151 research outputs found
A Large-Scale FPGA-Based Trigger and Dead-Time Free DAQ System for the Kaos Spectrometer at MAMI
The Kaos spectrometer is maintained by the A1 collaboration at the Mainz
Microtron MAMI with a focus on the study of (e,e'K^+) coincidence reactions.
For its electron-arm two vertical planes of fiber arrays, each comprising
approximately 10 000 fibers, are operated close to zero degree scattering angle
and in close proximity to the electron beam. A nearly dead-time free DAQ system
to acquire timing and tracking information has been installed for this
spectrometer arm. The signals of 144 multi-anode photomultipliers are collected
by 96-channel front-end boards, digitized by double-threshold discriminators
and the signal time is picked up by state-of-the-art F1 time-to-digital
converter chips. In order to minimize background rates a sophisticated trigger
logic was implemented in newly developed Vuprom modules. The trigger performs
noise suppression, signal cluster finding, particle tracking, and coincidence
timing, and can be expanded for kinematical matching (e'K^+) coincidences. The
full system was designed to process more than 4 000 read-out channels and to
cope with the high electron flux in the spectrometer and the high count rate
requirement of the detectors. It was successfully in-beam tested at MAMI in
2009.Comment: Contributed to 17th IEEE Real Time Conference (RT10), Lisbon, 24-28
May 201
Measurements of the \gamma * p --> \Delta(1232) reaction at low Q2
We report new p measurements in the
resonance at the low momentum transfer region utilizing the
magnetic spectrometers of the A1 Collaboration at MAMI. The mesonic cloud
dynamics are predicted to be dominant and appreciably changing in this region
while the momentum transfer is sufficiently low to be able to test chiral
effective calculations. The results disagree with predictions of constituent
quark models and are in reasonable agreement with dynamical calculations with
pion cloud effects, chiral effective field theory and lattice calculations. The
reported measurements suggest that improvement is required to the theoretical
calculations and provide valuable input that will allow their refinements
Astroglial excitability and gliotransmission: an appraisal of Ca2+ as a signalling route
Astroglial cells, due to their passive electrical properties, were long considered subservient to neurons and to merely provide the framework and metabolic support of the brain. Although astrocytes do play such structural and housekeeping roles in the brain, these glial cells also contribute to the brain's computational power and behavioural output. These more active functions are endowed by the Ca2+-based excitability displayed by astrocytes. An increase in cytosolic Ca2+ levels in astrocytes can lead to the release of signalling molecules, a process termed gliotransmission, via the process of regulated exocytosis. Dynamic components of astrocytic exocytosis include the vesicular-plasma membrane secretory machinery, as well as the vesicular traffic, which is governed not only by general cytoskeletal elements but also by astrocyte-specific IFs (intermediate filaments). Gliotransmitters released into the ECS (extracellular space) can exert their actions on neighbouring neurons, to modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity, and to affect behaviour by modulating the sleep homoeostat. Besides these novel physiological roles, astrocytic Ca2+ dynamics, Ca2+-dependent gliotransmission and astrocyteâneuron signalling have been also implicated in brain disorders, such as epilepsy. The aim of this review is to highlight the newer findings concerning Ca2+ signalling in astrocytes and exocytotic gliotransmission. For this we report on Ca2+ sources and sinks that are necessary and sufficient for regulating the exocytotic release of gliotransmitters and discuss secretory machinery, secretory vesicles and vesicle mobility regulation. Finally, we consider the exocytotic gliotransmission in the modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity, as well as the astrocytic contribution to sleep behaviour and epilepsy
Where to from here? A quality improvement project investigating burns treatment and rehabilitation practices in India
Abstract Objective To describe the capacity of the Indian healthcare system in providing appropriate and effective burns treatment and rehabilitation services. Results Health professionals involved in burns treatment or rehabilitation at seven hospitals from four states in India were invited to participate in consultative meetings. Existing treatment and rehabilitation strategies, barriers and enablers to patient flow across the continuum of care and details on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation were discussed during the meetings. Seventeen health professionals from various clinical backgrounds were involved in the consultation process. Key themes highlighted (a) a lack of awareness on burn first aid at the community level, (b) a lack of human resource to treat burn injuries in hospital settings, (c) a gap in burn care training for medical staff, (d) poor hospital infrastructure and (e) a variation in treatment practices and rehabilitation services available between hospitals. A number of opportunities exist to improve burns treatment and rehabilitation in India. Improvements would most effectively be achieved through promoting multidisciplinary care across a number of facilities and service providers. Further research is required to develop context-specific burn care models, determining how these can be integrated into the Indian healthcare system
Lowest Q^2 Measurement of the gamma*p -> Delta Reaction: Probing the Pionic Contribution
To determine nonspherical angular momentum amplitudes in hadrons at long
ranges (low Q^2), data were taken for the p(\vec{e},e'p)\pi^0 reaction in the
Delta region at Q^2=0.060 (GeV/c)^2 utilizing the magnetic spectrometers of the
A1 Collaboration at MAMI. The results for the dominant transition magnetic
dipole amplitude and the quadrupole to dipole ratios at W=1232 MeV are:
M_{1+}^{3/2} = (40.33 +/- 0.63_{stat+syst} +/- 0.61_{model})
(10^{-3}/m_{\pi^+}),Re(E_{1+}^{3/2}/M_{1+}^{3/2}) = (-2.28 +/- 0.29_{stat+syst}
+/- 0.20_{model})%, and Re(S_{1+}^{3/2}/M_{1+}^{3/2}) = (-4.81 +/-
0.27_{stat+syst} +/- 0.26_{model})%. These disagree with predictions of
constituent quark models but are in reasonable agreement with lattice
calculations with non-linear (chiral) pion mass extrapolations, with chiral
effective field theory, and with dynamical models with pion cloud effects.
