The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix

Performance of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter end-cap module 0

The construction and beam test results of the ATLAS electromagnetic end-cap calorimeter pre-production module 0 are presented. The stochastic term of the energy resolution is between 10% GeV^1/2 and 12.5% GeV^1/2 over the full pseudorapidity range. Position and angular resolutions are found to be in agreement with simulation. A global constant term of 0.6% is obtained in the pseudorapidity range 2.5 eta 3.2 (inner wheel)

Performance of the ATLAS Electromagnetic Calorimeter End-cap Module 0

The construction and beam test results of the ATLAS electromagnetic end-cap calorimeter pre-production module 0 are presented. The stochastic term of the energy resolution is between 10% GeV^1/2 and 12.5% GeV^1/2 over the full pseudorapidity range. Position and angular resolutions are found to be in agreement with simulation. A global constant term of 0.6% is obtained in the pseudorapidity range 2.5 < eta < 3.2 (inner wheel)

Health-Related Quality of Life after Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Quantitative Comparison between Children’s and Parents’ Perspectives of the QOLIBRI-KID/ADO Questionnaire

Pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as a measure of subjective wellbeing and functioning has received increasing attention over the past decade. HRQoL in children and adolescents following pediatric traumatic brain injury (pTBI) has been poorly studied, and performing adequate measurements in this population is challenging. This study compares child/adolescent and parent reports of HRQoL following pTBI using the newly developed Quality of Life after Brain Injury in Children and Adolescents (QOLIBRI-KID/ADO) questionnaire. Three hundred dyads of 8–17-year-old children/adolescents and their parents were included in the study. The parent–child agreement, estimated using intraclass correlation coefficients and Cohen’s κ, displayed poor to moderate concordance. Approximately two-fifths of parents (39.3%) tended to report lower HRQoL for their children/adolescents on the total QOLIBRI-KID/ADO score. At the same time, about one-fifth (21.3%) reported higher HRQoL Total scores for their children/adolescents. The best agreement for parents rating adolescents (aged 13–17 years) was found in terms of the Total score and the Cognition and Self scale scores. To date, parent-reported HRQoL has been the preferred choice in pediatric research after TBI. However, with a parent–child disagreement of approximately 60%, our results highlight the importance of considering self-reports for children/adolescents capable of answering or completing the HRQoL measures

Quality of life after brain injury in children and adolescents questionnaire – validation of the proxy version (QOLIBRI-KID/ADO-Proxy)

Background The QOLIBRI-KID/ADO-Proxy is the first disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) proxy questionnaire developed for use in the field of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), when children are unable to report their HRQoL themselves. Methods Its psychometric properties in a German-speaking context are examined in two samples (development and validation). Dyads of 600 parents and their children (aged 8–17 years) were included. Results The 35-item questionnaire covers six dimensions (Cognition, Self, Daily Life and Autonomy, Social Relationships, Emotions, and Physical Problems). Results showed good to excellent internal consistencies, acceptable test-retest reliability, and low to fair parent-child agreement. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the one-level six-factor structure. In terms of construct validity, there was an overlap between the disease-specific and the generic HRQoL. Lower parent-reported HRQoL in children was associated with lower parental education, lower functional recovery (Study I), more recent TBI, and more severe depressive, anxiety, and post-concussion symptoms. Findings differed between the two studies in terms of age, gender, and TBI severity. Study I found more severe TBI linked to lower HRQoL in adolescents, while Study II indicated lower HRQoL ratings in girls. Conclusion The QOLIBRI-KID/ADO-Proxy is recommended when individuals are unable to self-report their HRQoL