291 research outputs found
Global Extinction Risk for Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Near Relatives (Syngnathiformes)
Few marine taxa have been comprehensively assessed for their conservation status, despite heavy pressures from fishing, habitat degradation and climate change. Here we report on the first global assessment of extinction risk for 300 species of syngnathiform fishes known as of 2017, using the IUCN Red List criteria. This order of bony teleosts is dominated by seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (family Syngnathidae). It also includes trumpetfishes (Aulostomidae), shrimpfishes (Centriscidae), cornetfishes (Fistulariidae) and ghost pipefishes (Solenostomidae). At least 6% are threatened, but data suggest a mid-point estimate of 7.9% and an upper bound of 38%. Most of the threatened species are seahorses (Hippocampus spp.: 14/42 species, with an additional 17 that are Data Deficient) or freshwater pipefishes of the genus Microphis (2/18 species, with seven additional that are Data Deficient). Two species are Near Threatened. Nearly one-third of syngnathiformes (97 species) are Data Deficient and could potentially be threatened, requiring further field research and evaluation. Most species (61%) were, however, evaluated as Least Concern. Primary threats to syngnathids are (1) overexploitation, primarily by non-selective fisheries, for which most assessments were determined by criterion A (Hippocampus) and/or (2) habitat loss and degradation, for which assessments were determined by criterion B (Microphis and some Hippocampus). Threatened species occurred in most regions but more are found in East and South-east Asia and in South African estuaries. Vital conservation action for syngnathids, including constraining fisheries, particularly non-selective extraction, and habitat protection and rehabilitation, will benefit many other aquatic species
Relativistic mean-field study of neutron-rich nuclei
A relativistic mean-field model is used to study the ground-state properties
of neutron-rich nuclei. Nonlinear isoscalar-isovector terms, unconstrained by
present day phenomenology, are added to the model Lagrangian in order to modify
the poorly known density dependence of the symmetry energy. These new terms
soften the symmetry energy and reshape the theoretical neutron drip line
without compromising the agreement with existing ground-state information. A
strong correlation between the neutron radius of 208Pb and the binding energy
of valence orbitals is found: the smaller the neutron radius of 208Pb, the
weaker the binding energy of the last occupied neutron orbital. Thus, models
with the softest symmetry energy are the first ones to drip neutrons. Further,
in anticipation of the upcoming one-percent measurement of the neutron radius
of 208Pb at the Thomas Jefferson Laboratory, a close relationship between the
neutron radius of 208Pb and neutron radii of elements of relevance to atomic
parity-violating experiments is established.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Parity Violating Measurements of Neutron Densities
Parity violating electron nucleus scattering is a clean and powerful tool for
measuring the spatial distributions of neutrons in nuclei with unprecedented
accuracy. Parity violation arises from the interference of electromagnetic and
weak neutral amplitudes, and the of the Standard Model couples primarily
to neutrons at low . The data can be interpreted with as much confidence
as electromagnetic scattering. After briefly reviewing the present theoretical
and experimental knowledge of neutron densities, we discuss possible parity
violation measurements, their theoretical interpretation, and applications. The
experiments are feasible at existing facilities. We show that theoretical
corrections are either small or well understood, which makes the interpretation
clean. The quantitative relationship to atomic parity nonconservation
observables is examined, and we show that the electron scattering asymmetries
can be directly applied to atomic PNC because the observables have
approximately the same dependence on nuclear shape.Comment: 38 pages, 7 ps figures, very minor changes, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Reevaluation of the role of nuclear uncertainties in experiments on atomic parity violation with isotopic chains
In light of new data on neutron distributions from experiments with
antiprotonic atoms [ Trzcinska {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 082501
(2001)], we reexamine the role of nuclear-structure uncertainties in the
interpretation of measurements of parity violation in atoms using chains of
isotopes of the same element. With these new nuclear data, we find an
improvement in the sensitivity of isotopic chain measurements to ``new
physics'' beyond the standard model. We compare possible constraints on ``new
physics'' with the most accurate to date single-isotope probe of parity
violation in the Cs atom. We conclude that presently isotopic chain experiments
employing atoms with nuclear charges Z < 50 may result in more accurate tests
of the weak interaction.Comment: 6 pages, 1 fig., submitted to Phys. Rev.
