696 research outputs found
Parity Mixed Doublets in A = 36 Nuclei
The -circular polarizations () and asymmetries
() of the parity forbidden M1 + E2 -decays: MeV) and MeV)
MeV) are investigated theoretically. We use the recently proposed
Warburton-Becker-Brown shell-model interaction. For the weak forces we discuss
comparatively different weak interaction models based on different assumptions
for evaluating the weak meson-hadron coupling constants. The results determine
a range of values from which we find the most probable values:
= for and = for .Comment: RevTeX, 17 pages; to appear in Phys. Rev.
Self-Consistent Relativistic Calculation of Nucleon Mean Free Path
We present a fully self-consistent and relativistic calculation of the
nucleon mean free path in nuclear matter and finite nuclei. Starting from the
Bonn potential, the Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock results for nuclear matter are
parametrized in terms of an effective - Lagrangian suitable for
the relativistic density-dependent Hartree-Fock (RDHF) approximation. The
nucleon mean free path in nuclear matter is derived from this effective
Lagrangian taking diagrams up to fourth-order into account. For the nucleon
mean free path in finite nuclei, we make use of the density determined by the
RDHF calculation in the local density approximation. Our microscopic results
are in good agreement with the empirical data and predictions by Dirac
phenomenology.Comment: 16 pages RevTex and 6 figures (paper, available upon request from
[email protected]) UI-NTH-931
Towards a Statistical Theory of Finite Systems and Compound States: Random Two-Body Interaction Approach
The model of Fermi particles with random two-body interaction is
investigated. This model allows to study the origin and accuracy of statistical
laws in few-body systems, the role of interaction and chaos in thermalization,
Fermi-Dirac distribution for quasi-particles with spreading widths, matrix
elements of external field and enhancement of weak perturbation in chaotic
compound states.Comment: 4 pages in RevTex and 2 Postscript figures; to appear in Phys.Rev.
Secondary contact and admixture between independently invading populations of the Western corn rootworm, diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Europe
The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most destructive pests of corn in North America and is currently invading Europe. The two major invasive outbreaks of rootworm in Europe have occurred, in North-West Italy and in Central and South-Eastern Europe. These two outbreaks originated from independent introductions from North America. Secondary contact probably occurred in North Italy between these two outbreaks, in 2008. We used 13 microsatellite markers to conduct a population genetics study, to demonstrate that this geographic contact resulted in a zone of admixture in the Italian region of Veneto. We show that i) genetic variation is greater in the contact zone than in the parental outbreaks; ii) several signs of admixture were detected in some Venetian samples, in a Bayesian analysis of the population structure and in an approximate Bayesian computation analysis of historical scenarios and, finally, iii) allelic frequency clines were observed at microsatellite loci. The contact between the invasive outbreaks in North-West Italy and Central and South-Eastern Europe resulted in a zone of admixture, with particular characteristics. The evolutionary implications of the existence of a zone of admixture in Northern Italy and their possible impact on the invasion success of the western corn rootworm are discussed
Sleep deprivation and Modafinil affect cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic rhythms in healthy young adults
Objective: It has been reported that sleep deprivation affects the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning the vigilance. Here, we tested the following hypotheses in the PharmaCog project (www.pharmacog.org): (i) sleep deprivation may alter posterior cortical delta and alpha sources of resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms in healthy young adults; (ii) after the sleep deprivation, a vigilance enhancer may recover those rsEEG source markers. Methods: rsEEG data were recorded in 36 healthy young adults before (Pre-sleep deprivation) and after (Post-sleep deprivation) one night of sleep deprivation. In the Post-sleep deprivation, these data were collected after a single dose of PLACEBO or MODAFINIL. rsEEG cortical sources were estimated by eLORETA freeware. Results: In the PLACEBO condition, the sleep deprivation induced an increase and a decrease in posterior delta (2–4 Hz) and alpha (8–13 Hz) source activities, respectively. In the MODAFINIL condition, the vigilance enhancer partially recovered those source activities. Conclusions: The present results suggest that posterior delta and alpha source activities may be both related to the regulation of human brain arousal and vigilance in quiet wakefulness. Significance: Future research in healthy young adults may use this methodology to preselect new symptomatic drug candidates designed to normalize brain arousal and vigilance in seniors with dementia
Global and regional brain metabolic scaling and its functional consequences
Background: Information processing in the brain requires large amounts of
metabolic energy, the spatial distribution of which is highly heterogeneous
reflecting complex activity patterns in the mammalian brain.
Results: Here, it is found based on empirical data that, despite this
heterogeneity, the volume-specific cerebral glucose metabolic rate of many
different brain structures scales with brain volume with almost the same
exponent around -0.15. The exception is white matter, the metabolism of which
seems to scale with a standard specific exponent -1/4. The scaling exponents
for the total oxygen and glucose consumptions in the brain in relation to its
volume are identical and equal to , which is significantly larger
than the exponents 3/4 and 2/3 suggested for whole body basal metabolism on
body mass.
