FaCE: a tool for Three Body Faddeev calculations with core excitation

FaCE is a self contained programme, with namelist input, that solves the three body Faddeev equations. It enables the inclusion of excitation of one of the three bodies, whilst the other two remain inert. It is particularly useful for obtaining the binding energies and bound state structure compositions of light exotic nuclei treated as three-body systems, given the three effective two body interactions. A large variety of forms for these interactions may be defined, and supersymmetric transformations of these potentials may be calculated whenever two body states need to be removed due to Pauli blocking.Comment: 19 pg, 3 figs, program available for download from ftp://ftp.ph.surrey.ac.uk/pub/thompson/face

Contextual Sensitivity in Grounded Theory: The Role of Pilot Studies

Grounded Theory is an established methodological approach for context specific inductive theory building. The grounded nature of the methodology refers to these specific contexts from which emergent propositions are drawn. Thus, any grounded theory study requires not only theoretical sensitivity, but also a good insight on how to design the research in the human activity systems to be studied. The lack of this insight may result in inefficient theoretical sampling or even erroneous purposeful sampling. These problems would not necessarily be critical, as it could be argued that through the elliptical process that characterizes grounded theory, remedial loops would always bring the researcher to the core of the theory. However, these elliptical remedial processes can take very long periods of time and result in catastrophic delays in research projects. As a strategy, this paper discusses, contrasts and compares the use of pilot studies in four different grounded theory projects. Each pilot brought different insights about the context, resulting in changes of focus, guidance to improve data collection instruments and informing theoretical sampling. Additionally, as all four projects were undertaken by researchers with little experience of inductive approaches in general and grounded theory in particular, the pilot studies also served the purpose of training in interviewing, relating to interviewees, memoing, constant comparison and coding. This last outcome of the pilot study was actually not planned initially, but revealed itself to be a crucial success factor in the running of the projects. The paper concludes with a theoretical proposition for the concept of contextual sensitivity and for the inclusion of the pilot study in grounded theory research designs

Behavioural Evidence Analysis Applied to Digital Forensics: An Empirical Analysis of Child Pornography Cases using P2P Networks

The utility of Behavioural Evidence Analysis (BEA) has gained attention in the field of Digital Forensics in recent years. It has been recognized that, along with technical examination of digital evidence, it is important to learn as much as possible about the individuals behind an offence, the victim(s) and the dynamics of a crime. This can assist the investigator in producing a more accurate and complete reconstruction of the crime, in interpreting associated digital evidence, and with the description of investigative findings. Despite these potential benefits, the literature shows limited use of BEA for the investigation of cases of the possession and dissemination of Sexually Exploitative Imagery of Children (SEIC). This paper represents a step towards filling this gap. It reports on the forensic analysis of 15 SEIC cases involving P2P filesharing networks, obtained from the Dubai Police. Results confirmed the predicted benefits and indicate that BEA can assist digital forensic practitioners and prosecutors

XCDCC: Core Excitation in the Breakup of Exotic Nuclei

The eXtended Continuum Discretized Coupled Channel (XCDCC) method is developed to treat reactions where core degrees of freedom play a role. The projectile is treated as a multi-configuration coupled channels system generated from a valence particle coupled to a deformed core which is allowed to excite. The coupled channels initial state breaks up into a coupled channels continuum which is discretized into bins, similarly to the original CDCC method. Core collective degrees of freedom are also included in the interaction of the core and the target, so that dynamical effects can occur during the reaction. We present results for the breakup of $^{17}$C=$^{16}$C+n and $^{11}$Be=$^{10}$Be+n on $^{9}$Be. Results show that the total cross section increases with core deformation. More importantly, the relative percentage of the various components of the initial state are modified during the reaction process through dynamical effects. This implies that comparing spectroscopic factors from structure calculations with experimental cross sections requires more detailed reaction models that go beyond the single particle model.Comment: 14 pages, revtex, submitted to Phys Rev

Effects of deformation in the three-body structure of 11Li

11Li is studied within a three-body model 9Li+n+n where the core is allowed to be deformed and/or excite. In particular, we include reorientation couplings and couplings between the two bound states of 9Li. Contrary to the other examples studied within this model, we find that core excitation does not affect the structure of 11Li significantly. Reorientation couplings of the deformed 9Li can change the ground state of 11Li from a predominantly two neutron s1/2^2 configuration into a p1/2^2. In addition, we see no evidence for the existence of significant d-wave strength in its ground state, as opposed to the prediction by shell model. A comparison with shell model is presented.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Intrathyroidal Ectopic Thymus: A Case Series

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes in the Brain: Cellular Internalization and Neuroinflammatory Responses

