Medication Non-Adherence among Adult Psychiatric Out-patients in Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

Background: Information on adherence of adult psychiatric patients to biological modes of treatment is scarce in Ethiopia. Knowledge on adherence is essential in terms of future prognosis, quality of life and functionality of such patients. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude and associated factors of non-adherence to medication.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2011 at the psychiatry facility of Jimma University Specialized Hospital, which provides service to more than 10 mill people. A sample of 422 adults with psychiatric illness in the follow-up outpatients was selected consecutively. Data was collected using a pre-tested questionnaire by face-to-face interview and from patient medical records. The four-item Morisky scale was used to assess degree of medication adherence. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 and descriptive, chi-square test and logistic regression statistical methods were used. P-Value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant in the final model.Results: Out of the 422 patients, 40.3% were females and 59.7% males. The prevalence rate for nonadherence was 41.2%, non-affective psychoses diagnosis contributing the highest rate (44.5%). From the total non-adherent respondents, 78.2% attributed their non-adherence to forgetting. Irregular follow-up, poor social support and complex drug regimen were independently associated variables with nonadherence.Concluction: The result of the study showed that non-adherence among psychiatric patients in Southwest Ethiopia is high and revealed possible associated factors. Adherence needs integrated efforts in creating a mechanism in enhancing regular follow-up, informal social support system and ongoing awareness creation among professionals.Keywords: mental illness, non-adherence, Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Ethiopi

First Beam Based Aperture Measurements in the Arcs of the CERN Large Hadron Collider

The LHC injection tests performed in August and early September 2008 in preparation for the circulating beam operation provided the first opportunity to measure with beam the mechanical aperture in two LHC sectors (2-3 and 7- 8). The aperture was probed by exciting free oscillations and local orbit bumps of the injected beam trajectories. Intensities of a few 109 protons were used to remain safely below the quench limit of superconductingmagnets in case of beam losses. The methods used to measure the mechanical aperture, the available on-line tools, and beam measurements for both sectors are presented. Detailed comparisons with the expected results from the as-built aperture models are also presented. It is shown that the measurements results are in good agreement with the LHC design aperture

Empathy without borders? Cross-cultural heart and mind-reading in first-year medical students

Background: This cross-cultural study was designed to examine cultural differences in empathy levels of first-year medical students.Methods: A total of 257 students from the academic year 2010/11, 131 at Jimma University, Ethiopia, and 126 at the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany, completed the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME-R) test, and a  questionnaire on sociodemographic and cultural characteristics. Furthermore, we conducted a qualitative analysis of the students’ personal views on the definition of empathy and possible influencing factors. Group comparisons and correlation analyses of empathy scores were performed for the entire cohort and for the Jimma and Munich students separately. We used a regression tree analysis to identify factors influencing the BEES.Results: The male students in Jimma (39.1 ± 22.3) scored significantly higher in the BEES than those male students from Munich (27.2 ± 22.6; p = 0.0002). There was no significant difference between the female groups. We found a moderate, positive correlation between the BEES and RME-R test, i.e. between emotional and cognitive empathy, within each university. Nevertheless, the RME-R test, which shows only Caucasian eyes, appears not to be suitable for use in other cultures.Conclusions: The main findings of our study were the influence of culture, religion, specialization choice, and gender on emotional empathy (assessed with the BEES) and cognitive empathy (assessed with the RME-R test) in first-year medical students. Further research is required into the nature of empathy in worldwide medical curricula.Keywords: Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale, Cross-cultural, Empathy, Medical Student

First use of Timepix3 hybrid pixel detectors in ultra-high vacuum for beam profile measurements

A transverse beam gas ionization profile monitor is currently under development for the CERN Proton Synchrotron (PS) to provide non-destructive continuous measurements during a beam cycle. The implementation is exploring a novel use of the Timepix3 hybrid pixel detector mounted inside the ultra-high vacuum of the accelerator beam pipe to provide direct detection of ionization electrons. In early 2017, a prototype monitor was installed and has been used successfully to measure the transverse beam profile. The evolution of the transverse beam profile throughout the beam cycle has been measured and specific time windows within a beam cycle have been studied, for example the transition crossing. A radiation tolerant readout system for the Timepix3 detectors has been implemented which enables the connection of up to four detectors located in a highly radioactive environment. The first version of the readout was installed together with the prototype monitor in 2017 and a new version of the readout is currently under development which will enable the full speed data rate of the pixel detectors. Use of the radiation tolerant readout system can be envisioned for other beam instrumentation applications, which could provide new insight to beam diagnostics

