SPIN Physics at GSI

Polarized antiprotons produced by spin filtering with an internal polarized gas target provide access to a wealth of single-- and double--spin observables, thereby opening a window to physics uniquely accessible with the HESR at FAIR. This includes a first measurement of the transversity distribution of the valence quarks in the proton, a test of the predicted opposite sign of the Sivers--function, related to the quark distribution inside a transversely polarized nucleon, in Drell--Yan (DY) as compared to semi--inclusive DIS, and a first measurement of the moduli and the relative phase of the time--like electric and magnetic form factors G_{E,M} of the proton. In polarized and unpolarized proton--antiproton elastic scattering open questions like the contribution from the odd charge--symmetry Landshoff--mechanism at large |t| and spin--effects in the extraction of the forward scattering amplitude at low |t| can be addressed.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Contribution to the Proceedings of the 16th International Spin Physics Symposium, Spin 2004, October 10-16, 2004, Trieste, Italy. This replacement takes into account a request of the conference organizers that for invited talks only a single author is allowed. Also upon request of the conference organizers, a footnote (c) was added, which explains that some of the material presented was developed only after the oral presentation at the conferenc

Measurement of the Spin--Dependence of the pbar p Interaction at the AD-Ring

An internal polarized hydrogen storage cell gas target is proposed for the AD--ring to determine for the first time the two total spin--dependent cross sections $\sigma_1$ and $\sigma_2$ at antiproton beam energies in the range from 50 to 200 MeV. The data will allow the definition of the optimum working parameters of a dedicated Antiproton Polarizer Ring (APR), which has recently been proposed by the PAX collaboration for the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. The availability of an intense beam of polarized antiprotons will provide access to a wealth of single-- and double--spin observables, thereby opening a new window to QCD transverse spin physics. The physics program proposed by the PAX collaboration includes a first measurement of the transversity distribution of the valence quarks in the proton, a test of the predicted opposite sign of the Sivers--function, related to the quark distribution inside a transversely polarized nucleon, in Drell--Yan (DY) as compared to semi--inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering, and a first measurement of the moduli and the relative phase of the time--like electric and magnetic form factors $G_{E,M}$ of the proton

Clinical and epidemiological Studies in ANCA-associated vasculitis

Objectives:This thesis aims to provide an overview of the epidemiology of AAV in southern Sweden, to evaluate different classification criteria in AAV. In addition we study if infection is a risk factor for later development of AAV comparing patients with AAV with a matched population cohort and to examine the occurrence of severe infections as an outcome in AAV. Methods:All adult patients diagnosed with AAV between 1997 and 2019 in the study area of 14 municipalities in Southern Sweden were identified and classified according to EMA algorithm and to the recently published ACR/EULAR classification criteria. Changes in the incidence and prevalence of AAV were studied over 23 years. Using a non-AAV age, sex and place of residence matched population the association of prior infections and later development of AAV was analysed with a logistic regression model. Events of severe infections after AAV diagnosis were identified and studied, incidence rate of severe infections was calculated. Results:Stable incidence with 30 cases per million inhabitants and rising prevalence are observed under the study period. Incidences are rising with age. The prevalence of 469/million in 2015 is the highest ever reported. Classification with the new ACR/EULAR criteria shows good agreement with earlier criteria (96% EGPA, 85% GPA, 75% MPA) but even with a classification based on ANCA serology alone (PR3 99%, MPO 84%). Infection, especially in the respiratory tract, is associated with later development of AAV. A history of prior infections is more likely in MPO-positive cases. In patients with AAV, severe infection occurs in 40% of cases after the onset of AAV. The incidence rate of severe infection is 9.1 per 100 person-years of follow-up but significantly higher during the first year with 22.1 per 100 person-years. High age and high diesaese activity independently predict the occurrence of severe infection. Conclusion:The incidence of AAV is stable in our area. The prevalence has increased substantially during the last decades, which can be attributed to better treatment and management and therefore increased survival. An ANCA based classification of AAV produces similar results as the new ACR/EULAR classification criteria. MPO-positive AAV is associated with prior infection. Severe infections are common problem in AAV especially in the first year, they are among the leading causes of death in vasculitis patients

Care Robotics in Aging Japan: Creating Technical Solutions for the World’s Demographic Problem?

Japan is an ideal country for studying the effects of population aging that cause a wide range of societal issues, ranging from labor shortages and increasing pressure on the welfare state, to growing old age-related poverty and the need for improving productivity to sustain economic prosperity. The research question, which the scientific exploration at hand addresses, is what kind of technologies, generically referred to as robots, may be able to mitigate care problems and generate new solutions, and even further, improve the general health of the Japanese population or serve as a blueprint for other aging societies. Therefore, the case of Japan can be utilized to describe which strategies decision-makers face, as well as the challenges and opportunities caused by such a demographic transition to cope with the effects. The Japanese government prioritizes the large-scale introduction of robotics in areas of worsening labor shortages and daily life. The New Robot Strategy (NRS), a five-year policy-action plan compiled in 2015, is the new tool to coordinate the support for actors in the robotics industry, to finally leverage the predicted large market potential. Whereas policy-makers are concerned with creating a better infrastructure for the creation of versatile robots (e.g. regulative considerations, channeling of subsidies), the bureaucracy (e.g. METI, MHLW) is supposed to supervise the policy implementation and to link important public and private actors of robotics development (e.g. universities, robot-makers, research institutes). The coordination of this triangle of three stakeholder groups will be vital for the success of large-scale implementation of robotics to lessen the burden on caregivers, improve average health and wellbeing and exploit the economic potential of the silver market. Rapidly aging societies are a worldwide demographic phenomenon. Whatever feasible technical solution for care Japan invents for its own society is likely to have an impact elsewhere in the world. If the development of care robots works in Japan, it will likely be of fundamental relevance to other aging societies and may incidentally come to be one of the next export successes for Japan. It might be a chance for the government to kill two birds with one stone: taking care of Japan’s elderly and the Japanese economy at the same time. Whether there is a realistic chance this unique technical-driven approach to solving social problems to work out will be at the heart of this academic inquiry