Interstitials, Vacancies and Dislocations in Flux-Line Lattices: A Theory of Vortex Crystals, Supersolids and Liquids
We study a three dimensional Abrikosov vortex lattice in the presence of an
equilibrium concentration of vacancy, interstitial and dislocation loops.
Vacancies and interstitials renormalize the long-wavelength bulk and tilt
elastic moduli. Dislocation loops lead to the vanishing of the long-wavelength
shear modulus. The coupling to vacancies and interstitials - which are always
present in the liquid state - allows dislocations to relax stresses by climbing
out of their glide plane. Surprisingly, this mechanism does not yield any
further independent renormalization of the tilt and compressional moduli at
long wavelengths. The long wavelength properties of the resulting state are
formally identical to that of the ``flux-line hexatic'' that is a candidate
``normal'' hexatically ordered vortex liquid state.Comment: 21 RevTeX pgs, 7 eps figures uuencoded; corrected typos, published
versio
Nuclear Skins and Halos in the Mean-Field Theory
Nuclei with large neutron-to-proton ratios have neutron skins, which manifest
themselves in an excess of neutrons at distances greater than the radius of the
proton distribution. In addition, some drip-line nuclei develop very extended
halo structures. The neutron halo is a threshold effect; it appears when the
valence neutrons occupy weakly bound orbits. In this study, nuclear skins and
halos are analyzed within the self-consistent Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov
and relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theories for spherical shapes. It is
demonstrated that skins, halos, and surface thickness can be analyzed in a
model-independent way in terms of nucleonic density form factors. Such an
analysis allows for defining a quantitative measure of the halo size. The
systematic behavior of skins, halos, and surface thickness in even-even nuclei
is discussed.Comment: 22 RevTeX pages, 22 EPS figures included, submitted to Physical
Review
Isospin breaking corrections to nucleon form factors in the constituent quark model
We examine isospin breaking in the nucleon wave functions due to the
quark mass difference and the Coulomb interaction among the quarks, and their
consequences on the nucleon electroweak form factors in a nonrelativistic
constituent quark model. The mechanically induced isospin breaking in the
nucleon wave functions and electroweak form factors are exactly evaluated in
this model. We calculate the electromagnetically induced isospin admixtures by
using first-order perturbation theory, including the lowest-lying resonance
with nucleon quantum numbers but isospin 3/2. We find a small (), but
finite correction to the anomalous magnetic moments of the nucleon stemming
almost entirely from the quark mass difference, while the static nucleon axial
coupling remains uncorrected. Corrections of the same order of magnitude appear
in charge, magnetic, and axial radii of the nucleon. The correction to the
charge radius in this model is primarily isoscalar, and may be of some
significance for the extraction of the strangeness radius from e.g. elastic
forward angle parity violating electron-proton asymmetries, or elastic
experiments.Comment: 15 pp(22 as preprint), revtex, 3 uuencoded figs at end of this fil
Biochemical Responses of Asparagus to Controlled Atmosphere Storage at 20 Degrees C
In seeking to understand the beneficial effects of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage at 20 degrees C on asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.), biochemical responses of spear tips stored in air were compared with those of spears stored under CA (2% 02, 10% CO2). CA storage prevented the rapid loss of sucrose, increased acid invertase activity and asparagine accumulation observed in the tips of spears stored in air. CA storage also delayed changes in the levels of glutamine, malic, citric and fumaric acids, compared with those in tips of air-stored spears. Elongation observed in water-fed spears in air was reduced by CA. It is proposed that CA acted by depressing metabolism to such an extent that sucrose levels were maintained in the spear tip and this, in turn, prevented the cascade of metabolic events that contribute to spear deterioration in air
Predictions of total and total reaction cross sections for nucleon-nucleus scattering up to 300 MeV
Total reaction cross sections are predicted for nucleons scattering from various nuclei. Projectile energies to 300 MeV are considered. So also are mass variations of those cross sections at selected energies. All predictions have been obtained from coordinate space optical potentials formed by full folding effective two-nucleon (NN) interactions with one body density matrix elements (OBDME) of the nuclear ground states. Good comparisons with data result when effective NN interactions defined by medium modification of free NN t matrices are used. Coupled with analyses of differential cross sections, these results are sensitive to details of the model ground states used to describe nuclei
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