199 research outputs found
On-line Excited-State Laser Spectroscopy of Trapped Short-Lived Ra Ions
As an important step towards an atomic parity violation experiment in one
single trapped Ra ion, laser spectroscopy experiments were performed with
on-line produced short-lived Ra ions. The isotope shift of
the 6\,^2D\,-\,7\,^2P and
6\,^2D\,-\,7\,^2P transitions and the hyperfine structure
constant of the 7\,^2S and 6\,^2D states in Ra
were measured. These values provide a benchmark for the required atomic theory.
A lower limit of ms for the lifetime of the metastable
6\,^2D state was measured by optical shelving.Comment: 4.2 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables
Measurement of the half-life of the T= mirror decay of Ne and its implication on physics beyond the standard model
The superallowed mixed mirror decay
of Ne to F is excellently suited for high precision studies of
the weak interaction. However, there is some disagreement on the value of the
half-life. In a new measurement we have determined this quantity to be
= s, which differs
from the previous world average by 3 standard deviations. The impact of this
measurement on limits for physics beyond the standard model such as the
presence of tensor currents is discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Production of short lived radioactive beams of radium
Short lived Ra isotopes have been produced at the TRIP
facility in inverse kinematics via the fusion-evaporation reaction
Pb+C at 8 MeV/u. Isotopes are separated from other reaction
products online using the TRIP magnetic separator. The energetic radium
(Ra) isotopes at the exit of the separator were converted into low energy ions
with a thermal ionizer. Ra isotopes have been identified by observing their
decay and life times.Comment: 9 pages including 4 figures and 1 tabl
Development of a thermal ionizer as ion catcher
An effective ion catcher is an important part of a radioactive beam facility
that is based on in-flight production. The catcher stops fast radioactive
products and emits them as singly charged slow ions. Current ion catchers are
based on stopping in He and H gas. However, with increasing intensity of
the secondary beam the amount of ion-electron pairs created eventually prevents
the electromagnetic extraction of the radioactive ions from the gas cell. In
contrast, such limitations are not present in thermal ionizers used with the
ISOL production technique. Therefore, at least for alkaline and alkaline earth
elements, a thermal ionizer should then be preferred. An important use of the
TRIP facility will be for precision measurements using atom traps. Atom
trapping is particularly possible for alkaline and alkaline earth isotopes. The
facility can produce up to 10 s of various Na isotopes with the
in-flight method. Therefore, we have built and tested a thermal ionizer. An
overview of the operation, design, construction, and commissioning of the
thermal ionizer for TRIP will be presented along with first results for
Na and Na.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, XVth International Conference on Electromagnetic
Isotope Separators and Techniques Related to their Applications (EMIS 2007
PAI-1 and t-PA/PAI-1 complex potential markers of fibrinolytic bleeding after cardiac surgery employing cardiopulmonary bypass
Background: Enhanced bleeding remains a serious problem after cardiac surgery, and fibrinolysis is often involved. We speculate that lower plasma concentrations of plasminogen activator inhibitor - 1 (PAI-1) preoperatively and tissue plasminogen activator/PAI-1 (t-PA/PAI-1) complex postoperatively might predispose for enhanced fibrinolysis and increased postoperative bleeding.Methods: Totally 88 adult patients (mean age 66 ± 10 years) scheduled for cardiac surgery, were enrolled into a prospective study. Blood samples were collected pre-operatively, on admission to the recovery and at 6 and 24 hours postoperatively. Patients with a surgical bleeding that was diagnosed during reoperation were discarded from the study. The patients were allocated to two groups depending on the 24-hour postoperative chest tube drainage (CTD): Group I > 500ml, Group II ≤ 500ml. Associations between CTD, PAI-1, t-PA/PAI-1 complex and D-dimer were analyzed with SPSS.Results: Nine patients were excluded because of surgical bleeding. Of the 79 remaining patients, 38 were allocated to Group I and 41 to Group II. The CTD volumes correlated with the preoperative plasma levels of PAI-1 (r = - 0.3, P = 0.009). Plasma concentrations of preoperative PAI-1 and postoperative t-PA/PAI-1 complex differed significantly between the groups (P < 0.001 and P = 0.012, respectively). Group I displayed significantly lower plasma concentrations of fibrinogen and higher levels of D-dimer from immediately after the operation and throughout the first 24 hours postoperatively.Conclusions: Lower plasma concentrations of PAI-1 preoperatively and t-PA/PAI-1 complex postoperatively leads to higher plasma levels of D-dimer in association with more postoperative bleeding after cardiac surgery.publishersversionPeer reviewe
Common midwife toad ranaviruses replicate first in the oral cavity of smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) and show distinct strain-associated pathogenicity