The potential use of functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) for drug and gene delivery to the central nervous system (CNS) and as neural substrates makes the understanding of their in vivo interactions with the neural tissue essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the interactions between chemically functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-MWNTs) and the neural tissue following cortical stereotactic administration. Two different f-MWNT constructs were used in these studies: shortened (by oxidation) amino-functionalized MWNT (oxMWNT-NH3+) and amino-functionalized MWNT (MWNT-NH3+). Parenchymal distribution of the stereotactically injected f-MWNTs was assessed by histological examination. Both f-MWNT were uptaken by different types of neural tissue cells (microglia, astrocytes and neurons), however different patterns of cellular internalization were observed between the nanotubes. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining for specific markers of glial cell activation (GFAP and CD11b) was performed and secretion of inflammatory cytokines was investigated using real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Injections of both f-MWNT constructs led to a local and transient induction of inflammatory cytokines at early time points. Oxidation of nanotubes seemed to induce significant levels of GFAP and CD11b over-expression in areas peripheral to the f-MWNT injection site. These results highlight the importance of nanotube functionalization on their interaction with brain tissue that is deemed critical for the development nanotube-based vector systems for CNS application

Transfer to the continuum and Breakup reactions

Reaction theory is an essential ingredient when performing studies of nuclei far from stability. One approach for the calculation of breakup reactions of exotic nuclei into two fragments is to consider inelastic excitations into the single particle continuum of the projectile. Alternatively one can also consider the transfer to the continuum of a system composed of the light fragment and the target. In this work we make a comparative study of the two approaches, underline the different inputs, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Our test cases consist of the breakup of $^{11}$Be on a proton target at intermediate energies, and the breakup of $^8$B on $^{58}$Ni at energies around the Coulomb barrier. We find that, in practice the results obtained in both schemes are in semiquantitative agreement. We suggest a simple condition that can select between the two approaches.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figures. Replaced by accepted version. To appear in Nucl. Phys.

Factors influencing digital forensic investigations: empirical evaluation of 12 years of Dubai police cases

In Digital Forensics, the number of person-hours spent on investigation is a key factor which needs to be kept to a minimum whilst also paying close attention to the authenticity of the evidence. The literature describes challenges behind increasing person-hours and identifies several factors which contribute to this phenomenon. This paper reviews these factors and demonstrates that they do not wholly account for increases in investigation time. Using real case records from the Dubai Police, an extensive study explains the contribution of other factors to the increase in person-hours. We conclude this work by emphasizing on several factors affecting the person-hours in contrast to what most of the literature in this area proposes

Functional Outcome of Endovascular Treatment in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke With Large Vessel Occlusion: Mothership Versus Drip-and-Ship Model in a Portuguese Urban Region

Introduction Endovascular treatment (EVT) with mechanical thrombectomy and acute carotid stenting has become an integral part of the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Despite being included in the most recent stroke guidelines, only comprehensive centers can offer EVT and thus patients frequently need to be transferred from primary hospitals. We aimed to assess which pre-hospital model of care - direct admission to a comprehensive stroke center (mothership) or transfer to a comprehensive stroke center after the first admission to the nearest hospital (drip-and-ship) - had the most benefit in stroke patients in a Portuguese urban region. Methods We selected patients admitted to a comprehensive stroke center who underwent EVTs between January 2018 and December 2020, in Lisbon, Portugal. We used data from the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke (SITS) International registry on stroke severity, previous modified Rankin Scale (mRS), time from symptom onset to the first admission, time from symptom onset to the procedure, and mRS three months post stroke. We defined an unfavorable outcome as having an mRS >2 at three months post stroke. For patients with previous mRS >2, an unfavorable outcome was defined as any increase in mRS at three months post stroke. Results We analyzed the data of 1154 patients, of which 407 were admitted through a mothership approach and 747 through a drip-and-ship approach. Both groups were similar regarding sociodemographic characteristics, stroke risk factors, previous disability, and stroke severity. Median onset-to-door time was higher (126 vs 110 minutes, p-value=0.002) but onset-to-procedure time was lower (199 vs 339 minutes, p-value<0.001) in the mothership group. The mothership group had a higher proportion of patients with mRS <3 at three months post stroke than the drip-and-ship group (41.3% vs 34.9%, p-value=0.035). Mortality was similar in both groups. A multivariate logistic regression model confirmed a lower probability of unfavorable outcomes with the mothership approach (OR = 0.677, 95% CI 0.514-0.892, p-value=0.006). Surprisingly, onset-to-procedure time did not have an impact on functional outcomes. Conclusion Our findings show that the mothership model results in better functional outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Further studies are needed to better define patient selection for this strategy and the impact of a mothership model in comprehensive stroke centers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio