418 research outputs found
Adjusting HIV prevalence for survey non-response using mortality rates: an application of the method using surveillance data from rural South Africa
No full textBackground: the main source of HIV prevalence estimates are household and population-based surveys; however, high refusal rates may hinder the interpretation of such estimates. The study objective was to evaluate whether population HIV prevalence estimates can be adjusted for survey non-response using mortality rates.Methodology/principal findings: data come from the longitudinal Africa Centre Demographic Information System (ACDIS), in rural South Africa. Mortality rates for persons tested and not tested in the 2005 HIV surveillance were available from routine household surveillance. Assuming HIV status among individuals contacted but who refused to test (non-response) is missing at random and mortality among non-testers can be related to mortality of those tested a mathematical model was developed. Non-parametric bootstrapping was used to estimate the 95% confidence intervals around the estimates. Mortality rates were higher among untested (16.9 per thousand person-years) than tested population (11.6 per thousand person-years), suggesting higher HIV prevalence in the former. Adjusted HIV prevalence for females (15–49 years) was 31.6% (95% CI 26.1–37.1) compared to observed 25.2% (95% CI 24.0–26.4). For males (15–49 years) adjusted HIV prevalence was 19.8% (95% CI 14.8–24.8), compared to observed 13.2% (95% CI 12.1–14.3). For both sexes (15–49 years) combined, adjusted prevalence was 27.5% (95% CI 23.6–31.3), and observed prevalence was 19.7% (95% CI 19.6–21.3). Overall, observed prevalence underestimates the adjusted prevalence by around 7 percentage points (37% relative difference).Conclusions/significance: we developed a simple approach to adjust HIV prevalence estimates for survey non-response. The approach has three features that make it easy to implement and effective in adjusting for selection bias than other approaches. Further research is needed to assess this approach in populations with widely available HIV treatment (ART
Human resources needs for universal access to antiretroviral therapy in South Africa: a time and motion study
No full text<p>Background - Although access to life-saving treatment for patients infected with HIV in South Africa has improved substantially since 2004, treating all eligible patients (universal access) remains elusive. As the prices of antiretroviral drugs have dropped over the past years, availability of human resources may now be the most important barrier to achieving universal access to HIV treatment in Africa. We quantify the number of HIV health workers (HHWs) required to be added to the current HIV workforce to achieve universal access to HIV treatment in South Africa, under different eligibility criteria.</p>
<p>Methods - We performed a time and motion study in three HIV clinics in a rural, primary care-based HIV treatment program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, to estimate the average time per patient visit for doctors, nurses, and counselors. We estimated the additional number of HHWs needed to achieve universal access to HIV treatment within one year.</p>
<p>Results - For universal access to HIV treatment for all patients with a CD4 cell count of ≤350 cells/μl, an additional 2,200 nurses, 3,800 counselors, and 300 doctors would be required, at additional annual salary cost of 929 million South African rand (ZAR), equivalent to US 400 million).</p>
<p>Conclusions - Universal access to HIV treatment for patients with a CD4 cell count of ≤350 cells/μl in South Africa may be affordable, but the number of HHWs available for HIV treatment will need to be substantially increased. Treatment as prevention strategies will require considerable additional financial and human resources commitments.</p>
Neutral pion production at midrapidity in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at √ sNN TeV
No full textInvariant yields of neutral pions at midrapidity in the transverse momentum range (Formula presented.)c measured in Pb–Pb collisions at (Formula presented.) TeV are presented for six centrality classes. The pp reference spectrum was measured in the range (Formula presented.)c at the same center-of-mass energy. The nuclear modification factor, (Formula presented.), shows a suppression of neutral pions in central Pb–Pb collisions by a factor of up to about (Formula presented.) for (Formula presented.) ≲(Formula presented.)c. The presented measurements are compared with results at lower center-of-mass energies and with theoretical calculations. © 2014, The Author(s)
H-3(Lambda) and (3)((Lambda)over-bar)(H)over-bar lifetime measurement in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV via two-body decay
No full textAn improved value for the lifetime of the (anti-)hypertriton has been obtained using the data sample of Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV collected by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The (anti-)hypertriton has been reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel and the lifetime has been determined from an exponential fit to the dN/d(ct) spectrum. The measured value, tau = 242(-38)(+34) (stat.) +/- 17 (syst.) ps, is compatible with representative theoretical predictions, thus contributing to the solution of the longstanding hypertriton lifetime puzzle. (C) 2019 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V
Coherent ρ0 photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV
No full textWe report the first measurement at the LHC of coherent photoproduction of ρ0 mesons in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions. The invariant mass and transverse momentum distributions for ρ0 production are studied in the π+π− decay channel at mid-rapidity. The production cross section in the rapidity range |y| &lt; 0.5 is found to be dσ/dy = 425 ± 10(stat.)− 50 + 42 (sys.) mb. Coherent ρ0 production is studied with and without requirement of nuclear breakup, and the fractional yields for various breakup scenarios are presented. The results are compared with those from lower energies and with model predictions. © 2015, The Author(s)
