On-line Excited-State Laser Spectroscopy of Trapped Short-Lived Ra+^+ Ions

As an important step towards an atomic parity violation experiment in one single trapped Ra$^+$ ion, laser spectroscopy experiments were performed with on-line produced short-lived $^{212,213,214}$Ra$^+$ ions. The isotope shift of the 6\,^2D$_{3/2}$\,-\,7\,^2P$_{1/2}$ and 6\,^2D$_{3/2}$\,-\,7\,^2P$_{3/2}$ transitions and the hyperfine structure constant of the 7\,^2S$_{1/2}$ and 6\,^2D$_{3/2}$ states in $^{213}$Ra$^+$ were measured. These values provide a benchmark for the required atomic theory. A lower limit of $232(4)$ ms for the lifetime of the metastable 6\,^2D$_{5/2}$ state was measured by optical shelving.Comment: 4.2 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables

Isotope Shifts of the 6d\,^2D3/2 _{3/2}\, - 7p\,^2P1/2 _{1/2}\, Transition in Trapped Short-Lived 209−214^{209-214}Ra+^+

Laser spectroscopy of short-lived radium isotopes in a linear Paul trap has been performed. The isotope shifts of the 6d\,^2D$_{3/2}\,$ - 7p\,^2P$_{1/2}\,$ transition in $^{209-214}$Ra$^+$ were measured, which are sensitive to the short range part of the atomic wavefunctions. The results are essential experimental input for improving the precision of atomic structure calculation. This is indispensable for parity violation in Ra$^+$ aiming at the determination of the weak mixing angle.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review A as a Rapid Communicatio

Measurement of the half-life of the T=12\frac{1}{2} mirror decay of 19^{19}Ne and its implication on physics beyond the standard model

The $\frac{1}{2}^+ \rightarrow \frac{1}{2}^+$ superallowed mixed mirror decay of $^{19}$Ne to $^{19}$F is excellently suited for high precision studies of the weak interaction. However, there is some disagreement on the value of the half-life. In a new measurement we have determined this quantity to be $T_{1/2}$ = $17.2832 \pm 0.0051_{(stat)}$ $\pm 0.0066_{(sys)}$ s, which differs from the previous world average by 3 standard deviations. The impact of this measurement on limits for physics beyond the standard model such as the presence of tensor currents is discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Inguinal microbiome in patients undergoing an endovascular aneurysm repair:Application of next-generation sequencing of the 16S-23S rRNA regions

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) remains a hazardous complication after vascular surgery. In this pilot study we investigated the inguinal microbiome in skin biopsies using histology and 16S-23S rDNA Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Our hypothesis was that causative microorganisms of SSI are present in the inguinal microbiome. Methods: Data on surgical site infections and skin samples from the Percutaneous in Endovascular Repair versus Open (PiERO) trail were evaluated. Two patients with SSI were matched for age and comorbidity to eight matching patients of the PiERO trial. All patients were treated for an abdominal aortic aneurysm with endovascular repair. Nasal and perineal cultures were taken preoperatively to detect Staphylococcus aureus carriage. After disinfection with chlorhexidine, groin biopsies were taken to identify bacteria in deeper skin layers. All samples were subjected to histological analysis and culture-free 16S-23S rDNA NGS. Results: Staphylococcus aureus species were cultured in 5 out of 20 preoperative nasal and perineal swaps. Histology detected only a few bacteria, NGS of the 16S-23S rRNA regions identified DNA of bacterial species in all biopsies (20/20). Most identified genera and species proved to be known skin flora bacteria. No relation was found between SSIs and the preoperative microbiome. Conclusion: In this pilot study, an innovative analysis of the preoperative microbiome using 16S-23S rDNA NGS did not show a relation with the occurrence of a surgical site infection. No pathogenic bacterial species were present in the inguinal skin after disinfection with chiorhexidine

Production of short lived radioactive beams of radium

Short lived $^{212,213,214}$Ra isotopes have been produced at the TRI$\mu$P facility in inverse kinematics via the fusion-evaporation reaction $^{206}$Pb+$^{12}$C at 8 MeV/u. Isotopes are separated from other reaction products online using the TRI$\mu$P magnetic separator. The energetic radium (Ra) isotopes at the exit of the separator were converted into low energy ions with a thermal ionizer. Ra isotopes have been identified by observing their $\alpha$ decay and life times.Comment: 9 pages including 4 figures and 1 tabl

On-line Excited-State Laser Spectroscopy of Trapped Short-Lived Ra+^+ Ions

As an important step towards an atomic parity violation experiment in one single trapped Ra$^+$ ion, laser spectroscopy experiments were performed with on-line produced short-lived $^{212,213,214}$Ra$^+$ ions. The isotope shift of the 6\,^2D$_{3/2}$\,-\,7\,^2P$_{1/2}$ and 6\,^2D$_{3/2}$\,-\,7\,^2P$_{3/2}$ transitions and the hyperfine structure constant of the 7\,^2S$_{1/2}$ and 6\,^2D$_{3/2}$ states in $^{213}$Ra$^+$ were measured. These values provide a benchmark for the required atomic theory. A lower limit of $232(4)$ ms for the lifetime of the metastable 6\,^2D$_{5/2}$ state was measured by optical shelving

Effect of frailty on quality of life in elderly patients after hip fracture:A longitudinal study

Objectives The aims of this study were to examine the pattern of changes over time in health status (HS) and quality of life (QoL) in the first year after hip fracture and to quantify the association between frailty at the onset of hip fracture and the change in HS and QoL 1 year later. The major hypothesis was that frailty, a clinical state of increased vulnerability, is a good predictor of QoL in patients recovering from hip fracture. Design Prospective, observational, follow-up cohort study. Setting Secondary care. Ten participating centres in Brabant, the Netherlands. Participants 1091 patients entered the study and 696 patients completed the study. Patients with a hip fracture aged 65 years and older or proxy respondents for patients with cognitive impairment were included in this study. Main outcome measures The primary outcomes were HS (EuroQol-5 Dimensions questionnaire) and capability well-being (ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people). Prefracture frailty was defined with the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), with GFI >= 4 indicating frailty. Participants were followed up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after hospital admission. Results In total, 371 patients (53.3%) were considered frail. Frailty was negatively associated with HS (beta -0.333; 95% CI -0.366 to -0.299), self-rated health (beta -21.9; 95% CI -24.2 to -19.6) and capability well-being (beta -0.296; 95% CI -0.322 to -0.270) in elderly patients 1 year after hip fracture. After adjusting for confounders, including death, prefracture HS, age, prefracture residential status, prefracture mobility, American Society of Anesthesiologists grading and dementia, associations were weakened but remained significant. Conclusions We revealed that frailty is negatively associated with QoL 1 year after hip fracture, even after adjusting for confounders. This finding suggests that early identification of prefracture frailty in patients with a hip fracture is important for prognostic counselling, care planning and the tailoring of treatment