198 research outputs found
Towards a microscopic description of the fission process
One major issue in nuclear physics is to develop a consistent model able to describe on the same footing the different aspects of the fission process, i.e. properties of the fissioning system, fission dynamics and fragment distributions. Microscopic fission studies based on the mean-field approximation are here presented
Nuclei with Tetrahedral Symmetry
We discuss a point-group-theory based method of searching for new regions of
nuclear stability. We illustrate the related strategy with realistic
calculations employing the tetrahedral and the octahedral point groups. In
particular, several nuclei in the Rare Earth region appear as excellent
candidates to study the new mechanism.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, submitted to International Journal of Modern
Physics
Structure properties of Th and Fm fission fragments: mean field analysis with the Gogny force
The constrained Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov method is used with the Gogny
interaction D1S to calculate potential energy surfaces of fissioning nuclei
Th and Fm up to very large deformations. The
constraints employed are the mass quadrupole and octupole moments. In this
subspace of collective coordinates, many scission configurations are identified
ranging from symmetric to highly asymmetric fragmentations. Corresponding
fragment properties at scission are derived yielding fragment deformations,
deformation energies, energy partitioning, neutron binding energies at
scission, neutron multiplicities, charge polarization and total fragment
kinetic energies.Comment: 15 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. C (2007
GDR Feeding of the Highly-Deformed Band in 42Ca
The gamma-ray spectra from the decay of the GDR in the compound nucleus
reaction 18O+28Si at bombarding energy of 105 MeV have been measured in an
experiment using the EUROBALL IV and HECTOR arrays. The obtained experimental
GDR strength function is highly fragmented, with a low energy (10 MeV)
component, indicating a presence of a large deformation and Coriolis effects.
In addition, the preferential feeding of the highly-deformed band in 42Ca by
this GDR low energy component is observed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the Zakopane2004 Symposium, to be
published in Acta Phys. Pol. B36 (2005
Numerical search of discontinuities in self-consistent potential energy surfaces
Potential energy surfaces calculated with self-consistent mean-field methods
are a very powerful tool, since their solutions are, in theory, global minima
of the non-constrained subspace. However, this minimization leads to an
incertitude concerning the saddle points, that can sometimes be no more saddle
points in bigger constrained subspaces (fake saddle points), or can be missing
on a trajectory (it missing saddle points). These phenomena are the
consequences of discontinuities of the self-consistent potential energy
surfaces (SPES). These discontinuities may have important consequences, since
they can for example hide the real height of an energy barrier, and avoid any
use of a SPES for further dynamical calculations, barrier penetrability
estimations, or trajectory predictions. Discontinuities are not related to the
quality of the production of a SPES, since even a perfectly converged SPES with
an ideally fine mesh can be discontinuous. In this paper we explain what are
the discontinuities, their consequences, and their origins. We then propose a
numerical method to detect and identify discontinuities on a given SPES, and
finally we discuss what are the best ways to transform a discontinuous SPES
into a continuous one.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Evidence for the Jacobi shape transition in hot 46Ti
The gamma-rays from the decay of the GDR in 46Ti compound nucleus formed in
the 18O+28Si reaction at bombarding energy 105 MeV have been measured in an
experiment using a setup consisting of the combined EUROBALL IV, HECTOR and
EUCLIDES arrays. A comparison of the extracted GDR lineshape data with the
predictions of the thermal shape fluctuation model shows evidence for the
Jacobi shape transition in hot 46Ti. In addition to the previously found broad
structure in the GDR lineshape region at 18-27 MeV caused by large
deformations, the presence of a low energy component (around 10 MeV), due to
the Coriolis splitting in prolate well deformed shape, has been identified for
the first time.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the COMEX1 conference, June 2003,
Paris; to be published in Nucl. Phys.
