BABAR, the detector for the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric e+e- B Factory operating at the γ resonance, was designed to allow comprehensive studies of CP-violation in B-meson decays. Charged particle tracks are measured in a multi-layer silicon vertex tracker surrounded by a cylindrical wire drift chamber. Electromagnetic showers from electrons and photons are detected in an array of CsI crystals located just inside the solenoidal coil of a superconducting magnet. Muons and neutral hadrons are identified by arrays of resistive plate chambers (...) inserted into gaps in the steel flux return of the magnet. Charged hadrons are identified by dE/dx measurements in the tracking detectors and by a ring-imaging Cherenkov detector surrounding the drift chamber. The trigger, data acquisition and data-monitoring systems, VME- and network-based, are controlled by custom-designed online software. Details of the layout and performance of the detector components and their associated electronics and software are presented. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. (shrink)

The CUORE-0 experiment searched for neutrinoless double beta decay in130Te using an array of 52 tellurium dioxide crystals, operated as bolometers at a temperature of 10 mK. It took data in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory since March 2013 to March 2015. We present the results of a search for neutrinoless double beta decay in 9.8 kg-years130Te exposure that allowed us to set the most stringent limit to date on this half-life. The performance of the detector in terms of background (...) and energy resolution is also reported. (shrink)

Language tests for overseas registered nurses (ORN) working outside their home country are essential for patient safety, as communication competency needs to be established in any workforce. We argue that the current employment of existing language tests is structurally and institutionally racist and disadvantages ORNs from non‐European Union (EU) and non‐White countries seeking to work in the United Kingdom. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT), we argue that existing English language tests for ORNs seeking registration in the United Kingdom are discriminatory (...) due to the UK's racist migration policies and a regulatory body for nursing and midwifery that fails to acknowledge and understand its own institutionally racist practices. (shrink)

In the present study, we use a training design in two experiments to examine whether bilingual language switching facilitates two components of cognitive control, namely monitoring and inhibitory control. The results of Experiment 1 showed that training in language switching reduced mixing costs and the anti-saccade effect among bilinguals. In Experiment 2, the findings revealed a greater decrease of mixing costs and a smaller decrease of the anti-saccade effect from pre- to post-training for the language switching training group compared to (...) the L2 training group. Overall, the results suggest that extensive exercise in monitoring and inhibitory control among languages in an experimental setting may enhance the corresponding components of cognitive control. We discuss these findings in the context of the relationship between bilingual language control and executive control. (shrink)

OBJECTIVE: To report and analyse the pattern of end-of-life decision making for terminal Chinese cancer patients. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive study. SETTING: A cancer clinical trials unit in a large teaching hospital. PATIENTS: From April 1992 to August 1997, 177 consecutive deaths of cancer clinical trial patients were studied. MAIN MEASUREMENT: Basic demographic data, patient status at the time of signing a DNR consent, or at the moment of returning home to die are documented, and circumstances surrounding these events evaluated. RESULTS: (...) DNR orders were written for 64.4% of patients. Patients in pain (odds ratio 0.45, 95% CI 0.22-0.89), especially if requiring opioid analgesia (odds ratio 0.40, 95% CI 0.21-0.77), were factors associated with a higher probability of such an order. Thirty-five patients were taken home to die, a more likely occurrence if the patient was over 75 years (odds ratio 0.12, 95% CI 0.04-0.34), had children (odds ratio 0.14, 95% CI 0.02-0.79), had Taiwanese as a first language (odds ratio 6.74, 95% CI 3.04-14.93), or was unable to intake orally (odds ratio 2.73, 95% CI 1.26-5.92). CPR was performed in 30 patients, none survived to discharge. CONCLUSIONS: DNR orders are instituted in a large proportion of dying Chinese cancer patients in a cancer centre, however, the order is seldom signed by the patient personally. This study also illustrates that as many as 20% of dying patients are taken home to die, in accordance with local custom. (shrink)

Bowman-Birk inhibitor is a protease inhibitor derived from soybeans that has demonstrated chemopreventive activity in a number of in vitro and animal systems. We conducted a 1-month phase IIa clinical trial of Bowman-Birk inhibitor concentrate in patients with oral leukoplakia. BBIC was administered to 32 subjects with oral leukoplakia for 1 month. We assessed toxicity and clinical and histological response of the lesions, and oral mucosal cell protease activity and serum micronutrient levels were measured. Clinical response was determined by measurement (...) of pre- and posttreatment individual and total lesion areas and analysis of blinded clinical judgments of photographs. On the basis of prespecified response criteria, 31% of patients achieved a clinical response. BBIC was nontoxic in doses up to 1066 chymotrypsin inhibitory units. The mean pretreatment total lesion area decreased from 615 to 438 mm2after BBIC treatment. A linear fit of the dose-response relationship between dose of BBIC and decrease in total lesion area was suggested, and analysis of blinded clinical impression from lesion photographs confirmed this relationship. Overall, at all doses tested, a 24.2% decrease in total lesion area was observed following treatment. High pretreatment PA was associated with greater decreases in PA after BBIC administration. BBIC demonstrated clinical activity after oral administration to patients with oral leukoplakia. These results indicate that BBIC should be investigated for chemopreventive activity in a randomized clinical trial. (shrink)

We show how to get canonical models from in which the nonstationary ideal on ω1 is ω1 dense and there is no P-point.

