Competition of fusion and quasi-fission in the reactions leading to production of the superheavy elements

The mechanism of fusion hindrance, an effect observed in the reactions of cold, warm and hot fusion leading to production of the superheavy elements, is investigated. A systematics of transfermium production cross sections is used to determine fusion probabilities. Mechanism of fusion hindrance is described as a competition of fusion and quasi-fission. Available evaporation residue cross sections in the superheavy region are reproduced satisfactorily. Analysis of the measured capture cross sections is performed and a sudden disappearance of the capture cross sections is observed at low fusion probabilities. A dependence of the fusion hindrance on the asymmetry of the projectile-target system is investigated using the available data. The most promising pathways for further experiments are suggested.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, talk presented at 7th International School-Seminar on Heavy-Ion Physics, May 27 - June 1, 2002, Dubna, Russi

The structure of superheavy elements newly discovered in the reaction of 86^{86}Kr with 208^{208}Pb

The structure of superheavy elements newly discovered in the $^{208}$Pb($^{86}$Kr,n) reaction at Berkeley is systematically studied in the Relativistic Mean Field (RMF) approach. It is shown that various usually employed RMF forces, which give fair description of normal stable nuclei, give quite different predictions for superheavy elements. Among the effective forces we tested, TM1 is found to be the good candidate to describe superheavy elements. The binding energies of the $^{293}$118 nucleus and its $\alpha-$decay daughter nuclei obtained using TM1 agree with those of FRDM within 2 MeV. Similar conclusion that TM1 is the good interaction is also drawn from the calculated binding energies for Pb isotopes with the Relativistic Continuum Hartree Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory. Using the pairing gaps obtained from RCHB, RMF calculations with pairing and deformation are carried out for the structure of superheavy elements. The binding energy, shape, single particle levels, and the Q values of the $\alpha-$decay $Q_{\alpha}$ are discussed, and it is shown that both pairing correlation and deformation are essential to properly understand the structure of superheavy elements. A good agreement is obtained with experimental data on $Q_{\alpha}$. %Especially, the atomic number %dependence of $Q_{\alpha}$ %seems to match with the experimental observationComment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Semiempirical Shell Model Masses with Magic Number Z = 126 for Superheavy Elements

A semiempirical shell model mass equation applicable to superheavy elements up to Z = 126 is presented and shown to have a high predictive power. The equation is applied to the recently discovered superheavy nuclei Z = 118, A = 293 and Z = 114, A = 289 and their decay products.Comment: 7 pages, including 2 figures and 2 table

Search for the Production of Element 112 in the 48Ca + 238U Reaction

We have searched for the production of element 112 in the reaction of 231 MeV 48Ca with 238U. We have not observed any events with a "one event" upper limit cross section of 1.6 pb for EVR-fission events and 1.8 pb for EVR-alpha events.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Colocalization of different neurotransmitter transporters on synaptic vesicles is sparse except for VGLUT1 and ZnT3

Vesicular transporters (VTs) define the type of neurotransmitter that synaptic vesicles (SVs) store and release. While certain mammalian neurons release multiple transmitters, it is not clear whether the release occurs from the same or distinct vesicle pools at the synapse. Using quantitative single-vesicle imaging, we show that a vast majority of SVs in the rodent brain contain only one type of VT, indicating specificity for a single neurotransmitter. Interestingly, SVs containing dual transporters are highly diverse (27 types) but small in proportion (2% of all SVs), excluding the largest pool that carries VGLUT1 and ZnT3 (34%). Using VGLUT1-ZnT3 SVs, we demonstrate that the transporter colocalization influences the SV content and synaptic quantal size. Thus, the presence of diverse transporters on the same vesicle is bona fide, and depending on the VT types, this may act to regulate neurotransmitter type, content, and release in space and time

Development of an updated, standardized, patient-centered outcome set for lung cancer

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) defined an international consensus recommendation of the most important outcomes for lung cancer patients. The European Health Outcomes Observatory (H2O) initiative aimed to develop an updated patient-centered core outcome set (COS) for lung cancer, to capture the patient perspective of the impact of lung cancer and (novel) treatments using a combination of patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments and clinical data as a means to drive value-based health-care. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An international, expert team of patient representatives, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals, academic researchers and pharmaceutical industry representatives (n = 17) reviewed potential outcomes generated through literature review. A broader group of patients/patient representatives (n = 31), healthcare professionals / academic researchers (n = 83), pharmaceutical industry representatives (n = 26), and health authority representatives (n = 6) participated in a Delphi study. In two survey rounds, participants scored the relevance of outcomes from a preliminary list. The threshold for consensus was defined as ≥ 70 % of participants scoring an outcome as 'highly relevant'. In concluding consensus-meeting rounds, the expert multidisciplinary team finalized the COS. RESULTS: The preliminary list defined by the core group consisted of 102 outcomes and was prioritized in the Delphi procedure to 64. The final lung cancer COS includes: 1) case-mix factors (n = 27); 2) PROs related to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (n = 25); 3) clinical outcomes (n = 12). Patient-reported symptoms beyond domains included in the ICHOM lung cancer set in 2016 were insomnia, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, depression, lack of appetite, gastric problems, constipation, diarrhoea, dysphagia, and haemoptysis. CONCLUSIONS: We will implement the lung cancer COS in Europe within the H2O initiative by collecting the outcomes through a combination of clinician-reported measures and PRO measures. The COS will support the adoption and reporting of lung cancer measures in a standardized way across Europe and empower patients with lung cancer to better manage their health care

Semiempirical Shell Model Masses with Magic Number Z=126 for Translead Elements with N smaller or equal to 126

A semiempirical shell model mass equation based on magic number Z=126 and applicable to translead elements with N smaller or equal to 126 is presented. For alpha decay energies the equation is shown to have a high predictive power and an rms deviation from the data of about 100 keV. The rms deviations for masses and other mass differences are between about 200 and 300 keV.Comment: 8 pages including 3 figures and 3 table