to develop easy-to-follow transmedia prototypes to communicate BC risk and evaluate user preferences, alongside exploring awareness of BC and its risk factors. METHODS: Prototypes of transmedia tools for risk communication were developed with multidisciplinary input. A qualitative in-depth online interview study was undertaken using a pre-defined topic guide of BC patients (7), their relatives (6), the general public (6), and health professionals (6). Interviews were analyzed using a thematic approach. FINDINGS: Most participants preferred pictographic representations (frequency format) of lifetime risk and risk factors and storytelling using short animations and comic strips (infographics) for communicating genetic risk and testing: "In a short time, they explained it very well, and I liked it". Suggestions included minimizing technical terminology, decreasing the delivery speed, "two-way dialogue", and using local "language for different locations". There was low awareness of BC, with some understanding of age and hereditary risk factors but limited knowledge of reproductive factors. INTERPRETATION: Our findings support use of multiple context-specific multimedia tools in communicating cancer risk in an easy-to-understand way. The preference for storytelling using animations and infographics is a novel finding and should be more widely explored

Load sensitive stable current source for complex precision pulsed electroplating

Electrodeposition is a highly versatile and well explored technology. However, it also depends strongly on the experience level of the operator. This experience includes the pretreatment of the sample, and the composition of the electrolyte settings of the plating parameters. Accurate control over the electroplating current is needed especially for the formation of small structures, where pulsed electrodeposition has proven to reduce many unwanted effects. To bring precision into the formation of optimal recipes, a highly flexible current source based on a microcontroller was developed. It allows a large variety of pulse waveforms, as well as maintaining a feedback loop that controls the current and monitors the output voltage, allowing for both galvanostatic (current driven) and potentiostatic (voltage driven) electrodeposition. The system has been implemented with multiple channels, permitting the simultaneous electrodeposition of multiple substrates in parallel. Being based on a microcomputer, the system can be programmed using predefined recipes individually for each channel, or even adapt the recipes during plating. All measurement values are continuously recorded for the purpose of documentation and diagnosis. The current source is based on a high power operational amplifier in a modified Howland current source configuration. This paper describes the functionality of the electrodeposition system, with a focus on the stability of the source current under different electrodeposition current densities and frequencies. The performance and high capability of the system is demonstrated by performing and analyzing two nontrivial plating applications

Search for Charginos with a Small Mass Difference with the Lightest Supersymmetric Particle at \sqrt{s} = 189 GeV

A search for charginos nearly mass-degenerate with the lightest supersymmetric particle is performed using the 176 pb^-1 of data collected at 189 GeV in 1998 with the L3 detector. Mass differences between the chargino and the lightest supersymmetric particle below 4 GeV are considered. The presence of a high transverse momentum photon is required to single out the signal from the photon-photon interaction background. No evidence for charginos is found and upper limits on the cross section for chargino pair production are set. For the first time, in the case of heavy scalar leptons, chargino mass limits are obtained for any \tilde{\chi}^{+-}_1 - \tilde{\chi}^0_1 mass difference

Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP

The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+ e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation

Search for Anomalous Couplings in the Higgs Sector at LEP

Anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson are searched for through the processes e^+ e^- -> H gamma, e^+ e^- -> e^+ e^- H and e^+ e^- -> HZ. The mass range 70 GeV < m_H < 190 GeV is explored using 602 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies sqrt(s)=189-209 GeV. The Higgs decay channels H -> ffbar, H -> gamma gamma, H -> Z\gamma and H -> WW^(*) are considered and no evidence is found for anomalous Higgs production or decay. Limits on the anomalous couplings d, db, Delta(g1z), Delta(kappa_gamma) and xi^2 are derived as well as limits on the H -> gamma gamma and H -> Z gamma decay rates

Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP

The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+ e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation

Formation of the ηc\eta_c in Two-Photon Collisions at LEP

The two-photon width $\Gamma_{\gamma\gamma}$ of the $\eta_c$ meson has been measured with the L3 detector at LEP. The $\eta_c$ is studied in the decay modes $\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+\pi^-$, $\pi^+\pi^-$K$^+$K$^-$, K$_s^0$K$^\pm\pi^\mp$, K$^+$K$^-\pi^{0}$, $\pi^+\pi^-\eta$, $\pi^+\pi^-\eta'$, and $\rho^+\rho^-$ using an integrated luminosity of 140 pb$^{-1}$ at $\sqrt{s} \simeq 91$ GeV and of 52 pb$^{-1}$ at $\sqrt{s} \simeq 183$ GeV. The result is $\Gamma_{\gamma\gamma}(\eta_c) = 6.9 \pm 1.7 (stat.) \pm 0.8 (sys.) \pm 2.0$(BR) keV. The $Q^2$ dependence of the $\eta_c$ cross section is studied for $Q^2 < 9$ GeV$^{2}$. It is found to be better described by a Vector Meson Dominance model form factor with a J-pole than with a $\rho$-pole. In addition, a signal of $29 \pm 11$ events is observed at the $\chi_c0$ mass. Upper limits for the two-photon widths of the $\chi_c0$, $\chi_c2$, and $\eta_c'$ are also given

Neutral-Current Four-Fermion Production in e+e- Interactions at LEP

Neutral-current four-fermion production, e+e- -> ffff is studied in 0.7/fb of data collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies root(s)=183-209GeV. Four final states are considered: qqvv, qqll, llll and llvv, where l denotes either an electron or a muon. Their cross sections are measured and found to agree with the Standard Model predictions. In addition, the e+e- -> Zgamma* -> ffff process is studied and its total cross section at the average centre-of-mass energy 196.6GeV is found to be 0.29 +/- 0.05 +/- 0.03 pb, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model prediction of 0.22 pb. Finally, the mass spectra of the qqll final states are analysed to search for the possible production of a new neutral heavy particle, for which no evidence is found

Measurement of Exclusive rho+rho- Production in Mid-Virtuality Two-Photon Interactions and Study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho Process at LEP

Exclusive rho+rho- production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real photon, gamma, and a mid-virtuality photon, gamma*, is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies root(s)=183-209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 684.8pb^-1. The cross section of the gamma gamma* -> rho+ rho- process is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, W_gg, in the kinematic region: 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 <0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < W_gg < 3GeV. These results, together with previous L3 measurements of rho0 rho0 and rho+ rho- production, allow a study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho process over the Q^2-region 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 < 30 GeV^2