The ordering tendency in binary f -Ti solid solution containing 3sp or 4sp simple-metal or 3d transition-metal solute is investigated systematically by the linear muffin-tin orbital method within the atomic sphere approximation . We demonstrated that the effective pairwise interaction energy in a solid solution is equal to half the solute-solute interaction energies and can be evaluated by a supercell total energy approach. The calculations of EPI energy both with and without volume relaxation of the supercells and local density of (...) states show that the EPI energies of Ti-SM and Ti-TM solutions are dominated by different factors. For Ti-SM solutions, the EPI energies are of large absolute values with a negative sign, indicating strong ordering tendency in these solutions. The volume relaxation does not alter the EPI energy substantially. The calculated LDOS shows that the ordering tendency in Ti-SM solutions may be related to the hybridization between the electrons of the SM atoms when they are close to each other. For most Ti-TM solutions, if calculated without relaxation, the absolute EPI energies are very small; however, if calculated with relaxation, they are of relatively large positive values, indicating a clustering tendency in these solutions. By combining the calculated EPI energy and Flinn's model for short-range order strengthening, the increase in critical shear stress ‰ sro due to SRO is estimated for Ti-SM alloys, and the results qualitatively agree with experiment. (shrink)

Joining the ongoing academic debates around medical students’ alternative career choices, this research examines the role of family in medical school attendees’ entrepreneurial intention. Specifically, this study decomposes the multidimensionality of family embeddedness and highlights the mediated nature of the family–EI relationship. The empirical analysis relied on data from graduation year medical students from diverse geographical locations and from different institution types in China. These data were collected from a total of 687 questionnaires covering the basic information of individual, parents, (...) and family composition, as well as the measuring scale of EI. Examining medical students’ EI and its antecedents provide a dual-missing-link in the extant knowledge, i.e., it adds the medical school piece to the overall picture of university students’ EI, and equally important, it de-trivializes entrepreneurship from the extant theorizations of medical students’ career choices. This study also bears implications for educators, practitioners, and policymakers interested in better understanding EI of medical school attendees and family embeddedness. (shrink)

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruption as governments took actions to limit the spread of the virus. Measures such as physical distancing and lockdowns changed living conditions, leading to challenges such as social isolation and reduced connectedness. This study explores COVID-19’s impact on adolescents’ well-being, emphasising family social capital, which refers to supportive adult-child relationships that foster well-being and enhance remote learning. Quantitative data was collected through an online survey from August 2022 to August 2023, involving 4008 students and 3511 (...) parents. Semi-structured interviews with six students and their parents (either the mother or the father) provided in-depth insights into the perceived role of family social capital in shaping adolescents’ well-being during quarantine. Quantitative data revealed that parental education level significantly influenced adolescents’ self-reported well-being and resilience, and family income influenced parents’ perceptions of their children’s well-being. Qualitative data highlighted the importance of strong family bonds, effective parent-child relationships, and robust family support in mitigating the adverse effects of prolonged home quarantine. The research also discovered the role of adolescents’ agency in building social capital through web-based communities. The study contributes to understanding Chinese adolescents’ well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing implications for supporting their well-being in the post-pandemic era. (shrink)

Consent in research is inarguably a highly contentious and debated topic. One of the biggest debates in research ethics revolves around the determination of when consent is necessary, as there is a need to balance participant protections and research advancements. Contrary to popular belief, obtaining informed consent may not necessarily be better for the participant. One illustration of this can be taken from the United States’ (US) 2011 proposal to require consent for the research use of de-identified bio-specimens under the (...) applicable regulations (what is often referred to as the “Common Rule”). The proposed transition from no consent to broad consent was met with strong opposition from researchers and the public alike, highlighting the possible superiority of not requiring consent when de-identified bio-specimens are used in research. Against this backdrop, this article uses legal and bioethical perspectives to evaluate Singapore’s consent procedures for the secondary research use of de-identified bio-specimens, arguing that Singapore is ready and in need of further liberties to allow for more robust research advancements and better participant outcomes. (shrink)