6,089 research outputs found
Improving the phosphorus efficiency of organic farming systems
Organic farming systems rely on the efficient use anrecycling of resources. Currently, nutrients like phosphorus (P) are used only once to produce food and subsequently, lost due to poor recycling. Current regulations concerning the use of alternative P fertilizers are strict, restricting e.g. the use of municipal organic wastes and hampering e.g. the use of sewage sludge due to concerns about heavy metals and other pollutants. However, there is an urgent need to improve the recycling of P from urban areas back to cropland, as the worldwide P reserves are very limited. Furthermore, improvement of agronomic P efficiency due to the choice of P efficie cultivars and agronomic methods (e.g. P mobilization by cover cropping, application of microorganisms suited to enhance plant P uptake) is the second pillar of improved P efficienc
Uncertainties In Direct Neutron Capture Calculations Due To Nuclear Structure Models
The prediction of cross sections for nuclei far off stability is crucial in
the field of nuclear astrophysics. For spherical nuclei close to the dripline
the statistical model (Hauser-Feshbach) approach is not applicable and direct
contributions may dominate the cross sections. For neutron-rich, even-even Sn
targets, we compare the resulting neutron capture cross sections when
consistently taking the input for the direct capture calculations from three
different microscopic models. The results underline the sensitivity of cross
sections calculated in the direct model to nuclear structure models which can
lead to high uncertainties when lacking experimental information.Comment: 4 pages, using espcrc1.sty, Proc. Intl. Conf. "Nuclei in the Cosmos
IV", Univ. Notre Dame 1996, Nucl. Phys. A, in press. A postscript version can
also be obtained from http://quasar.physik.unibas.ch/research.htm
Proton-neutron quadrupole interactions: an effective contribution to the pairing field
We point out that the proton-neutron energy contribution, for low multipoles
(in particular for the quadrupole component), effectively renormalizes the
strength of the pairing interaction acting amongst identical nucleons filling
up a single-j or a set of degenerate many-j shells. We carry out the
calculation in lowest-order perturbation theory. We perform a study of this
correction in various mass regions. These results may have implications for the
use of pairing theory in medium-heavy nuclei and for the study of pairing
energy corrections to the liquid drop model when studying nuclear masses.Comment: 19 pages, TeX, 3 tables, 2 figures. Accepted in PR
Kinematic analysis of handwriting movements in patients with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, depression and healthy subjects
A variety of studies have demonstrated that motor disorders, parkinsonism and extrapyramidal motor symptoms (EPMS) are common in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several studies have reported an association of EPMS with severity, progression and poor prognosis of AD. The majority of these studies used clinical assessments for the rating of EPMS. In this study, kinematic handwriting analysis was used to quantify differences in fine hand motor function in patients with probable AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCl, as an assumed initial stage of AD) compared to depressed patients and healthy controls. Both patients with MCl and patients with probable AD exhibited loss of fine motor performance. Movements of AD patients were significantly less regular than those of healthy controls. Copyright (C) 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel
Shape transition and oblate-prolate coexistence in N=Z fpg-shell nuclei
Nuclear shape transition and oblate-prolate coexistence in nuclei are
investigated within the configuration space (, ,
, and ). We perform shell model calculations for Zn,
Ge, and Se and constrained Hartree-Fock (CHF) calculations for
Zn, Ge, Se, and Kr, employing an effective pairing
plus quadrupole residual interaction with monopole interactions. The shell
model calculations reproduce well the experimental energy levels of these
nuclei. From the analysis of potential energy surface in the CHF calculations,
we found shape transition from prolate to oblate deformation in these
nuclei and oblate-prolate coexistence at Se. The ground state of
Se has oblate shape, while the shape of Zn and Ge are
prolate. It is shown that the isovector matrix elements between and
orbits cause the oblate deformation for Se, and four-particle
four-hole () excitations are important for the oblate configuration.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Making accessible information on regional sustainable energy development within the North Sea region
Dynamical approach to heavy-ion induced fission using actinide target nuclei at energies around the Coulomb barrier
In order to describe heavy-ion fusion reactions around the Coulomb barrier
with an actinide target nucleus, we propose a model which combines the
coupled-channels approach and a fluctuation-dissipation model for dynamical
calculations. This model takes into account couplings to the collective states
of the interacting nuclei in the penetration of the Coulomb barrier and the
subsequent dynamical evolution of a nuclear shape from the contact
configuration. In the fluctuation-dissipation model with a Langevin equation,
the effect of nuclear orientation at the initial impact on the prolately
deformed target nucleus is considered. Fusion-fission, quasi-fission and deep
quasi-fission are separated as different Langevin trajectories on the potential
energy surface. Using this model, we analyze the experimental data for the mass
distribution of fission fragments (MDFF) in the reactions of
S+U and Si+U at several incident energies
around the Coulomb barrier. We find that the time scale in the quasi-fission as
well as the deformation of fission fragments at the scission point are
different between the Si+U and S+U systems,
causing different mass asymmetries of the quasi-fission.Comment: 11 figure
Dependence of direct neutron capture on nuclear-structure models
The prediction of cross sections for nuclei far off stability is crucial in
the field of nuclear astrophysics. We calculate direct neutron capture on the
even-even isotopes Sn and Pb with energy levels,
masses, and nuclear density distributions taken from different
nuclear-structure models. The utilized structure models are a
Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model, a relativistic mean field theory, and a
macroscopic-microscopic model based on the finite-range droplet model and a
folded-Yukawa single-particle potential. Due to the differences in the
resulting neutron separation and level energies, the investigated models yield
capture cross sections sometimes differing by orders of magnitude. This may
also lead to differences in the predicted astrophysical r-process paths.
Astrophysical implications are discussed.Comment: 25 pages including 12 figures, RevTeX, to appear in Phys. Rev.
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