Ranavirus is the second most common infectious cause of amphibian mortality. These viruses affect caudates, an order in which information regarding Ranavirus pathogenesis is scarce. In the Netherlands, two strains (CMTV-NL I and III) were suspected to possess distinct pathogenicity based on field data. To investigate susceptibility and disease progression in urodeles and determine differences in pathogenicity between strains, 45 adult smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris) were challenged via bath exposure with these ranaviruses and their detection in organs and feces followed over time by PCR, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Ranavirus was first detected at 3 days post infection (p.i.) in the oral cavity and upper respiratory mucosa. At 6 days p.i, virus was found in connective tissues and vasculature of the gastrointestinal tract. Finally, from 9 days p.i onwards there was widespread Ranavirus disease in various organs including skin, kidneys and gonads. Higher pathogenicity of the CMTV-NL I strain was confirmed by higher correlation coefficient of experimental group and mortality of challenged animals. Ranavirus-exposed smooth newts shed virus in feces intermittently and infection was seen in the absence of lesions or clinical signs, indicating that this species can harbor subclinical infections and potentially serve as disease reservoirs
Measurement of the Half-Life of the T = 1 2 Mirror Decay of Ne 19 and its Implication on Physics Beyond the Standard Model
The 1+/2 -> 1+/2 superallowed mixed mirror decay of Ne-19 to F-19 is excellently suited for high precision studies of the weak interaction. However, there is some disagreement on the value of the half-life. In a new measurement we have determined this quantity to be T-1/2 = 17.2832 +/- 0.0051((stat)) +/- 0.0066((syst)) s, which differs from the previous world average by 3 standard deviations. The impact of this measurement on limits for physics beyond the standard model such as the presence of tensor currents is discussed
Association of circulating calprotectin with lipid profile in axial spondyloarthritis
Calprotectin (CPT) is released during inflammation, also in the context of atherosclerosis. The link between CPT and the atherosclerotic process was evaluated in several diseases. However, studies in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), associated with a high incidence of subclinical atherosclerosis, are scarce. Therefore, we assessed the association of CPT with subclinical atherosclerosis and metabolic risk factors in axSpA. CPT serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 163 axSpA patients and 63 controls. Subclinical atherosclerosis was determined in patients by carotid ultrasonography (assessing the presence/absence of carotid plaques and carotid intima-media thickness [cIMT]). Data on inflammation, disease activity, lipid profile and treatment were collected to evaluate its relationship with CPT. axSpA patients evidenced lower CPT levels than controls. CPT showed no association with plaques or cIMT in axSpA. CPT and HDL-cholesterol negatively correlated, while a positive association of CPT with the atherogenic index was disclosed. Additionally, axSpA patients with C-reactive protein values at diagnosis higher than 3?mg/L displayed higher CPT levels. Our study shows no relationship between CPT and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in axSpA. Nevertheless, it demonstrates an association of CPT with adverse lipid profiles and inflammatory biomarkers, which could further influence on the development of atherosclerosis.We wish to thank all the patients and controls that participated in this study and Begoña Ubilla for technical assistance. FG is a recipient of a Sara Borrell post-doctoral fellowship from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III
(ISCIII) (Spain), co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF, “Investing in your future”) (grant CD15/00095). SR-M is supported by funds of the RETICS Program (RIER) RD16/0012/0009 (ISCIII, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, ERDF). VM is supported by funds of a Miguel Servet type I programme (grant CP16/00033) (ISCIII, co-funded by ERDF). RL-M is a recipient of a Miguel Servet type I programme fellowship from the ISCIII, co-funded by the ESF (grant CP16/00033). This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors
Absence of Host Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 Prevents Cancer Invasion and Vascularization
Acquisition of invasive/metastatic potential through protease expression is an essential event in tumor progression. High levels of components of the plasminogen activation system, including urokinase, but paradoxically also its inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1), have been correlated with a poor prognosis for some cancers. We report here that deficient PAI1 expression in host mice prevented local invasion and tumor vascularization of transplanted malignant keratinocytes. When this PAI1 deficiency was circumvented by intravenous injection of a replication-defective adenoviral vector expressing human PAI1, invasion and associated angiogenesis were restored. This experimental evidence demonstrates that host-produced PAI is essential for cancer cell invasion and angiogenesis
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