Baryon polarization in low-energy unpolarized meson-baryon scattering

We compute the polarization of the final-state baryon, in its rest frame, in low-energy meson--baryon scattering with unpolarized initial state, in Unitarized BChPT. Free parameters are determined by fitting total and differential cross-section data (and spin-asymmetry or polarization data if available) for $pK^-$, $pK^+$ and $p\pi^+$ scattering. We also compare our results with those of leading-order BChPT

Biochemical and pharmacological characterization of adenosine A1 receptors in eel (Anguilla anguilla) brain.

N6-cyclohexyl[3H]adenosine ([3H]CHA) was used to label adenosine A1 receptors in membranes prepared from male and female eel whole brain. The A1 receptor agonist [3H]CHA bound saturably, reversibly and with high affinity (Kd = 0.91 ± 0.12 nM; Bmax = 120.36 ± 5.2 fmol mg−1 protein). In equilibrium competition experiments, the adenosine agonists and antagonists all displaced [3H]CHA from high-affinity binding sites with the rank order of potency in displacing, characteristics of an A1 adenosine receptor. Mg2+ dramatically increased the affinity of [3H]CHA without modifying the maximal binding capacity. The specific binding was inhibited by guanosine 5′-triphosphate (Ki = 2.54 ± 0.98 μM). The [3H]CHA binding sites are ubiquitously distributed with a maximum in cerebellum and a minimum in olfactory bulb. No difference was observed between male and female brain. In eel brain, synaptosomes (P2), stimulation of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) accumulation with 10−5 M forskolin was markedly reduced (45.5%) by treatment with the adenosine A1 receptor agonist CHA (10−4 M), and the reduction was reversed in presence of the selective A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (10−5 M). In superfused eel cerebellar synaptosomes, K+ stimulated the release of adenosine in a partially Ca2+-dependent manner. The findings, taken together, suggest the hypothesis that adenosine A1 receptors present in eel brain could modulate synaptic transmission, as A1 receptors do in other vertebrates

Effects of working gas pressure on zirconium dioxide thin film prepared by pulsed plasma deposition: roughness, wettability, friction and wear characteristics

In joint arthroplasty one of the main issues related to the failure of prosthetic implants is due to the wear of the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) component. Surface treatments and coatings have been recognized as enhancing methods, able to improve the tribological properties of the implants. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to investigate the possibility to fabricate yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings on a metal (AISI 316-L) substrate by means of Pulsed Electron Deposition, in order to improve the tribological behavior of the polymer-metal coupling, by reducing the initial wear of the UHMWPE component. In order to optimize the coating characteristics, the effects of working gas pressure on both its morphological and tribological properties were analyzed. Morphological characterization of the films was evaluated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Coating wettability was also estimated by contact angle (CA) measurement. Tribological performance (coupling friction and wear of UHMWPE) was evaluated by using a ball-on-disc tribometer during highly-stressing tests in dry and lubricated (i.e. NaCl and serum) conditions; friction and wear were specifically evaluated at the initial sliding distances - to highlight the main effect of coating morphology - and after 100m - where the influence of the intrinsic materials properties prevails. AFM analysis highlighted that the working pressure heavily affected the morphological characteristics of the realized films. The wettability of the coating at the highest and lowest deposition pressures (CA ~ 60\ub0, closed to substrate value) decreased for intermediate pressures, reaching a maximum CA of\ua0~ 90\ub0. Regarding tribological tests, a strong correlation was found in the initial steps between friction coefficient and wettability, which decreased as the distance increased. Concerning UHMWPE wear associated to coated counterpart, at 100m a reduction rate of about 7% in dry, 12% in NaCl and 5% in presence of serum was obtained compared to the uncoated counterpart. Differently from what highlighted for friction, no correlation was found between wear rate and morphological parameters. These findings, in agreement with literature, underlined the effect of the deposition pressure on the morphological properties, but suggested that physical characteristics are influenced too. Further research on the deposition process will be required in order to improve the tribological performance of the coating at long distances, addressing - above all - orthopedic applications

Rotation induced octupole correlations in the neutron-deficient 109Te^{109}Te nucleus

High spin states in the neutron deficient nucleus Te-109 have been populated with the Ni-58 + Fe-54 reaction at 220 MeV and investigated through gamma-spectroscopy methods at the GASP spectrometer making use of reaction channel selection with the ISIS Si-ball. The level scheme has been extended up to an excitation energy of approximate to 12.1 MeV. The spins and parities of the observed levels are assigned tentatively supporting the identification of two bands of opposite parity connected by strong dipole transitions inferred to be of El character. Octupole correlations in Te-109 induced by rotation are suggested as the cause of this effect. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Isospin symmetry breaking at high spin in the mirror nuclei 35^{35}Ar and 35^{35}Cl

High-spin states in $^{35}$Ar and $^{35}$Cl have been populated in the $^{24}$Mg($^{16}$O, $\alpha$n) and $^{24}$Mg($^{16}$O, $\alpha$p) reactions, respectively, at a beam energy of 70 MeV. The comparison between the level schemes of these mirror nuclei shows a striking asymmetry in the population yield of high-spin analog states of positive parity, which indicates different intensities of E1 transitions connecting positive- and negative-parity structures in both nuclei. Large energy differences are observed between analog states of negative parity with configurations of dominant pure single-particle character. This results from the comparison with large-scale shell-model calculations in the $s_{1/2}d_{3/2}f_{7/2}p_{3/2}$ valence space. It is shown that important contributions to the energy differences arise from the multipole Coulomb and the relativistic electromagnetic spin-orbit interactions