Recent developments in the eikonal description of the breakup of exotic nuclei

The study of exotic nuclear structures, such as halo nuclei, is usually performed through nuclear reactions. An accurate reaction model coupled to a realistic description of the projectile is needed to correctly interpret experimental data. In this contribution, we briefly summarise the assumptions made within the modelling of reactions involving halo nuclei. We describe briefly the Continuum-Discretised Coupled Channel method (CDCC) and the Dynamical Eikonal Approximation (DEA) in particular and present a comparison between them for the breakup of 15C on Pb at 68AMeV. We show the problem faced by the models based on the eikonal approximation at low energy and detail a correction that enables their extension down to lower beam energies. A new reaction observable is also presented. It consists of the ratio between angular distributions for two different processes, such as elastic scattering and breakup. This ratio is completely independent of the reaction mechanism and hence is more sensitive to the projectile structure than usual reaction observables, which makes it a very powerful tool to study exotic structures far from stability.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of the XXI International School on Nuclear Physics and Applications & the International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei, dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the JINR (Dubna) (Varna, Bulgaria, 6-12 September 2015), 7 pages, 4 figure

Water vapor and silicon monoxide maser observations in the protoplanetary nebula OH 231.8+4

OH 231.8+4.2 is a well studied preplanetary nebula (pPN) around a binary stellar system that shows a remarkable bipolar outflow. To study the structure and kinematics of the inner 10-80 AU nebular regions we performed high-resolution observations of the H$_2$O 6$_{1,6}$--5$_{2,3}$ and $^{28}$SiO $v$=2, $J$=1--0 maser emissions with the Very Long Baseline Array. The absolute position of both emission distributions were recovered using the phase referencing technique, and accurately registered in HST optical images. H$_2$O maser clumps are found to be distributed in two areas of 20 mas in size spatially displaced by $\sim$60 milli-arcseconds along an axis oriented nearly north-south. SiO masers are tentatively found to be placed between the two H$_2$O maser emitting regions, probably indicating the position of the Mira component of the system. The SiO maser emission traces an inner equatorial component with a diameter of 12 AU, probably a disk rotating around the M-type star. Outwards, we detect in the H$_2$O data a pair of polar caps, separated by 80 AU. We believe that the inner regions of the nebula probably have been altered by the presence of the companion, leading to an equator-to-pole density contrast that may explain the lack of H$_2$O masers and strong SiO maser emission in the denser, equatorial regions.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, A&A accepte

A new model of justice that repairs the damage caused

L’objectiu d’aquest article és exposar, d’una banda, les bases que sustenten el dret penal des d’un plantejament divulgatiu que ajudi a comprendre a un públic no necessàriament especialitzat els fins de la pena, així com els diversos models de càstig i tractament quehistòricament s’han aplicat a les persones que han comès un delicte. Però, d’altra banda, el text pretén avançar en la modernització de la justícia, després d’assenyalar els límits que el sistema penal troba en l’actualitat. Així, es planteja un seguit de propostes que des del prisma d’una justícia restaurativa significarien no només unes penes més actuals i més acords a la dignitat humana, sinó que també serien més sostenibles tant des d’un punt de vista social com econòmic. La justícia restaurativa, amb els seus inseparables elements ètics, és, en aquest sentit, el paradigma des del qual entenem que la justícia penal es pot is’ha de modificar atribuint a la reparació un important paper durant tot el procés.El objetivo de este artículo es exponer, por un lado, las bases que sustentan el derecho penal desde un planteamiento divulgativo que ayude a comprender a un público no necesariamente especializado los fines de la pena, así como los diversos modelos de castigo y tratamiento que históricamente se han aplicado a las personas que han cometido un delito.Pero, por otro, el texto pretende avanzar en la modernización de la justicia, tras señalar los límites que el sistema penal encuentra en la actualidad. Así, se plantea una serie de propuestas que desde el prisma de una justicia restaurativa significarían no solo unas penas más actuales y más acordes a la dignidad humana, sino que también serían mássostenibles tanto desde un punto de vista social como económico. La justicia restaurativa, con sus inseparables elementos éticos, es, en este sentido, el paradigma desde el que entendemos que la justicia penal puede y debe modificarse atribuyendo a la reparación un importante papel durante todo el proceso.The aim of this article is, on the one hand, to set out in a clear expository form the bases that underpin Spanish criminal law, in order to assist a generally non-specialist public in understanding the objectives of sentencing and the different models of punishment and treatment that have historically been applied to people convicted of a crime. On the other hand, the article seeks to contribute to the modernization of criminal justice by noting some of the limitations under which the penal systemcurrently labours. To this end it puts forward a series of proposals from the perspective of restorative justice which would make sentencing not only less antiquated and more consistent with human dignity, but would also bemore sustainable from both a social and an economic point of view. Restorative justice, with its inseparable ethical elements, is, in this respect, the paradigm from which we consider that criminal justice can and should be modified, in assigning an important role in the whole process to reparation

