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Advancing the science of distress screening and management in cancer care
Editor's Highlights
Kristine A. Donovan, Luigi Grassi, Teresa L. Deshields, Cheyenne Corbett, Michelle B. Riba
Journal: Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences / Volume 29 / 2020
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 January 2020, e85
Given the high prevalence (30–35%) of psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity amongst cancer patients in any phase of the disease trajectory, screening for emotional problems and disorders has become mandatory in oncology. As a process, screening begins at the entry to the cancer care system and continues at clinically meaningful times, periodically during active cancer care, or when clinically indicated. The goal is to facilitate proper referral to psychosocial oncology specialists for more specific assessment and care, as well as treatment and evaluation of the response, according to the implementation of distress management guidelines. In this editorial, we will provide a non-exhaustive overview of relevant protocols, with particular reference to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Management in Oncology Guidelines, and review the challenges and the problems in implementing screening, and the assessment and management of psychosocial and psychiatric problems in cancer centres and community care.
Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial
Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Dayanna Barreto, Heloisa Onias, Katia C. Andrade, Morgana M. Novaes, Jessica A. Pessoa, Sergio A. Mota-Rolim, Flávia L. Osório, Rafael Sanches, Rafael G. dos Santos, Luís Fernando Tófoli, Gabriela de Oliveira Silveira, Mauricio Yonamine, Jordi Riba, Francisco R. Santos, Antonio A. Silva-Junior, João C. Alchieri, Nicole L. Galvão-Coelho, Bruno Lobão-Soares, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Emerson Arcoverde, João P. Maia-de-Oliveira, Dráulio B. Araújo
Journal: Psychological Medicine / Volume 49 / Issue 4 / March 2019
Print publication: March 2019
Recent open-label trials show that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, hold promise as fast-onset antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression.
To test the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca, we conducted a parallel-arm, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received a single dose of either ayahuasca or placebo. We assessed changes in depression severity with the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating scale at baseline, and at 1 (D1), 2 (D2), and 7 (D7) days after dosing.
We observed significant antidepressant effects of ayahuasca when compared with placebo at all-time points. MADRS scores were significantly lower in the ayahuasca group compared with placebo at D1 and D2 (p = 0.04), and at D7 (p < 0.0001). Between-group effect sizes increased from D1 to D7 (D1: Cohen's d = 0.84; D2: Cohen's d = 0.84; D7: Cohen's d = 1.49). Response rates were high for both groups at D1 and D2, and significantly higher in the ayahuasca group at D7 (64% v. 27%; p = 0.04). Remission rate showed a trend toward significance at D7 (36% v. 7%, p = 0.054).
To our knowledge, this is the first controlled trial to test a psychedelic substance in treatment-resistant depression. Overall, this study brings new evidence supporting the safety and therapeutic value of ayahuasca, dosed within an appropriate setting, to help treat depression. This study is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02914769).
Validation of a system for monitoring individual feeding and drinking behaviour and intake in young cattle
B. R. Oliveira, M. N. Ribas, F. S. Machado, J. A. M. Lima, L. F. L. Cavalcanti, M. L. Chizzotti, S. G. Coelho
Journal: animal / Volume 12 / Issue 3 / March 2018
The objective of this study was to validate an electronic system for monitoring individual feeding and drinking behaviour and intake developed for young cattle housed in group. A total of 35 Holstein–Gyr crossbred heifers (BW: 180±52 kg; age: 121.5±32.5 days), fitted with an ear tag containing a unique passive transponder, were distributed in three groups of 12, 12 and 11 animals per period and had free access to 12 electronic feed bins and two electronic water bins (Intergado® Ltd). The dimensions of feed and water bins, as well as the sensors position were appropriate for young cattle. The system documented the visit frequency and duration, as well as the feed and water intakes, by recording the animal's identification tag, bin number, initial and final times of visits and the difference of feed/water weight at the start and end of each bin visit. Feed bins were monitored using time-lapse video recording over 4 days and the water bins were monitored over 6 days. For each feed bin, two feeding events were monitored using manual weighings with an external scale immediately before and after the animal's visit and the difference between them was assumed as feed intake (n=24 observations). For the water bins, 60 manual weighings were made. Video and manual weighing data were regressed on the electronic feeding and drinking behaviour and intake data to evaluate the system's precision and accuracy. The system showed high specificity (98.98% and 98.56% for the feed and water bins, respectively) and sensitivity (99.25% and 98.74%, respectively) for identifying an animal's presence or absence. Duration of feed and water bin visits as well as feed and water consumption per visit estimated by the system were highly correlated and precise compared with the observed video and manual weighing data (r 2=0.917, 0.963, 0.973 and 0.986, respectively). It was concluded that Intergado® system is a useful tool for monitoring feeding and drinking behaviour as well as water and feed intakes in young cattle housed in groups.
