463 research outputs found
Neutrons from multiplicity-selected La-La and Nb-Nb collisions at 400A MeV and La-La collisions at 250A MeV
Triple-differential cross sections for neutrons from high-multiplicity La-La
collisions at 250 and 400 MeV per nucleon and Nb-Nb collisions at 400 MeV per
nucleon were measured at several polar angles as a function of the azimuthal
angle with respect to the reaction plane of the collision. The reaction plane
was determined by a transverse-velocity method with the capability of
identifying charged-particles with Z=1, Z=2, and Z > 2. The flow of neutrons
was extracted from the slope at mid-rapidity of the curve of the average
in-plane momentum vs the center-of-mass rapidity. The squeeze-out of the
participant neutrons was observed in a direction normal to the reaction plane
in the normalized momentum coordinates in the center-of-mass system.
Experimental results of the neutron squeeze-out were compared with BUU
calculations. The polar-angle dependence of the maximum azimuthal anisotropy
ratio was found to be insensitive to the mass of the colliding
nuclei and the beam energy. Comparison of the observed polar-angle dependence
of the maximum azimuthal anisotropy ratio with BUU calculations for
free neutrons revealed that is insensitive also to the
incompressibility modulus in the nuclear equation of state.Comment: ReVTeX, 16 pages, 17 figures. To be published in Physical Review
Cassini Observes the Active South Pole of Enceladus
Cassini has identified a geologically active province at the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. In images acquired by the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), this region is circumscribed by a chain of folded ridges and troughs at ∼55°S latitude. The terrain southward of this boundary is distinguished by its albedo and color contrasts, elevated temperatures, extreme geologic youth, and narrow tectonic rifts that exhibit coarse-grained ice and coincide with the hottest temperatures measured in the region. Jets of fine icy particles that supply Saturn's E ring emanate from this province, carried aloft by water vapor probably venting from subsurface reservoirs of liquid water. The shape of Enceladus suggests a possible intense heating epoch in the past by capture into a 1:4 secondary spin/orbit resonance
Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy
We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable
and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is
presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and
systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of
globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude,
with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may
have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky
Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the
second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the
HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The
relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level
and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax
measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance
modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are
studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of
low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and
Space Scienc
CT pulmonary angiography: an over-utilized imaging modality in hospitalized patients with suspected pulmonary embolism
Aims: To determine if computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was overemployed in the evaluation of hospitalized patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: Data were gathered retrospectively on hospitalized patients (n=185) who had CTPA for suspected PE between June and August 2009 at our institution. Results: CTPA was done in 185 hospitalized patients to diagnose acute PE based on clinical suspicion. Of these, 30 (16.2%) patients were tested positive for acute PE on CTPA. The Well's pretest probability for PE was low, moderate, and high in 77 (41.6%), 83 (44.9%), and 25 (13.5%) patients, respectively. Out of the 30 PE-positive patients, pretest probability was low in 2 (6.6%), moderate in 20 (66.7%), and high in 8 (26.6%) (p=0.003). Modified Well's criteria applied to all patients in our study revealed 113 (61%) with low and 72 (39%) with high clinical pretest probability. When modified Well's criteria was applied to 30 PE-positive patients, 10 (33.3%) and 20 (66.6%) were found to have low and high pretest probability, respectively (p=0.006). D-dimer assay was done in 30 (16.2%) of the inpatients with suspected PE and all of them were found to have elevated levels. A lower extremity duplex ultrasound confirmed deep venous thrombosis in 17 (9.1%) of the patients with suspected PE, at least 1 week prior to having CTPA. Conclusion: Understanding the recommended guidelines, evidence-based literature, and current concepts in evaluation of patients with suspected acute PE will reduce unnecessary CTPA examinations
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