Conclusions: These findings show explicitly that in mammals (i)
volume-specific scaling exponents of the cerebral energy expenditure in
different brain parts are approximately constant (except brain stem
structures), and (ii) the total cerebral metabolic exponent against brain
volume is greater than the much-cited Kleiber's 3/4 exponent. The
neurophysiological factors that might account for the regional uniformity of
the exponents and for the excessive scaling of the total brain metabolism are
discussed, along with the relationship between brain metabolic scaling and
computation.Comment: Brain metabolism scales with its mass well above 3/4 exponen
Nuclear Alpha-Particle Condensates
The -particle condensate in nuclei is a novel state described by a
product state of 's, all with their c.o.m. in the lowest 0S orbit. We
demonstrate that a typical -particle condensate is the Hoyle state
( MeV, state in C), which plays a crucial role for
the synthesis of C in the universe. The influence of antisymmentrization
in the Hoyle state on the bosonic character of the particle is
discussed in detail. It is shown to be weak. The bosonic aspects in the Hoyle
state, therefore, are predominant. It is conjectured that -particle
condensate states also exist in heavier nuclei, like O,
Ne, etc. For instance the state of O at MeV
is identified from a theoretical analysis as being a strong candidate of a
condensate. The calculated small width (34 keV) of ,
consistent with data, lends credit to the existence of heavier Hoyle-analogue
states. In non-self-conjugated nuclei such as B and C, we discuss
candidates for the product states of clusters, composed of 's,
triton's, and neutrons etc. The relationship of -particle condensation
in finite nuclei to quartetting in symmetric nuclear matter is investigated
with the help of an in-medium modified four-nucleon equation. A nonlinear order
parameter equation for quartet condensation is derived and solved for
particle condensation in infinite nuclear matter. The strong qualitative
difference with the pairing case is pointed out.Comment: 71 pages, 41 figures, review article, to be published in "Cluster in
Nuclei (Lecture Notes in Physics) - Vol.2 -", ed. by C. Beck,
(Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2011
First events from the CNGS neutrino beam detected in the OPERA experiment
The OPERA neutrino detector at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory (LNGS)
was designed to perform the first detection of neutrino oscillations in
appearance mode, through the study of nu_mu to nu_tau oscillations. The
apparatus consists of a lead/emulsion-film target complemented by electronic
detectors. It is placed in the high-energy, long-baseline CERN to LNGS beam
(CNGS) 730 km away from the neutrino source. In August 2006 a first run with
CNGS neutrinos was successfully conducted. A first sample of neutrino events
was collected, statistically consistent with the integrated beam intensity.
After a brief description of the beam and of the various sub-detectors, we
report on the achievement of this milestone, presenting the first data and some
analysis results.Comment: Submitted to the New Journal of Physic
The Energy Application Domain Extension for CityGML: enhancing interoperability for urban energy simulations
The road towards achievement of the climate protection goals requires, among the rest, a thorough rethinking of the
energy planning tools (and policies) at all levels, from local to global. Nevertheless, it is in the cities where the largest
part of energy is produced and consumed, and therefore it makes sense to focus the attention particularly on the cities
as they yield great potentials in terms of energy consumption reduction and efficiency increase. As a direct
consequence, a comprehensive knowledge of the demand and supply of energy resources, including their spatial
distribution within urban areas, is therefore of utmost importance. Precise, integrated knowledge about 3D urban
space, i.e. all urban (above and underground) features, infrastructures, their functional and semantic characteristics, and
their mutual dependencies and interrelations play a relevant role for advanced simulation and analyses.
As a matter of fact, what in the last years has proven to be an emerging and effective approach is the adoption of
standard-based, integrated semantic 3D virtual city models, which represent an information hub for most of the abovementioned
needs. In particular, being based on open standards (e.g. on the CityGML standard by the Open Geospatial
Consortium), virtual city models firstly reduce the effort in terms of data preparation and provision. Secondly, they offer
clear data structures, ontologies and semantics to facilitate data exchange between different domains and applications.
However, a standardised and omni-comprehensive urban data model covering also the energy domain is still missing
at the time of writing (January 2018). Even CityGML falls partially short when it comes to the definition of specific
entities and attributes for energy-related applications.
Nevertheless, and starting from the current version of CityGML (i.e. 2.0), this article describes the conception and the
definition of an Energy Application Domain Extension (ADE) for CityGML. The Energy ADE is meant to offer a unique
and standard-based data model to fill, on one hand, the above-mentioned gap, and, on the other hand, to allow for
both detailed single-building energy simulation (based on sophisticated models for building physics and occupant
behaviour) and city-wide, bottom-up energy assessments, with particular focus on the buildings sector. The overall
goal is to tackle the existing data interoperability issues when dealing with energy-related applications at urban scale.
The article presents the rationale behind the Energy ADE, it describes its main characteristics, the relation to other
standards, and provides some examples of current applications and case studies already adopting it
- …