These results confirm the dominance, and general Q^2 variation, of the pionic
contribution at large distances.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
A measurement of the axial form factor of the nucleon by the p(e,e'pi+)n reaction at W=1125 MeV
The reaction p(e,e'pi+)n was measured at the Mainz Microtron MAMI at an
invariant mass of W=1125 MeV and four-momentum transfers of Q^2=0.117, 0.195
and 0.273 (GeV/c)^2. For each value of Q^2, a Rosenbluth separation of the
transverse and longitudinal cross sections was performed. An effective
Lagrangian model was used to extract the `axial mass' from experimental data.
We find a value of M_A=(1.077+-0.039) GeV which is (0.051+-0.044) GeV larger
than the axial mass known from neutrino scattering experiments. This is
consistent with recent calculations in chiral perturbation theory.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, uses elsart.cl
Self energies of the pion and the delta isobar from the ^3He(e,e'pi^+)^3H reaction
In a kinematically complete experiment at the Mainz microtron MAMI, pion
angular distributions of the He(e,e'H reaction have been measured
in the excitation region of the resonance to determine the
longitudinal (), transverse (), and the interference part of the
differential cross section. The data are described only after introducing
self-energy modifications of the pion and -isobar propagators. Using
Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) to extrapolate the pion self energy as
inferred from the measurement on the mass shell, we deduce a reduction of the
mass of MeV/c in the
neutron-rich nuclear medium at a density of fm. Our data are consistent with the self energy
determined from measurements of photoproduction from He and heavier
nuclei.Comment: Elsart, 12 pages and 4 figures, Correspondent: Professor Dr. Dr. h.c.
mult. Achim Richter, [email protected], submitted to Phys. Rev.
Let
Recoil Polarization for Delta Excitation in Pion Electroproduction
We measured angular distributions of recoil-polarization response functions
for neutral pion electroproduction for W=1.23 GeV at Q^2=1.0 (GeV/c)^2,
obtaining 14 separated response functions plus 2 Rosenbluth combinations; of
these, 12 have been observed for the first time. Dynamical models do not
describe quantities governed by imaginary parts of interference products well,
indicating the need for adjusting magnitudes and phases for nonresonant
amplitudes. We performed a nearly model-independent multipole analysis and
obtained values for Re(S1+/M1+)=-(6.84+/-0.15)% and Re(E1+/M1+)=-(2.91+/-0.19)%
that are distinctly different from those from the traditional Legendre analysis
based upon M1+ dominance and sp truncation.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, for PR
Scaling Tests of the Cross Section for Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering
We present the first measurements of the \vec{e}p->epg cross section in the
deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) regime and the valence quark region.
The Q^2 dependence (from 1.5 to 2.3 GeV^2) of the helicity-dependent cross
section indicates the twist-2 dominance of DVCS, proving that generalized
parton distributions (GPDs) are accessible to experiment at moderate Q^2. The
helicity-independent cross section is also measured at Q^2=2.3 GeV^2. We
present the first model-independent measurement of linear combinations of GPDs
and GPD integrals up to the twist-3 approximation.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Text shortened for publication.
References added. One figure remove
Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering off the neutron
The present experiment exploits the interference between the Deeply Virtual
Compton Scattering (DVCS) and the Bethe-Heitler processes to extract the
imaginary part of DVCS amplitudes on the neutron and on the deuteron from the
helicity-dependent D cross section measured at =1.9
GeV and =0.36. We extract a linear combination of generalized parton
distributions (GPDs) particularly sensitive to , the least constrained
GPD. A model dependent constraint on the contribution of the up and down quarks
to the nucleon spin is deduced.Comment: Published in Phys. Rev. Let
- âŠ