1,022 research outputs found
CALCULATION OF RADIAL NEUTRON-FLUX DISTRIBUTION IN EGCR LATTICE CELL
The neutron flux distributions in an EGCR cell containing seven and clusters of 2.0 and 2.6a enriched uranium odde were obtained by using a one- velocity, one-dimensional P-3 solution to the neutron transport equation and adjusting fluxes in the fuel cluster in a manner which is consistent with previous comparisons of experiments and calculated distributions. Flux traverses in the outer rod perpendicular to diameter of the cluster are also presented. (auth
Circadian and Homeostatic Modulation of Multi-Unit Activity in Midbrain Dopaminergic Structures
Circadian clocks in health and diseas
Mechanisms of sleep/wake regulation under hypodopaminergic state: insights from the MitoPark mouse model of Parkinson's disease
Sleep/wake alterations are predominant in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders involving dopamine dysfunction. Unfortunately, specific, mechanisms-based therapies for these debilitating sleep problems are currently lacking. The pathophysiological mechanisms of sleep/wake alterations within a hypodopaminergic MitoPark mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD) are investigated. MitoPark mice replicate most PD-related sleep alterations, including sleep fragmentation, hypersomnia, and daytime sleepiness. Surprisingly, these alterations are not accounted for by a dysfunction in the circadian or homeostatic regulatory processes of sleep, nor by acute masking effects of light or darkness. Rather, the sleep phenotype is linked with the impairment of instrumental arousal and sleep modulation by behavioral valence. These alterations correlate with changes in high-theta (8–11.5 Hz) electroencephalogram power density during motivationally-charged wakefulness. These results demonstrate that sleep/wake alterations induced by dopamine dysfunction are mediated by impaired modulation of sleep by motivational valence and provide translational insights into sleep problems associated with disorders linked to dopamine dysfunction. Circadian clocks in health and diseas
Probing astrophysically important states in the ²⁶Mg nucleus to study neutron sources for the s process
Background: The ²²Ne(α,n) ²⁵Mg reaction is the dominant neutron source for the slow neutron capture process (s process) in massive stars, and contributes, together with C¹³(α,n)O¹⁶, to the production of neutrons for the s process in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. However, the reaction is endothermic and competes directly with ²²Ne(α,γ)²⁶Mg radiative capture. The uncertainties for both reactions are large owing to the uncertainty in the level structure of ²⁶Mg near the α and neutron separation energies. These uncertainties affect the s-process nucleosynthesis calculations in theoretical stellar models. Purpose: Indirect studies in the past have been successful in determining the energies and the γ-ray and neutron widths of the Mg26 states in the energy region of interest. But, the high Coulomb barrier hinders a direct measurement of the resonance strengths, which are determined by the α widths for these states. The goal of the present experiments is to identify the critical resonance states and to precisely measure the α widths by α-transfer techniques. Methods: The α-inelastic scattering and α-transfer measurements were performed on a solid ²⁶Mg target and a ²²Ne gas target, respectively, using the Grand Raiden Spectrometer at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics in Osaka, Japan. The (α,α′) measurements were performed at 0.45°, 4.1°, 8.6°, and 11.1° and the (⁶Li,d) measurements at 0° and 10°. The scattered α particles and deuterons were detected by the focal plane detection system consisting of multiwire drift chambers and plastic scintillators. The focal plane energy calibration allowed the study of ²⁶Mg levels from Eₓ = 7.69–12.06 MeV in the (α,α′) measurement and Eₓ = 7.36–11.32 MeV in the (⁶Li,d) measurement. Results: Six levels (Eₓ = 10717, 10822, 10951, 11085, 11167, and 11317 keV) were observed above the α threshold in the region of interest (10.61–11.32 MeV). The α widths were calculated for these states from the experimental data. The results were used to determine the α-capture induced reaction rates. Conclusion: The energy range above the α threshold in ²⁶Mg was investigated using a high resolution spectrometer. A number of states were observed for the first time in α-scattering and α-transfer reactions. The excitation energies and spin-parities were determined. Good agreement is observed for previously known levels in ²⁶Mg. From the observed resonance levels the Eₓ = 10717 keV state has a negligible contribution to the α-induced reaction rates. The rates are dominated in both reaction channels by the resonance contributions of the states at Ex = 10951, 11167, and 11317 keV. The Eₓ = 11167 keV state has the most appreciable impact on the (α,γ) rate and therefore plays an important role in the prediction of the neutron production in s-process environments
