Study of the mechanism of the five-nucleon transfer reaction 12^{12}C(13^{13}C, 8^{8}Be)17^{17}O

Excitation functions (E$_{cm}$ = 13.4 - 16.8 MeV) and angular distributions (E$_{cm}$ = 13.8 and 16.38 MeV) of $^{12}$C($^{13}$C, $^{8}$Be)$^{17}$O reaction have been measured and analysed by means of statistical and direct reaction mechanism models. The direct reaction analysis includes one and two step processes. For this purpose measurements and analyses were also performed for the reactions $^{12}$C($^{13}$C, $^{9}$Be)$^{16}$O (at E$_{cm}$ = 13.8 MeV) and $^{16}$O($^{9}$Be, $^{8}$Be)$^{17}$O (at E$_{cm}$ = 10.3 and 12.8 MeV). The results were used to estimate the magnitude of the direct two-step (n-$^{4}$He) and ($^{4}$He-n) transfers in the $^{12}$C($^{13}$C, $^{8}$Be)$^{17}$O reaction. These two-step transfers as well as the compound nucleus mechanism, account only for approximately 10% of the experimental cross sections. Thus a dominance of the one-step five-nucleon transfer is concluded. Estimates of the direct $^{5}$He-cluster transfer describe the data qualitatively

Effects of the Tucson-Melbourne three-nucleon force in the proton-deuteron breakup process at Ep = 65 MeV

We present the calculated cross sections and vector analyzing powers using the Bonn B nucleon-nucleon potential and the Tucson-Melbourne three-nucleon force (3NF) for six collinearity and quasi-free scattering breakup configurations. These calculations are compared to the results of the recent kinematically complete pd experiments at Ep = 65 MeV. The Tucson-Melbourne 3NF, adjusted together with the Bonn B potential to reproduce the triton binding energy, leads to small effects both in cross sections and analyzing powers in all six studied configurations

Search for Time-Reversal Violation in the beta-Decay of Polarized 8Li Nuclei

The transverse polarization of electrons emitted in the beta-decay of polarized 8Li nuclei has been measured. For the time reversal violating triple correlation parameter we find R = (0.9 +- 2.2)x10^{-3}. This result is in agreement with the standard model and yields improved constraints on exotic tensor contributions to the weak interaction. It also provides a new limit on the mass of a possible scalar leptoquark, m_{LQ} > 560 GeV/c^2 (90% C.L.).Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters, 4 pages, 3 figures, uses revtex

Polarimetry of 16Ngs produced in mu --capture on 16O nuclei

A polarimetry technique based on stack targets and /3-'/-coincidences has been applied to the 16N nuclei produced in the ground state capture of negative muons on lb0 nuclei. The performance of the polarimeter and the first measurements of /3-asymmetry due to the longitudinal nuclear polarization are discussed

Tests of electron flavor conservation with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

We analyze tests of electron flavor conservation that can be performed at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO). These tests, which utilize $^8$B solar neutrinos interacting with deuterium, measure: 1) the shape of the recoil electron spectrum in charged-current (CC) interactions (the CC spectrum shape); and 2) the ratio of the number of charged current to neutral current (NC) events (the CC/NC ratio). We determine standard model predictions for the CC spectral shape and for the CC/NC ratio, together with realistic estimates of their errors and the correlations between errors. We consider systematic uncertainties in the standard neutrino spectrum and in the charged-current and neutral current cross-sections, the SNO energy resolution and absolute energy scale, and the SNO detection efficiencies. Assuming that either matter-enhanced or vacuum neutrino oscillations solve the solar neutrino problems, we calculate the confidence levels with which electron flavor non-conservation can be detected using either the CC spectrum shape or the CC/NC ratio, or both. If the SNO detector works as expected, the neutrino oscillation solutions that best-fit the results of the four operating solar neutrino experiments can be distinguished unambiguously from the standard predictions of electron flavor conservation.Comment: 31 pages (RevTeX) + 10 figures (postscript). Requires epsfig.sty. Gzipped figures also available at ftp://ftp.sns.ias.edu/pub/lisi/snopaper . To appear in Phys. Rev.

Sternectomy for Candida albicans sternal osteomyelitis after left ventricular assist device implantation

Fungal osteomyelitis is an uncommon complication after cardiac surgery and associated with high mortality. A case of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus epidermidis osteomyelitis with device infection after implantation of a left ventricular assist device in a 60-year-old male patient is presented here. After clinical identification and confirmation with microbiological examinations and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scan, debridement was performed. Surgical specimens grew C. albicans and S. epidermidis. Fluconazole, daptomycin, and negative pressure wound therapy were initiated, but failed to achieve healing. Total sternectomy and pectoralis flap reconstruction were performed. There was no recurrent infection for C. albicans on a prolonged antifungal regime. The combination of antifungal therapy and aggressive surgical debridement may be useful to control fungal osteomyelitis

The oxidative burst reaction in mammalian cells depends on gravity

Gravity has been a constant force throughout the Earth's evolutionary history. Thus, one of the fundamental biological questions is if and how complex cellular and molecular functions of life on Earth require gravity. In this study, we investigated the influence of gravity on the oxidative burst reaction in macrophages, one of the key elements in innate immune response and cellular signaling. An important step is the production of superoxide by the NADPH oxidase, which is rapidly converted to H2O2 by spontaneous and enzymatic dismutation. The phagozytosis-mediated oxidative burst under altered gravity conditions was studied in NR8383 rat alveolar macrophages by means of a luminol assay. Ground-based experiments in "functional weightlessness" were performed using a 2 D clinostat combined with a photomultiplier (PMT clinostat). The same technical set-up was used during the 13th DLR and 51st ESA parabolic flight campaign. Furthermore, hypergravity conditions were provided by using the Multi-Sample Incubation Centrifuge (MuSIC) and the Short Arm Human Centrifuge (SAHC). The results demonstrate that release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during the oxidative burst reaction depends greatly on gravity conditions. ROS release is 1.) reduced in microgravity, 2.) enhanced in hypergravity and 3.) responds rapidly and reversible to altered gravity within seconds. We substantiated the effect of altered gravity on oxidative burst reaction in two independent experimental systems, parabolic flights and 2D clinostat / centrifuge experiments. Furthermore, the results obtained in simulated microgravity (2D clinorotation experiments) were proven by experiments in real microgravity as in both cases a pronounced reduction in ROS was observed. Our experiments indicate that gravity-sensitive steps are located both in the initial activation pathways and in the final oxidative burst reaction itself, which could be explained by the role of cytoskeletal dynamics in the assembly and function of the NADPH oxidase complex

Production of Polarized N-12 With the C-12(p,N-12)n0 Reaction

The polarization transferred to N-12 in the C-12(p -->, N-12 -->)n0 reaction has been measured at E(p) = 50 and 72 MeV. In agreement with previous work, the N-12 polarization was a strong function of the material in which the ions stop, implying a complex depolarization mechanism. The largest nuclear polarization observed, P0 = 0.260 +/- 0.002, was for N-12 implanted in Al. This result gives the lower bound K(y)y' greater-than-or-equal-to 0.377 +/- 0.003 for the transverse polarization-transfer coefficient. Distorted-wave calculations predict K(y)y' should be approximately 2/3. The angular distribution of K(y)y' at E(p) = 72 MeV is nearly isotropic, in agreement with the distorted-wave prediction. The electronic polarization relaxation time T1 for N-12 implanted in C, Al, Ni and Au was found to be approximately constant and much longer than the N-12 half-life; viz., T1 = 0.150 +/- 0.014 s