Solar system astrometry, Gaia, and the large surveys – a huge step ahead to stellar occultations by distant small solar system bodies
J. I. B. Camargo, M. V. Banda-Huarca, R. L. Ogando, J. Desmars, F. Braga-Ribas, R. Vieira-Martins, M. Assafin, B. Sicardy, D. Bérard, G. Benedetti-Rossi, L. A. N. da Costa, M. A. G. Maia, M. Carrasco-Kind, A. Drlica-Wagner
Journal: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union / Volume 12 / Issue S330 / April 2017
Print publication: April 2017
The stellar occultation technique is a powerful tool to study distant small solar system bodies. Currently, around 2 500 trans-neptunian objects (TNOs) and Centaurs are known. With the astrometry from Gaia and large surveys like the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), accurate predictions of occultation events will be available to tens of thousands of TNOs and Centaurs and boost the knowledge of the outer solar system.
Who benefits from a dietary online intervention? Evidence from Italy, Spain and Greece
Ralf Schwarzer, Lena Fleig, Lisa M Warner, Maryam Gholami, Lluis Serra-Majem, Joy Ngo, Blanca Roman-Viñas, Lourdes Ribas-Barba, Alessandro Distante, Evangelia Ntzani, George Giannakis, Maria L Brandi
Journal: Public Health Nutrition / Volume 20 / Issue 5 / April 2017
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 November 2016, pp. 938-947
The traditional Mediterranean diet includes high consumption of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, cereals and nuts, moderate to high intake of fish and dairy products, and low consumption of meat products. Intervention effects to improve adoption of this diet may vary in terms of individuals' motivational or volitional prerequisites. In the context of a three-country research collaboration, intervention effects on these psychological constructs for increasing adoption of the Mediterranean diet were examined.
An intervention was conducted to improve Mediterranean diet consumption with a two-month follow-up. Linear multiple-level models examined which psychological constructs (outcome expectancies, planning, action control and stage of change) were associated with changes in diet scores.
Web-based intervention in Italy, Spain and Greece.
Adults (n 454; mean age 42·2 (sd 10·4) years, range 18–65 years; n 112 at follow-up).
Analyses yielded an overall increase in the Mediterranean diet scores. Moreover, there were interactions between time and all four psychological constructs on these changes. Participants with lower levels of baseline outcome expectancies, planning, action control and stage of change were found to show steeper slopes, thus greater behavioural adoption, than those who started out with higher levels.
The intervention produced overall improvements in Mediterranean diet consumption, with outcome expectancies, planning, action control and stage of change operating as moderators, indicating that those with lower motivational or volitional prerequisites gained more from the online intervention. Individual differences in participants' readiness for change need to be taken into account to gauge who would benefit most from the given treatment.
Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale across eleven world-wide societies – ERRATUM
D. Stevanovic, Z. Bagheri, O. Atilola, P. Vostanis, D. Stupar, P. Moreira, T. Franic, N. Davidovic, R. Knez, A. Nikšić, K. Dodig-Ćurković, M. Avicenna, I. Multazam Noor, L. Nussbaum, A. Deljkovic, A. Aziz Thabet, P. Petrova, D. Ubalde, L. A. Monteiro, R. Ribas
Journal: Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences / Volume 26 / Issue 4 / August 2017
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 July 2016, p. 441
Print publication: August 2017
Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale across 11 world-wide societies
D. Stevanovic, Z. Bagheri, O. Atilola, P. Vostanis, D. Stupar, P. Moreira, T. Franic, N. Davidovic, R. Knez, A. Nikšić, K. Dodig-Ćurković, M. Avicenna, I. Multazam Noor, L. Nussbaum, A. Deljkovic, A. Aziz Thabet, P. Petrov, D. Ubalde, L. A. Monteiro, R. Ribas
In order to compare estimates by one assessment scale across various cultures/ethnic groups, an important aspect that needs to be demonstrated is that its construct across these groups is invariant when measured using a similar and simultaneous approach (i.e., demonstrated cross-cultural measurement invariance). One of the methods for evaluating measurement invariance is testing for differential item functioning (DIF), which assesses whether different groups respond differently to particular items. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) in societies with different socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds.
The study was organised by the International Child Mental Health Study Group. Self-reported data were collected from adolescents residing in 11 countries: Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Montenegro, Nigeria, Palestinian Territories, the Philippines, Portugal, Romania and Serbia. The multiple-indicators multiple-causes model was used to test the RCADS items for DIF across the countries.
Ten items exhibited DIF considering all cross-country comparisons. Only one or two items were flagged with DIF in the head-to-head comparisons, while there were three to five items flagged with DIF, when one country was compared with the others. Even with all cross-culturally non-invariant items removed from nine language versions tested, the original factor model representing six anxiety and depressive symptoms subscales was not significantly violated.
There is clear evidence that relatively small number of the RCADS items is non-invariant, especially when comparing two different cultural/ethnic groups, which indicates on its sound cross-cultural validity and suitability for cross-cultural comparisons in adolescent anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Ethnic inequalities in the use of secondary and tertiary mental health services among patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder
Lorena Fernández de la Cruz, Marta Llorens, Amita Jassi, Georgina Krebs, Pablo Vidal-Ribas, Joaquim Radua, Stephani L. Hatch, Dinesh Bhugra, Isobel Heyman, Bruce Clark, David Mataix-Cols
Journal: The British Journal of Psychiatry / Volume 207 / Issue 6 / December 2015
Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) has similar prevalence rates across ethnic groups. However, ethnic minorities are underrepresented in clinical trials of OCD. It is unclear whether this is also the case in clinical services.
To explore whether ethnic minorities with OCD are underrepresented in secondary and tertiary mental health services in the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust.
The ethnic distribution of patients with OCD seen between 1999 and 2013 in SLaM (n = 1528) was compared with that of the general population in the catchment area using census data. A cohort of patients with depression (n = 22 716) was used for comparative purposes.
Ethnic minorities with OCD were severely underrepresented across services (–57%, 95% CI –62% to –52%). The magnitude of the observed inequalities was significantly more pronounced than in depression (–29%, 95% CI–31% to–27%).
There is a clear need to understand the reasons behind such ethnic inequalities and implement measures to reduce them.
Diversity and patterns of interaction of an anuran–parasite network in a neotropical wetland
K. M. CAMPIÃO, A. RIBAS, L. E. R. TAVARES
Journal: Parasitology / Volume 142 / Issue 14 / December 2015
We describe the diversity and structure of a host–parasite network of 11 anuran species and their helminth parasites in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. Specifically, we investigate how the heterogeneous use of space by hosts changes parasite community diversity, and how the local pool of parasites exploits sympatric host species of different habits. We examined 229 anuran specimens, interacting with 32 helminth parasite taxa. Mixed effect models indicated the influence of anuran body size, but not habit, as a determinant of parasite species richness. Variation in parasite taxonomic diversity, however, was not significantly correlated with host size or habit. Parasite community composition was not correlated with host phylogeny, indicating no strong effect of the evolutionary relationships among anurans on the similarities in their parasite communities. Host–parasite network showed a nested and non-modular pattern of interaction, which is probably a result of the low host specificity observed for most helminths in this study. Overall, we found host body size was important in determining parasite community richness, whereas low parasite specificity was important to network structure.
