216 research outputs found
Time-odd components in the mean field of rotating superdeformed nuclei
Rotation-induced time-odd components in the nuclear mean field are analyzed
using the Hartree-Fock cranking approach with effective interactions SIII,
SkM*, and SkP. Identical dynamical moments are obtained for
pairs of superdeformed bands Tb(2)--Dy(1) and
Gd(2)--Tb(1). The corresponding relative alignments strongly
depend on which time-odd mean-field terms are taken into account in the
Hartree-Fock equations.Comment: 23 pages, ReVTeX, 6 uuencoded postscript figures include
Relative spins and excitation energies of superdeformed bands in 190Hg: Further evidence for octupole vibration
An experiment using the Eurogam Phase II gamma-ray spectrometer confirms the
existence of an excited superdeformed (SD) band in 190Hg and its very unusual
decay into the lowest SD band over 3-4 transitions. The energies and dipole
character of the transitions linking the two SD bands have been firmly
established. Comparisons with RPA calculations indicate that the excited SD
band can be interpreted as an octupole-vibrational structure.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 4 figures available via WWW at
http://www.phy.anl.gov/bgo/bc/hg190_nucl_ex.htm
The Moderating Effect of Mental Toughness: Perception of Risk and Belief in the Paranormal
This research demonstrates that higher levels of mental toughness provide cognitive-perceptual processing advantages when evaluating risk. No previous research, however, has examined mental toughness in relation to perception of risk and paranormal belief (a variable associated with distorted perception of causality and elevated levels of perceived risk). Accordingly, the present paper investigated relationships between these factors. A sample of 174 participants completed self-report measures assessing mental toughness, general perception of risk, and paranormal belief. Responses were analyzed via correlations and moderation analyses. Results revealed that mental toughness correlated negatively with perception of risk and paranormal belief, whereas paranormal belief correlated positively with perception of risk. For the moderation effects, simple slopes analyses indicated that high levels of MT and subfactors of commitment and confidence reduced the strength of association between paranormal belief and perceived risk. Therefore, MT potentially acts as a protective factor among individuals who believe in the paranormal, reducing the tendency to perceive elevated levels of risk
Microscopic Structure of High-Spin Vibrational Excitations in Superdeformed 190,192,194Hg
Microscopic RPA calculations based on the cranked shell model are performed
to investigate the quadrupole and octupole correlations for excited
superdeformed bands in 190Hg, 192Hg, and 194Hg. The K=2 octupole vibrations are
predicted to be the lowest excitation modes at zero rotational frequency. At
finite frequency, however, the interplay between rotation and vibrations
produces different effects depending on neutron number: The lowest octupole
phonon is rotationally aligned in 190Hg, is crossed by the aligned
two-quasiparticle bands in 192Hg, and retains the K=2 octupole vibrational
character up to the highest frequency in 194Hg. The gamma vibrations are
predicted to be higher in energy and less collective than the octupole
vibrations. From a comparison with the experimental dynamic moments of inertia,
a new interpretation of the observed excited bands invoking the K=2 octupole
vibrations is proposed, which suggests those octupole vibrations may be
prevalent in SD Hg nuclei.Comment: 22 pages, REVTeX, 12 postscript figures are available on reques
Low-frequency variation near common germline susceptibility loci are associated with risk of Ewing sarcoma
Background: Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a rare, aggressive solid tumor of childhood, adolescence and young adulthood associated with pathognomonic EWSR1-ETS fusion oncoproteins altering transcriptional regulation. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 6 common germline susceptibility loci but have not investigated low-frequency inherited variants with minor allele frequencies below 5% due to limited genotyped cases of this rare tumor. Methods We investigated the contribution of rare and low-frequency variation to EwS susceptibility in the largest EwS genome-wide association study to date (733 EwS cases and 1,346 unaffected controls of European ancestry). Results We identified two low-frequency variants, rs112837127 and rs2296730, on chromosome 20 that were associated with EwS risk (OR = 0.186 and 2.038, respectively;P-value < 5x10(-8)) and located near previously reported common susceptibility loci. After adjusting for the most associated common variant at the locus, only rs112837127 remained a statistically significant independent signal (OR = 0.200, P-value = 5.84x10(-8)). Conclusions: These findings suggest rare variation residing on common haplotypes are important contributors to EwS risk. Impact Motivate future targeted sequencing studies for a comprehensive evaluation of low-frequency and rare variation around common EwS susceptibility loci
Female chromosome X mosaicism is age-related and preferentially affects the inactivated X chromosome
Understanding conspiracy theories
Scholarly efforts to understand conspiracy theories have grown significantly in recent years, and there is now a broad and interdisciplinary literature that we review in this article. We ask three specific questions. First, what are the factors that are associated with conspiracy theorizing? Our review of the literature shows that conspiracy beliefs result from a range of psychological, political and social factors. Next, how are conspiracy theories communicated? Here, we explain how conspiracy theories are shared among individuals and spread through traditional and social media platforms. Next, what are the risks and rewards associated with conspiracy theories? By focusing on politics and science, we argue that conspiracy theories do more harm than good. Finally, because this is a growing literature and many open questions remain, we conclude by suggesting several promising avenues for future research
The nuclear collective motion
Current developments in nuclear structure are discussed from a theoretical perspective. First, the progress in theoretical modeling of nuclei is reviewed. This is followed by the discussion of nuclear time scales, nuclear collective modes, and nuclear deformations. Some perspectives on nuclear structure research far from stability are given. Finally, interdisciplinary aspects of the nuclear many-body problem are outlined
Female chromosome X mosaicism is age-related and preferentially affects the inactivated X chromosome
To investigate large structural clonal mosaicism of chromosome X, we analysed the SNP
microarray intensity data of 38,303 women from cancer genome-wide association studies
(20,878 cases and 17,425 controls) and detected 124 mosaic X events42Mb in 97 (0.25%)
women. Here we show rates for X-chromosome mosaicism are four times higher than mean
autosomal rates; X mosaic events more often include the entire chromosome and participants
with X events more likely harbour autosomal mosaic events. X mosaicism frequency
increases with age (0.11% in 50-year olds; 0.45% in 75-year olds), as reported for Y and
autosomes. Methylation array analyses of 33 women with X mosaicism indicate events
preferentially involve the inactive X chromosome. Our results provide further evidence that
the sex chromosomes undergo mosaic events more frequently than autosomes, which could
have implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms of mosaic events and their
possible contribution to risk for chronic diseases
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