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An intense negative hydrogen ion source has been developed, which has a strong external magnetic filter field in the wide area of 35 cm×62 cm produced by a pair of permanent magnet rows located at 35.4 cm separation. The filter strength is 70 G in the center and the line‐integrated filter strength is 850 G cm, which keeps the low electron temperature in the extraction region. Strong cusp magnetic field, 1.8 kG on the chamber surface, is generated for improvement of the plasma confinement. These resulted in the high arc efficiency at the low operational gas pressure. 16.2 A of H− ion current with the energy of 47 keV was obtained at the arc efficiency of 0.1 A/kW at the gas pressure of 3.8 mTorr in the cesium‐mode operation. The magnetic field in the extraction gap is also strong, 450 G, for the electron suppression. The ratio of the extraction current to the negative ion current was less than 2.2 at the gas pressure of 3 mTorr. The two‐stage acceleration was tested, and 13.6 A of H− ion beam was accelerat...

Introdução: Tem crescido nos últimos anos o reconhecimento de que uma avaliação de tecnologias em saúde completa deve incluir não apenas uma análise de custo-efetividade, como também uma análise de impacto no orçamento. Objetivo: Conduziu-se uma análise de impacto no orçamento para avaliar os custos num período de três anos do tratamento de pacientes diagnosticados com leucemia mieloide crônica, após falha ao imatinibe a partir das perspectivas em nível central (Sistema Público de Saúde Brasileiro) e local (Hospital público). Métodos: Desenvolveu-se um modelo de decisão baseado em dados clínicos e epidemiológicos para comparar as opções de tratamento atuais (dasatinibe e imatinibe) reembolsadas pelo governo brasileiro com diferentes cenários que incluem nilotinibe. Resultados: No caso-base, utilizando os preços fábrica oficiais, estima-se que a adição de nilotinibe ao mix tecnológico aumente os gastos totais nos próximos três anos no nível central em até R$ 11.360.282 ou R$ 17.930 por paciente por ano, e no nível central por até R$ 16.437 por paciente por ano. No caso alternativo, baseado nos preços das últimas licitações públicas, espera-se que a adição de nilotinibe ao mix tecnológico aumente os gastos totais nos próximos três anos em até R$ 31.692.792 ou R$ 26.000 por paciente por ano, e no nível local por até R$ 26.600 por paciente por ano. Conclusão: Os resultados dessa análise podem ser utilizados para avaliação da viabilidade financeira nos próximos três anos de tratamentos para diferentes fases de leucemia mieloide crônica em pacientes que são resistentes e/ou intolerantes a imatinibe. Introducción: Ha aumentado el reconocimiento en los últimos años que una evaluación de tecnologías en salud completa debe incluir no solamente un análisis de coste-efectividad, como también un análisis de impacto presupuestario. Objetivo: Se hizo un análisis de impacto presupuestario para evaluar los costos por un período de tres años del tratamiento de pacientes diagnosticados con leucemia mieloide crónica en estos años posterior a falla a imatinibe desde las perspectivas a nivel central (Sistema Público de Salud Brasileño) y local (hospital público). Método: Fue desarrollado un modelo de decisión embasado en datos clínicos y epidemiológicos comparando las opciones de tratamiento actualmente (dasatinibe e imatinibe) reembolsadas por el gobierno Brasileño a diferentes escenarios que incluyen nilotinib. Resultados: En nuestro caso base utilizando los precios farmacéuticos oficiales, se valoró que la adición de nilotinib al mix de tecnologías aumente los gastos totales en los siguientes tres años al nivel central hasta R$11.360.282 o R$17.930 por paciente al año, y al nivel local hasta R$16.437 por paciente al año. En el caso alternativo, embasado en los precios de las últimas licitaciones públicas, se estima que la adición de nilotinib al mix de tecnologías aumente los gastos en los siguientes tres años desde el nivel central hasta R$31.692.792 o R$26.000 por paciente al año, y al nivel local hasta R$26.637 por paciente al año. Conclusión: Los resultados de este análisis pueden ser utilizados para evaluar la viabilidad financiero-económica en los tres años siguientes del tratamiento de pacientes en diferentes fases de leucemia mieloide crónica que están resistentes y/o intolerantes a imatinib. Introduction: In recent years, it has been increasingly recognized that a comprehensive health technology assessment should include not only a cost-effectiveness analysis, but also a budget impact analysis. Objective: A budget impact analysis was conducted to assess the costs of the treatment for patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia within a period of three years after imatinib failure from both central level (Brazilian public health system) and local level (public hospital) perspectives. Methods: A decision model based on clinical and epidemiological data was developed to compare current treatment options (dasatinib and imatinib) reimbursed by the Brazilian government with different scenarios that included nilotinib. Results: In our base case using official pharmaceutical prices, adding nilotinib to the mix of technologies is expected to increase total expenses within the next three years at the central level by up to R$11,360,282 or R$17,930 per patient per year, and at the local level by up to R$16,437 per patient per year. In the alternative case, based on prices from the latest public tenders, adding nilotinib to the mix of technologies is expected to increase total expenses within the next three years at the central level by up to R$31,692,792 or R$26,000 per patient per year, and at the local level by up to R$26,600 per patient per year. Conclusion: Results from this analysis can be used to estimate the affordability for the next three years of treatments for different chronic myelogenous leukemia phases in patients who are resistant to or intolerant of imatinib. &nbsp

