Excitation and emission spectra of rubidium in rare-gas thin-films

To understand the optical properties of atoms in solid state matrices, the absorption, excitation and emission spectra of rubidium doped thin-films of argon, krypton and xenon were investigated in detail. A two-dimensional spectral analysis extends earlier reports on the excitation and emission properties of rubidium in rare-gas hosts. We found that the doped crystals of krypton and xenon exhibit a simple absorption-emission relation, whereas rubidium in argon showed more complicated spectral structures. Our sample preparation employed in the present work yielded different results for the Ar crystal, but our peak positions were consistent with the prediction based on the linear extrapolation of Xe and Kr data. We also observed a bleaching behavior in rubidium excitation spectra, which suggests a population transfer from one to another spectral feature due to hole-burning. The observed optical response implies that rubidium in rare-gas thin-films is detectable with extremely high sensitivity, possibly down to a single atom level, in low concentration samples.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

Probing Majorana neutrinos in rare K and D, D_s, B, B_c meson decays

We study lepton number violating decays of charged K, D, D_s, B and B_c mesons of the form M^+\to {M'}^-\ell^+\ell^+, induced by the existence of Majorana neutrinos. These processes provide information complementary to neutrinoless double nuclear beta decays, and are sensitive to neutrino masses and lepton mixing. We explore neutrino mass ranges m_N from below 1 eV to several hundred GeV. We find that in many cases the branching ratios are prohibitively small, however in the intermediate range m_\pi < m_N < m_{B_c}, in specific channels and for specific neutrino masses, the branching ratios can be at the reach of high luminosity experiments like those at the LHC-b and future Super flavor-factories, and can provide bounds on the lepton mixing parameters.Comment: 25 page

Contracting For Personalization

This paper presents a stylized model based on the principal-agent framework in the absence of monetary instrument as a compensation device to agents with privately known production costs. Our results identify a new trade off that arises from alternative compensation devices, as well as the associated implications on firm’s profitability and consumer welfare

THE COMBINATORIAL EFFECTS OF Azadirachta indica LEAF EXTRACTS WITH AMIKACIN AND TETRACYCLINE AGAINST CLINICALLY IMPORTANT BACTERIA

Antibiotic-resistance is a major threat in the treatment of diseases caused by resistant bacteria. Combination of plant extracts with antibiotics can serve as an alternative to antibiotics. Azadirachta indica (neem plant) has many antimicrobial properties due to the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids and flavonoids. In this study, the combinatorial effects of neem leaf extracts with amikacin and tetracycline against eight clinically important gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens were investigated using the agar well diffusion assay. Synergistic effect of neem leaf extract and tetracycline was observed against Propionibacterium acnes, Bacillus subtilis, and S. pneumoniae&nbsp; with a significant enlargement (p&lt;0.05) in the diameter of the zone of inhibition. However, the same combination showed insignificant inhibition against S. faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The neem leaf extract-amikacin combination showed insignificant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, S. pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. An antagonistic effect was observed when Bacillus subtilis was exposed to the same combination as there was a significant reduction (p&lt;0.05) in the zone of inhibition.&nbsp; This study suggests the potential development of the neem leaf extract-tetracycline combination as an antibacterial agent against P. acnes, B. subtilis, and S. pneumoniae. However, this preliminary data requires further investigation and test on a wider range of clinical isolates to make a more decisive conclusion. The antagonistic effect of the neem leaf extract and amikacin suggests that the individual agents are potent as antibacterial agents than the combination

Exploring the multi-humped fission barrier of 238U via sub-barrier photofission

The photofission cross-section of 238U was measured at sub-barrier energies as a function of the gamma-ray energy using, for the first time, a monochromatic, high-brilliance, Compton-backscattered gamma-ray beam. The experiment was performed at the High Intensity gamma-ray Source (HIgS) facility at beam energies between E=4.7 MeV and 6.0 MeV and with ~3% energy resolution. Indications of transmission resonances have been observed at gamma-ray beam energies of E=5.1 MeV and 5.6 MeV with moderate amplitudes. The triple-humped fission barrier parameters of 238U have been determined by fitting EMPIRE-3.1 nuclear reaction code calculations to the experimental photofission cross section.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Systematic review on the effects of the physical and social aspects of community pharmacy spaces on service users and staff

AIM: This systematic review aimed to provide new insights into how pharmacy spaces, or the architecture of pharmacies, are experienced by pharmacy service users and staff. The review sought to identify environmental factors which may influence service users' and staff participation in community-based pharmacy health services. METHOD: Ten databases were searched for English language publications, using a combination of search terms relating to pharmacy service users and staff; pharmacy spaces; and health and social care outcomes. Data from the final selected studies were extracted, thematically analysed using a narrative approach and the quality of each study assessed using the Integrated quality Criteria for the Review of Multiple Study designs (ICROMS). RESULTS: 80 articles reporting 80 studies published between 1994 and 2020 were identified; they were from 28 countries, involving around 3234 community pharmacies, 13,615 pharmacy service users, 5056 pharmacists and 78 pharmacy health staff. Most studies (94%) met the ICROMS minimum score, and half did not meet the mandatory quality criteria. Four themes likely to influence service users' and staff experiences of pharmacy health services were identified: (1) privacy; (2) experience of the physical environment; (3) professional image; and (4) risk of error. CONCLUSION: To optimise the delivery and experience of pharmacy health services, these spaces should be made more engaging. Future applied research could focus on optimising inclusive pharmacy design features