The current evaluation of the triple-α reaction rate assumes that the α decay of the 7.65 MeV, 0+ state in 12C, commonly known as the Hoyle state, proceeds sequentially via the ground state of 8Be. ...This assumption is challenged by the recent identification of two direct α-decay branches with a combined branching ratio of 17(5)%. If correct, this would imply a corresponding reduction in the triple-α reaction rate with important astrophysical consequences. We have used the 11B(3He,d) reaction to populate the Hoyle state and measured the decay to three α particles in complete kinematics. We find no evidence for direct α-decay branches, and hence our data do not support a revision of the triple-α reaction rate. We obtain an upper limit of 5×10(-3) on the direct α decay of the Hoyle state at 95% C.L., which is 1 order of magnitude better than a previous upper limit.
The anaesthetic conserving device AnaConDa® (ACD) reflects exhaled anaesthetic agents thereby facilitating the use of inhaled anaesthetic agents outside operating theatres. Expired CO2 is, however, ...also reflected causing a dead space effect in excess of the ACD internal volume. CO2 reflection from the ACD is attenuated by humidity. This study tests the hypothesis that sevoflurane further attenuates reflection of CO2. An analysis of clinical implications of our findings was performed.
Twelve postoperative patients received mechanical ventilation using a conventional heat and moisture exchanger (HME, internal volume 50 ml) and an ACD (100 ml), the latter with or without administration of sevoflurane. The ACD was also studied with a test lung at high sevoflurane concentrations. Reflection of CO2 and dead space effects were evaluated with the single-breath test for CO2.
Sevoflurane reduced but did not abolish CO2 reflection. In patients, the mean dead space effect with 0.8% sevoflurane was 88 ml larger using the ACD compared with the HME (P<0.001), of which 38 ml was due to CO2 reflection. Our calculations show that with the use of the ACD, normocapnia cannot be achieved with tidal volume <6 ml kg−1 even when respiratory rate is increased.
An ACD causes a dead space effect larger than its internal volume due to reflection of CO2, which is attenuated but not abolished by sevoflurane administration. CO2 reflection from the ACD limits its use with low tidal volume ventilation, such as with lung protection ventilation strategies.
Clinical Trials NCT01699802.
The unexplained disagreement in the dependence of spectroscopic factors ( C 2 S exp ) on the binding energy obtained by nucleon knockout using different targets is still a puzzle that needs to be ...addressed. To find an explanation of this riddle through exclusive measurements using different targets. The exclusive measurements were performed by using a Ne 17 beam with an energy of 500 MeV/u incident on C and CH 2 targets. Through the standard theoretical approach, C 2 S exp were derived from the analysis of the experimental data on proton ejection from the proton halo in Ne 17 as well as from its core O 15 . For the C target, proton ejection from the proton halo gave C 2 S exp about 37% smaller than for the H target. But when protons are ejected from the core of Ne 17 , C 2 S exp are identical within statistical uncertainties. An explanation for the difference in C 2 S exp could be the removal of both halo protons, a more important reaction pathway for the C target. The C 2 S exp values obtained by analyzing the proton ejection from the core indicate that it is not affected by the interaction with the halo protons. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
The first measurement of the momentum distribution for one-neutron removal from O-24 at 920A MeV performed at GSI, Darmstadt is reported. The observed distribution has a width (FWHM) of 99 +/- 4 ...MeV/c in the projectile rest frame and a one-neutron removal cross section of 63 +/- 7 mb. The results are well explained with a nearly pure 2s(1/2) neutron spectroscopic factor of 1.74 +/- 0.19 within the eikonal model. This large s-wave probability shows a spherical shell closure thereby confirming earlier suggestions that O-24 is a new doubly magic nucleus.
The measurements of neutron capture cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei are challenging but essential for understanding nucleosynthesis and stellar evolution processes in the explosive burning ...scenario. In the quest of -process abundances, according to the neutrino-driven-wind model, light neutron-rich unstable nuclei may play a significant role as seed nuclei that influence the abundance pattern. Hence, experimental data for neutron capture cross sections of neutron-rich nuclei are needed. Coulomb dissociation of radioactive ion beams at intermediate energy is a powerful indirect method for inferring capture cross section. As a test case for validation of the indirect method, the neutron capture cross section (, ) for was inferred from the Coulomb dissociation of at intermediate energy ( MeV). A comparison between different theoretical approaches and experimental results for the reaction is discussed. We report for the first time experimental reaction cross sections of , , , and . The reaction cross sections were inferred indirectly through Coulomb dissociation of , , and at incident projectile energies around 400-430 MeV using the FRS-LAND setup at GSI, Darmstadt. The neutron capture cross sections were obtained from the photoabsorption cross sections with the aid of the detailed balance theorem. The reaction rates for the neutron-rich Na, Mg, Al nuclei at typical -process temperatures were obtained from the measured () capture cross sections. The measured neutron capture reaction rates of the neutron-rich nuclei, , , and are significantly lower than those predicted by the Hauser-Feshbach decay model. A similar trend was observed earlier for and but in the case of the trend is opposite. The situation is more complicated when the ground state has a multi-particle-hole configuration. For , the measured cross section is about higher than the Hauser-Feshbach prediction.
