1,578 research outputs found
Ground and excited states Gamow-Teller strength distributions of iron isotopes and associated capture rates for core-collapse simulations
This paper reports on the microscopic calculation of ground and excited
states Gamow-Teller (GT) strength distributions, both in the electron capture
and electron decay direction, for Fe. The associated electron and
positron capture rates for these isotopes of iron are also calculated in
stellar matter. These calculations were recently introduced and this paper is a
follow-up which discusses in detail the GT strength distributions and stellar
capture rates of key iron isotopes. The calculations are performed within the
framework of the proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation
(pn-QRPA) theory. The pn-QRPA theory allows a microscopic
\textit{state-by-state} calculation of GT strength functions and stellar
capture rates which greatly increases the reliability of the results. For the
first time experimental deformation of nuclei are taken into account. In the
core of massive stars isotopes of iron, Fe, are considered to be
key players in decreasing the electron-to-baryon ratio () mainly via
electron capture on these nuclide. The structure of the presupernova star is
altered both by the changes in and the entropy of the core material.
Results are encouraging and are compared against measurements (where possible)
and other calculations. The calculated electron capture rates are in overall
good agreement with the shell model results. During the presupernova evolution
of massive stars, from oxygen shell burning stages till around end of
convective core silicon burning, the calculated electron capture rates on
Fe are around three times bigger than the corresponding shell model
rates. The calculated positron capture rates, however, are suppressed by two to
five orders of magnitude.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 10 table
rp-Process weak-interaction mediated rates of waiting-point nuclei
Electron capture and positron decay rates are calculated for
neutron-deficient Kr and Sr waiting point nuclei in stellar matter. The
calculation is performed within the framework of pn-QRPA model for rp-process
conditions. Fine tuning of particle-particle, particle-hole interaction
parameters and a proper choice of the deformation parameter resulted in an
accurate reproduction of the measured half-lives. The same model parameters
were used to calculate stellar rates. Inclusion of measured Gamow-Teller
strength distributions finally led to a reliable calculation of weak rates that
reproduced the measured half-lives well under limiting conditions. For the
rp-process conditions, electron capture and positron decay rates on Kr
and Sr are of comparable magnitude whereas electron capture rates on
Sr and Kr are 1--2 orders of magnitude bigger than the
corresponding positron decay rates. The pn-QRPA calculated electron capture
rates on Kr are bigger than previously calculated. The present
calculation strongly suggests that, under rp-process conditions, electron
capture rates form an integral part of weak-interaction mediated rates and
should not be neglected in nuclear reaction network calculations as done
previously.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables; Astrophysics and Space Science (2012
Neutrino energy loss rates and positron capture rates on Co for presupernova and supernova physics
Proton-neutron quasi-particle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) theory has
recently being used for calculation of stellar weak interaction rates of
-shell nuclide with success. Neutrino losses from proto-neutron stars play
a pivotal role to decide if these stars would be crushed into black holes or
explode as supernovae. The product of abundance and positron capture rates on
Co is substantial and as such can play a role in fine tuning of input
parameters of simulation codes specially in the presupernova evolution.
Recently we introduced our calculation of capture rates on Co, in a
luxurious model space of , employing the pn-QRPA theory with a
separable interaction. Simulators, however, may require these rates on a fine
scale. Here we present for the first time an expanded calculation of the
neutrino energy loss rates and positron capture rates on Co on an
extensive temperature-density scale. These type of scale is appropriate for
interpolation purposes and of greater utility for simulation codes. The pn-QRPA
calculated neutrino energy loss rates are enhanced roughly up to two orders of
magnitude compared with the large-scale shell model calculations and favor a
lower entropy for the core of massive stars.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, 5 table
In-vitro application of pentoxifylline preserved ultrastructure of spermatozoa after vitrification in asthenozoospermic patients
Abstract
PURPOSE:
To evaluate the effect of in vitro application of pentoxifylline (PX) on sperm parameters and ultrastructure after vitrification in asthenozoospermic patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
A total of 30 asthenozoospermic semen samples (aged 25-45 years) were divided into four groups before vitrification, after vitrification, control (without PX) and experimental (with PX). In experimental group, each sample was exposed for 30 min to 3.6mmol/l PX and the control group without any treatment apposing in 370C for 30 min. After incubation, the samples were washed and analyzed again. Vitrification was done according to straw method. Eosin-nigrosin and Papanicolaou staining were applied for assessment of sperm viability and morphology, respectively. The samples without PX and post treatment with PX were assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
RESULTS:
A significant decrease in sperm motility (P ≤ .001), morphology (11.47 ± 2.9 versus 6.73 ± 2.01) and viability (73.37 ± 6.26 versus 54.67 ± 6.73) was observed post vitrification, but sperm motility (19.85 ± 4.75 versus 32.07 ± 5.58, P ≤ .001) was increased significantly following application of PX. This drug had no significant (P >.05) detrimental neither negative effect on ultrastructure acrosome, plasma membrane and coiled tail statues of spermatozoa.
