149 research outputs found
Nuclear Charge Radius of Be
The nuclear charge radius of Be was precisely determined using the
technique of collinear laser spectroscopy on the transition in the Be ion. The mean square charge radius increases
from Be to Be by \delta ^{10,12} = 0.69(5) \fm^{2}
compared to \delta ^{10,11} = 0.49(5) \fm^{2} for the
one-neutron halo isotope Be. Calculations in the fermionic molecular
dynamics approach show a strong sensitivity of the charge radius to the
structure of Be. The experimental charge radius is consistent with a
breakdown of the N=8 shell closure.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Observation of the hyperfine transition in lithium-like Bismuth : Towards a test of QED in strong magnetic fields
We performed a laser spectroscopic determination of the hyperfine
splitting (HFS) of Li-like and repeated the measurement
of the HFS of H-like . Both ion species were
subsequently stored in the Experimental Storage Ring at the GSI
Helmholtzzentrum f\"ur Schwerionenforschung Darmstadt and cooled with an
electron cooler at a velocity of . Pulsed laser excitation of
the hyperfine-transition was performed in anticollinear and collinear
geometry for and , respectively, and
observed by fluorescence detection. We obtain for , different from the literature
value, and for .
These values provide experimental evidence that a specific difference between
the two splitting energies can be used to test QED calculations in the
strongest static magnetic fields available in the laboratory independent of
nuclear structure effects. The experimental result is in excellent agreement
with the theoretical prediction and confirms the sum of the Dirac term and the
relativistic interelectronic-interaction correction at a level of 0.5%
confirming the importance of accounting for the Breit interaction.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Collinear laser spectroscopy of atomic cadmium
Hyperfine structure and factors of the atomic 5s\,5p\,\; ^3\rm{P}_2
\rightarrow 5s\,6s\,\; ^3\rm{S}_1 transition are determined from collinear
laser spectroscopy data of Cd and Cd. Nuclear
magnetic moments and electric quadrupole moments are extracted using reference
dipole moments and calculated electric field gradients, respectively. The
hyperfine structure anomaly for isotopes with and nuclear
ground states and isomeric states is evaluated and a linear
relationship is observed for all nuclear states except . This
corresponds to the Moskowitz-Lombardi rule that was established in the mercury
region of the nuclear chart but in the case of cadmium the slope is
distinctively smaller than for mercury. In total four atomic and ionic levels
were analyzed and all of them exhibit a similar behaviour. The electric field
gradient for the atomic 5s\,5p\,\; ^3\mathrm{P}_2 level is derived from
multi-configuration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations in order to evaluate the
spectroscopic nuclear quadrupole moments. The results are consistent with those
obtained in an ionic transition and based on a similar calculation.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
To be or not to be: the importance of attendance in integrated physiology teaching using non-traditional approaches
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing use of non-traditional methods like problem-based learning, team-working and several other active-learning techniques in Physiology teaching. While several studies have investigated the impact of class attendance on the academic performance in traditional teaching, there is limited information regarding whether the new modalities are especially sensible to this factor.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Here, we performed a comparative study between a control group receiving information through traditional methods and an experimental group submitted to new methodologies in Physiology teaching.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that while mean examination scores were similar in the control and the experimental groups, a different picture emerge when data are organized according to four categorical attendance levels. In the experimental group, scores were not different between the 1st and the 2nd exams (P = 0.429) nor between the 2nd and the 3<sup>rd </sup>exams (P = 0.225) for students that never or poorly attend classes, in contrast to the control group (P < 0.001). A score difference between attending students versus the absentees was maximal in the experimental versus the control group all along the different exams and in the final score.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We suggest that class attendance is critical for learning using non-traditional methods.</p
Precision Test of Many-Body QED in the Be Fine Structure Doublet Using Short-Lived Isotopes
Absolute transition frequencies of the 2s\; ^2{\rm S}_{1/2} \rightarrow
2p\;^2\mathrm{P}_{1/2,3/2} transitions in Be were measured for the
isotopes Be. The fine structure splitting of the state and its
isotope dependence are extracted and compared to results of \textit{ab initio}
calculations using explicitly correlated basis functions, including
relativistic and quantum electrodynamics effects at the order of
and . Accuracy has been improved in both the theory and
experiment by 2 orders of magnitude, and good agreement is observed. This
represents one of the most accurate tests of quantum electrodynamics for
many-electron systems, being insensitive to nuclear uncertainties.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force recommendations for a veterinary epilepsy-specific MRI protocol
Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological diseases in veterinary practice. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regarded as an important diagnostic test to reach the diagnosis of idiopathic epilepsy. However, given that the diagnosis requires the exclusion of other differentials for seizures, the parameters for MRI examination should allow the detection of subtle lesions which may not be obvious with existing techniques. In addition, there are several differentials for idiopathic epilepsy in humans, for example some focal cortical dysplasias, which may only apparent with special sequences, imaging planes and/or particular techniques used in performing the MRI scan. As a result, there is a need to standardize MRI examination in veterinary patients with techniques that reliably diagnose subtle lesions, identify post-seizure changes, and which will allow for future identification of underlying causes of seizures not yet apparent in the veterinary literature.