Safety and efficacy of co-administered diethylcarbamazine, albendazole and ivermectin during mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis in Haiti: Results from a two-armed, open-label, cluster-randomized, community study
In Haiti, 22 communes still require mass drug administration (MDA) to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) as a public health problem. Several clinical trials have shown that a single oral dose of ivermectin (IVM), diethylcarbamazine (DEC) and albendazole (ALB) (IDA) is more effective than DEC plus ALB (DA) for clearing Wuchereria bancrofti microfilariae (Mf). We performed a cluster-randomized community study to compare the safety and efficacy of IDA and DA in an LF-endemic area in northern Haiti. Ten localities were randomized to receive either DA or IDA. Participants were monitored for adverse events (AE), parasite antigenemia, and microfilaremia. Antigen-positive participants were retested one year after MDA to assess treatment efficacy. Fewer participants (11.0%, 321/2917) experienced at least one AE after IDA compared to DA (17.3%, 491/2844, P<0.001). Most AEs were mild, and the three most common AEs reported were headaches, dizziness and abdominal pain. Serious AEs developed in three participants who received DA. Baseline prevalence for filarial antigenemia was 8.0% (239/3004) in IDA localities and 11.5% (344/2994) in DA localities (<0.001). Of those with positive antigenemia, 17.6% (42/239) in IDA localities and 20.9% (72/344, P = 0.25) in DA localities were microfilaremic. One year after treatment, 84% percent of persons with positive filarial antigen tests at baseline could be retested. Clearance rates for filarial antigenemia were 20.5% (41/200) after IDA versus 25.4% (74/289) after DA (P = 0.3). However, 94.4% (34/36) of IDA recipients and 75.9% (44/58) of DA recipients with baseline microfilaremia were Mf negative at the time of retest (P = 0.02). Thus, MDA with IDA was at least as well tolerated and significantly more effective for clearing Mf compared to the standard DA regimen in this study. Effective MDA coverage with IDA could accelerate the elimination of LF as a public health problem in the 22 communes that still require MDA in Haiti
Unacceptably High Mortality Related to Measles Epidemics in Niger, Nigeria, and Chad
BACKGROUND: Despite the comprehensive World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) measles mortalityâreduction strategy and the Measles Initiative, a partnership of international organizations supporting measles mortality reduction in Africa, certain high-burden countries continue to face recurrent epidemics. To our knowledge, few recent studies have documented measles mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of our study was to investigate measles mortality in three recent epidemics in Niamey (Niger), N'Djamena (Chad), and Adamawa State (Nigeria). METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted three exhaustive household retrospective mortality surveys in one neighbourhood of each of the three affected areas: Boukoki, Niamey, Niger (April 2004, n = 26,795); Moursal, N'Djamena, Chad (June 2005, n = 21,812); and Dong District, Adamawa State, Nigeria (April 2005, n = 16,249), where n is the total surveyed population in each of the respective areas. Study populations included all persons resident for at least 2 wk prior to the study, a duration encompassing the measles incubation period. Heads of households provided information on measles cases, clinical outcomes up to 30 d after rash onset, and health-seeking behaviour during the epidemic. Measles cases and deaths were ascertained using standard WHO surveillance-case definitions. Our main outcome measures were measles attack rates (ARs) and case fatality ratios (CFRs) by age group, and descriptions of measles complications and health-seeking behaviour. Measles ARs were the highest in children under 5 y old (under 5 y): 17.1% in Boukoki, 17.2% in Moursal, and 24.3% in Dong District. CFRs in under 5-y-olds were 4.6%, 4.0%, and 10.8% in Boukoki, Moursal, and Dong District, respectively. In all sites, more than half of measles cases in children aged under 5 y experienced acute respiratory infection and/or diarrhoea in the 30 d following rash onset. Of measles cases, it was reported that 85.7% (979/1,142) of patients visited a health-care facility within 30 d after rash onset in Boukoki, 73.5% (519/706) in Moursal, and 52.8% (603/1,142) in Dong District. CONCLUSIONS: Children in these countries still face unacceptably high mortality from a completely preventable disease. While the successes of measles mortalityâreduction strategies and progress observed in measles control in other countries of the region are laudable and evident, they should not overshadow the need for intensive efforts in countries that have just begun implementation of the WHO/UNICEF comprehensive strategy
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