The challenges of containing SARS-CoV-2 via test-trace-and-isolate

Without a cure, vaccine, or proven long-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2, test-trace-and-isolate (TTI) strategies present a promising tool to contain the viral spread. For any TTI strategy, however, a major challenge arises from pre- and asymptomatic transmission as well as TTI-avoiders, which contribute to hidden, unnoticed infection chains. In our semi-analytical model, we identified two distinct tipping points between controlled and uncontrolled spreading: one, at which the behavior-driven reproduction number of the hidden infections becomes too large to be compensated by the available TTI capabilities, and one at which the number of new infections starts to exceed the tracing capacity, causing a self-accelerating spread. We investigated how these tipping points depend on realistic limitations like limited cooperativity, missing contacts, and imperfect isolation, finding that TTI is likely not sufficient to contain the natural spread of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, complementary measures like reduced physical contacts and improved hygiene probably remain necessary

Operational Experience with a LHC Collimator Prototype in the CERN SPS

A full-scale prototype of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collimator was installed in 2004 in the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) and has been extensively used for beam tests, for control tests and also LHC simulation benchmarking during four years of operation. This operational experience has been extremely valuable in view of the final LHC implementation as well as for estimating the LHC operational scenarios, most notably to establish procedures for the beam-based alignment of the collimators with respect to the circulating beam. These studies were made possible by installing in the SPS a first prototype of the LHC beam loss monitoring system. The operational experience gained at the SPS and the lessons learnt for the LHC operation are presented

Interplay Between Risk Perception, Behavior, and COVID-19 Spread

Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have been crucial for controlling COVID-19. They are complemented by voluntary health-protective behavior, building a complex interplay between risk perception, behavior, and disease spread. We studied how voluntary health-protective behavior and vaccination willingness impact the long-term dynamics. We analyzed how different levels of mandatory NPIs determine how individuals use their leeway for voluntary actions. If mandatory NPIs are too weak, COVID-19 incidence will surge, implying high morbidity and mortality before individuals react; if they are too strong, one expects a rebound wave once restrictions are lifted, challenging the transition to endemicity. Conversely, moderate mandatory NPIs give individuals time and room to adapt their level of caution, mitigating disease spread effectively. When complemented with high vaccination rates, this also offers a robust way to limit the impacts of the Omicron variant of concern. Altogether, our work highlights the importance of appropriate mandatory NPIs to maximise the impact of individual voluntary actions in pandemic control

Evaluation of the LEP Centre-of-Mass Energy Above the W-Pair Production Threshold

Knowledge of the centre-of-mass energy at LEP2 is of primary importance to set the absolute energy scale for the measurement of the W-boson mass. The beam energy above 80 GeV is derived from continuous measurements of the magnetic bending field by 16 NMR probes situated in a number of the LEP dipoles. The relationship between the fields measured by the probes and the beam energy is calibrated against precise measurements of the average beam energy between 41 and 55 GeV made using the resonant depolarisation technique. The linearity of the relationship is tested by comparing the fields measured by the probes with the total bending field measured by a flux loop. This test results in the largest contribution to the systematic uncertainty. Several further corrections are applied to derive the the centre-of-mass energies at each interaction point. In addition the centre-of-mass energy spread is evaluated. The beam energy has been determined with a precision of 25 MeV for the data taken in 1997, corresponding to a relative precision of 2.7x10^{-4}. This is small in comparison to the present uncertainty on the W mass measurement at LEP. However, the ultimate statistical precision on the W mass with the full LEP2 data sample should be around 25 MeV, and a smaller uncertainty on the beam energy is desirable. Prospects for improvements are outlined.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Latex, epsfig; replaced by version accepted by European Physical Journal

Testing Beam-Induced Quench Levels of LHC Superconducting Magnets

In the years 2009-2013 the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has been operated with the top beam energies of 3.5 TeV and 4 TeV per proton (from 2012) instead of the nominal 7 TeV. The currents in the superconducting magnets were reduced accordingly. To date only seventeen beam-induced quenches have occurred; eight of them during specially designed quench tests, the others during injection. There has not been a single beam- induced quench during normal collider operation with stored beam. The conditions, however, are expected to become much more challenging after the long LHC shutdown. The magnets will be operating at near nominal currents, and in the presence of high energy and high intensity beams with a stored energy of up to 362 MJ per beam. In this paper we summarize our efforts to understand the quench levels of LHC superconducting magnets. We describe beam-loss events and dedicated experiments with beam, as well as the simulation methods used to reproduce the observable signals. The simulated energy deposition in the coils is compared to the quench levels predicted by electro-thermal models, thus allowing to validate and improve the models which are used to set beam-dump thresholds on beam-loss monitors for Run 2.Comment: 19 page

Do adults with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome differ in empathy and emotion recognition?

The present study examined whether adults with high functioning autism (HFA) showed greater difficulties in (i) their self-reported ability to empathise with others and/or (ii) their ability to read mental states in others’ eyes than adults with Asperger syndrome (AS). The Empathy Quotient (EQ) and ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test (Eyes Test) were compared in 43 adults with AS and 43 adults with HFA. No significant difference was observed on EQ score between groups, while adults with AS performed significantly better on the Eyes Test than those with HFA. This suggests that adults with HFA may need more support, particularly in mentalizing and complex emotion recognition, and raises questions about the existence of subgroups within autism spectrum conditions