Precision half-life and Q -value measurement of the super-allowed b emitter 30S

The b -decay half-life and the ground-state-to-ground-state Q EC -value of 30S were measured with a relative precision of 14 and 2 parts in 104, respectively. The half-life measurement yields a value of 1175.9(17)ms which is in agreement with previous measurements but has a precision that is better by a factor of three. The new super-allowed Q EC -value 5464.32(20)keV is 20 times more precise and slightly larger than the previously adopted value. The experiment was performed at the IGISOL facility at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä

Precision half-life and Q-value measurement of the super-allowed beta emitter (30)S

The b \beta -decay half-life and the ground-state-to-ground-state Q EC -value of 30S were measured with a relative precision of 14 and 2 parts in 104, respectively. The half-life measurement yields a value of 1175.9(17)ms which is in agreement with previous measurements but has a precision that is better by a factor of three. The new super-allowed Q EC -value 5464.32(20)keV is 20 times more precise and slightly larger than the previously adopted value. The experiment was performed at the IGISOL facility at the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä.This work was supported in part by the Conseil Regional d’Aquitaine. We also acknowledge support from the Academy of Finland under the Finnish Center of Excellence Programme 2006-2011 (Project No. 213503, Nuclear and Accelerator Based Physics Programme at JYFL).Peer Reviewe

How do women with social risk factors experience United Kingdom maternity care? A realist synthesis

Background Echoing international trends, the most recent United Kingdom reports of infant and maternal mortality found that pregnancies to women with social risk factors are over 50% more likely to end in stillbirth or neonatal death and carry an increased risk of premature birth and maternal death. The aim of this realist synthesis was to uncover the mechanisms that affect women's experiences of maternity care. Methods Using realist methodology, 22 papers exploring how women with a wide range of social risk factors experience maternity care in the United Kingdom were included. The data extraction process identified contexts (C), mechanisms (M), and outcomes (0). Results Three themes, Resources, Relationships, and Candidacy, overarched eight CMO configurations. Access to services, appropriate education, interpreters, practical support, and continuity of care were particularly relevant for women who are unfamiliar with the United Kingdom system and those living chaotic lives. For women with experience of trauma, or those who lack a sense of control, a trusting relationship with a health care professional was key to regaining trust. Many women who have social care involvement during their pregnancy perceive health care services as a system of surveillance rather than support, impacting on their engagement. This, as well as experiences of paternalistic care and discrimination, could be mitigated through the ability to develop trusting relationships. Conclusions The findings provide underlying theory and practical guidance on how to develop safe services that aim to reduce inequalities in women's experiences and birth outcomes

Precision half-life determination of a mirror β transition: The decay of 31S

The half-life of the mirror β decay of 31S has been measured at the IGISOL facility at the University of Jyv¨askyl¨a. The value obtained is T1/2(31S) = (2553.4 ± 1.8) ms, in agreement with previous measurements, but with a precision that is better by a factor of ten than the literature value previously adopted. When the new result is combined with the QEC value measured recently at JYFLTRAP, a precision of better than 10 −3 is obtained for the ft value

Half-life and branching ratios for the β\beta decay of 38^{38}Ca

Expérience GANIL/LISE3International audienceIn an experiment at the LISE3 facility of GANIL, we have studied with high precision the0+ → 0+ $\beta$ decay of 38Ca. The LISE3 facility allowed to produce close to pure samples of the nuclide ofinterest.We measured the half-life of this nucleus to be 443.63(35)ms, whereas the super-allowed branchingratio was determined to be 77.14(35)%. Both data are in nice agreement with previous high-precisionmeasurements and thus improve the overall precision of the experimental inputs to determine the correctedFt value for this nucleus. We also compare the experimental Gamow-Teller strength distribution withtheoretical shell-model predictions. Finally, future opportunities at LISE3 are discussed

Half-life, branching-ratio, and Q-value measurement for the superallowed 0(+) -> 0(+)beta(+) emitter Ti-42

The half-life, the branching ratio, and the decay Q value of the superallowed beta emitter Ti-42 were measured in an experiment performed at the JYFLTRAP facility of the Accelerator Laboratory of the University of Jyvaskyla. Ti-42 is the heaviest T-z = -1 nucleus for which high-precision measurements of these quantities have been tried. The half-life (T-1/2 = 208.14 +/- 0.45 ms) and the Q value [Q(EC) = 7016.83(25) keV] are close to or reach the required precision of about 0.1%. The branching ratio for the superallowed decay branch [BR = 47.7(12)%], a by-product of the half-life measurement, does not reach the necessary precision yet. Nonetheless, these results allow one to determine the experimental ft value and the corrected Ft value to be 3114(79) and 3122(79) s, respectively

High-precision efficiency calibration of a high-purity co-axial germanium detector

A high-purity co-axial germanium detector has been calibrated in efficiency to a precision of about 0.15% over a wide energy range. High-precision scans of the detector crystal and gamma-ray source measurements have been compared to Monte-Carlo simulations to adjust the dimensions of a detector model. For this purpose, standard calibration sources and short-lived on-line sources have been used. The resulting efficiency calibration reaches the precision needed e.g. for branching ratio measurements of super-allowed beta decays for tests of the weak-interaction standard model