410 research outputs found
Geology and Land-use related pattern of spring water quality : ase study from the catchments of the Malopolska Upland (S. Poland)
Spring water chemical composition was investigated in three catchments (i.e. Pradnik, Dlubnia and Szreniawa) located within a carbonate-rock monocline from the Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and constituting voluminous aquifers. The total spring water dissolved solids (TDS) displayed a concentration increase between 1974 and 1999. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the authors identified factors determining spring water chemistry. The research focused on making a distinction between the regional (large-area) and the local factors, the latter being related to the land-use in the direct vicinity of the springs. PCA yielded evidence that local sources of pollution can significantly contribute to the differentiation of spring-water chemical composition
The serum zinc concentration as a potential biological marker in patients with major depressive disorder
Despite many clinical trials assessing the role of zinc in major depressive disorder (MDD), the conclusions still remain ambiguous. The aim of the present clinical study was to determine and comparison the zinc concentration in the blood of MDD patients (active stage or remission) and healthy volunteers (controls), as well as to discuss its potential clinical usefulness as a biomarker of the disease. In this study 69 patients with current depressive episode, 45 patients in remission and 50 controls were enrolled. The zinc concentration was measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS). The obtained results revealed, that the zinc concentration in depressed phase were statistically lower than in the healthy volunteers [0.89 vs. 1.06 mg/L, respectively], while the zinc level in patients achieve remission was not significantly different from the controls [1.07 vs. 1.06 mg/L, respectively]. Additionally, among the patients achieve remission a significant differences in zinc concentration between group with and without presence of drug-resistance in the previous episode of depression were observed. Also, patients in remission demonstrated correlation between zinc level and the average number of depressive episodes in the last year. Serum zinc concentration was not dependent on atypical features of depression, presence of psychotic symptoms or melancholic syndrome, age, age of onset or duration of disease, number of episodes in the life time, duration of the episode/remission and severity of depression measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS), and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Concluding, our findings confirm the correlation between zinc deficit present in the depressive episode, and are consistent with the majority of previous studies. These results may also indicate that serum zinc concentration might be considered as a potential biological marker of MDD
Intrathecal administration of mesenchymal stem cells in patients with adrenomyeloneuropathy
Background and objectivesX-linked adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with mutations in the ABCD1 gene and the accumulation of very long-chain fatty acids (VLFCAs) in plasma and tissues. Currently, there is no effective treatment for AMN. We have aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in patients with AMN.MethodsThis is a small cohort open-label study with patients with AMN diagnosed and treated at the University Hospital in Olsztyn, Poland. All patients met clinical, biochemical, MRI, and neuropsychological criteria for AMN. MSCs derived from Wharton jelly, 20 × 106 cells, were administered intrathecally three times every 2 months, and patients were followed up for an additional 3 months. The primary outcome measures included a blinded assessment of lower limb muscle strength with the Medical Research Council Manual Muscle Testing scale at baseline and on every month visits until the end of the study. Additional outcomes included measurements of the timed 25-feet walk (T25FW) and VLFCA serum ratio.ResultsThree male patients with AMN with an age range of 26–37 years participated in this study. All patients experienced increased muscle strength in the lower limbs at the end of the study versus baseline. The power grade increased by 25–43% at the baseline. In addition, all patients showed an improvement trend in walking speed measured with the T25FW test. Treatment with MSCs in patients with AMN appeared to be safe and well tolerated.DiscussionThe results of this study demonstrated that intrathecal administration of WJ-MSC improves motor symptoms in patients with AMN. The current findings lend support to the safety and feasibility of MSC therapy as a potentially viable treatment option for patients with AMN
Quasi-fission reactions as a probe of nuclear viscosity
Fission fragment mass and angular distributions were measured from the
^{64}Ni+^{197}Au reaction at 418 MeV and 383 MeV incident energy. A detailed
data analysis was performed, using the one-body dissipation theory implemented
in the code HICOL. The effect of the window and the wall friction on the
experimental observables was investigated. Friction stronger than one-body was
also considered. The mass and angular distributions were consistent with
one-body dissipation. An evaporation code DIFHEAT coupled to HICOL was