Coherent J/ψ photoproduction at forward rapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb–Pb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV
No full textThe ALICE collaboration performed the first rapidity-differential measurement of coherent J/psi photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pbcollisions at a center-of-mass energy root s(NN) = 5.02TeV. The J/psi is detected via its dimuon decay in the forward rapidity region (-4.0 < y < -2.5) for events where the hadronic activity is required to be minimal. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 750 mu b(-1). The cross section for coherent J/psi production is presented in six rapidity bins. The results are compared with theoretical models for coherent J/psi photoproduction. These comparisons indicate that gluon shadowing effects play a role in the photoproduction process. The ratio of psi' to J/psi coherent photoproduction cross sections was measured and found to be consistent with that measured for photoproduction off protons. (C) 2019 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V
Measuring (KSK +/-)-K-0 interactions using Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN=2.76 TeV
No full textWe present the first ever measurements of femtoscopic correlations between the K-S(0) and K-+/- particles. The analysis was performed on the data from Pb-Pb collisions at root S-NN = 2.76 TeV measured by the ALICE experiment. The observed femtoscopic correlations are consistent with final-state interactions proceeding via the a(0)(980) resonance. The extracted kaon source radius and correlation strength parameters for (KSK-)-K-0 are found to be equal within the experimental uncertainties to those for (KSK+)-K-0. Comparing the results of the present study with those from published identical-kaon femtoscopic studies by ALICE, mass and coupling parameters for the a(0) resonance are tested. Our results are also compatible with the interpretation of the a(0) having a tetraquark structure instead of that of a diquark. (c) 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V
Measurement of the production of charm jets tagged with D<sup>0</sup> mesons in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV
No full text© 2019, The Author(s). The production of charm jets in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of s=7 TeV was measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is based on a data sample corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 6.23 nb−1, collected using a minimum-bias trigger. Charm jets are identified by the presence of a D0 meson among their constituents. The D0 mesons are reconstructed from their hadronic decay D0 →K−π+. The D0-meson tagged jets are reconstructed using tracks of charged particles (track-based jets) with the anti-kT algorithm in the jet transverse momentum range 5<pT,jetch< 30 GeV/c and pseudorapidity |ηjet| < 0.5. The fraction of charged jets containing a D0-meson increases with pT,jetch from 0.042 ± 0.004 (stat) ± 0.006 (syst) to 0.080 ± 0.009 (stat) ± 0.008 (syst). The distribution of D0-meson tagged jets as a function of the jet momentum fraction carried by the D0 meson in the direction of the jet axis (z∥ch) is reported for two ranges of jet transverse momenta, 5<pT,jetch< 15 GeV/c and 15<pT,jetch< 30 GeV/c in the intervals 0.2<z‖ch<1.0 and 0.4<z‖ch<1.0, respectively. The data are compared with results from Monte Carlo event generators (PYTHIA 6, PYTHIA 8 and Herwig 7) and with a Next-to-Leading-Order perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics calculation, obtained with the POWHEG method and interfaced with PYTHIA 6 for the generation of the parton shower, fragmentation, hadronisation and underlying event. [Figure not available: see fulltext.
Measurement of the production of high-p(T) electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays in Pb-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=2.76 TeV
No full textElectrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays (charm and beauty) were measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass of energy root s(NN) = 2.76 TeV. The transverse momentum (pT) differential production yields at mid-rapidity were used to calculate the nuclear modification factor R-AA in the interval 3 < p(T) < 18 GeV/c. The R-AA shows a strong suppression compared to binary scaling of pp collisions at the same energy (up to a factor of 4) in the 10% most central Pb-Pb collisions. There is a centrality trend of suppression, and a weaker suppression (down to a factor of 2) in semi-peripheral (50-80%) collisions is observed. The suppression of electrons in this broad p(T) interval indicates that both charm and beauty quarks lose energy when they traverse the hot medium formed in Pb-Pb collisions at LHC. (C) 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V
Centrality dependence of high-pT D meson suppression in Pb-Pb collisions at (Formula presented.) TeV
No full textAbstract: The nuclear modification factor, RAA, of the prompt charmed mesons D0, D+ and D∗+, and their antiparticles, was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy sNN=2.76(Formula presented.) TeV in two transverse momentum intervals, 5 &lt; pT&lt; 8 GeV/c and 8 &lt; pT&lt; 16 GeV/c, and in six collision centrality classes. The RAA shows a maximum suppression of a factor of 5-6 in the 10% most central collisions. The suppression and its centrality dependence are compatible within uncertainties with those of charged pions. A comparison with the RAA of non-prompt J/ψ from B meson decays, measured by the CMS Collaboration, hints at a larger suppression of D mesons in the most central collisions.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2015, The Author(s)
- …