OBJECTIVELeft heart failure (LHF) is a common and frequently overlooked condition owing to insufficient diagnostic methods. This can potentially delay onset of treatment. Our clinical experience with ...ventilation/perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (V/P SPECT) indicates that perfusion shows an antigravitational distribution pattern in LHF. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that LHF diagnosis can be made on the basis of V/P SPECT, and to develop and perform a first evaluation of objective parameters for LHF diagnostics in terms of perfusion gradients.
METHODSThis retrospective study included 247 consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism (PE), who were examined with V/P SPECT. Perfusion gradients were developed and quantified in dorso-ventral and cranio-caudal directions. Quantitative results were compared with visual interpretation of patients with normal and heart failure patterns. Patients with LHF pattern were retrospectively followed up by review of medical records to confirm or discard heart failure diagnosis at the time of V/P SPECT examination.
RESULTSLHF pattern on V/P SPECT was identified in 36 patients (15%), normal ventilation/perfusion pattern was found in 67 patients (27%), and PE in 62 patients (25%). The follow-up confirmed heart failure diagnosis in 32 of the 36 cases with LHF pattern, leading to a positive predictive value of 88% for LHF diagnosis based on V/P SPECT. Dorso-ventral perfusion gradients discriminated normal from LHF patients.
CONCLUSIONIn patients with suspected PE, LHF is common. Appropriate V/P SPECT pattern recognition, supported by objectively determined dorso-ventral perfusion gradients, allows the diagnosis of LHF. A positive perfusion gradient in the dorso-ventral direction should lead to consideration of heart failure as a possible explanation for the symptoms in these patients.
The accuracy of reaction theories used to extract properties of exotic nuclei from scattering experiments is often unknown or not quantified, but of utmost importance when, e.g., constraining the ...equation of state of asymmetric nuclear matter from observables as the neutron-skin thickness. In order to test the Glauber multiple-scattering model, the total interaction cross section of ▪ on carbon targets was measured at initial beam energies of 400, 550, 650, 800, and 1000 MeV/nucleon. The measurements were performed during the first experiment of the newly constructed R3B (Reaction with Relativistic Radioactive Beams) experiment after the start of FAIR Phase-0 at the GSI/FAIR facility with beam energies of 400, 550, 650, 800, and 1000 MeV/nucleon. The combination of the large-acceptance dipole magnet GLAD and a newly designed and highly efficient Time-of-Flight detector enabled a precise transmission measurement with several target thicknesses for each initial beam energy with an experimental uncertainty of ±0.4%. A comparison with the Glauber model revealed a discrepancy of around 3.1% at higher beam energies, which will serve as a crucial baseline for the model-dependent uncertainty in future fragmentation experiments.
Proton halo effects in the 8B+64Zn reaction at an energy around 1.5 times the Coulomb barrier have been studied at HIE-ISOLDE CERN using, for the first time, the only existing postaccelerated 8B ...beam. This, together with the use of a high granularity and large solid angle detection system, allowed for a careful mapping of the elastic angular distribution, especially in the Coulomb-nuclear interference region. Contrary to what is observed for the one-neutron halo nucleus 11Be on the same target in a similar energy range, the analysis of the elastic scattering angular distribution shows only a modest suppression of the Coulomb-nuclear interference peak, with no remarkable enhancement of the total reaction cross-section. Inclusive angular and energy distributions of 7Be produced in direct reaction processes have also been measured. The comparison of these data with the results of theoretical calculations for the elastic and non-elastic breakup contributions indicate that both processes are important. Overall, the experimental data suggest a 8B collision dynamics at the barrier very different from the one of neutron halo nuclei, showing only modest effects of coupling to continuum. This behaviour can be interpreted as due to the presence of the additional Coulomb interactions halo-core and halo-target together with the presence of the centrifugal barrier felt by the valence proton of 8B.
The quasi-free scattering reactions 11C(p,2p) and 10,11,12C(p,pn) have been studied in inverse kinematics at beam energies of 300–400 MeV/u at the R3B-LAND setup. The outgoing proton-proton and ...proton-neutron pairs were detected in coincidence with the reaction fragments in kinematically complete measurements. The efficiency to detect these pairs has been obtained from GEANT4 simulations which were tested using the 12C(p,2p) and 12C(p,pn) reactions. Experimental cross sections and momentum distributions have been obtained and compared to DWIA calculations based on eikonal theory. The new results reported here are combined with previously published cross sections for quasi-free scattering from oxygen and nitrogen isotopes and together they enable a systematic study of the reduction of single-particle strength compared to predictions of the shell model over a wide neutron-to-proton asymmetry range. The combined reduction factors show a weak or no dependence on isospin asymmetry, in contrast to the strong dependency reported in nucleon-removal reactions induced by nuclear targets at lower energies. However, the reduction factors for (p,2p) are found to be 'significantly smaller than for (p,pn) reactions for all investigated nuclei.
After a brief historical overview of the field of physics with radioactive beams, we give an update of the most recent experimental achievements for nuclei at or beyond the nuclear driplines. ...Long-lived exotic nuclear states are discussed including multi-nucleon radioactivity and exotic isomers. Studies of correlations between decay products in three-body decays and analysis in a Jacobi-coordinate framework are discussed with special emphasis on the difficulty in the interpretations of data obtained in different reactions. We give examples of systematic studies that the vast amount of now existing data allows, such as shell closures, competition between single-particle states in isotopes, isotones and mirror nuclei. The Thomas-Ehrman shift, Garvey-Kelson-type mass relations and IMME analysis of isobaric multiplets with isospin
and 2 are also discussed as well as alternative interpretations in certain cases.