Number conserving particle-hole RPA for superfluid nuclei

TheAuthor(s) - .Published by Elsevier B.V. "This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Funded by SCOAP"We present a number conserving particle-hole RPA theory for collective excitations in the transition from normal to superfluid nuclei. The method derives from an RPA theory developed long ago in quantum chemistry using antisymmetric geminal powers, or equivalently number projected HFB states, as reference states. We show within a minimal model of pairing plus monopole interactions that the number conserving particle-hole RPA excitations evolve smoothly across the superfluid phase transition close to the exact results, contrary to particle-hole RPA in the normal phase and quasiparticle RPA in the superfluid phase that require a change of basis at the broken symmetry point. The new formalism can be applied in a straightforward manner to study particle-hole excitations on top of a number projected HFB state.Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía (Spain) FQM-160 and FQM-370Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6105/UGRMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and the ERDF under Projects No. FIS2015-63770-P, FIS2017-88410-P and PGC2018-094180-B-I00CEAFMC and Universidad de Huelva High Performance Computer (HPC@UHU) funded by FEDER/MINECO project UNHU-15CE-284

Number conserving particle-hole RPA for superfluid nuclei

TheAuthor(s) - .Published by Elsevier B.V. "This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Funded by SCOAP"We present a number conserving particle-hole RPA theory for collective excitations in the transition from normal to superfluid nuclei. The method derives from an RPA theory developed long ago in quantum chemistry using antisymmetric geminal powers, or equivalently number projected HFB states, as reference states. We show within a minimal model of pairing plus monopole interactions that the number conserving particle-hole RPA excitations evolve smoothly across the superfluid phase transition close to the exact results, contrary to particle-hole RPA in the normal phase and quasiparticle RPA in the superfluid phase that require a change of basis at the broken symmetry point. The new formalism can be applied in a straightforward manner to study particle-hole excitations on top of a number projected HFB state.Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía (Spain) FQM-160 and FQM-370Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6105/UGRMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and the ERDF under Projects No. FIS2015-63770-P, FIS2017-88410-P and PGC2018-094180-B-I00CEAFMC and Universidad de Huelva High Performance Computer (HPC@UHU) funded by FEDER/MINECO project UNHU-15CE-284

On the oxidation mechanism of pure tungsten in the temperature range 600-800 ºC

The oxidation behavior of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)-reference tungsten grade has been evaluated in dry air in the temperature range 600-800 °C. At 600 °C , the scale remained protective while the integrity of W₁₈O₄₉ layer was kept. Rapid increase in mass gain resulted from massive cracking at local areas in the W₁₈O₄₉ layer. Then, a coarse non-protective columnar WO₂.₉₂ scale was developed which favoured rapid inward oxygen transport into the alloy. At 700 and 800 °C, growth stresses in the scale were released through local cracking. At this stage, WO₂.₉₂ became progressively transformed into WO₃ when the oxygen partial pressure increased across the scale thickness.This investigation was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ENE2008 06,403 C06 04). The financial support from the Comunidad de Madrid, through the program TECHNOFUSION, Grant S2009/ENE 1679

Postural stress and risk conditions in manual load handling of Chilean industrial workers

Introduction: Although, there is a current regulatory framework for optimal manual handling of loads to preserve health conditions in the industrial sector, technical assessment and the use of certain instruments are still required for the diagnosis of occupational hazards. This study aimed to identify the occupational hazards associated with manual load handling in industry workers and estimate those resulting from postural stress. Methods:  Fifty-two (52) industry workers took part in this cross-sectional study. All participants were evaluated using the Manual Handling Guide and the Reba assessment tool.  Subjects were characterized, and risks associated with different tasks were detected. Results: 59.6% of workers were between 18 and 45 years old. Lifting, lowering, and transporting loads activities had a repetitive task risk of 94%, exceeding the weight limit in 85.7% of cases. Pushing and pulling activities, mostly showed a working postural risk of 82% and a high perception of initial effort (Borg> 8). Reba score warned to intervene immediately in both types of tasks. Conclusion: Risk from the manual handling of loads found in this study constitutes an alert that suggests reviewing compliance with the current regulation, as well as effective use of working pauses and the improvement of strategies to minimize physical efforts used by workers

Influence of processing route and yttria additions on the oxidation behavior of tungsten