Bank voles (Myodes glareolus) and house mice (Mus musculus musculus; M. m. domesticus) in Europe are each parasitized by their own distinct species of Aspiculuris (Nematoda, Oxyurida)
J. M. BEHNKE, A. STEWART, A. BAJER, M. GRZYBEK, P. D. HARRIS, A. LOWE, A. RIBAS, L. SMALES, K. J. VANDEGRIFT
Journal: Parasitology / Volume 142 / Issue 12 / October 2015
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 August 2015, pp. 1493-1505
The molecular phylogeny and morphology of the oxyuroid nematode genus Aspiculuris from voles and house mice has been examined. Worms collected from Myodes glareolus in Poland, Eire and the UK are identified as Aspiculuris tianjinensis, previously known only from China, while worms from Mus musculus from a range of locations in Europe and from laboratory mice, all conformed to the description of Aspiculuris tetraptera. Worms from voles and house mice are not closely related and are not derived from each other, with A. tianjinensis being most closely related to Aspiculuris dinniki from snow voles and to an isolate from Microtus longicaudus in the Nearctic. Both A. tianjinensis and A. tetraptera appear to represent recent radiations within their host groups; in voles, this radiation cannot be more than 2 million years old, while in commensal house mice it is likely to be less than 10 000 years old. The potential of Aspiculuris spp. as markers of host evolution is highlighted.
Temperature dependence of magnetic and magnetotransport properties in BiFeO3 thin films by pulsed laser deposition
P. Tiberto, G. Barrera, F. Celegato, M. Coïsson, P. Rizzi, F. Vinai, A.C. Garcia Castro, L. Salamanca-Riba, R.D. Vispute, F.J. Espinoza Beltran, J. Muñoz Sandaña
Journal: MRS Online Proceedings Library Archive / Volume 1636 / 2014
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 February 2014, mrsf13-1636-u07-09
Multiferroic BFO/SRO/Si trilayers have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition in the form of thin films. As a function of the BFO layer thickness, magnetic and magneto-transport properties have been investigated at room temperature and down to 5 K. At low BFO layer thickness, a residual γ-Fe2O3 phase, which interacts interfacially with the SRO and BFO layers, is responsible for moderately hard magnetic properties of the film. On increasing BFO layer thickness, more homogeneous deposits are obtained with uniform magnetic and magneto-resistive properties.
Estimation of the long term helium production in high burn-up spent fuel due to alpha decay and consequences for the canister
Alba Valls, Mireia Grivé, Olga Riba, Maita Morales, Kastriot Spahiu
In the KBS-3 repository concept and safety analysis, the copper container with a cast iron insert plays a central role in assuring isolation of the waste from the surrounding during long periods of time. All processes that affect its stability are thoroughly analysed, including potential detrimental processes inside the canister. For this reason, an estimation of the helium produced during the long term decay of alpha emitters in the spent fuel is necessary to evaluate if the pressures generated inside can have consequences for the canister.
The spent nuclear fuel to be disposed of in Sweden is mainly LWR fuel. The maximum burn-up expected is 60 MWd/kg U for BWR and PWR. A small quantity of BWR MOX is expected to be stored with a maximum burn-up of 50 MWd/kg U.
This work has focused on carrying out calculations of the amounts of He generated during more than 1 million years in Swedish spent nuclear fuels with a benchmarking exercise by using both codes AMBER and Origen-ARP. The performance and agreement of the codes in the He generation from α-decay have been checked and validated against data reported in literature [1].
In the calculation of the maximal pressure inside the canister, the quantity of helium used to pre-pressurise the fuel rods has been accounted for. The pressure inside the canister due to He generation is at all times much lower than the hydrostatic pressure and/or the bentonite swelling pressure outside the canister.
