539 research outputs found
A high efficiency, low background detector for measuring pair-decay branches in nuclear decay
We describe a high efficiency detector for measuring electron-positron pair
transitions in nuclei. The device was built to be insensitive to gamma rays and
to accommodate high overall event rates. The design was optimized for total
pair kinetic energies up to about 7 MeV.Comment: Accepted for publication by Nucl. Inst. & Meth. in Phys. Res. A (NIM
A
TOF-Brho Mass Measurements of Very Exotic Nuclides for Astrophysical Calculations at the NSCL
Atomic masses play a crucial role in many nuclear astrophysics calculations.
The lack of experimental values for relevant exotic nuclides triggered a rapid
development of new mass measurement devices around the world. The
Time-of-Flight (TOF) mass measurements offer a complementary technique to the
most precise one, Penning trap measurements, the latter being limited by the
rate and half-lives of the ions of interest. The NSCL facility provides a
well-suited infrastructure for TOF mass measurements of very exotic nuclei. At
this facility, we have recently implemented a TOF-Brho technique and performed
mass measurements of neutron-rich nuclides in the Fe region, important for
r-process calculations and for calculations of processes occurring in the crust
of accreting neutron stars.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Journal of Physics G, proceedings of
Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics II
Beta-decay half-lives and beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities of nuclei in the region below A=110, relevant for the r-process
Measurements of the beta-decay properties of r-process nuclei below A=110
have been completed at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, at
Michigan State University. Beta-decay half-lives for Y-105, Zr-106,107 and
Mo-111, along with beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities of Y-104,
Mo-109,110 and upper limits for Y-105, Zr-103,104,105,106,107 and Mo-108,111
have been measured for the first time. Studies on the basis of the quasi-random
phase approximation are used to analyze the ground-state deformation of these
nuclei.Comment: 21 pages, 10 figures, article accepted for publication in Physical
Review
Beta-delayed proton emission in the 100Sn region
Beta-delayed proton emission from nuclides in the neighborhood of 100Sn was
studied at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory. The nuclei were
produced by fragmentation of a 120 MeV/nucleon 112Sn primary beam on a Be
target. Beam purification was provided by the A1900 Fragment Separator and the
Radio Frequency Fragment Separator. The fragments of interest were identified
and their decay was studied with the NSCL Beta Counting System (BCS) in
conjunction with the Segmented Germanium Array (SeGA). The nuclei 96Cd, 98Ing,
98Inm and 99In were identified as beta-delayed proton emitters, with branching
ratios bp = 5.5(40)%, 5.5+3 -2%, 19(2)% and 0.9(4)%, respectively. The bp for
89Ru, 91,92Rh, 93Pd and 95Ag were deduced for the first time with bp = 3+1.9
-1.7%, 1.3(5)%, 1.9(1)%, 7.5(5)% and 2.5(3)%, respectively. The bp = 22(1)% for
101Sn was deduced with higher precision than previously reported. The impact of
the newly measured bp values on the composition of the type-I X-ray burst ashes
was studied.Comment: 15 pages, 14 Figures, 4 Table
A qualitative study of independent fast food vendors near secondary schools in disadvantaged Scottish neighbourhoods
Background:
Preventing and reducing childhood and adolescent obesity is a growing priority in many countries. Recent UK data suggest that children in more deprived areas have higher rates of obesity and poorer diet quality than those in less deprived areas. As adolescents spend a large proportion of time in school, interventions to improve the food environment in and around schools are being considered. Nutrient standards for school meals are mandatory in the UK, but many secondary pupils purchase foods outside schools at break or lunchtime that may not meet these standards.
Methods:
Qualitative interviews were conducted with fast food shop managers to explore barriers to offering healthier menu options. Recruitment targeted independently-owned shops near secondary schools (pupils aged c.12-17) in low-income areas of three Scottish cities. Ten interviews were completed, recorded, and transcribed for analysis. An inductive qualitative approach was used to analyse the data in NVivo 10.
Results:
Five themes emerged from the data: pride in what is sold; individual autonomy and responsibility; customer demand; profit margin; and neighbourhood context. Interviewees consistently expressed pride in the foods they sold, most of which were homemade. They felt that healthy eating and general wellbeing are the responsibility of the individual and that offering what customers want to eat, not necessarily what they should eat, was the only way to stay in business. Most vendors felt they were struggling to maintain a profit, and that many aspects of the low-income neighbourhood context would make change difficult or impossible.
Conclusions:
Independent food shops in low-income areas face barriers to offering healthy food choices, and interventions and policies that target the food environment around schools should take the neighbourhood context into consideration
Beta-decay of nuclei around Se-90. Search for signatures of a N=56 sub-shell closure relevant the r-process
Nuclear structure plays a significant role on the rapid neutron capture
process (r-process) since shapes evolve with the emergence of shells and
sub-shells. There was some indication in neighboring nuclei that we might find
examples of a new N=56 sub-shell, which may give rise to a doubly magic Se-90
nucleus. Beta-decay half lives of nuclei around Se-90 have been measured to
determine if this nucleus has in fact a doubly-magic character. The
fragmentation of Xe-136 beam at the National Superconducting Cyclotron
Laboratory at Michigan State University was used to create a cocktail of nuclei
in the A=90 region. We have measured the half lives of twenty-two nuclei near
the r-process path in the A=90 region. The half lives of As-88 and Se-90 have
been measured for the first time. The values were compared with theoretical
predictions in the search for nuclear-deformation signatures of a N=56
sub-shell, and its possible role in the emergence of a potential doubly-magic
Se-90. The impact of such hypothesis on the synthesis of heavy nuclei,
particularly in the production of Sr, Y and Zr elements was investigated with a
weak r-process network. The new half lives agree with results obtained from a
standard global QRPA model used in r-process calculations, indicating that
Se-90 has a quadrupole shape incompatible with a closed N=56 sub-shell in this
region. The impact of the measured Se-90 half-life in comparison with a former
theoretical predication associated with a spherical half-life on the
weak-r-process is shown to be strong
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