| 1. |
- Aamodt, K., et al.
(författare)
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The ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Instrumentation. - 1748-0221. ; 3:S08002
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a general-purpose, heavy-ion detector at the CERN LHC which focuses on QCD, the strong-interaction sector of the Standard Model. It is designed to address the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma at extreme values of energy density and temperature in nucleus-nucleus collisions. Besides running with Pb ions, the physics programme includes collisions with lighter ions, lower energy running and dedicated proton-nucleus runs. ALICE will also take data with proton beams at the top LHC energy to collect reference data for the heavy-ion programme and to address several QCD topics for which ALICE is complementary to the other LHC detectors. The ALICE detector has been built by a collaboration including currently over 1000 physicists and engineers from 105 Institutes in 30 countries, Its overall dimensions are 16 x 16 x 26 m(3) with a total weight of approximately 10 000 t. The experiment consists of 18 different detector systems each with its own specific technology choice and design constraints, driven both by the physics requirements and the experimental conditions expected at LHC. The most stringent design constraint is to cope with the extreme particle multiplicity anticipated in central Pb-Pb collisions. The different subsystems were optimized to provide high-momentum resolution as well as excellent Particle Identification (PID) over a broad range in momentum, up to the highest multiplicities predicted for LHC. This will allow for comprehensive studies of hadrons, electrons, muons, and photons produced in the collision of heavy nuclei. Most detector systems are scheduled to be installed and ready for data taking by mid-2008 when the LHC is scheduled to start operation, with the exception of parts of the Photon Spectrometer (PHOS), Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) and Electro Magnetic Calorimeter (EMCal). These detectors will be completed for the high-luminosity ion run expected in 2010. This paper describes in detail the detector components as installed for the first data taking in the summer of 2008.
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| 2. |
- Shaaban, Rafea, et al.
(författare)
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Allergic rhinitis and onset of bronchial hyperresponsiveness : a population-based study
- 2007
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Ingår i: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 176:7, s. 659-666
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RATIONALE: Patients with allergic rhinitis have more frequent bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in cross-sectional studies. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the changes in BHR in nonasthmatic subjects with and without allergic rhinitis during a 9-year period. METHODS: BHR onset was studied in 3,719 subjects without BHR at baseline, who participated in the follow-up of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: BHR was defined as a >or=20% decrease in FEV(1) for a maximum dose of 1 mg of methacholine. Allergic rhinitis was defined as having a history of nasal allergy and positive specific IgE (>or=0.35 IU/ml) to pollen, cat, mites, or Cladosporium. The cumulative incidence of BHR was 9.7% in subjects with allergic rhinitis and 7.0% in subjects with atopy but no rhinitis, compared with 5.5% in subjects without allergic rhinitis and atopy (respective odds ratios [OR] and their 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] for BHR onset, 2.44 [1.73-3.45]; and 1.35 [0.86-2.11], after adjustment for potential confounders including sex, smoking, body mass index and FEV(1)). Subjects with rhinitis sensitized exclusively to cat or to mites were particularly at increased risk of developing BHR (ORs [95% CI], 7.90 [3.48-17.93] and 2.84 [1.36-5.93], respectively). Conversely, in subjects with BHR at baseline (n = 372), 35.3% of those with allergic rhinitis, compared with 51.8% of those without rhinitis had no more BHR at follow-up (OR [95% CI], 0.51 [0.33-0.78]). BHR "remission" was more frequent in patients with rhinitis treated by nasal steroids than in those not treated (OR [95% CI], 0.33 [0.14-0.75]). CONCLUSIONS: Allergic rhinitis was associated with increased onset of BHR, and less chance for remission except in those treated for rhinitis.
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| 3. |
- Shaaban, Rafea, et al.
(författare)
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Physical activity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness : European Community Respiratory Health Survey II
- 2007
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Ingår i: Thorax. - : BMJ. - 0040-6376 .- 1468-3296. ; 62:5, s. 403-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Identification of the risk factors for bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) would increase the understanding of the causes of asthma. The relationship between physical activity and BHR in men and women aged 28.0-56.5 years randomly selected from 24 centres in 11 countries participating in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II was investigated. Methods: 5158 subjects answered questionnaires about physical activity and performed BHR tests. Participants were asked about the frequency and duration of usual weekly exercise resulting in breathlessness or sweating. BHR was defined as a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s of at least 20% of its post-saline value for a maximum methacholine dose of 2 mg. Results: Both frequency and duration of physical activity were inversely related to BHR. The prevalence of BHR in subjects exercising ≤ 1, 2-3 and ≥4 times a week was 14.5%, 11.6% and 10.9%, respectively (p<0.001). The corresponding odds ratios were 1.00, 0.78 (95% Cl 0.62 to 0.99) and 0.69 (95% Cl 0.50 to 0.94) after controlling for potential confounding factors. The frequency of BHR in subjects exercising <1 h, 1-3 h and ≥4 h a week was 15.9%, 10.9% and 10.7%, respectively (p<0.001). The corresponding adjusted odds ratios were 1.00, 0.70 (95% Cl 0.57 to 0.87) and 0.67 (95% Cl 0.50 to 0.90). Physical activity was associated with BHR in all studied subgroups. Conclusions: These results suggest that BHR is strongly and independently associated with decreased physical activity. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms underlying this association.
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