Technologies of sleep research
Sleep is investigated in many different ways, many different species and under many different circumstances. Modern sleep research is a multidisciplinary venture. Therefore, this review cannot give a complete overview of all techniques used in sleep research and sleep medicine. What it will try to do is to give an overview of widely applied techniques and exciting new developments. Electroencephalography has been the backbone of sleep research and sleep medicine since its first application in the 1930s. The electroencephalogram is still used but now combined with many different techniques monitoring body and brain temperature, changes in brain and blood chemistry, or changes in brain functioning. Animal research has been very important for progress in sleep research and sleep medicine. It provides opportunities to investigate the sleeping brain in ways not possible in healthy volunteers. Progress in genomics has brought new insights in sleep regulation, the best example being the discovery of hypocretin/orexin deficiency as the cause of narcolepsy. Gene manipulation holds great promise for the future since it is possible not only to investigate the functions of different genes under normal conditions, but also to mimic human pathology in much greater detail
Report of the QCD Working Group
The activities of the QCD working group concentrated on improving the
understanding and Monte Carlo simulation of multi-jet final states due to hard
QCD processes at LEP, i.e. quark-antiquark plus multi-gluon and/or secondary
quark production, with particular emphasis on four-jet final states and b-quark
mass effects. Specific topics covered are: relevant developments in the main
event generators PYTHIA, HERWIG and ARIADNE; the new multi-jet generator
APACIC++; description and tuning of inclusive (all-flavour) jet rates; quark
mass effects in the three- and four-jet rates; mass, higher-order and
hadronization effects in four-jet angular and shape distributions; b-quark
fragmentation and gluon splitting into b-quarks.Comment: 95 pages, 48 figures, contribution to Proceedings of the LEP2 Monte
Carlo Workshop. References for NLO 4-jet matrix elements adde
Measurements of proton induced reaction cross sections on 120Te for the astrophysical p-process
The total cross sections for the 120Te(p,gamma)121I and 120Te(p,n)120I
reactions have been measured by the activation method in the effective
center-of-mass energies between 2.47 MeV and 7.93 MeV. The targets were
prepared by evaporation of 99.4 % isotopically enriched 120Te on Aluminum and
Carbon backing foils, and bombarded with proton beams provided by the FN tandem
accelerator at the University of Notre Dame. The cross sections and factors
were deduced from the observed gamma ray activity, which was detected off-line
by two Clover HPGe detectors mounted in close geometry. The results are
presented and compared with the predictions of statistical model calculations
using the codes NON-SMOKER and TALYS.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables, regular articl
Explosive Nucleosynthesis: What we learned and what we still do not understand
This review touches on historical aspects, going back to the early days of
nuclear astrophysics, initiated by BFH and Cameron, discusses (i) the
required nuclear input from reaction rates and decay properties up to the
nuclear equation of state, continues (ii) with the tools to perform
nucleosynthesis calculations and (iii) early parametrized nucleosynthesis
studies, before (iv) reliable stellar models became available for the late
stages of stellar evolution. It passes then through (v) explosive environments
from core-collapse supernovae to explosive events in binary systems (including
type Ia supernovae and compact binary mergers), and finally (vi) discusses the
role of all these nucleosynthesis production sites in the evolution of
galaxies. The focus is put on the comparison of early ideas and present, very
recent, understanding.Comment: 11 pages, to appear in Springer Proceedings in Physics (Proc. of
Intl. Conf. "Nuclei in the Cosmos XV", LNGS Assergi, Italy, June 2018
Thermal Correlators in Little String Theory
We calculate, using holographic duality, the thermal two-point function in
finite temperature little string theory. The analysis of those correlators
reveals possible instabilities of the thermal ensemble, as in previous
discussions of the thermodynamics of little string theory. We comment on the
dependence of the instability on the spatial volume of the system.Comment: 13 page
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