developed in order to predict reaction time scales required to describe
available data on pre-scission neutron multiplicities. The multiplicity data
were again consistent with one-body dissipation. The cross-sections for touch,
capture and quasi-fission were also obtained.Comment: 25 pages REVTeX, 3 tables, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev
Freeze-out configuration properties in the 197Au + 197Au reaction at 23 AMeV
Data from the experiment on the 197Au + 197Au reaction at 23 AMeV are
analyzed with an aim to find signatures of exotic nuclear configurations such
as toroid-shaped objects. The experimental data are compared with predictions
of the ETNA code dedicated to look for such configurations and with the QMD
model. A novel criterion of selecting events possibly resulting from the
formation of exotic freeze-out configurations, "the efficiency factor", is
tested. Comparison between experimental data and model predictions may indicate
for the formation of flat/toroidal nuclear systems
Cross Section Limits for the Pb(Kr,n)118 Reaction
In April-May, 2001, the previously reported experiment to synthesize element
118 using the Pb(Kr,n)118 reaction was repeated. No
events corresponding to the synthesis of element 118 were observed with a total
beam dose of 2.6 x 10 ions. The simple upper limit cross sections (1
event) were 0.9 and 0.6 pb for evaporation residue magnetic rigidities of 2.00
and 2.12 , respectively. A more detailed cross section calculation,
accounting for an assumed narrow excitation function, the energy loss of the
beam in traversing the target and the uncertainty in the magnetic rigidity of
the Z=118 recoils is also presented. Re-analysis of the primary data files from
the 1999 experiment showed the reported element 118 events are not in the
original data. The current results put constraints on the production cross
section for synthesis of very heavy nuclei in cold fusion reactions.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to EPJ
Isospin dependence of relative yields of and mesons at 1.528 AGeV
Results on and meson production in Ru +
Ru and Zr + Zr collisions at a beam kinetic
energy of 1.528 GeV, measured with the FOPI detector at GSI-Darmstadt, are
investigated as a possible probe of isospin effects in high density nuclear
matter. The measured double ratio ()/() is
compared to the predictions of a thermal model and a Relativistic Mean Field
transport model using two different collision scenarios and under different
assumptions on the stiffness of the symmetry energy. We find a good agreement
with the thermal model prediction and the assumption of a soft symmetry energy
for infinite nuclear matter while more realistic transport simulations of the
collisions show a similar agreement with the data but also exhibit a reduced
sensitivity to the symmetry term.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
First analysis of anisotropic flow with Lee--Yang zeroes
We report on the first analysis of directed and elliptic flow with the new
method of Lee--Yang zeroes. Experimental data are presented for Ru+Ru reactions
at 1.69 AGeV measured with the FOPI detector at SIS/GSI. The results obtained
with several methods, based on the event-plane reconstruction, on Lee--Yang
zeroes, and on multi-particle cumulants (up to 5th order) applied for the first
time at SIS energies, are compared. They show conclusive evidence that
azimuthal correlations between nucleons and composite particles at this energy
are largely dominated by anisotropic flow.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C Rapid Co
Two-proton small-angle correlations in central heavy-ion collisions: a beam-energy and system-size dependent study
Small-angle correlations of pairs of protons emitted in central collisions of
Ca + Ca, Ru + Ru and Au + Au at beam energies from 400 to 1500 MeV per nucleon
are investigated with the FOPI detector system at SIS/GSI Darmstadt.
Dependences on system size and beam energy are presented which extend the
experimental data basis of pp correlations in the SIS energy range
substantially. The size of the proton-emitting source is estimated by comparing
the experimental data with the output of a final-state interaction model which
utilizes either static Gaussian sources or the one-body phase-space
distribution of protons provided by the BUU transport approach. The trends in
the experimental data, i.e. system-size and beam energy dependences, are well
reproduced by this hybrid model. However, the pp correlation function is found
rather insensitive to the stiffness of the equation of state entering the
transport model calculations.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted at Eur. Phys. Journ.
Application of Information Theory in Nuclear Liquid Gas Phase Transition
Information entropy and Zipf's law in the field of information theory have
been used for studying the disassembly of nuclei in the framework of the
isospin dependent lattice gas model and molecular dynamical model. We found
that the information entropy in the event space is maximum at the phase
transition point and the mass of the cluster show exactly inversely to its
rank, i.e. Zipf's law appears. Both novel criteria are useful in searching the
nuclear liquid gas phase transition experimentally and theoretically.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
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