RAEGE: An Atlantic Network of Geodynamical Fundamental Stations

Project RAEGE (Red Atlantica de Estaciones Geodinamicas y Espaciales) intends to set up a Spanish-Portuguese network of four Geodetic Fundamental Stations in Yebes (1), Canary Islands (1), and A cores Islands (2), as part of the developments needed for the IVS VLBI2010 scenario. It is envisaged that each Geodetic Fundamental Station will be equipped with one radio telescope of VLBI2010 specifications (at least 12-m diameter, fast slewing speed, but also able to operate up to 40 GHz), one gravimeter, one permanent GNSS station, and, at least at the Yebes site, one SLR facility. The National Geographical Institute of Spain (IGN) has experience in VLBI, having been a member of the European VLBI Network since 1993 and being one of the founding institutions of the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE), and it has been participating in geodetic VLBI campaigns with the 14-m radio telescope in Yebes since 1995. A new 40-m radio telescope has been built and was recently put into operation. It regularly participates in IVS sessions. There is infrastructure available for the new stations at Yebes and the Canary Islands. An agreement between IGN, the Portuguese Geographical Institute (IGP), and the Regional Government of the A cores ensures that the RAEGE project can become a reality by 2013

Interaction of carbon clusters with Ni(100) : Application to the nucleation of carbon nanotubes

In order to understand the first stages of the nucleation of carbon nanotubes in catalytic processes, we present a tight-binding Monte Carlo study of the stability and cohesive mechanisms of different carbon structures deposited on nickel (100) surfaces. Depending on the geometry, we obtain contrasted results. On the one hand, the analysis of the local energy distributions of flat carbon sheets, demonstrate that dangling bonds remain unsaturated in spite of the presence of the metallic catalyst. Their adhesion results from the energy gain of the surface Ni atoms located below the carbon nanostructure. On the other hand, carbon caps are stabilized by the presence of carbon atoms occupying the hollow sites of the fcc nickel structure suggesting the saturation of the dangling bonds

