2,072 research outputs found
Critical view of WKB decay widths
A detailed comparison of the expressions for the decay widths obtained within
the semiclassical WKB approximation using different approaches to the tunneling
problem is performed. The differences between the available improved formulae
for tunneling near the top and the bottom of the barrier are investigated.
Though the simple WKB method gives the right order of magnitude of the decay
widths, a small number of parameters are often fitted. The need to perform the
fitting procedure remaining consistently within the WKB framework is emphasized
in the context of the fission model based calculations. Calculations for the
decay widths of some recently found super heavy nuclei using microscopic
alpha-nucleus potentials are presented to demonstrate the importance of a
consistent WKB calculation. The half-lives are found to be sensitive to the
density dependence of the nucleon-nucleon interaction and the implementation of
the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition inherent in the WKB approach.Comment: 18 pages, Late
Propionibacterium acnes infections in patients with idiopathic scoliosis: a case-control study and review of the literature.
Purpose:Surgical site infection (SSI) caused by Propionibacterium acnes is an infrequent but devastating complication after spinal fusion. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for SSI with Propionibacterium acnes after spinal fusion for juvenile and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (JIS and AIS). Methods:A case-control study was performed. Each case was matched 2:1 for age, gender and diagnosis. Retrospective chart review was performed to obtain relevant demographic, surgical and clinical data for all cases and controls. Statistical analysis included paired t-test and McNemar test, as well as exact logistic regression and robust regression models. Results:This study included ten infection cases (eight AIS, two JIS) and 20 controls (16 AIS, four JIS). In total, six infected cases presented within two weeks of the index procedure (acute infection) and four infected cases presented more than one year from the index procedure (delayed infection). The most common presentation for acute infections was wound drainage, while back pain was more common in delayed infections. All infections were successfully treated with surgical irrigation and debridement and postoperative antibiotics. Hardware was removed for patients with delayed infections. The strongest risk factor for infection was increased requirement for blood transfusion, but it did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion:SSI with Propionibacterium acnes is an important complication after spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis. These infections can be successfully treated, but larger studies are needed to further identify risk factors and establish standardized guidelines for the treatment and prevention of this complication. Level of Evidence Level III
1ES 1927+654: Persistent and rapid X-ray variability in an AGN with low intrinsic neutral X-ray absorption and narrow optical emission lines
We present X-ray and optical observations of the X-ray bright AGN 1ES
1927+654. The X-ray observations obtained with ROSAT and Chandra reveal
persistent, rapid and large scale variations, as well as steep 0.1-2.4 keV
(Gamma = 2.6 +/- 0.3) and 0.3-7.0 keV (Gamma = 2.7 +/- 0.2) spectra. The
measured intrinsic neutral X-ray column density is approximately 7e20cm^-2. The
X-ray timing properties indicate that the strong variations originate from a
region, a few hundred light seconds from the central black hole, typical for
type 1 AGN. High quality optical spectroscopy reveals a typical Seyfert 2
spectrum with some host galaxy contamination and no evidence of Fe II
multiplets or broad hydrogen Balmer wings. The intrinsic optical extinction
derived from the BLR and NLR are A_V >= 3.7 and A_V=1.7, respectively. The
X-ray observations give an A_V value of less than 0.58, in contrast to the
optical extinction values. We discuss several ideas to explain this apparent
difference in classification including partial covering, an underluminous BLR
or a high dust to gas ratio.Comment: 8 pages including 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
and Astrophysic
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an important link in the apoptotic pathway induced by hyperglycemia in Y79 retinoblastoma cell line
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) expression was found to be induced in the mammalian CNS, including the retina, by different types of stress leading to cellular apoptosis. Here, we tested possible involvement of AChE in hyperglycemia-induced apoptosis in a retinal cell line. Y79 retinoblastoma cells were incubated in starvation media (1% FBS and 1 mg/ml glucose) for 16â24 h, and then exposed to hyperglycemic environment by raising extracellular glucose concentrations to a final level of 3.5 mg/ml or 6 mg/ml. Similar levels of mannitol were used as control for hyperosmolarity. Cells were harvested at different time intervals for analysis of apoptosis and AChE protein expression. Apoptosis was detected by the cleavage of Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) using western blot, and by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. AChE protein expression and activity was detected by western blot and by the Karnovsky and Roots method, respectively. MissionTM shRNA for AChE was used to inhibit AChE protein expression. Treating Y79 cells with 3.5 mg/ml of glucose, but not with 3.5 mg/ml mannitol, induced apoptosis which was confirmed by TUNEL assay and by cleavage of PARP. A part of the signaling pathway accompanying the apoptotic process involved up-regulation of the AChE-R variant and an N-extended AChE variant as verified at the mRNA and protein level. Inhibition of AChE protein expression by shRNA protected Y79 cell from entering the apoptotic pathway. Our data suggest that expression of an N-extended AChE variant, most probably an R isoform, is involved in the apoptotic pathway caused by hyperglycemia in Y79 cells
Isolation and Propterties of Curium
The isolation of curium, element number 96, in relatively pure form has been accomplished. A method, involving a solvent extraction process, is given for the purification of americium from lanthanum and other ions. The discovery of a higher oxidation state of americium led to a method of separating americium from curium. Separation of the two elements was also accomplished by use of ion exchange resins. The details of the isolation of curium are given; the results of the spectrographic analysis, specific activity measurement, and calorimetric determination of half life showed the curium to be relatively pure. The absorption of light of various wave-lengths by an aqueous solution of Cm(III) is described, and some physical effects of the radiation from the curium are noted
Transitive X-ray spectrum and PeV gamma-ray cutoff in the M87 jet: Electron "Pevatron"
We propose a modified version of the X-ray spectral index and an intrinsic
cutoff frequency of inverse Compton radiation from the brightest knot of the
M87 jet, in conjunction with an application of the new conceptions of injection
and diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) of electrons in magnetized filamentary
plasma to the specified source. The drop of the X-ray flux density in a
transitive frequency region is associated with the interplay of ordinary
synchrotron cooling and weaker magnetic fields concomitant with the smaller
scale filaments that allow the electron injection, while the radio-optical
synchrotron continuum is dominantly established by the major electrons that are
quasi-secularly bound to larger filaments. With reference to, particularly, the
updated external Compton model, we demonstrate that in the Klein-Nishina regime
fading inverse Comptonization, the injected electrons can be stochastically
energized up to a Lorentz factor as high as in the temporal
competition with diffuse synchrotron cooling; this value is larger than that
attainable for a simple DSA scenario based on the resonant scattering diffusion
of the gyrating electrons bound to a supposed magnetic field homogeneously
pervading the entire knot. The upper limits of the photon frequency boosted via
conceivable inverse Compton processes are predicted to be of the common order
of Hz. The variability of the broadband spectrum is also
discussed in comparison to the features of a blazar light curve. The present
scenario of a peta-eV (PeV; eV) electron accelerator, the "Pevatron,"
might provide some guidance for exploring untrod hard X-ray and gamma-ray bands
in forthcoming observations.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, matches version published in Ap
The Apparent Host Galaxy of PKS 1413+135: HST, ASCA and VLBA Observations
PKS 1413+135 (z=0.24671) is one of very few radio-loud AGN with an apparent
spiral host galaxy. Previous authors have attributed its nearly exponential
infrared cutoff to heavy absorption but have been unable to place tight limits
on the absorber or its location in the optical galaxy. In addition, doubts
remain about the relationship of the AGN to the optical galaxy given the
observed lack of re-emitted radiation. We present new HST, ASCA and VLBA
observations which throw significant new light on these issues. The HST
observations reveal an extrremely red color (V-H = 6.9 mag) for the active
nucleus of PKS 1413+135, requiring both a spectral turnover at a few microns
due to synchrotron aging and a GMC-sized absorber. We derive an intrinsic
column N_H = 4.6^{+2.1}_{-1.6} times 10^{22}cm^{-2} and covering fraction f =
0.12^{+0.07}_{-0.05}. As the GMC is likely in the disk of the optical galaxy,
our sightline is rather unlikely (P ~ 2 times 10^{-4}). The properties of the
GMC typical of GMCs in our own galaxy. The HI absorber appears centered 25
milliarcseconds away from the nucleus, while the X-ray and nearly all of the
molecular absorbers must cover the nucleus, implying a complicated geometry and
cloud structure, with a molecular core along our line of sight to the nucleus.
Interestingly, the HST/NICMOS data require the AGN to be decentered relative to
the optical galaxy by 13 +/- 4 milliarcseconds. This could be interpreted as
suggestive of an AGN location far in the background compared to the optical
galaxy, but it can also be explained by obscuration and/or nuclear structure,
which is more consistent with the observed lack of multiple images.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures; accepted to A
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