Continuous Inversion Formulas for Multi-Dimensional Stockwell Transforms
L. Riba, M W. Wong
Journal: Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena / Volume 8 / Issue 1 / 2013
Stockwell transforms as hybrids of Gabor transforms and wavelet transforms have been studied extensively. We introduce in this paper multi-dimensional Stockwell transforms that include multi-dimensional Gabor transforms as special cases. Continuous inversion formulas for multi-dimensional Stockwell transforms are proved.
Modelling the Activation of H2 on Spent Fuel Surface and Inhibiting Effect of UO2 Dissolution
L. Duro, O. Riba, A. Martínez-Esparza, J. Bruno
The dissolution of spent nuclear fuel is defined in two different time steps, i) the Instant Release Fraction (IRF) occurring shortly after water contacts the solid spent fuel and responsible of the fast release of those radionuclides that have been accumulated in the zones of the spent fuel pellet with low confinement, such as gap and grain boundaries and ii) the long term release of radionuclides confined in the spent fuel matrix, much slower and dependent on the conditions of the water that contacts the spent fuel.
Several models have been developed to date to explain the dissolution behavior of spent nuclear fuel under disposal conditions. The Matrix Alteration Model (MAM) is one of the most evolved radiolytic models describing the dissolution mechanism in which an Alteration/Dissolution source term model is based on the oxidative dissolution of spent fuel. Under deep repository conditions and at the expected of water contacting time (after 1000 years of spent fuel storage), α radiation will be the main contributor to water radiolysis. In the current study, simulations evaluating the effect of surface area on the alteration/dissolution of spent fuel matrix are performed considering different particle sizes of spent fuel and simulations integrating the actinides dissolution have been performed considering the precipitation of secondary phases.
Microstructural Evolution Of Severely Plastically Deformed Sensitized Aluminum 5456 Treated By Ultrasonic Impact Treatment
K. Tran, L. Salamanca-Riba, W. Chiou
Journal: Microscopy and Microanalysis / Volume 18 / Issue S2 / July 2012
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2012, pp. 1892-1893
Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.
Changes in spent nuclear fuel due to dry interim storage
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2012, imrc11-1475-nw35-o51
The assessment of the main changes expected for spent nuclear fuel from its discharge to its deposition in a deep geological repository is of the outmost relevance to establish the initial conditions of the disposal. In this work, a literature review and a critical discussion of the main processes that will affect the structure and the inventory of the spent nuclear fuel during its interim dry storage is presented. Once the irradiation period is finished, the following changes are observed: i) the fuel pellet is fragmented due to the temperature gradient established during the irradiation stage. On average between 10-15 fragments are observed per pellet. ii) the initial gap existing between the pellet and the cladding decreases or disappears depending on the burnup. iii) a radial zonation is observed in the microstructure of the pellet. For burnup over 40MWd/KgU, the rim develops a porosity increase due to the high local burnup and the low temperature in the periphery. The rim also presents small bubbles of fission gases. This high burnup structure implies a degradation of the thermic conductivity in the pellet, that leads to a temperature increase in the center of the pellet with a subsequent migration of the fission gases and other impurities to the grain boundaries. The implications that all these changes may have on the spent fuel behaviour is presented and discussed.
Low X-ray background measurements at the Underground Canfranc Laboratory
F. Mayet, D. Santos, J. Galán, S. Aune, T. Dafni, G. Fanourakis, E. Ferrer-Ribas, J.A. García, A. Gardikiotis, T. Geralis, I. Giomataris, H. Gómez, J.G. Garza, D.C. Herrera, F.J. Iguaz, I.G. Irastorza, G. Luzón, T. Papaevangelou, A. Rodríguez, J. Ruz, L. Seguí, A. Tomás, T. Vafeiadis, S.C. Yildiz
Journal: European Astronomical Society Publications Series / Volume 53 / 2012
Micromegas detectors, thanks to their good spatial and temporal discrimination capabilities, are good candidates for rare event search experiments. Recent X-ray background levels achieved by these detectors in the CAST experiment have motivated further studies in the nature of the background levels measured. In particular, different shielding configurations have been tested at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory, using a microbulk type detector which was previously running at the CAST experiment. The first results underground show that this technology, which is made of low radiative materials, is able to reach background levels down to 2 × 10-7 keV-1 s-1 cm-2 with a proper shielding. Moreover, the experimental background measurements are complemented with Geant4 simulations which allow to understand the origin of the background, and to optimize future shielding set-ups.