There is a need for a standardized veterinary epilepsy-specific MRI protocol which will facilitate more detailed examination of areas susceptible to generating and perpetuating seizures, is cost efficient, simple to perform and can be adapted for both low and high field scanners. Standardisation of imaging will improve clinical communication and uniformity of case definition between research studies. A 6–7 sequence epilepsy-specific MRI protocol for veterinary patients is proposed and further advanced MR and functional imaging is reviewed
Widespread extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) abnormalities in TLE with and without mesial temporal sclerosis
MR spectroscopy has demonstrated extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions in medial temporal lobe epilepsy with (TLE-MTS) and without (TLE-no) mesial temporal sclerosis. Because of the limited brain coverage of those previous studies, it was, however, not possible to assess differences in the distribution and extent of these abnormalities between TLE-MTS and TLE-no. This study used a 3D whole brain echoplanar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) sequence to address the following questions: (1) Do TLE-MTS and TLE-no differ regarding severity and distribution of extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions? (2) Do extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions provide additional information for focus lateralization? Forty-three subjects (12 TLE-MTS, 13 TLE-no, 18 controls) were studied with 3D EPSI. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM2) was used to identify regions of significantly decreased NAA/(Cr+Cho) in TLE groups and in individual patients. TLE-MTS and TLE-no had widespread extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions. NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions had a bilateral fronto-temporal distribution in TLE-MTS and a more diffuse, less well defined distribution in TLE-no. Extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) decreases in the single subject analysis showed a large inter-individual variability and did not provide additional focus lateralizing information. Extrahippocampal NAA/(Cr+Cho) reductions in TLE-MTS and TLE-no are neither focal nor homogeneous. This reduces their value for focus lateralization and suggests a heterogeneous etiology of extrahippocampal spectroscopic metabolic abnormalities in TLE
Children’s Feedback Preferences in Response to an Experimentally Manipulated Peer Evaluation Outcome: The Role of Depressive Symptoms
The present study examined the linkage between pre-adolescent children’s depressive symptoms and their preferences for receiving positive vs. negative feedback subsequent to being faced with an experimentally manipulated peer evaluation outcome in real time. Participants (n = 142) ages 10 to 13, played a computer contest based on the television show Survivor and were randomized to either a peer rejection (i.e., receiving the lowest total ‘likeability’ score from a group of peer-judges), a peer success (i.e., receiving the highest score), or a control peer evaluation condition. Children’s self-reported feedback preferences were then assessed. Results revealed that participants assigned to the negative evaluation outcome, relative to either the success or the control outcome, showed a significantly higher subsequent preference for negatively tuned feedback. Contrary to previous work and predictions derived from self-verification theory, children higher in depressive symptoms were only more likely to prefer negative feedback in response to the negative peer evaluation outcome. These effects for depression were not accounted for by either state mood at baseline or mood change in response to the feedback manipulation
The factorial invariance of the CES-D during adolescence: are symptom profiles for depression stable across gender and time?
This study examined the factorial invariance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale (CES-D) across gender and time during adolescence. The factor structure of the CES-D was compared at four annual measurement waves in a community sample of 2650 Australian adolescents. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the factor structure of the CES-D was generally invariant across gender and time. However, gender differences were found on three items: for all waves the item 'I had crying spells' was a stronger indicator for depressive affect in females than males. On the final three waves the item 'people were unfriendly' loaded significantly higher on the factor 'Interpersonal Relations' for males than females. On Wave 2 and 3 males interpreted the item 'everything I did was an effort' with a positive connotation, whereas females interpret it with a negative association. These gender-differences are discussed from both a theoretical and a methodological perspective.Marjolein Verhoeven, Michael G. Sawyer and Susan H. Spenc
An oribatid mite (Arachnida: Acari) from the Oxford Clay (Jurassic: Upper Callovian) of South Cave Station Quarry, Yorkshire, UK
A single specimen of a new species of oribatid mite belonging to the genus Jureremus Krivolutsky, in Krivolutsky and Krassilov 1977, previously described from the Upper Jurassic of the Russian Far East, is described as J. phippsi sp. nov. The mite is preserved by iron pyrite replacement, and was recovered by sieving from the Oxford Clay
Formation (Jurassic: Upper Callovian) of South Cave, Yorkshire. It is the first record of a pre-Pleistocene mite, and the second species record of the family Cymbaeremaeidae, from the British Isles; also, it is only the third record of Acari from the Jurassic Period. The presence of a terrestrial mite in a sedimentary sequence of open marine origin is noteworthy, and suggestions for its mode of transport to the site of deposition are discussed
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