Large‐scaled hydrogen negative‐ion sources, in which cesium is introduced in the source plasma, have been developed for neutral beam injectors in Large Helical Device, and their operational characteristics are reviewed. For high‐efficient negative ion production, configuration of the magnetic filter field and the cusp magnetic field was optimized, resulting in a high arc efficiency for the negative ion production of 0.23A/kW. With use of a multi‐slotted grounded grid, the gas pressure in the acceleration gap is lowered, leading to reduction of the heat load of the grounded grid. As a result, the voltage holding ability is much improved, and the rated energy of 180 keV is achieved in a short conditioning period of 4 days. The injection power is increased linearly to the 5/2 power of the beam energy and reached 5.7MW with an energy of 184keV, which exceeds the specified value of 180keV–5MW. Beam uniformity has been improved with an individual control of the local arc discharge by adjusting 12‐divided output...

Failures of flexible pavements (bituminous roads) have been prevalent in many developing countries, a trend causing concern to both the road users and the roads authorities. In this regard, it was found necessary that an investigation be initiated to determine the possible causes of such failures, and a case study was carried out on Nairobi-Thika Highway in Kenya. The investigations were conducted in several categories to determine the pavement characteristics such as structural strength by Benkelman Beam Deflection Test (BBDT), skid resistance by British Pendulum Tester (BPT). Traffic loading by Axle load measurements, Traffic volumes by traffic counting and ageing characteristics of the type of the bitumen used by cutting cores and extracting the bitumen for the standard tests, such as penetration, ductility, bitumen content, air voids, softening point and CBR using the Light Drop Weight Tester (LDWT). The visual inspection of the pavement showed that due to the hardening of the bitumen and overloading, cracks and potholes were very common for the whole stretch of the road. Axle load data revealed that, there has been a tendency to exceed the maximum allowed axle load limits, especially until 19th august, 1999, after that the enforcement of axle load limits was tightened. This fact together with the revelation that the road is a very busy one as depicted in the traffic counts, could be one of the major causes of the road's fast deterioration. (Journal of Civil Engineering, JKUAT: 2002 7: 13-26)

Large current negative hydrogen ions are extracted from a multicusp ion source with an extraction area of 25×44 cm2. By seeding a small amount of cesium vapor into a source chamber, the H− current is enhanced to several times larger than that in a pure hydrogen discharge, accompanied by a reduction of the electron current and the filling gas pressure. A H− current up to 16 A is obtained with a beam energy of 40 keV from 560 extraction holes of 9 mm in diameter each, where the current density is 45 mA/cm2. The H− current increases linearly with the input arc power.

The injection duration has been extended beyond 100 s with a high-power hydrogen negative-ion source in a negative-ion-based neutral beam injector of the Large Helical Device superconducting fusion machine. The ion source is a cesium-seeded source with a thermally insulated plasma grid (PG), and optimized for a short-pulse operation of 2?3 s. The negative-ion production efficiency is strongly dependent on the PG temperature, and in the long-pulse operation it exceeds an appropriate temperature range of 200?300 °C, at which the optimum cesium coverage is formed on the PG surface. By making the PG temperature rise slower with a reduced arc power, the injection duration was extended to 110 s with an injection power of 110 kW. To extend the injection duration further with a higher injection power, stainless-steel cooling tubes have been mechanically attached to the PG for suppression of the PG temperature rise in the long-pulse operation. As a result, a long-pulse injection with an injection power of 200 kW was extended to 128 s until it was manually stopped due to the plasma collapse. However, the beam duration could be limited to around 3 min because the PG temperature rise was not saturated due to a low thermal conductivity with the thickness of the stainless-steel tube determined so that the short-pulse operation is also possible. On the other hand, the longitudinal beam distribution in a grid area of 25×125 cm^2 is observed to be more uniform than that with the uncooled PG. The temperature distribution of the individual grid parts becomes more uniform with the cooled PG, which should contribute to the improvement of the beam uniformity.