1,269 research outputs found
Towards a direct transition energy measurement of the lowest nuclear excitation in 229Th
The isomeric first excited state of the isotope 229Th exhibits the lowest
nuclear excitation energy in the whole landscape of known atomic nuclei. For a
long time this energy was reported in the literature as 3.5(5) eV, however, a
new experiment corrected this energy to 7.6(5) eV, corresponding to a UV
transition wavelength of 163(11) nm. The expected isomeric lifetime is
3-5 hours, leading to an extremely sharp relative linewidth of Delta E/E ~
10^-20, 5-6 orders of magnitude smaller than typical atomic relative
linewidths. For an adequately chosen electronic state the frequency of the
nuclear ground-state transition will be independent from influences of external
fields in the framework of the linear Zeeman and quadratic Stark effect,
rendering 229mTh a candidate for a reference of an optical clock with very high
accuracy. Moreover, in the literature speculations about a potentially enhanced
sensitivity of the ground-state transition of Th for eventual
time-dependent variations of fundamental constants (e.g. fine structure
constant alpha) can be found. We report on our experimental activities that aim
at a direct identification of the UV fluorescence of the ground-state
transition energy of 229mTh. A further goal is to improve the accuracy of the
ground-state transition energy as a prerequisite for a laser-based optical
control of this nuclear excited state, allowing to build a bridge between
atomic and nuclear physics and open new perspectives for metrological as well
as fundamental studies
Dynamics of single polymers under extreme confinement
We study the dynamics of a single chain polymer confined to a two dimensional
cell. We introduce a kinetically constrained lattice gas model that preserves
the connectivity of the chain, and we use this kinetically constrained model to
study the dynamics of the polymer at varying densities through Monte Carlo
simulations. Even at densities close to the fully-packed configuration, we find
that the monomers comprising the chain manage to diffuse around the box with a
root mean square displacement of the order of the box dimensions over time
scales for which the overall geometry of the polymer is, nevertheless, largely
preserved. To capture this shape persistence, we define the local tangent field
and study the two-time tangent-tangent correlation function, which exhibits a
glass-like behavior. In both closed and open chains, we observe reptational
motion and reshaping through local fingering events which entail global monomer
displacement.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, slightly extended version to appear in JSTA
Geometric Laws of Vortex Quantum Tunneling
In the semiclassical domain the exponent of vortex quantum tunneling is
dominated by a volume which is associated with the path the vortex line traces
out during its escape from the metastable well. We explicitly show the
influence of geometrical quantities on this volume by describing point vortex
motion in the presence of an ellipse. It is argued that for the semiclassical
description to hold the introduction of an additional geometric constraint, the
distance of closest approach, is required. This constraint implies that the
semiclassical description of vortex nucleation by tunneling at a boundary is in
general not possible. Geometry dependence of the tunneling volume provides a
means to verify experimental observation of vortex quantum tunneling in the
superfluid Helium II.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, revised version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Public, private or both? Analysing factors influencing the labour supply of medical specialists
This paper investigates the factors influencing the allocation of time between public and private sectors by medical specialists. A discrete choice structural labour supply model is estimated, where specialists choose from a set of job packages that are characterised by the number of working hours in the public and private sectors. The results show that medical specialists respond to changes in earnings by reallocating working hours to the sector with relatively higher earnings, while leaving total working hours unchanged. The magnitudes of the own-sector and cross-sector earnings elasticities fall in the range of 0.21-0.54, and are larger for male than for female specialists. The labour supply response varies by doctorsâ age and medical specialty. Family circumstances such as the presence of young dependent children influence the hours worked by female specialists but not male specialists. We illustrate the relevance of our findings by simulating the impact of recent trends in earnings growth in the public and private sectors. = Public, privĂ© ou les deux? Analyse des facteurs influençant lâoffre de travail des mĂ©decins spĂ©cialistes . Ce mĂ©moire Ă©tudie les facteurs influençant lâallocation du temps des mĂ©decins spĂ©cialistes entre le secteur privĂ© et le secteur public. Un modĂšle structurel de choix discret dâoffre de travail est calibrĂ© ans lequel les spĂ©cialistes choisissent entre des arrangements caractĂ©risĂ©s par le nombre dâheures de travail dans le secteur public et le secteur privĂ©. Les rĂ©sultats montrent que les spĂ©cialistes rĂ©pondent aux changements dans la nature des gains en rĂ©amĂ©nageant leurs heures de travail vers le secteur qui offre des gains relativement plus Ă©levĂ©s, tout en gardant leurs heures totales de travail inchangĂ©es. Les magnitudes des Ă©lasticitĂ©s de lâoffre des heures Ă lâintĂ©rieur dâun secteur et entre secteurs se situent dans un intervalle entre 0.16â0.51. La rĂ©ponse de lâoffre de travail varie selon le genre, lâĂąge et la spĂ©cialitĂ©. Le cadre familial, comme la prĂ©sence de jeunes enfants Ă charge, tend Ă rĂ©duire les heures travaillĂ©es par les femmes mais pas pour les hommes.Terence C. Cheng, Guyonne Kalb, Anthony Scot
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can accurately and nondestructively measure the body composition of small, freeliving rodents
ABSTRACT Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a nondestructive technique that can potentially measure specific components of whole-body composition in free-living and lab-raised animals. Our aim was to test the ability of DXA to measure the composition of a common arvicoline rodent, the northern redbacked vole (Clethrionomys rutilus). We used a DXA apparatus to obtain measurements of fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), bone mineral content, bone mineral density, and fat-free mass (FFM) in carcasses of free-living and lab-raised voles. We then used chemical carcass analysis to derive predictive algorithms for actual values of FM, total body water, total protein, total mineral, LM, and FFM. Unexplained error in the equations for all voles grouped collectively ranged from to 2 2 R p 0.82 R p . The DXA FM measurement had the highest coefficient 0.98 of variation, and it was higher for free-living voles than for labraised voles. However, FM can be determined by difference with excellent precision by using the FFM equation ( 2 R p ). We also derived corrective terms for passive integrated 0.98 transponder-tagged animals. Thus, DXA is a nonlethal, nondestructive tool capable of precisely and accurately measuring many specific parameters of whole-body composition in small free-living and lab-raised rodents
Extraction of BoNT/A, /B, /E, and /F with a Single, High Affinity Monoclonal Antibody for Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxin by Endopep-MS
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are extremely potent toxins that are capable of causing respiratory failure leading to long-term intensive care or death. The best treatment for botulism includes serotype-specific antitoxins, which are most effective when administered early in the course of the intoxication. Early confirmation of human exposure to any serotype of BoNT is an important public health goal. In previous work, we focused on developing Endopep-MS, a mass spectrometry-based endopeptidase method for detecting and differentiating the seven serotypes (BoNT/A-G) in buffer and BoNT/A, /B, /E, and /F (the four serotypes that commonly affect humans) in clinical samples. We have previously reported the success of antibody-capture to purify and concentrate BoNTs from complex matrices, such as clinical samples. However, to check for any one of the four serotypes of BoNT/A, /B, /E, or /F, each sample is split into 4 aliquots, and tested for the specific serotypes separately. The discovery of a unique monoclonal antibody that recognizes all four serotypes of BoNT/A, /B, /E and /F allows us to perform simultaneous detection of all of them. When applied in conjunction with the Endopep-MS assay, the detection limit for each serotype of BoNT with this multi-specific monoclonal antibody is similar to that obtained when using other serotype-specific antibodies
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