E1 transitions between spin-dipole and Gamow-Teller giant resonances

The branching ratios for E1 transitions between the spin-dipole (SD) and Gamow-Teller (GT) giant resonances in $^{90}$Nb and $^{208}$Pb are evaluated. Assuming the main GT-state has the wave function close to that for the "ideal" GT-state, we reduced the problem to calculate the SD and GT strength functions. These strength functions are evaluated within an extended continuum-RPA approach.Comment: 8 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Structure and decay properties of spin-dipole giant resonances within a semimicroscopical approach

A semimicroscopical approach is applied to calculate: (i) strength functions for the charge-exchange spin-dipole giant resonances in the 208Pb parent nucleus; (ii) partial and total branching ratios for the direct proton decay of the resonance in 208Bi. The approach is based on continuum-RPA calculations of corresponding reaction-amplitudes and phenomenological description of the doorway-state coupling to many-quasiparticle configurations. The only adjustable parameter needed for the description is found by comparison of the calculated and experimental total widths of the resonance. Other model parameters used in calculations are taken from independent data. The calculated total branching ratio is found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental value.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Thin Ice Target for 16^{16}O(p,p') experiment

A windowless and self-supporting ice target is described. An ice sheet with a thickness of 29.7 mg/cm$^2$ cooled by liquid nitrogen was placed at the target position of a magnetic spectrometer and worked stably in the $^{16}$O$(p,p')$ experiment at $E_{p}=392$ MeV. Background-free spectra were obtained.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Nucl. Instr. & Meth. A (in press

b tagging in ATLAS and CMS

Many physics signals presently studied at the high energy collision experiments lead to final states with jets originating from heavy flavor quarks. This report reviews the algorithms for heavy flavor jets identification developed by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations in view of the Run2 data taking period at the Large Hadron Collider. The improvements of the algorithms used in 2015 and 2016 data analyses with respect to previous data taking periods are discussed, as well as the ongoing developments in view of the next years of data taking. The measurements of the performance of the algorithms on data as well as the dedicated techniques for the identification of heavy flavor jets in events with boosted topologies are also presented. Finally, the effectiveness of heavy flavor jet identification in the complex environment expected during the high luminosity LHC phase is discussed.Comment: 6 pages, Proceeding for the Fifth Annual Large Hadron Collider Physics (LHCP2017) conferenc

Effect of deformation on two-neutrino double beta decay matrix elements

We study the effect of deformation on the two-neutrino double beta decay for ground state to ground state transitions in all the nuclei whose half-lives have been measured. Our theoretical framework is a deformed QRPA based in Woods-Saxon or Hartree-Fock mean fields. We are able to reproduce at the same time the main characteristics of the two single beta branches, as well as the double beta matrix elements. We find a suppression of the double beta matrix element with respect to the spherical case when the parent and daughter nuclei have different deformations

Assessment of Fetal Autonomic Nervous System Activity by Fetal Magnetocardiography: Comparison of Normal Pregnancy and Intrauterine Growth Restriction

Objective. To clarify the developmental activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) of the normal fetus and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) cases using fetal magnetocardiography (FMCG). Subjects and Methods. Normal pregnancy (n = 35) and IUGR (n = 12) cases at 28–39 and 32–37 weeks of gestation, respectively, were included in this study. The R-R interval variability was used to calculate the coefficient of variance (CVRR) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio. Results. The value of CVRR in the normal pregnancy group displayed a slight increasing trend with gestational age. However, no such trend was observed in the IUGR group. In contrast, the LF/HF ratio in both the normal pregnancy group and the IUGR group clearly increased over the gestational period; the normal group showing statistical significance. Conclusion. The development of fetal ANS activity in IUGR cases might differ from that observed in the normal pregnancy group, and this may facilitate early detection of IUGR

Japanese Translation and Validation of Genomic Knowledge Measure in the International Genetics Literacy and Attitudes Survey (iGLAS-GK)

Knowledge of genetics is essential for understanding the results of genetic testing and its implications. Recent advances in genomic research have allowed us to predict the risk of onset of common diseases based on individual genomic information. It is anticipated that more people will receive such estimates of risks based on their genomic data. However, currently, there is no measure for genetic knowledge that includes post-genome sequencing advancements in Japan. In this study, we translated the genomic knowledge measure in the International Genetics Literacy and Attitudes Survey (iGLAS-GK) into Japanese and validated it in a general Japanese adult population (n = 463). The mean score was 8.41 (SD 2.56, range 3–17). The skewness and kurtosis were 0.534 and 0.088, respectively, and the distribution showed a slightly positive skewness. Exploratory factor analysis proposed a six-factor model. Results for 16 of the 20 items of the Japanese version of the iGLAS-GK were comparable to those from previous studies in other populations. These results indicate that the Japanese version is reliable and can be used to measure the genomic knowledge of adults in the general population, and this version of the knowledge measure maintains the multidimensional structure for assessing genomic knowledge