Improvement of the process for electrochemical impregnation of nickel hydroxide electrodes

Nickel hydroxide electrodes containing 11g/dsqm hydroxide, with capacities of 3.6 to 3.8 Ah/dsqm were prepared at 353 K by electrochemical impregnation. The reproducibility of the results is obtained by readjusting the pH before each preparation. The control of each electrode is done during two cycles of charge and discharge following the manufacture by a potential relaxation method

Z radiation off stops at a linear collider

We calculate e+e- --> stop/stop/Z at a linear collider. For large splitting between the two stops the cross-section is sensitive to the value of m(stop2) when this particle is too heavy to be directly produced. The results are compared to e+e- --> stop/stop/h.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure

New Physics with three-photon events at LEP

The effect of the most general \z3gt vertex in the reaction e^+e^- \ra 3\gamma is studied with a particular attention to LEP searches. We give exact analytical expressions including realistic cuts for the signal and present a detailed analysis based on a Monte Carlo that includes the effect of the irreducible $3\gamma$ QED cross section. As special applications we discuss the effect of heavy scalars, fermions and gauge bosons and comment on the ``monopole" connection.Comment: No changes made from previous version, 34 pages, LateX, uses epsf, 11 .eps figs., full paper (including figs) is also available via WWW at http://lapphp0.in2p3.fr/preplapp/psth/lastee3g.ps.gz or via anonymous ftp at ftp:///lapphp0.in2p3.fr/pub/preprints-theorie/ftpee3g.u

Is Sacral Extension a Risk Factor for Early Proximal Junctional Kyphosis in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery?

Study designRetrospective cohort study.PurposeTo investigate the role of sacral extension (SE) for the development of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery.Overview of literatureThe development of PJK is multifactorial and different risk factors have been identified. Of these, there is some evidence that SE also affects the development of PJK, but data are insufficient.MethodsUsing a combined database comprising two propensity-matched groups of fusions following ASD surgery, one with fixation to S1 or S1 and the ilium (SE) and one without SE but with a lower instrumented vertebra of L5 or higher (lumbar fixation, LF), PJK and the role of further parameters were analyzed. The propensity-matched variables included age, the upper-most instrumented vertebra (UIV), preoperative sagittal alignment, and the baseline to one year change of the sagittal alignment.ResultsPropensity matching led to two groups of 89 patients each. The UIV, pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis, pelvic tilt, age, and body mass index were similar in both groups (p >0.05). The incidence of PJK at postoperative one year was similar for SE (30.3%) and LF (22.5%) groups (p =0.207). The PJK angle was comparable (p =0.963) with a change of -8.2° (SE) and -8.3° (LF) from the preoperative measures (p =0.954). A higher rate of PJK after SE (p =0.026) was found only in the subgroup of patients with UIV levels between T9 and T12.ConclusionsInstrumentation to the sacrum with or without iliac extension did not increase the overall risk of PJK. However, an increased risk for PJK was found after SE with UIV levels between T9 and T12

The effect of aging on cervical parameters in a normative North American population

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objectives: To investigate age-based changes in cervical alignment parameters in an asymptomatic population. Methods: Retrospective review of a prospective study of 118 asymptomatic subjects who underwent biplanar imaging with 3-dimensional capabilities. Demographic and health-related quality of life data was collected prior to imaging. Patients were stratified into 5 age groups: &lt;35 years, 35-44 years, 45-54 years, 55-64 years, and ≥65 years. Radiographic measurements of the cervical spine and spinopelvic parameters were compared between age groups. The normal distribution of parameters was assessed followed by analysis of variance for comparison of variance between age groups. Results: C2-C7 lordosis, C0-C7 lordosis, and T1 slope demonstrated significant increases with age. C0-C7 lordosis was significantly less in subjects &lt;35 years compared with ≥55 years. Significant differences in T1 slope were identified in patients &lt;35 versus ≥65, 35-44 versus ≥65, and 45-54 versus ≥65 years. T1 slope demonstrated a positive correlation with age. Horizontal gaze parameters did not change linearly with age and mean averages of all age groups were within 10° of one another. Cervical kyphosis was present in approximately half of subjects who were &lt;55 compared with approximately 10% of subjects ≥55 years. Differences in pelvic tilt, pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis, and C7-S1 sagittal vertical axis were identified with age. Conclusions: C0-C7 lordosis, C2-C7 lordosis, and T1 slope demonstrate age-based changes while other cervical and horizontal gaze parameters remain relatively constant with age. </jats:sec

