2,122 research outputs found
Systematic investigation of the elastic proton-deuteron differential cross section at intermediate energies
To investigate the importance of three-nucleon forces (3NF) systematically
over a broad range of intermediate energies, the differential cross sections of
elastic proton-deuteron scattering have been measured at proton bombarding
energies of 108, 120, 135, 150, 170 and 190 MeV at center-of-mass angles
between and . Comparisons with Faddeev calculations show
unambiguously the shortcomings of calculations employing only two-body forces
and the necessity of including 3NF. They also show the limitations of the
latest few-nucleon calculations at backward angles, especially at higher beam
energies. Some of these discrepancies could be partially due to relativistic
effects. Data at lowest energy are also compared with a recent calculation
based on \chipt
Calcific uraemic arteriolopathy (calciphylaxis) in patients on renal replacement therapy
Background. Calcific uraemic arteriolopathy (calciphylaxis) is an unusual and potentially fatal condition characterised by small-vessel calcification and ischaemic skin necrosis. It mainly affects patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis, but may rarely occur in the absence of ESRD in conditions such as primary hyperparathyroidism, malignancy, alcoholic liver disease and connective tissue disease.Methods. We reviewed the records of all patients diagnosed with calciphylaxis while on renal replacement therapy at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, between 1990 and 2014, to describe its presentation, course and final outcome.Results. Nineteen patients developed calciphylaxis over this period. Their median age was 34 years and 13 (68.4%) were female. Fifteen (78.9%) had received a kidney transplant. All patients had painful skin lesions that rapidly progressed to infarction. Small-vessel calcification was seen on skin biopsy in 13 patients. Twelve patients had hyperparathyroidism. Several of the transplanted patients had been treated for graft rejection in the year preceding the diagnosis. Treatment consisted of good wound care and efforts to normalise serum calcium and phosphate levels. Five patients received an urgent parathyroidectomy. The outcome was fatal in 17 patients, with sepsis being the main cause of death.Conclusions. In our patients, calciphylaxis carried a worse prognosis than previously reported internationally. It should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of painful skin lesions in the dialysis or transplant patient
Hindrance of Heavy-ion Fusion at Extreme Sub-Barrier Energies in Open-shell Colliding Systems
The excitation function for the fusion-evaporation reaction 64Ni+100Mo has
been measured down to a cross-section of ~5 nb. Extensive coupled-channels
calculations have been performed, which cannot reproduce the steep fall-off of
the excitation function at extreme sub-barrier energies. Thus, this system
exhibits a hindrance for fusion, a phenomenon that has been discovered only
recently. In the S-factor representation introduced to quantify the hindrance,
a maximum is observed at E_s=120.6 MeV, which corresponds to 90% of the
reference energy E_s^ref, a value expected from systematics of closed-shell
systems. A systematic analysis of Ni-induced fusion reactions leading to
compound nuclei with mass A=100-200 is presented in order to explore a possible
dependence of the fusion hindrance on nuclear structure.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
S17(0) Determined from the Coulomb Breakup of 83 MeV/nucleon 8B
A kinematically complete measurement was made of the Coulomb dissociation of
8B nuclei on a Pb target at 83 MeV/nucleon. The cross section was measured at
low relative energies in order to infer the astrophysical S factor for the
7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction. A first-order perturbation theory analysis of the
reaction dynamics including E1, E2, and M1 transitions was employed to extract
the E1 strength relevant to neutrino-producing reactions in the solar interior.
By fitting the measured cross section from Erel = 130 keV to 400 keV, we find
S17(0) = 17.8 (+1.4, -1.2) eV b
Nuclear structure beyond the neutron drip line: the lowest energy states in He via their T=5/2 isobaric analogs in Li
The level structure of the very neutron rich and unbound He nucleus has
been the subject of significant experimental and theoretical study. Many recent
works have claimed that the two lowest energy He states exist with spins
and and widths on the order of hundreds of keV.