CONCLUSION:
Vitrification had detrimental effects on sperm parameters, but PX reversed detrimental effects on sperm motility. However, PX had no alteration on ultrastructure morphology of human spermatozoa after vitrification
Chromosome 9p deletion in clear cell renal cell carcinoma predicts recurrence and survival following surgery
BACKGROUND: Wider clinical applications of 9p status in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are limited owing to the lack of validation and consensus for interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation (I-FISH) scoring technique. The aim of this study was to analytically validate the applicability of I-FISH in assessing 9p deletion in ccRCC and to clinically assess its long-term prognostic impact following surgical excision of ccRCC. METHODS: Tissue microarrays were constructed from 108 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tumour paraffin blocks. Interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation analysis was undertaken based on preset criteria by two independent observers to assess interobserver variability. 9p status in ccRCC tumours was determined and correlated to clinicopathological variables, recurrence-free survival and disease-specific survival. RESULTS: There were 80 ccRCCs with valid 9p scoring and a median follow-up of 95 months. Kappa statistic for interobserver variability was 0.71 (good agreement). 9p deletion was detected in 44% of ccRCCs. 9p loss was associated with higher stage, larger tumours, necrosis, microvascular and renal vein invasion, and higher SSIGN (stage, size, grade and necrosis) score. Patients with 9p-deleted ccRCC were at a higher risk of recurrence (P=0.008) and RCC-specific mortality (P=0.001). On multivariate analysis, 9p deletion was an independent predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio 4.323; P=0.021) and RCC-specific mortality (hazard ratio 4.603; P=0.007). The predictive accuracy of SSIGN score improved from 87.7% to 93.1% by integrating 9p status to the model (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Loss of 9p is associated with aggressive ccRCC and worse prognosis in patients following surgery. Our findings independently confirm the findings of previous reports relying on I-FISH to detect 9p (CDKN2A) deletion
Comparative study of Gamow-Teller strength distributions in the odd-odd nucleus 50V and its impact on electron capture rates in astrophysical environments
Gamow-Teller (GT) strength transitions are an ideal probe for testing nuclear
structure models. In addition to nuclear structure, GT transitions in nuclei
directly affect the early phases of Type Ia and Type-II supernovae core
collapse since the electron capture rates are partly determined by these GT
transitions. In astrophysics, GT transitions provide an important input for
model calculations and element formation during the explosive phase of a
massive star at the end of its life-time. Recent nucleosynthesis calculations
show that odd-odd and odd-A nuclei cause the largest contribution in the rate
of change of lepton-to-baryon ratio. In the present manuscript, we have
calculated the GT strength distributions and electron capture rates for odd-odd
nucleus 50V by using the pn-QRPA theory. At present 50V is the first
experimentally available odd-odd nucleus in fp-shell nuclei. We also compare
our GT strength distribution with the recently measured results of a
50V(d,2He)50Ti experiment, with the earlier work of Fuller, Fowler, and Newman
(referred to as FFN) and subsequently with the large-scale shell model
calculations. One curious finding of the paper is that the Brink's hypothesis,
usually employed in large-scale shell model calculations, is not a good
approximation to use at least in the case of 50V. SNe Ia model calculations
performed using FFN rates result in overproduction of 50Ti, and were brought to
a much acceptable value by employing shell model results. It might be
interesting to study how the composition of the ejecta using presently reported
QRPA rates compare with the observed abundances.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure
Effective link quality estimation as a means to improved end-to-end packet delivery in high traffic mobile ad hoc networks
Accurate link quality estimation is a fundamental building block in quality aware multi hop routing. In an inherently lossy, unreliable and dynamic medium such as wireless, the task of accurate estimation becomes very challenging. Over the years ETX has been widely used as a reliable link quality estimation metric. However, more recently it has been established that under heavy traffic loads ETX performance gets significantly worse. We examine the ETX metric's behavior in detail with respect to the MAC layer and UDP data; and identify the causes of its unreliability. Motivated by the observations made in our analysis, we present the design and implementation of our link quality measurement metric xDDR – a variation of ETX. This article extends xDDR to support network mobility. Our experiments show that xDDR substantially outperforms minimum hop count, ETX and HETX in terms of end-to-end packet delivery ratio in static as well as mobile scenarios.</p
Discrimination of healthy and cancer cells of the bladder by metabolic state, based on autofluorescence
Bladder cancer is among the most common cancers worldwide (4th in men). It is responsible for high patient morbidity and displays rapid recurrence and progression. Lack of sensitivity of gold standard techniques (white light cystoscopy, voided urine cytology) means many early treatable cases are missed. The result is a large number of advanced cases of bladder cancer which require extensive treatment and monitoring. For this reason, bladder cancer is the single most expensive cancer to treat on a per patient basis. In recent years, autofluorescence spectroscopy has begun to shed light into disease research. Of particular interest in cancer research are the fluorescent metabolic cofactors NADH and FAD. Early in tumour development, cancer cells often undergo a metabolic shift (the Warburg effect) resulting in increased NADH. The ratio of NADH to FAD ("redox ratio") can therefore be used as an indicator of the metabolic status of cells. Redox ratio measurements have been used to differentiate between healthy and cancer breast cells and to monitor cellular responses to therapies. Here, we have demonstrated, using healthy and bladder cancer cell lines, a statistically significant difference in the redox ratio of bladder cancer cells, indicative of a metabolic shift. To do this we customised a standard flow cytometer to excite and record fluorescence specifically from NADH and FAD, along with a method for automatically calculating the redox ratio of individual cells within large populations. These results could inform the design of novel probes and screening systems for the early detection of bladder cancer
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