17 research outputs found
Search for EC and ECEC processes in Sn and decay of Sn to the excited states of Te
Limits on EC and ECEC processes in Sn and on
decay of Sn to the excited states of Te have
been obtained using a 380 cm HPGe detector and an external source
consisting of natural tin. A limit with 90% C.L. on the Sn half-life of
y for the ECEC(0) transition to the excited
state in Cd (1871.0 keV) has been established. This transition is
discussed in the context of a possible enhancement of the decay rate by several
orders of magnitude given that the ECEC process is nearly degenerate
with an excited state in the daughter nuclide. Prospects for investigating such
a process in future experiments are discussed. The decay
limits for Sn to the excited states of Te were obtained on the
level of y at the 90% C.L.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figure
Isovector soft dipole mode in 6Be
By using the 1H(6Li,6Be)n charge-exchange reaction, continuum states in 6Be
were populated up to E_t=16 MeV, E_t being the 6Be energy above its three-body
decay threshold. In kinematically complete measurements performed by detecting
alpha+p+p coincidences, an E_t spectrum of high statistics was obtained,
containing approximately ~5x10^6 events. The spectrum provides detailed
correlation information about the well-known 0^+ ground state of 6Be at
E_t=1.37 MeV and its 2^+ state at E_t=3.05 MeV. Moreover, a broad structure
extending from 4 to 16 MeV was observed. It contains negative parity states
populated by Delta L=1 angular momentum transfer without other significant
contributions. This structure can be interpreted as a novel phenomenon, i.e.
the isovector soft dipole mode associated with the 6Li ground state. The
population of this mode in the charge-exchange reaction is a dominant
phenomenon for this reaction, being responsible for about 60% of the cross
section obtained in the measured energy range.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Nutritional and microbiological evaluations of chocolate-coated Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) fruit for commercial use
In recent years, China has become an increasingly important and the largest chestnut producer in the world. This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional value and microbiological quality of the roasted freeze-dried Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) (RFDC) coated with dark chocolate (DCC) and milk chocolate (MCC) for industrial use and commercial consumption. Chocolate coating significantly improved the nutritional value of chestnut. RFDC had high levels of starch (66.23%) and fibers (3.85%) while DCC and MCC contained significantly high amounts of sucrose, protein, fat and minerals. Furthermore, the protein content doubled in MCC rather than in DCC. This could be attributed to the different formulations in the two products. Milk powder and whey protein constituted the source of protein in MCC while cocoa powder added to MCC formulation constituted an additional source of minerals. The amino acid profile showed differences in amino acid composition related to the sample’s protein content, indicating their good nutritional quality. The moisture contents in all RFDC, DCC and MCC were suitable for industrial processing. These results provide information about the additional nutrients of chocolate-coated chestnut and confirm that the product is an interesting nutritional food. The combination of freeze-drying and chocolate-coating generally results in greater reductions on microbiological loads, extending shelf life of harvested chestnut for commercial application. This is an alternative strategy to add value to chestnut, minimizing the significant losses in harvested fruits and providing a wider range of choices of new products to the consumer disposal