Long lived charged particles are predicted by many models of physics beyond the standard model (SM). The common signature of such models is a heavy long-lived charged particle with velocity smaller ...than the speed of light,
β
<1. This unique signature makes the search for it model independent. This paper presents methods we developed as part of the ATLAS trigger and reconstruction chain for identifying slow particles and measuring their mass. The efficacy of these methods is demonstrated using two models that are different in every aspect except for the existence of long lived charged particles; a GMSB model that includes sleptons with a mass of 100 GeV, and R-Hadrons with a mass of 300 GeV produced in a split SUSY model.
ATLAS is one of the two general-purpose detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The trigger system is responsible for making the online selection of interesting collision events. At the LHC ...design luminosity of 1034 cm−2s−1 it will need to achieve a rejection factor of the order of 10−7 against random proton-proton interactions, while selecting with high efficiency events that are needed for physics analyses. After a first processing level using custom electronics based on FPGAs and ASICs, the trigger selection is made by software running on two processor farms, containing a total of around two thousand multi-core machines. This system is known as the High Level Trigger (HLT). To reduce the network data traffic and the processing time to manageable levels, the HLT uses seeded, step-wise reconstruction, aiming at the earliest possible rejection of background events. The recent LHC startup and short single-beam run provided a "stress test" of the system and some initial calibration data. Following this period, ATLAS continued to collect cosmic-ray events for detector alignment and calibration purposes. After giving an overview of the trigger design and its innovative features, this paper focuses on the experience gained from operating the ATLAS trigger with single LHC beams and cosmic-rays.
The ATLAS MDT remote calibration centers Dai, T; Salvo, A De; Diehl, E ...
Journal of physics. Conference series,
04/2010, Letnik:
219, Številka:
2
Journal Article
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Odprti dostop
The precision chambers of the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer are built with Monitored Drift Tubes (MDT). The requirement of high accuracy and low systematic error, to achieve a transverse momentum ...resolution of 10% at 1 TeV, can only be accomplished if the calibrations are known with an accuracy of 20 μm. The relation between the drift path and the measured time (the socalled r-t relation) depends on many parameters (temperature T, hit rate, gas composition, thresholds,...) subject to time variations. The r-t relation has to be measured from the data without the use of an external detector, using the autocalibration technique. This method relies on an iterative procedure applied to the same data sample, starting from a preliminary set of constants. The required precision can be achieved using a large (few thousand) number of non-parallel tracks crossing a region, called calibration region, i.e. the region of the MDT chamber sharing the same r-t relation.
BackgroundThe Satellite Pharmacy aims to create a control management model in the use of necessary medical devices (MD) during surgical procedures and allestiment of procedural-kit containing the ...devices for each intervention. The planning of kit ensures the appropriateness, to monitor consumption and expenditure of the devices used, and provides useful support for the definition of requirements, budget management and risk management activities.PurposeOur goal is the standardisation of materials, in view of the appropriateness of use of MD to improve the best clinical practice and a subsequent reduction in costs.Material and methodsThe Pharmacy has collaborated in the setting of the material to be included in kits, together with the Structural Units, the Departments of Health Professions and the Directorate of Presidium. The kits, codified and associated with a usual intervention name and an ICD9CM, are used according to an established schedule. We selected the most frequent surgical procedures for each specialised branch. All the data have been collected in a single database: the surgical branch; the type of intervention; and the material used.ResultsIn 2016 we set up 280 types of kits for 26 781 interventions; in 2017, 281 types of kits for 26 272 interventions; and in 2018, 262 types of kits for 12 309 interventions. The new management of MD, using radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology, consists of applying a radiofrequency label on each material, allowing the tracing of each article with important information such as the lot and the deadline. This process reduces clinical risk and provides data on consumed devices from kits and those that are taken extra-kit. We analysed the consumption of extra-kit material in different surgical procedures. Specifically for tiroidectomy surgery, we found consumption of 50% extra-kit material in 2016, while in 2018 the figure was only 20%. A 30% reduction in the use of extra-kit material translates into the optimisation of kit-setting by RFID and an improvement in clinical practice.ConclusionThe optimisation of the material contained in the kits, which are constantly evolving due to obsolescence or new surgical practices, permit a standardisation of materials, increasing the appropriateness of MD and a general reduction in costs.References and/or acknowledgementsNo conflict of interest.
BackgroundThe Satellite Pharmacy analyses the organisation, processes, information flows and logistics related to the management of materials, mainly optimising the preparation of the procedural ...kits, the replenishment of the stock of medical devices (MD) at the storage locations of the surgery block operators, and returns management. By the very advanced radio frequency identification (RFID) technology according to which the products are equipped with a label containing the information of the product, we can trace the MDs from acceptance in the pharmacy to deposit in the RFID basket for surgical intervention and the patient, computerising the management procedures, rationalising the inventory management of the devices, and managing the procurement and purchasing processes with a minimum activity requirement by the operators.PurposeImprove clinical practice in the healthcare system by RFID technology, which shows efficiency and ability to manage a rational use of human resources and materials.Material and methodsWith the aim of providing some indicators that show a summary of information on the success of the activities of all the operators involved, we analysed:Allocated index: ratio between specific cost centre (CC) allocations vs. generic CC allocations; andEmployment index: ratio between the total number of interventions performed and those that resulted without registering basket consumption.The monitoring of these parameters makes it possible to check the progress of the improvement objectives.ResultsThe analyses of the cost (by intervention) recorded for the first 9 months of 2017 and 2018 in the same range of surgical specialists, shows an increase from 34% in 2018 of the total report, of which the amount allocated directly to the patient rose from 78.5% to 85.3%.In addition, in 2018 there was a reduction of 80% consumption recorded in intervention compared to 2017, of which the overall percentage of operations without associated MD dropped from 3.4% (2017) to 0.7% (2018).ConclusionThe analysis and reports, processing through the collaboration between the various professions, has allowed a constant control of consumption and costs for each intervention, per patient and cost centre/operating room, ensuring better management of reporting flows at cost.References and/or acknowledgementsNo conflict of interest.
