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We investigate the interaction of a high-intensity ([~5.10.sup.18] W/[cm.sup.2]) and short (~65 fs) laser pulse with thin foils (from 0.08 to 105 pm) in a regime of ultrahigh contrast (> [10.sup.10]). This paper shows that for thicknesses less than about Ill pm, proton acceleration from both sides of the target presents quite symmetric features. Proton bunches emitted from each side show similar maximum energies and spatial characteristics. Moreover, we show that for ultrahigh-contrast pulses, the efficient acceleration mechanism is related to the Brunel effect and not to the ponderomotive force. Simulations performed with a 2-D particle-in-cell code are in close agreement with all experimental data. Index Terms--Acceleration. lasers, plasmas, proton beams.

To determine factors associated with health insurance coverage among persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), we interviewed 1958 persons 18 years of age or older who were reported to have AIDS in 11 states and cities. Overall, 25% had no insurance, 55% had public insurance, and 20% had private insurance. Factors associated with lack of insurance varied by current employment status. Employed persons with an annual household income of less than $10 000 were 3.6 times more likely to lack insurance than employed persons with a higher income. Unemployed persons diagnosed with AIDS for less than 1 year were two times more likely to lack health insurance than unemployed persons diagnosed for a longer time. Making insurance available to persons identified as most likely to lack insurance should improve access to care for persons with AIDS. (Am J Public Health. 1994;84: 1015-1018), People with AIDS may be less likely to have insurance if they are employed and making less than $10,000 annually compared with employed persons with higher annual income. Also, AIDS patients unemployed for less than one year may be less likely to be covered than people unemployed longer. Researchers analyzed data from interviews with 1958 AIDS patients over 18 years old in 11 states and cities from 1990 to 1992. Twenty-five percent were uninsured, 55% had public insurance (mostly Medicaid) and 20% had private insurance. Private insurance included self-paid and COBRA. The reason AIDS patients unemployed for less than one year were more likely to lack insurance than those unemployed longer is probably that their assets were too high to qualify or there were administrative delays in obtaining public insurance.

This article aims to explore whether ICT-enabled real-time data (RTD) systems can help to improve the operationalisation of adaptive management of international development programmes. Using a qualitative multi-method approach consisting of 48 semi-structured key expert interviews and four exploratory case studies, we found that RTD can successfully inform rapid tactical adaptive management in development programmes but is, on its own, of only limited use for most strategic adaptive management. The research identified multiple contextual barriers to the use of RTD for adaptive management. These barriers need to be addressed to realise the full potential of real-time adaptive management of programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and validated technique used to treat various psychiatric conditions. It triggers an artificially-induced seizure. This seizure is defined using several parameters such as the amount of energy, duration, frequency, pulse width and intensity. Efficacy and adverse events depend on the amount of energy delivered. Due to technical control, the amount of energy delivered by our unit's ECT device was limited to 614 mC, 60% of the maximum possible output of the device. We wondered if lowering the dose would lead to better seizure quality among maintenance ECT patients. Methods: We assessed seizure quality based on the EEG, using a validated tool created by MacPherson. Two evaluators independently rated the seizures. Pre- and post-control scores were compared using Student's t -test for paired samples. Results: We analysed data from 15 patients. Mean age was 65 years old. Twelve had depressive disorder, two had schizophrenia and one had schizo-affective disorder. Mean duration of seizure before control was 41.1 s [95% confidence interval (95CI)=26.1, 51.1]. The mean MacPherson's score was 20.3 (95CI=16.2, 24.4). After control, the mean MacPherson's score was 28.2 (23.1, 33.3), showing a significant difference with the pre-control dataset (p =0.032; t =−2.4; df=14). Specifically, peak mid-ictal amplitude increased from 6.9 (95CI=5.1, 8.7) to 10.0 (95CI=7.2, 12.8). Other sub-scores remained unchanged. Conclusion: Lowering the energy delivered led to an overall increase of seizure quality among our sample. This highlights the necessity and utility of retitration during ECT maintenance, possibly leading to better management of our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]