This study is for: The Fifteenth International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials (ICFRM-15) was held October 16–22, 2011, at the Charleston Marriott Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina (American United States).The oxidation resistance in dry air of pure tungsten and tungsten reinforced with a dispersion of 0.6 wt.% Y₂O₃ nanoparticles has been evaluated between 873 and 1073 K, temperature range that divertor in fusion power plants should endure during long-term times in the case of loss of coolant accident and/or air ingress in the vessel. Both materials were prepared by a powder metallurgy route involving hot isostatic pressing of ball milled tungsten powders and tungsten with dispersed Y₂O₃ nanoparticles. The results have been compared with those of pure tungsten processed by conventional techniques. Thermogravimetric tests at 873 K revealed that the processing route as well as yttria addition considerably affected the oxidation resistance of pure tungsten. Mass gain of W-0.6Y₂O₃ at 873 K was five and two times lower than that of pure tungsten prepared by conventional processing techniques and by powder metallurgy, respectively. This different behavior was related to changes in the structure and composition of the oxide scale. Above 873 K, the kinetics were significantly accelerated for all materials due to the development of a non-protective oxide scale from the earliest oxidation stages, although the kinetics of Y₂O₃-containing material were still the slowest, specially at 973 K. It was analyzed how yttria additions modify the oxidation mechanism of tungsten.Consejería de Educación de la Comunidad de Madrid through the program ESTRUMAT-CM S2009MAT-1585 and by the Ministerio de Innovación y Ciencia (Project ENE2008-06403-C06-04). The additional subvention from EURATOM/CIEMAT association through contract EFDA WP11-MAT-WWALLOY.Publicad

Theoretical study of the dynamics, stereodynamics and microscopic mechanism of the O(1D) + CH4(X1A 1) → OH(X2Π) + CH3(X2 A2'') reaction

A previously reported potential energy surface (PES) and a new barrierless PES (both based on ab initio data and describing the CH3 group as a pseudoatom) were used to study the O(1D)+CH4→OH+CH3 reaction with the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method. The new PES accurately reproduces the experimental rate constant values, in contrast to the previous PES. The QCT study was mainly performed at the relative translational energy (ET) resulting from the photodissociation of N2O at 193 nm (⟨ET⟩=0.403 eV), although the collision energy obtained from the photodissociation of O3 at 248 nm (⟨ET⟩=0.212 eV) was also considered. Good agreement between theory and experiment was obtained for the OH vibrational populations and for the OH rotational populations for the v′⩾2 vibrational levels, while the rotational distributions for v′=0-1 are more excited than in the experiment. The QCT results at ET=0.403 eV satisfactorily reproduce the experimental kk′ angular distribution of the state-specific channel OH(v′=4, N′=8) and the corresponding E′T distribution. For OH(v′=0, N′=5) the reproduction of these properties is poorer, especially for the E′T distribution. At 0.403 eV the contribution of the abstraction mechanism to the reaction mode is negligible and two insertion like mechanisms (with fast or slow elimination) are found to be predominant, as suggested experimentally. The discrepancies observed between the QCT and experimental results can be explained on the basis of the defective description of the insertion/slow elimination mechanism provided by the model

Speech therapy assessment of language skills in a teenager with foetal alcohol syndrome: a case study

The present case study presents the speech therapy evaluation of a 17-year-old adolescent patient, adopted in an Eastern country, with borderline intellectual disability and sensory problems. After the initial evaluation, a specific lexical-syntactic language disorder was diagnosed, with comorbidity with evolutionary dyslexia and severe sensorial problems. Parallel to the diagnosis, it was postulated that the adolescent had foetal alcohol syndrome associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, both due to her clinical condition and suspicion from her adoption history. After a year of speech therapy intervention, the girl showed no improvement.El presente estudio de caso presenta la evaluación de una paciente adolescente de 17 años, adoptada en los países del Este, con discapacidad intelectual límite y problemas sensoriales. Tras la evaluación inicial se diagnosticó un trastorno del desarrollo del lenguaje de tipo fonológico-sintáctico, con comorbilidad con dislexia evolutiva e importantes problemas sensoriales. Paralelamente al diagnóstico se postuló que la adolescente sufriría síndrome de alcoholismo fetal asociado a la exposición prenatal al alcohol, tanto por su cuadro clínico como por las sospechas de su historial de adopción

Influence of yttria additions on the oxidation behaviour of titanium prepared by powder metallurgy

The yttria dispersion effect on the oxidation resistance of titanium prepared by powder metallurgy has been evaluated between 700 and 900º C. Yttria additions slightly increase the oxidation rate up to 800ºC and decrease it considerably at 900º C. The multilayered rutile scale formed on pure titanium prepared by conventional techniques is replaced by a denser rutile scale in the case of Titanium prepared by powder metallurgy. Yttria additions raise the temperature at which a more protective dense rutile scale is formedThis work was supported by the Dirección General de Investigación (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain) under grant MAT2006-13005-C03-02, and the Dirección General de Universidades (Comunidad de Madrid) through the program ESTRUMAT-CM (Grant S-0505/MAT/0077).Publicad

STEM Education Trends: A Content Analysis of Three International STEM Journals

This content analysis adds to STEM Education research by highlighting trends in the subfields of STEM education and identifying at what educational levels this research has been conducted. Since their start, all published articles were analyzed from three international STEM education research journals—IJEMST, IJSE, and J-STEM. After logging the relevant information on a spreadsheet, analyzing the data, and looking at the results, the authors identified that technology and engineering education are still underrepresented in STEM education; that more than 50% of the research focused on only one of the four STEM silos; and that most research occurred in higher education settings