Scintillation light produced by low-energy beams of highly-charged ions

Measurements have been performed of scintillation light intensities emitted from various inorganic scintillators irradiated with low-energy beams of highly-charged ions from an electron beam ion source (EBIS) and an electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS). Beams of xenon ions Xe$^{q+}$ with various charge states between $q$=2 and $q$=18 have been used at energies between 5 keV and 17.5 keV per charge generated by the ECRIS. The intensity of the beam was typically varied between 1 and 100 nA. Beams of highly charged residual gas ions have been produced by the EBIS at 4.5 keV per charge and with low intensities down to 100 pA. The scintillator materials used are flat screens of P46 YAG and P43 phosphor. In all cases, scintillation light emitted from the screen surface was detected by a CCD camera. The scintillation light intensity has been found to depend linearly on the kinetic ion energy per time deposited into the scintillator, while up to $q$=18 no significant contribution from the ions' potential energy was found. We discuss the results on the background of a possible use as beam diagnostics e.g. for the new HITRAP facility at GSI, Germany.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

Manganese superoxide dismutase Ala-9Val polymorphism and risk of breast cancer in a population-based case–control study of African Americans and whites

INTRODUCTION: A polymorphism in the manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene, Ala-9Val, has been examined in association with breast cancer risk in several epidemiologic studies. Results suggest that the Ala allele increases the risk of breast cancer and modifies the effects of environmental exposures that produce oxidative damage to DNA. METHODS: We examined the role of the MnSOD Ala-9Val polymorphism in a population-based case–control study of invasive and in situ breast cancer in North Carolina. Genotypes were evaluated for 2025 cases (760 African Americans and 1265 whites) and for 1812 controls (677 African Americans and 1135 whites). RESULTS: The odds ratio for MnSOD Ala/Ala versus any MnSOD Val genotypes was not elevated in African Americans (odds ratio = 0.9, 95% confidence interval = 0.7–1.2) or in whites (odds ratio = 1.0, 95% confidence interval = 0.8–1.2). Greater than additive joint effects were observed for the Ala/Ala genotype and smoking, radiation to the chest, and occupational exposure to ionizing radiation. Antagonism was observed between the Ala/Ala genotype and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The MnSOD genotype may contribute to an increased risk of breast cancer in the presence of specific environmental exposures. These results provide further evidence for the importance of reactive oxygen species and of oxidative DNA damage in the etiology of breast cancer

Hydrogen Peroxide in the Troposphere

Uloga vodikova peroksida (H2O2) u atmosferskoj kemiji i njegov doprinos u nastanku slobodnih radikala počeli su se proučavati tek posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća. Fotokemijskim reakcijama s ozonom i H2O2 nastaju oksidansi (slobodni radikali) koji mogu oksidirati biomolekule unutar stanica te dovesti do smrti stanica i ozljeda tkiva. Zbog toga se slobodni radikali smatraju uzrokom više od sto bolesti. H2O2 smatra se boljim indikatorom za atmosferski oksidacijski kapacitet od ozona. U atmosferi može biti prisutan u plinovitoj i tekućoj fazi te pokazuje tipične dnevne i sezonske varijacije. Me|utim, zbog skupe i slo`ene opreme, mjerenja H2O2 su rijetka i ograničena na samo nekoliko mjesta u svijetu. Mjerenja u slojevima leda na Grenlandu pokazala su da koncentracije H2O2 rastu posljednjih 200 godina. Značajan porast primijećen je upravo posljednjih dvaju desetljeća, a procjene pokazuju da će i dalje rasti zbog smanjene emisije sumporova dioksida. Mjerenja H2O2 u Hrvatskoj do sada još nisu bila provedena te će uporedo s već postojećim dugogodišnjim rezultatima mjerenja ozona i dušikovih oksida dati uvid u stanje i utjecaj na oksidativni stres.The past few decades saw a rising interest in the role of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in atmospheric chemistry and its contribution to the formation of free radicals. Free radicals (oxidants) are formed by photochemical reactions between ozone and H2O2. Free radicals formed within cells can oxidise biomolecules, and this may lead to cell death and tissue injury. For this reason, free radicals are believed to cause more than 100 diseases. H2O2 has been suggested as a better indicator of atmospheric oxidation capacity than ozone. Atmospheric H2O2 can appear in the gas phase or in the aqueous phase. It shows typical diurnal and seasonal variations. However, measurements of H2O2 with expensive and sophisticated equipment are rare and limited to but a few sites in the world. Measurements in Greenland ice cores showed that H2O2 concentrations increased over the last 200 years and most of the increase has occurred over the last 20 years. Evaluations show that concentrations will still rise as a result of decreasing SO2 emission. H2O2 measurements have not been carried out in Croatia until now, and, accompanied by the existing longterm measurements of ozone and nitrogen oxides, they will provide an idea of the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and its influence on oxidative stress

Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services Rural Health : Alice Springs and Barkly Districts workload review

The aim of the review was to review and analyse activities and practices of Remote Area Nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers in the Alice Springs Rural and Barkly Districts. (Pages 20, 21, 26, 61, 76, 81, 83 missing in original

Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services Rural Health : Alice Springs and Barkly Districts workload review

The aim of the review was to review and analyse activities and practices of Remote Area Nurses and Aboriginal Health Workers in the Alice Springs Rural and Barkly Districts. (Pages 20, 21, 26, 61, 76, 81, 83 missing in original)

Home economics education in British Columbia 1903-1939 : proving its worth

This study focused on public school home economics education in British Columbia between 1903-1939. The aim was to examine how home economics educators of this time period worked to have home economics recognized as a compulsory school subject, and how their accomplishments were influenced by contemporary events and progressive education ideals. Documents were analyzed, compared and synthesized to form as accurate a picture as possible of the conditions under which the place of home economics in the school system was justified. Sources used included annual reports of the public schools, curriculum documents, newspapers and special interest publications, and relevant writings of the principal actors. The time period 1903-1939 was divided into three sections. In the formative years (1903-1924) home economics was directed towards girls' vocational training as homemakers. Early home economics educators viewed the subject as a means of teaching about the middle-class "home ideal" through the inculcation of good habits of cleanliness, exactness and order. A problem arose because home economics, like other forms of practical education, was marginal, not central to the school system. It was not viewed seriously or made a priority except as it related to girls' education. Advocates of home economics decided that home economics would gain legitimacy if it were more regulated and accepted for matriculation credit, and worked toward this end. The 1924-25 survey of the British Columbia school system by J.H. Putman and G. M. Weir and the resulting Putman-Weir Report (1925) cemented many progressive education ideas. The Report placed home economics in an ambivalent position by promoting it as a means of teaching both cultural and vocational values and criticizing it for lack of organization and poorly trained teachers. The Putman-Weir Report reaffirmed contemporary ideas about the role of home economics in socializing female students and building a healthy nation. Political and economic factors kept the implementation of the Report on hold for eight years, with the exception of the appointment of Jessie McLenaghen as first Provincial, Director of Home Economics for the Department of Education in 1926. Jessie McLenaghen set about proving the worth of home economics and ensuring its place in the public school system. The student population of home economics changed from elementary to secondary school students accompanied by increased formalization such as examinations and use of a textbook. Home economics at the secondary school level required teachers with university degrees but there was no Chair of Home Economics at the University of British Columbia to train them. Consequently there were many unqualified teachers. A prescriptive curriculum and teacher inspections were seen as necessary to counteract this. The end result was an overemphasis on standards and technical instruction under the guise of promoting worthy home membership. After the curriculum revision of 1936, home economics was in the ambivalent state of a practical subject in an academic setting, forced to conform to 40-50 minute periods and examinations. It was female-dominated in an education system oriented to male values and a field which contained technical knowledge as well as moral and ethical standards. Jessie McLenaghen's actions of unifying and reconciling the home economics curriculum had ensured its survival, but in a truncated form. Home economics did not last as a compulsory subject past the Chant Commission of 1960 when many New Education ideas were discarded. Conformity was emphasized over the recognition of individual differences in homes and families, and the practical importance of home economics was submerged. In summary, a challenge is presented for home economics to re-examine and reclaim its practical roots. Suggestions for further study are made.Education, Faculty ofCurriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department ofGraduat