Impact of cutting date on carabids and spiders in a wet meadow

International audienceThe impact of different cutting dates on two dominant groups of ground-dwelling arthropods (carabids and spiders) was assessed. Short-term impacts were assessed by comparing them before and after cutting. Arthropods were collected by pitfall traps located in three plots with different cutting dates between June and August and one uncut control plot. Trapping was performed during a 4-month period in the spring and summer 2011. In total, 26,392 spiders and 12,278 carabids, representing 56 and 82 species respectively, were collected. Overall, the effects of cutting were negative and mostly visible in the long term for carabids, with reduced abundances and species richness in cut plots, and in the short-term for spiders; several parameters (proportion of predators and polyphagous species, and body length) decreased after cutting while remaining stable in the control. Long-term cutting effects revealed almost no differences between plots cut at different dates whereas the short-term effects decreased slightly over time, with respect to the overall phenology of both groups. In conclusion, this study underlines the fact that cutting has drastic effects on ground-dwelling arthropods, and even late dates, which are supposedly positive for other animals like breeding birds, are deleterious for highly diverse and species-rich grassland groups

Relative importance of management and natural flooding on spider, carabid and plant assemblages in extensively used grasslands along the Loire

International audienceIn Europe, agri-environment schemes (AES) have been implemented to counteract the effects of agricultural intensification. Studies investigating the role of management improvement induced by AES are quite numerous, but rarely take into account the effect of natural perturbations such as flooding, although severe disturbances are well known to shape community structure. Here we investigated the relative importance of management improvement and flooding to explain community parameters of two dominant arthropod groups and vegetation in alluvial meadows. Sampling took place in 2013, using suction samplers for arthropods and phytosociological relevés for vegetation, in 83 meadows distributed along 200 km of the Loire Valley (France). Pair-matched approach (by R-ANOVA) was used to assess overall effects of AES whereas a gradient analysis (GLM) was carried out to assess the impact of AES prescriptions (fertilisation and cutting-date) together with indirect (long-term) and direct (short-term) effects of flooding. No significant effect of AES was found on arthropod and plant assemblages, abundance/productivity or diversity (both α and β), but the number of rare plant species was higher in sites under AES. Prescriptions had little impact on most response variables considered; the only significant impact being the positive effect of high-amounts of fertilisers on spider α- and β-diversities. Conversely, systematic long-term effects of flooding were found on all response variables of spiders, carabids and plants, underlining the key role of this factor in alluvial meadows. Our study demonstrates that maintaining or enhancing hydrological functioning of ecosystems is even more important than regulating both the cutting-dates and the low input of fertilisers for conservation purposes in flooded, already naturally nutrient rich, meadow

GRACE/SUSY Automatic Generation of Tree Amplitudes in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model

GRACE/SUSY is a program package for generating the tree-level amplitude and evaluating the corresponding cross section of processes of the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM). The Higgs potential adopted in the system, however, is assumed to have a more general form indicated by the two-Higgs-doublet model. This system is an extension of GRACE for the standard model(SM) of the electroweak and strong interactions. For a given MSSM process the Feynman graphs and amplitudes at tree-level are automatically created. The Monte-Carlo phase space integration by means of BASES gives the total and differential cross sections. When combined with SPRING, an event generator, the program package provides us with the simulation of the SUSY particle productions.Comment: 39 page, 1 figur

Spin and spin-spin correlations in chargino pair production at future linear e+e- colliders

A possibility to measure the spin and spin-spin correlations of a chargino pair is investigated in the process electron positron -> chargino_1 anti-chargino_1 -> (neutralino_1 quark anti-quark) (neutralino_1 quark anti-quark) at future linear-collider energies. The total and the differential cross sections are calculated by the GRACE system which allows for the full spin correlation. Experimental sensitivity of the measurements are examined by assuming the limited detector resolution, the initial state radiation and the beam-beam effect (beamstrahlung). It is found that generally the spin-spin correlation can only be measured with a lower sensitivity than the chargino spin itself. The dependence of the correlation measurements on the relevant SUSY parameters can be seen for a light sneutrino case, but the situation becomes worse for a heavier sneutrino.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figures, 6 tables; added reference for section