1,537 research outputs found
High energy solar neutrinos and p-wave contributions to ^3He(p,\nue^+)^4He
High energy solar neutrinos can come from the hep reaction ^3He(p,\nue^+)^4He
with a large end point energy of 18.8 MeV. Understanding the hep reaction may
be important for interpreting solar neutrino spectra. We calculate the
contribution of the axial charge transition to the hep
thermonuclear S factor using a one-body reaction model involving a nucleon
moving in optical potentials. Our result is comparable to or larger than
previous calculations of the s-wave Gamow Teller contribution. This indicates
that the hep reaction may have p-wave strength leading to an enhancement of the
S factor.Comment: 4 pages, 1 ps figure, very minor changes, Phys. Rev. C in pres
Perceived responsiveness in suicidal ideation: An experience sampling study in psychiatric patients
Introduction: Perceived responsiveness, or the extent to which one feels understood, validated and cared for by close others, plays a crucial role in people's well‐being. Can this interpersonal process also protect people at risk? We assessed whether fluctuations in suicidal ideation were associated with fluctuations in the degree of perceived responsiveness that psychiatric patients (admitted in the context of suicide or indicating suicidal ideation) experienced in daily interactions immediately after discharge.
Methods: Fifty‐seven patients reported on suicidal ideation (5 times a day) and perceived responsiveness (daily) for four consecutive weeks. The effects of established risk factors—thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and hopelessness—were assessed as well.
Results: The more patients felt that close others had been responsive to them, the less suicidal ideation they reported. At low levels of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, or hopelessness, perceived responsiveness seemed to play a protective role, negatively co‐occurring with suicidal ideation. When thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and hopelessness were high, perceived responsiveness did not have an effect.
Conclusion: Perceived responsiveness could be a protective factor for suicidal ideation for people at risk only when they are experiencing low levels of negative perceptions. When experiencing highly negative perceptions, however, perceived responsiveness seems to matter less
Non-destructive evaluation, inspection and testing of primary aeronautical composite structures using phase contrast X-Ray imaging
Snake prices and crocodile appetites: Aquatic wildlife supply and demand on Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia
Commercial trade is a major driver of over-exploitation of wild species, but the pattern of demand and how it responds to changes in supply is poorly understood. Here we explore the markets for snakes from Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia to evaluate future exploitation scenarios, identify entry points for conservation and, more generally, to illustrate the value of multi-scale analysis of markets to traded wildlife conservation. In Cambodia, the largest driver of snake exploitation is the domestic trade in snakes as crocodile food. We estimate that farmed crocodiles consume between 2.7 and 12.2 million snakes per year. The market price for crocodiles has been in decline since 2003, which, combined with rising prices for their food, has led to a reduced frequency of feeding and closure of small farms. The large farms that generate a disproportionate amount of the demand for snakes continue to operate in anticipation of future market opportunities, and preferences for snakes could help maintain demand if market prices for crocodiles rise to pre 2003 levels. In the absence of a sustained demand from crocodile farms, it is also possible that alternative markets will develop, such as one for human snack food. The demand for snakes, however, also depends on the availability of substitute resources, principally fish. The substitutability and low price elasticity of demand offers a relatively sustainable form of consumerism. Given the nature of these market drivers, addressing consumer preferences and limiting the protection of snakes to their breeding season are likely to be the most effective tools for conservation. This study highlights the importance of understanding the structure of markets and the behaviour of consumer demand prior to implementing regulations on wildlife hunting and trade
Optogenetic Peripheral Nerve Immunogenicity
Optogenetic technologies have been the subject of great excitement within the scientific community for their ability to demystify complex neurophysiological pathways in the central (CNS) and peripheral nervous systems (PNS). The excitement surrounding optogenetics has also extended to the clinic with a trial for ChR2 in the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa currently underway and additional trials anticipated for the near future. In this work, we identify the cause of loss-of-expression in response to transdermal illumination of an optogenetically active peroneal nerve following an anterior compartment (AC) injection of AAV6-hSyn-ChR2(H134R) with and without a fluorescent reporter. Using Sprague Dawley Rag2−/− rats and appropriate controls, we discover optogenetic loss-of-expression is chiefly elicited by ChR2-mediated immunogenicity in the spinal cord, resulting in both CNS motor neuron death and ipsilateral muscle atrophy in both low and high Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) dosages. We further employ pharmacological immunosuppression using a slow-release tacrolimus pellet to demonstrate sustained transdermal optogenetic expression up to 12 weeks. These results suggest that all dosages of AAV-mediated optogenetic expression within the PNS may be unsafe. Clinical optogenetics for both PNS and CNS applications should take extreme caution when employing opsins to treat disease and may require concurrent immunosuppression. Future work in optogenetics should focus on designing opsins with lesser immunogenicity.MIT Media Lab Consortiu
Solar Neutrinos: What We Have Learned
The four operating solar neutrino experiments confirm the hypothesis that the
energy source for solar luminosity is hydrogen fusion. However, the measured
rate for each of the four solar neutrino experiments differs significantly (by
factors of 2.0 to 3.5) from the corresponding theoretical prediction that is
based upon the standard solar model and the simplest version of the standard
electroweak theory. If standard electroweak theory is correct, the energy
spectrum for \b8 neutrinos created in the solar interior must be the same (to
one part in ) as the known laboratory \b8 neutrino energy spectrum.
Direct comparison of the chlorine and the Kamiokande experiments, both
sensitive to \b8 neutrinos, suggests that the discrepancy between theory and
observations depends upon neutrino energy, in conflict with standard
expectations. Monte Carlo studies with 1000 implementations of the standard
solar model confirm that the chlorine and the Kamiokande experiments cannot be
reconciled unless new weak interaction physics changes the shape of the \b8
neutrino energy spectrum. The results of the two gallium solar neutrino
experiments strengthen the conclusion that new physics is required and help
determine a relatively small allowed region for the MSW neutrino parameters.Comment: LaTeX file, 19 pages. For hardcopy with figures contact
[email protected]. Institute for Advanced Study number AST 93/6
The MPFI Library: Towards IEEE 1788-2015 Compliance
International audienceThe IEEE 1788-2015 has standardized interval arithmetic. However, few libraries for interval arithmetic are compliant with this standard. The main features of the IEEE 1788-2015 standard are detailed, namely the structure into 4 levels, the possibility to accomodate a new mathematical theory of interval arithmetic through the notion of flavor, and the mechanism of decoration for handling exceptions. These features were not present in the libraries developed prior to the elaboration of the standard. MPFI is such a library: it is a C library, based on MPFR, for arbitrary precision interval arithmetic. MPFI is not (yet) compliant with the IEEE 1788-2015 standard for interval arithmetic: the planned modifications are presented. Some considerations about performance and HPC on interval computations based on this standard, or on MPFI, conclude the paper
Charge separation relative to the reaction plane in Pb-Pb collisions at TeV
Measurements of charge dependent azimuthal correlations with the ALICE
detector at the LHC are reported for Pb-Pb collisions at TeV. Two- and three-particle charge-dependent azimuthal correlations in
the pseudo-rapidity range are presented as a function of the
collision centrality, particle separation in pseudo-rapidity, and transverse
momentum. A clear signal compatible with a charge-dependent separation relative
to the reaction plane is observed, which shows little or no collision energy
dependence when compared to measurements at RHIC energies. This provides a new
insight for understanding the nature of the charge dependent azimuthal
correlations observed at RHIC and LHC energies.Comment: 12 pages, 3 captioned figures, authors from page 2 to 6, published
version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/286
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