PIEZORESPONSE FORCE MICROSCOPY STUDIES ON (100), (110) AND (111) EPITAXIALLY GROWTH BiFeO3 THIN FILMS
R. P. Fernandes, L. Batista, A. C. G. Castro, L. Salamanca-Riba, M. P. Cruz, F. J. Espinoza-Beltrán, S. Hirsekorn, U. Rabe, J. Muñoz-Saldaña, G. A. Schneider
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 January 2013, imrc12-1477-s1a-o015
Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is a magnetoelectric, multiferroic material with coexisting ferroelectric and magnetic orderings. It is considered as a candidate for the next generation of ferroelectric random-access memory devices because BiFeO3, in contrast to industrial ferroelectrics used today, does not contain the toxic element lead. Furthermore, its polarization values are higher than those of lead-based ferroelectrics. The magnitude of the polarization of a BiFeO3 film is dependent on its orientation and is related to the domain structure. This contribution presents and discusses the preparation of epitaxial BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films grown on SrRuO3/SrTiO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and their characterization, especially by piezo force microscopy (PFM) and atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM). The thickness of an individual BFO film varies between 100 and 200 nm. The epitaxial nature of films in the crystallographic (100), (110), and (111) directions was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD). Thin SrRuO3 layers, also prepared by PLD, were used as bottom electrode for the ferroelectric hysteresis measurements. Low frequency PFM measurements showed a monodomain structure for the as-grown (110) and (111) oriented samples. In BFO (100) films, different polarization variants were observed by ultrasonic piezo force microscopy (UPFM). The domain structure is reproduced from minimization of the electrostatic and elastic energies. Switching experiments using standard PFM as well as UPFM were carried out on the three samples with the objective of testing the coercive field and domain stability. The AFAM technique was used to map the elastic properties of the BFO thin-films at the micro- and nanoscale.
Status of R&D on Micromegas for Rare Event Searches : The T-REX project
F. Mayet, D. Santos, I.G. Irastorza, J. Castel, S. Cebrián, T. Dafni, G. Fanourakis, E. Ferrer-Ribas, D. Fortuño, L. Esteban, J. Galán, J.A. García, A. Gardikiotis, J.G. Garza, T. Geralis, I. Giomataris, H. Gómez, D.C. Herrera, F.J. Iguaz, G. Luzón, J.P. Mols, A. Ortiz, T. Papaevangelou, A. Rodríguez, J. Ruz, L. Segui, A. Tomás, T. Vafeiadis, S.C. Yildiz
The T-REX project aims at developing novel readout techniques for Time Projection Chambers in experiments searching for rare events. The enhanced performance of the latest Micromegas readouts in issues like energy resolution, gain stability, homogeneity, material budget, combined with low background techniques, is opening new windows of opportunity for their application in this field. Here we review the latest results regarding the use and prospects of Micromegas readouts in axion physics (CAST and the future helioscope), as well as the R&D carried out within NEXT, to search for the neutrinoless double-beta decay.
Micromegas detector developments for MIMAC
F. Mayet, D. Santos, E. Ferrer-Ribas, D. Attié, D. Calvet, P. Colas, F. Druillole, Y. Giomataris, F.J. Iguaz, J.P. Mols, J. Pancin, T. Papaevangelou, J. Billard, G. Bosson, J.L. Bouly, O. Bourrion, Ch. Fourel, C. Grignon, O. Guillaudin, F. Mayet, J.P. Richer, D. Santos, C. Golabek, L. Lebreton
The aim of the MIMAC project is to detect non-baryonic Dark Matter with a directional TPC. The recent Micromegas efforts towards building a large size detector will be described, in particular the characterization measurements of a prototype detector of 10 × 10 cm2 with a 2 dimensional readout plane. Track reconstruction with alpha particles will be shown.