Two alkalinizing mechanisms coexist in cardiac myocytes to maintain intracellular pH: sodium/bicarbonate cotransporter (electroneutral isoform NBCn1 and electrogenic isoform NBCe1) and sodium/proton ...exchanger (NHE1). Dysfunction of these transporters has previously been reported to be responsible for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of the downregulation of the NBCe1 to the development of cardiac hypertrophy. To specifically reduce NBCe1 expression, we cloned shRNA into a cardiotropic adeno-associated vector (AAV9-shNBCe1). After 28 days of being injected with AAV9-shNBCe1, the expression and the activity of NBCe1 in the rat heart were reduced. Strikingly, downregulation of NBCe1 causes significant hypertrophic heart growth, lengthening of the action potential in isolated myocytes, an increase in the duration of the QT interval and an increase in the frequency of Ca2+ waves without any significant changes in Ca2+ transients. An increased compensatory expression of NBCn1 and NHE1 was also observed. We conclude that reduction of NBCe1 is sufficient to induce cardiac hypertrophy and modify the electrical features of the rat heart.
Ventricular hypertrophy is a risk factors for arrhythmias, ischemia and sudden death. It involves cellular modifications leading to a pathological remodeling and is associated with heart failure. The ...activation of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) mediates beneficial actions in the cardiovascular system. Our goal was to prevent and regress the hypertrophy by the activation of GPER in neonatal cardiac myocytes (NRCM) and SHR male rats. Aldosterone increased the neonatal cardiomyocytes cell surface area after 48 h of incubation. The aldo-induced hypertrophy was blocked by the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) inhibitor Eplererone or the reduction of MR expression by siRNA. The activation of GPER by the agonist G-1 totally prevented the increase surface area by Ald. The transfection of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes with a siRNA against GPER or the incubation with GPER blockers G-15 and G-36 inhibited the protection of G-1. The significant increase of cell surface area after 48 h of incubation with Ald was totally regressed in 24 h by the presence of G-1, indicating that the activation of GPER not only prevent the hypertrophy but also regress the hypertrophy when it is already established. In the in vivo model, G-1 or Vehicle was constantly infused via the minipump to SHR. The reduction of the hypertrophy by G-1 was evident by the cross-sectional area, BNP and ANP markers and by echocardiography. In this studied we demonstrated that the activation of GPER prevented and regressed the hypertrophy induced by Ald in NRCM and regressed hypertrophy in SHR rats.
Counselling psychology in Australia has developed and matured since its emergence in the 1970s. This article provides a brief historical overview and situates counselling psychology (CP) in relation ...to other applied areas of psychology in Australia. A review of registration, professional organisations, work and role settings and core features is provided. Australian counselling psychologists work predominantly in private practice, as well as hospitals, counselling agencies, universities, medical practices, prisons and government departments. They provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment for mental health disorders and psychological problems related to adverse life events. In addition, they provide couple, family and group therapies. Challenges facing CP in Australia are explored, including a reduction in training programmes, inequities in funding for psychological services and tensions with the definition and description of the scopes of practice.
The soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) was identified in the heart as another source of cyclic AMP (cAMP). However, its cardiac physiological function is unknown. On the other hand, the cardiac Na
+
/HCO
...3
−
cotransporter (NBC) promotes the cellular co-influx of HCO
3
−
and Na
+
. Since sAC activity is regulated by HCO
3
−
, our purpose was to investigate the potential functional relationship between NBC and sAC in the cardiomyocyte. Rat ventricular myocytes were loaded with Fura-2, Fluo-3, or BCECF to measure Ca
2+
transient (Ca
2+
i
) by epifluorescence, Ca
2+
sparks frequency (CaSF) by confocal microscopy, or intracellular pH (pH
i
) by epifluorescence, respectively. Sarcomere or cell shortening was measured with a video camera as an index of contractility. The NBC blocker S0859 (10 μM), the selective inhibitor of sAC KH7 (1 μM), and the PKA inhibitor H89 (0.1 μM) induced a negative inotropic effect which was associated with a decrease in Ca
2+
i
. Since PKA increases Ca
2+
release through sarcoplasmic reticulum RyR channels, CaSF was measured as an index of RyR open probability. The generation of CaSF was prevented by KH7. Finally, we investigated the potential role of sAC activation on NBC activity. NBC-mediated recovery from acidosis was faster in the presence of KH7 or H89, suggesting that the pathway sAC-PKA is negatively regulating NBC function, consistent with a negative feedback modulation of the HCO
3
−
influx that activates sAC. In summary, the results demonstrated that the complex NBC-sAC-PKA plays a relevant role in Ca
2+
handling and basal cardiac contractility.
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