Detection of chromothripsis-like patterns with a custom array platform for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License.-- et al.Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a common disease with highly variable clinical course. Several recurrent chromosomal alterations are associated with prognosis and may guide risk-adapted therapy. We have developed a targeted genome-wide array to provide a robust tool for ascertaining abnormalities in CLL and to overcome limitations of the 4-marker fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). DNA from 180 CLL patients were hybridized to the qChip®Hemo array with a high density of probes covering commonly altered loci in CLL (11q22-q23, 13q14, and 17p13), nine focal regions (2p15-p16.1, 2p24.3, 2q13, 2q36.3-q37.1, 3p21.31, 8q24.21, 9p21.3, 10q24.32, and 18q21.32-q21.33) and two larger regions (6q14.1-q22.31 and 7q31.33-q33). Overall, 86% of the cases presented copy number alterations (CNA) by array. There was a high concordance of array findings with FISH (84% sensitivity, 100% specificity); all discrepancies corresponded to subclonal alterations detected only by FISH. A chromothripsis-like pattern was detected in eight cases. Three showed concomitant shattered 5p with gain of TERT along with isochromosome 17q. Presence of 11q loss was associated with shorter time to first treatment (P=0.003), whereas 17p loss, increased genomic complexity, and chromothripsis were associated with shorter overall survival (P<0.001, P=0.001, and P=0.02, respectively). In conclusion, we have validated a targeted array for the diagnosis of CLL that accurately detects, in a single experiment, all relevant CNAs, genomic complexity, chromothripsis, copy number neutral loss of heterozygosity, and CNAs not covered by the FISH panel. This test may be used as a practical tool to stratify CLL patients for routine diagnostics or clinical trials.Supported by: Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Grant numbers: PI11/01177, PI14/00571; Worldwide Cancer Research; Grant number: 12-0142; Marato de TV3; Grant number: TV3-Cancer/2013410; Generalitat de Catalunya Suport Grups de Recerca; Grant number: 2013-SGR-378; Red Tematica de Investigacion Cooperativa en Cancer (RTICC), Grant numbers: RD12/0036/0036, RD12/0036/0023, RD12/0036/0004, RD12/0036/0069; Subprograma Juan de la Cierva, Grant number: JCI-2011-10232; Miguel Servet Contract, Grant number: CP13/00159; the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) through the ISCIII —International Cancer Genome Consortium for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (ICGC-CLL Genome Project); Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats” (ICREA) of the Generalitat de Catalunya; European Regional Development Fund “Una manera de fer Europa”; Alexander von Humboldt Post-doctoral Fellowship.Peer Reviewe

Global e-VLBI observations of the gamma-ray narrow line Seyfert 1 PMN J0948+0022

There is growing evidence of relativistic jets in radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (RL-NLS1) galaxies. We constrain the observational properties of the radio emission in the first RL-NLS1 galaxy ever detected in gamma-rays, PMN J0948+0022, i.e., its flux density and structure in total intensity and in polarization, its compactness, and variability. We performed three real-time e-VLBI observations of PMN J0948+0022 at 22 GHz, using a global array including telescopes in Europe, East Asia, and Australia. These are the first e-VLBI science observations ever carried out with a global array, reaching a maximum baseline length of 12458 km. The observations were part of a large multiwavelength campaign in 2009. The source is detected at all three epochs. The structure is dominated by a bright component, more compact than 55 microarcsec, with a fainter component at a position angle theta~ 35deg. Relativistic beaming is required by the observed brightness temperature of 3.4x10^11 K. Polarization is detected at a level of about 1%. The parameters derived by the VLBI observations, in addition to the broad-band properties, confirm that PMN J0948+0022 is similar to flat spectrum radio quasars. Global e-VLBI is a reliable and promising technique for future studies.Comment: Accepted for publication as a Letter in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Advanced breast cancer clinical nursing curriculum: review and recommendations

Purpose The needs and concerns of patients with advanced breast cancer are changing at every phase of the care intervention. Management and coordination of hospital resources and services are also steadily evolving. The objective of the present expert report is to define a new oncology nursing role specialising in advanced breast cancer, to help guide patients throughout the whole healthcare itinerary. Methods A group of eight experts in oncology nursing and medical oncology defined the content index of the curriculum document. A systematic review of bibliography was carried out, and the relevant contents were extracted. Based on these contents and the participants’ experience recommendations were formulated and validated through a Delphi questionnaire and a participative meeting. Results The advanced breast cancer clinical nurse (ABCCN) should develop a clinical, psychosocial role focused on coordinating patients in the healthcare network. The nurse would be in charge of evaluating and supervising the care administered and the healthcare resources used. The ABCCN should be aware and participate in the protocols and available resources, be able to solve conflicts, deal with burn-out signs and have clinical, coaching and team-working abilities. The proposed curriculum provides a specific process for the care of patients, as well as an implementation process. Conclusions The ABCCN’s role is crucial to assume the best care and the optimisation of available resources. This review and consensus document provides the required tools for the implementation in hospitalsThe development of this work has been possible thanks to the financial support of Novartis Oncolog