442 research outputs found
Electroweak Radiative Corrections to Muon Capture
Electroweak radiative corrections to muon capture on nuclei are computed and
found to be sizable. They enhance the capture rates for hydrogen and helium by
2.8% and 3.0% respectively. As a result, the value of the induced pseudoscalar
coupling, g_P^exp, extracted from a recent hydrogen 1S singlet capture
experiment is increased by about 21% to g_P^exp = 7.3 +/- 1.2 and brought into
good agreement with the prediction of chiral perturbation theory,
g_P^theory=8.2 +/- 0.2. Implications for helium capture rate predictions are
also discussed.Comment: 6 page
Measurement of the Rate of Muon Capture in Hydrogen Gas and Determination of the Proton's Pseudoscalar Coupling
The rate of nuclear muon capture by the proton has been measured using a new
experimental technique based on a time projection chamber operating in
ultra-clean, deuterium-depleted hydrogen gas at 1 MPa pressure. The capture
rate was obtained from the difference between the measured
disappearance rate in hydrogen and the world average for the decay
rate. The target's low gas density of 1% compared to liquid hydrogen is key to
avoiding uncertainties that arise from the formation of muonic molecules. The
capture rate from the hyperfine singlet ground state of the atom is
measured to be , from which the induced
pseudoscalar coupling of the nucleon, , is
extracted. This result is consistent with theoretical predictions for
that are based on the approximate chiral symmetry of QCD.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Let
Measurement of the Fermi Constant by FAST
An initial measurement of the lifetime of the positive muon to a precision of
16 parts per million (ppm) has been performed with the FAST detector at the
Paul Scherrer Institute. The result is tau_mu = 2.197083 (32) (15) microsec,
where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. The muon
lifetime determines the Fermi constant, G_F = 1.166353 (9) x 10^-5 GeV^-2 (8
ppm).Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
Caloric curve in Au + Au collisions
Realistic caloric curves are obtained for reaction with
incident energy ranging from 35 to 130 MeV/nucleon in the dynamic statistical
multifragmentation model. It is shown that for excitation energy 3 to 8
MeV/nucleon, the temperature remains constant in the range 5 to 6 MeV, which is
close to experiment. The mechanism of energy deposition through the
tripartition of colliding system envisaged in this model together with
inter-fragment nuclear interaction are found to play important role. A possible
signature of liquid-gas phase transition is seen in the specific heat
distribution calculated from these caloric curves, and the critical temperature
is found to be 6 to 6.5 MeV.Comment: Revtex, 10 pages, 4 postscipt figures, To appear in Phys. Rev. C
(Rapid Communications
Audience responses to representations of family-assisted suicide on British television
Reflecting on different generic conventions, this study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of documentaries and soap operas in addressing the societal and the personal dimensions of family-assisted suicide. Based on an analysis of YouTube user comments, this study compares how audience members respond to representations of family-assisted suicide in British documentaries and soap operas broadcast between 2010 and 2016. The thematic analysis of comments shows key differences between audience engagement with factual and fictional representations. Markers of a political engagement with this sensitive social issue occur more frequently in comments on documentaries than in comments on soap operas. Comments on soap operas are frequently expressions of emotion, or displays of specialist soap opera knowledge
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Compliance to Bleach Disinfection Protocols among Injecting Drug Users in Miami
Bleach cleansing of injection equipment has been recommended to reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission associated with the reuse of injection equipment by injecting drug users (IDUs). We evaluated the recall and performance of the most commonly recommended bleach cleansing procedure of two complete fillings of the syringe with bleach, followed by two complete fillings with rinse water, and not putting used bleach and water back into source containers. IDUs were taught this procedure on enrollment in an HIV prevention demonstration project in Dade County, Florida. During follow-up session 6-12 months after initial training, the knowledge and ability of IDUs to perform bleach cleansing were assessed by trained observers using a standardized method. In 1988-90, we assessed the knowledge and ability of 450 IDUs to perform the bleach cleansing procedure taught at enrollment. More than 90% of IDUs assessed performed the basic steps. However, only 43.1% completely filled the syringe with bleach and only 35.8% completely filled the syringe with bleach at least twice. Substantial proportions of IDUs did not perform all the steps of the previously taught bleach cleansing procedure. Compliance decreased as the number of steps required was increased. This limited compliance may make bleach cleansing less effective and suggests that some IDUs may fail to adequately disinfect injection equipment and therefore sterile needles and syringes are safer than bleach-cleansed ones. Compliance testing can help assess the effectiveness of HIV prevention programs. © 1994 Raven Press, Ltd., New York
Effect of Flow on Caloric Curve for Finite Nuclei
In a finite temperature Thomas-Fermi theory, we construct caloric curves for
finite nuclei enclosed in a freeze-out volume few times the normal nuclear
volume, with and without inclusion of flow. Without flow, the caloric curve
indicates a smooth liquid-gas phase transition whereas with flow, the
transition may be very sharp. We discuss these results in the context of two
recent experiments, one for heavy symmetric system (Au + Au at 600A MeV) and
the other for highly asymmetric system (Au + C at 1A GeV) where different
behaviours in the caloric curves are seen.Comment: 11 pages revtex; 4 figs; version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Muon Physics: A Pillar of the Standard Model
Since its discovery in the 1930s, the muon has played an important role in
our quest to understand the sub-atomic theory of matter. The muon was the first
second-generation standard-model particle to be discovered, and its decay has
provided information on the (Vector -Axial Vector) structure of the weak
interaction, the strength of the weak interaction, G_F, and the conservation of
lepton number (flavor) in muon decay. The muon's anomalous magnetic moment has
played an important role in restricting theories of physics beyond the standard
standard model, where at present there is a 3.4 standard-deviation difference
between the experiment and standard-model theory. Its capture on the atomic
nucleus has provided valuable information on the modification of the weak
current by the strong interaction which is complementary to that obtained from
nuclear beta decay.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. Invited paper for the Journal of Physical Society
in Japan (JPSJ), Special Topics Issue "Frontiers of Elementary Particle
Physics, The Standard Model and beyond
Characterisation of a Desmosterol Reductase Involved in Phytosterol Dealkylation in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori
Most species of invertebrate animals cannot synthesise sterols de novo and many that feed on plants dealkylate phytosterols (mostly C29 and C28) yielding cholesterol (C27). The final step of this dealkylation pathway involves desmosterol reductase (DHCR24)-catalysed reduction of desmosterol to cholesterol. We now report the molecular characterisation in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, of such a desmosterol reductase involved in production of cholesterol from phytosterol, rather than in de novo synthesis of cholesterol. Phylogenomic analysis of putative desmosterol reductases revealed the occurrence of various clades that allowed for the identification of a strong reductase candidate gene in Bombyx mori (BGIBMGA 005735). Following PCR-based cloning of the cDNA (1.6 kb) and its heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisae, the recombinant protein catalysed reduction of desmosterol to cholesterol in an NADH- and FAD- dependent reaction
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