667 research outputs found
Evidence for two-electron processes in the mutual neutralization of O- with O+ and N+ at Subthermal Collision Energies
We have measured total absolute cross sections for the Mutual Neutralization
(MN) of O- with O+/N+. A fine resolution (of about 50 meV) in the kinetic
energy spectra of the product neutral atoms allows unique identification of the
atomic states participating in the mutual neutralization process. Cross
sections and branching ratios have also been calculated down to 1 meV
center-of-mass collision energy for these two systems with a multi-channel
Landau-Zener model and an asymptotic method for the ionic-covalent coupling
matrix elements. The importance of two-electron processes in one-electron
transfer is demonstrated by the dominant contribution of a core-excited
configuration of the nitrogen atom in N+ + O- collisions. This effect is
partially accounted for by introducing configuration mixing in the evaluation
of coupling matrix elements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Fire debris analysis by Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics
A paper reporting the use of Raman Spectroscopy in fire debris analysis is presented. Five polymer based samples, namely carpet (polypropylene), nylon stockings (nylon), foam packaging (polystyrene), CD cases (polystyrene) and DVD cases (polypropylene) were burnt with each one of the following ignitable liquids: petrol, diesel, kerosene and ethanol. Raman shifts were obtained and, in some cases, peaks were identified to correspond to pyrolysis products in the form of alkanes, aromatic or polyaromatic compounds. All pyrolysis peaks were used to produce a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the burned samples with the different ignitable liquids. The change in the Raman spectra made it possible to identify some of the pyrolysis products produced in the combustion and also to identify the different plastic materials in fire debris, even when different fuels have been used and the chemical and structural identity of the plastic has been altered in the fire
Epileptic Spasms in Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation
Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are a group of rare metabolic diseases, characterized by impaired glycosylation. Multisystemic involvement is common and neurological impairment is notably severe and disabling, concerning the central and peripheral nervous system. Epilepsy is frequent, but detailed electroclinical description is rare. We describe, retrospectively, the electroclinical features in five children with CDG and epileptic spasms. Epileptic spasms were observed in patients with ALG1-, ALG6, ALG11-CDG and CDG-Ix, and occurred at an early age, before 6 months in all cases, except one who had spasms that started at 18 months. In this patient, spasms had an unusual aspect; they did not occur in clusters and were immediately preceded by a myoclonus. All but one child also presented rare myoclonias. On EEG, background activity was poorly organized with abundant posterior spike and fast rhythm activity, but without hypsarrhythmia. At the last evaluation (age range: 6-12 years), two patients still presented epileptic spasms and subcortical myoclonias, one showed rare generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and two were seizure-free. CDG disorders can be associated with epileptic spasms showing particular features, such as absence of hypsarrhythmia, posterior EEG anomalies, and an unusual combination of epileptic spasms with myoclonus. These features, associated with pre-existing developmental delay and subcortical myoclonias, may shift toward CDG screening. [Published with video sequence and supplemental EEG plates on www.epilepticdisorders.com].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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