Isotope Shift Measurements of Stable and Short-Lived Lithium Isotopes for Nuclear Charge Radii Determination

Changes in the mean-square nuclear charge radii along the lithium isotopic chain were determined using a combination of precise isotope shift measurements and theoretical atomic structure calculations. Nuclear charge radii of light elements are of high interest due to the appearance of the nuclear halo phenomenon in this region of the nuclear chart. During the past years we have developed a new laser spectroscopic approach to determine the charge radii of lithium isotopes which combines high sensitivity, speed, and accuracy to measure the extremely small field shift of an 8 ms lifetime isotope with production rates on the order of only 10,000 atoms/s. The method was applied to all bound isotopes of lithium including the two-neutron halo isotope Li-11 at the on-line isotope separators at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany and at TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada. We describe the laser spectroscopic method in detail, present updated and improved values from theory and experiment, and discuss the results.Comment: 34 pages, 24 figures, 14 table

Nuclear Charge Radius of Li-9, Li-11: Halo Neutron: the influence of Halo Neutrons

The nuclear charge radius of Li-11 has been determined for the first time by high precision laser spectroscopy. On-line measurements at TRIUMF-ISAC yielded a Li-7 - Li-11 isotope shift (IS) of 25101.23(13) MHz for the Doppler-free 2s - 3s transition. IS precision for all other bound Li isotopes was also improved. Differences from calculated mass-based IS yield values for change in charge radius along the isotope chain. The charge radius decreases monotonically from Li-6 to Li-9, and then increases from 2.217(35) fm to 2.467(37) fm for Li-11. This is compared to various models, and it is found that a combination of halo neutron correlation and intrinsic core excitation best reproduces the experimental results.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Coronary microvascular resistance: methods for its quantification in humans

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is a topic that has recently gained considerable interest in the medical community owing to the growing awareness that microvascular dysfunction occurs in a number of myocardial disease states and has important prognostic implications. With this growing awareness, comes the desire to accurately assess the functional capacity of the coronary microcirculation for diagnostic purposes as well as to monitor the effects of therapeutic interventions that are targeted at reversing the extent of coronary microvascular dysfunction. Measurements of coronary microvascular resistance play a pivotal role in achieving that goal and several invasive and noninvasive methods have been developed for its quantification. This review is intended to provide an update pertaining to the methodology of these different imaging techniques, including the discussion of their strengths and weaknesses

The Musashi RNA-binding proteins in female cancers: insights on molecular mechanisms and therapeutic relevance

Abstract RNA-binding proteins have increasingly been identified as important regulators of gene expression given their ability to bind distinct RNA sequences and regulate their fate. Mounting evidence suggests that RNA-binding proteins are involved in the onset and progression of multiple malignancies, prompting increasing interest in their potential for therapeutic intervention. The Musashi RNA binding proteins Musashi-1 and Musashi-2 were initially identified as developmental factors of the nervous system but have more recently been found to be ubiquitously expressed in physiological tissues and may be involved in pathological cell behavior. Both proteins are increasingly investigated in cancers given dysregulation in multiple tumor entities, including in female malignancies. Recent data suggest that the Musashi proteins serve as cancer stem cell markers as they contribute to cancer cell proliferation and therapy resistance, prompting efforts to identify mechanisms to target them. However, as the picture remains incomplete, continuous efforts to elucidate their role in different signaling pathways remain ongoing. In this review, we focus on the roles of Musashi proteins in tumors of the female – breast, endometrial, ovarian and cervical cancer – as we aim to summarize current knowledge and discuss future perspectives

Measurement of the nuclear charge radii of

Nuclear charge radii of 6, 7, 8, 9Li have recently been measured at the GSI on-line mass separator using high-resolution resonance ionization mass spectroscopy. We give a brief description of the experimental method. The results for the charge radii are compared with different theoretical predictions