These findings cannot be reconciled with our contemporary understanding of
nuclear structure. The present work is the first high-resolution study with low
statistical uncertainty of the relevant excitation energy range in the
He system, performed via a search for the T=5/2 isobaric analog states
in Li populated through He+p elastic scattering. The present data show
no indication of any narrow structures. Instead, we find evidence for a broad
state in He located approximately 3 MeV above the neutron
decay threshold
Sports teams as complex adaptive systems: manipulating player numbers shapes behaviours during football small-sided games
Small-sided and conditioned games (SSCGs) in sport have been modelled as complex adaptive systems. Research has shown that the relative space per player (RSP) formulated in SSCGs can impact on emergent tactical behaviours. In this study we adopted a systems orientation to analyse how different RSP values, obtained through manipulations of player numbers, influenced four measures of interpersonal coordination observed during performance in SSCGs. For this purpose we calculated positional data (GPS 15 Hz) from ten U-15 football players performing in three SSCGs varying in player numbers (3v3, 4v4 and 5v5). Key measures of SSCG system behaviours included values of (1) playersâ dispersion, (2) teamsâ separateness, (3) coupling strength and time delays between participantsâ emerging movements, respectively. Results showed that values of participantsâ dispersion increased, but the teamsâ separateness remained identical across treatments. Coupling strength and time delay also showed consistent values across SSCGs. These results exemplified how complex adaptive systems, like football teams, can harness inherent degeneracy to maintain similar team spatialâtemporal relations with opponents through changes in inter-individual coordination modes (i.e., playersâ dispersion). The results imply that different team behaviours might emerge at different ratios of field dimension/player numbers. Therefore, sport pedagogists should carefully evaluate the effects of changing RSP in SSCGs as a way of promoting increased or decreased pressure on players
Electromagnetic Dissociation of 8B and the Rate of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B Reaction in the Sun
In an effort to better determine the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction rate, we have
performed inclusive and exclusive measurements of the Coulomb dissociation of
8B. The former was a study of longitudinal momentum distributions of 7Be
fragments emitted in the Coulomb breakup of intermediate energy 8B beams on Pb
and Ag targets. Analysis of these data yielded the E2 contribution to the
breakup cross section. In the exclusive measurement, we determined the cross
section for the Coulomb breakup of 8B on Pb at low relative energies in order
to infer the astrophysical S factor for the 7Be(p,gamma)8B reaction.
Interpreting the measurements with 1st-order perturbation theory, we obtained
SE2/SE1 = 4.7 (+ 2.0,- 1.3) times 10^-4 at Erel = 0.6 MeV, and S17(0) = 17.8 (+
1.4,- 1.2) eV b. Semiclassical 1st-order perturbation theory and fully quantum
mechanical continuum-discretized coupled channels analyses yield nearly
identical results for the E1 strength relevant to solar neutrino flux
calculations, suggesting that theoretical reaction mechanism uncertainties need
not limit the precision of Coulomb breakup determinations of the 7Be(p,gamma)8B
S factor. A recommended value of S17(0) based on a weighted average of this and
other measurements is presented
Evaluation of Modern 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be Data
In both the Sun and the early universe, the 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be reaction
plays a key role. The rate of this reaction is the least certain nuclear input
needed to calculate both the primordial 7Li abundance in big bang
nucleosynthesis (BBN) and the solar neutrino flux. Taking advantage of several
recent highly precise experiments, we analyse modern 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be data
using a robust and minimally model dependent approach capable of handling
discrepant data sets dominated by systematic rather than statistical errors. We
find S34(0)=0.580 pm 0.043(0.054) keV b at the 68.3(95.4)% confidence level.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure
Extended States in a One-dimensional Generalized Dimer Model
The transmission coefficient for a one dimensional system is given in terms
of Chebyshev polynomials using the tight-binding model. This result is applied
to a system composed of two impurities located between sites of a host
lattice. It is found that the system has extended states for several values of
the energy. Analytical expressions are given for the impurity site energy in
terms of the electron's energy. The number of resonant states grows like the
number of host sites between the impurities. This property makes the system
interesting since it is a simple task to design a configuration with resonant
energy very close to the Fermi level .Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Spectroscopy of Po
Prompt, in-beam rays following the reaction Yb + 142 MeV
Si were measured at the ATLAS facility using 10 Compton-suppressed Ge
detectors and the Fragment Mass Analyzer. Transitions in Po were
identified and placed using -ray singles and coincidence data gated on
the mass of the evaporation residues. A level spectrum up to
J10 was established. The structure of Po is more
collective than that observed in the heavier polonium isotopes and indicates
that the structure has started to evolve towards the more collective nature
expected for deformed nuclei.Comment: 8 pages, revtex 3.0, 4 figs. available upon reques
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