Abrupt changes in alpha decay systematics as a manifestation of collective nuclear modes

An abrupt change in $\alpha$ decay systematics around the N=126 neutron shell closure is discussed. It is explained as a sudden hindrance of the clustering of the nucleons that eventually form the $\alpha$ particle. This is because the clustering induced by the pairing mode acting upon the four nucleons is inhibited if the configuration space does not allow a proper manifestation of the pairing collectivity.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C, a few new references adde

The views and practice of oncologists towards nutritional support in patients receiving chemotherapy

Malnutrition in patients with cancer is common and an adverse prognostic indicator. A questionnaire answered by 357 (72%) UK specialist oncological trainees suggests that they lack the ability to identify factors that place patients at risk from malnutrition. Major barriers to effective nutritional practice included lack of guidelines, knowledge and time

Spin-flip processes and ultrafast magnetization dynamics in Co - unifying the microscopic and macroscopic view of femtosecond magnetism

The femtosecond magnetization dynamics of a thin cobalt film excited with ultrashort laser pulses has been studied using two complementary pump-probe techniques, namely spin-, energy- and time-resolved photoemission and time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. Combining the two methods it is possible to identify the microscopic electron spin-flip mechanisms responsible for the ultrafast macroscopic magnetization dynamics of the cobalt film. In particular, we show that electron-magnon excitation does not affect the overall magnetization even though it is an efficient spin-flip channel on the sub-200 fs timescale. Instead we find experimental evidence for the relevance of Elliott-Yafet type spin-flip processes for the ultrafast demagnetization taking place on a time scale of 300 fs.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; accepted by Physical Review Letter

Shape Coexistence in Pb186: Beyond-mean-field description by configuration mixing of symmetry restored wave functions

We study shape coexistence in Pb186 using configuration mixing of angular-momentum and particle-number projected self-consistent mean-field states. The same Skyrme interaction SLy6 is used everywhere in connection with a density-dependent zero-range pairing force. The model predicts coexisting spherical, prolate and oblate 0+ states at low energy.Comment: 5 pages REVTEX4, 4 eps figures, accepted by Phys. Lett. B. Revised version with some polishing of the text without changing its conten

Energy-resolved electron-spin dynamics at surfaces of p-doped GaAs

Electron-spin relaxation at different surfaces of p-doped GaAs is investigated by means of spin, time and energy resolved 2-photon photoemission. These results are contrasted with bulk results obtained by time-resolved Faraday rotation measurements as well as calculations of the Bir-Aronov-Pikus spin-flip mechanism. Due to the reduced hole density in the band bending region at the (100) surface the spin-relaxation time increases over two orders of magnitude towards lower energies. At the flat-band (011) surface a constant spin relaxation time in agreement with our measurements and calculations for bulk GaAs is obtained.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of non-malignant, organic gastrointestinal disorders misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome

Introduction Treatable gastrointestinal disorders in patients with symptoms typical for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be overlooked. The prevalence of five gastrointestinal conditions - bile acid diarrhoea (BAD), carbohydrate malabsorption (CM), microscopic colitis (MC), pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) was systematically assessed from studies including consecutive patients meeting diagnostic criteria for IBS. Methods 4 databases were searched from 1978-2020. Studies were included if they evaluated the prevalence of these conditions in secondary healthcare setting. Estimated pooled rates were calculated and statistical heterogeneity between studies was evaluated using Q and I² statistics. Results Seven studies (n=597) estimated the pooled prevalence for BAD as 41% (95% CI 29-54). 17 studies (n=5,068) estimated that of MC as 3% (95% CI 2-4%). Two studies (n=478) suggested a rate of 4·6% (range: 1·8-6·1%) for PEI. Using breath testing, 26 studies (n=6,700) and 13 studies (n=3,415) estimated the prevalence of lactose and fructose malabsorption as 54% (95% CI 44-64%) and 43% (95% CI 23-62%); 36 studies (n=4,630) and 22 studies (n=2,149) estimated that of SIBO as 49% (95% CI 40-57%) with lactulose and 19% (95% CI 13-27%) with glucose. Rates of all conditions were significantly higher than in healthy controls. Conclusion A significant proportion of patients presenting to secondary care with IBS have an organic condition which may account for their symptoms. Failure to exclude such conditions will deny patients effective treatment

Lifetime of 19Ne*(4.03 MeV)

The Doppler-shift attenuation method was applied to measure the lifetime of the 4.03 MeV state in 19Ne. Utilizing a 3He-implanted Au foil as a target, the state was populated using the 20Ne(3He,alpha)19Ne reaction in inverse kinematics at a 20Ne beam energy of 34 MeV. De-excitation gamma rays were detected in coincidence with alpha particles. At the 1 sigma level, the lifetime was determined to be 11 +4, -3 fs and at the 95.45% confidence level the lifetime is 11 +8, -7 fs.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev.