847 research outputs found
Methods for a quantitative evaluation of odd-even staggering effects
Odd-even effects, also known as "staggering" effects, are a common feature
observed in the yield distributions of fragments produced in different types of
nuclear reactions. We review old methods, and we propose new ones, for a
quantitative estimation of these effects as a function of proton or neutron
number of the reaction products. All methods are compared on the basis of Monte
Carlo simulations. We find that some are not well suited for the task, the most
reliable ones being those based either on a non-linear fit with a properly
oscillating function or on a third (or fourth) finite difference approach. In
any case, high statistic is of paramount importance to avoid that spurious
structures appear just because of statistical fluctuations in the data and of
strong correlations among the yields of neighboring fragments.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures - Revised version, mainly with an expanded sect.
2 about smoothing methods (three more methods are presented and an appendix
on relevant aspects of the finite-differences formalism is added); results
are shown also for the simulations with the three additional methods. Some
more references are added. Conclusions are unchange
Kinetic energy spectra for fragments and break-up density in multifragmentation
We investigate the possibility, in nuclear fragmentation, to extract
information on nuclear density at break-up from fragment kinetic energy spectra
using a simultaneous scenario for fragment emission. The conclusions we derive
are different from the recently published results of Viola et al. [Phys. Rev.
Lett. 93, (2004), 132701] assuming a sequential fragment emission and claiming
that the experimentally observed decrease of peak centroids for kinetic energy
spectra of fragments with increasing bombarding energy is due to a monotonic
decrease of the break-up density.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Advancement in the understanding of multifragmentation and phase transition for hot nuclei
Recent advancement on the knowledge of multifragmentation and phase
transition for hot nuclei is reported. It concerns i) the influence of radial
collective energy on fragment partitions and the derivation of general
properties of partitions in presence of such a collective energy, ii) a better
knowledge of freeze-out properties obtained by means of a simulation based on
all the available experimental information and iii) the quantitative study of
the bimodal behaviour of the heaviest fragment charge distribution for
fragmenting hot heavy quasi-projectiles which allows, for the first time, to
estimate the latent heat of the phase transition.Comment: 9 pages, Proceedings of IWM09, November 4-7, Catania (Italy
Break-up stage restoration in multifragmentation reactions
In the case of Xe+Sn at 32 MeV/nucleon multifragmentation reaction break-up
fragments are built-up from the experimentally detected ones using evaluations
of light particle evaporation multiplicities which thus settle fragment
internal excitation. Freeze-out characteristics are extracted from experimental
kinetic energy spectra under the assumption of full decoupling between fragment
formation and energy dissipated in different degrees of freedom. Thermal
kinetic energy is determined uniquely while for freeze-out volume - collective
energy a multiple solution is obtained. Coherence between the solutions of the
break-up restoration algorithm and the predictions of a multifragmentation
model with identical definition of primary fragments is regarded as a way to
select the true value. The broad kinetic energy spectrum of He is
consistent with break-up genesis of this isotope.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
Improving whole tomato transformation for prostate health: benign prostate hypertrophy as an exploratory model
It is well-established that the beneficial properties of single phytonutrients can be better attained when they are taken with the complex of the molecules present in their natural milieu. Tomato, the fruit providing the most comprehensive complex of prostate-health-preserving micronutrients, has been shown to be superior to its single-nutrient counterparts in decreasing the incidence of age-related prostate diseases. Herein, we describe a novel tomato food supplement enriched with olive polyphenols, containing cis-lycopene concentrations far exceeding those present in industry-produced tomato commodities. The supplement, endowed with antioxidant activity comparable to that of N-acetylcysteine, significantly reduced, in experimental animals, the blood levels of prostate-cancer-promoting cytokines. In prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies performed on patients affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia, its uptake significantly improved urinary symptoms and quality of life. Therefore, this supplement can complement and, in some cases, be an alternative to current benign prostatic hyperplasia management. Furthermore, the product suppressed carcinogenesis in the TRAMP mouse model of human prostate cancer and interfered with prostate cancer molecular signaling. Thus, it may offer a step forward in exploring the potential of tomato consumption to delay or prevent the onset of age-related prostate diseases in high-risk individuals
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