614 research outputs found
Changes in<i>r</i>-process abundances at late times
No full textWe explore changes in abundance patterns that occur late in the r process. As the neutrons available for capture begin to disappear, a quasiequilibrium funnel shifts material into the large peaks at A=130 and A=195, and into the rare-earth "bump" at A=160. A bit later, after the free-neutron abundance has dropped and beta-decay has begun to compete seriously with neutron capture, the peaks can widen. The degree of widening depends largely on neutron-capture rates near closed neutron shells and relatively close to stability. We identify particular nuclei the capture rates of which should be examined experimentally, perhaps at a radioactive beam facility. Comment: 8 pages, 14 figures included in tex
Application of three-dimensional computed tomography in craniofacial clinical practice and research
No full textFollowing the invention of the first computed tomography (CT) scanner in the early 1970s, many innovations in three-dimensional (3D) diagnostic imaging technology have occurred, leading to a wide range of applications in craniofacial clinical practice and research. Three-dimensional image analysis provides superior and more detailed information compared with conventional plain two-dimensional (2D) radiography, with the added benefit of 3D printing for preoperative treatment planning and regenerative therapy. Current state-of-the-art multidetector CT (MDCT), also known as medical CT, has an important role in the diagnosis and management of craniofacial injuries and pathology. Three-dimensional cone beam CT (CBCT), pioneered in the 1990s, is gaining increasing popularity in dental and craniofacial clinical practice because of its faster image acquisition at a lower radiation dose, but sound guidelines are needed to ensure its optimal clinical use. Recent innovations in micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) have revolutionized craniofacial biology research by enabling higher resolution scanning of teeth beyond the capabilities of MDCT and CBCT, presenting new prospects for translational clinical research. Even after four decades of refinement, CT technology continues to advance and broaden the horizons of craniofacial clinical practice and phenomics research.PJ Anderson, R Yong, TL Surman, ZA Rajion, S Ranjitka
The impact of global nuclear mass model uncertainties on r-process abundance predictions
No full textRapid neutron capture or ‘r-process’ nucleosynthesis may be responsible for half the production of heavy elements above iron on the periodic table. Masses are one of the most important nuclear physics ingredients that go into calculations of r-process nucleosynthesis as they enter into the calculations of reaction rates, decay rates, branching ratios and Q-values. We explore the impact of uncertainties in three nuclear mass models on r-process abundances by performing global monte carlo simulations. We show that root-mean-square (rms) errors of current mass models are large so that current r-process predictions are insufficient in predicting features found in solar residuals and in r-process enhanced metal poor stars. We conclude that the reduction of global rms errors below 100 keV will allow for more robust r-process predictions
Regimes of visibility : Unravelling media, conflict, and hegemony in place branding processes
No full textThis chapter explores place branding processes in contemporary urban landscapes, emphasising their media-driven construction and conflicts over territorial representation. It calls for a deeper exploration and experimentation in reclaiming the symbolic identity of urban territories through branding while acknowledging the complexities of brand dynamics in contemporary urban contexts. Using the frame of “regimes of visibility”, it analyses place brands as narrative and affective representations of urban spaces with performative effects. Using the case study of NoLo and Via Padova in Milan, Italy, a grassroots place branding initiative, this study examines the NoLo regime of visibility's media-driven hegemony and territorial control. It demonstrates that despite its bottom-up origins, NoLo's branding attracted media attention and corporate interests favouring the aestheticisation and commodification of the urban space. This research underscores the importance of dismissing simplistic approaches to place branding, considering the key involvement of inhabitants as a sufficient solution to the risks of gentrification and questioning the potential of residents to hold a real “right to the brand”. For community organisers, it implies they must rethink the very notion of what a brand is and how it operates. For urban planners and institutions, this confirms the risks of commodification and gentrification
Masses and lifetimes for r-process nucleosynthesis: FRIB outlook
No full textNuclear masses and lifetimes are key inputs for calculations of rapid neutron capture (r-process) nucleosynthesis. Masses and half-lives for thousands of nuclei from the valley of stability to the neutron drip line are required and only a fraction have been experimentally measured. Here we examine the promise of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, now under construction at Michigan State University, to dramatically reduce uncertainties in r-process abundance patterns due to uncertain masses and half-lives
Genetic vaccination with "self" tyrosinase-related protein 2 causes melanoma eradication but not vitiligo
No full textGenetic vaccination with "self" tyrosinase-related protein 2 causes melanoma eradication but not vitiligo.
No full text"Self" melanocyte differentiation antigens are potential targets for specific melanoma immunotherapy. Vaccination against murine tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1/gp75 was shown recently to cause melanoma rejection, which was accompanied by autoimmune skin depigmentation (vitiligo). To further explore the linkage between immunotherapy and autoimmunity, we studied the response to vaccination with a related antigen, TRP-2. i.m. inoculation of plasmid DNA encoding murine trp-2 elicited antigen-specific CTLs that recognized the B16 mouse melanoma and protected the mice from challenge with tumor cells. Furthermore, mice bearing established s.c. B16 melanomas rejected the tumor upon vaccination with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding trp-2. Depletion experiments showed that CD8+ lymphocytes and natural killer cells were crucial for the antitumor activity of the trp-2-encoding vaccines. Mice that rejected the tumor did not develop generalized vitiligo, indicating that protective immunity can be achieved in the absence of widespread autoimmune aggression
Sensitivity studies for the main r process: nuclear masses
No full textThe site of the rapid neutron capture process (r process) is one of the open challenges in all of physics today. The r process is thought to be responsible for the creation of more than half of all elements beyond iron. The scientific challenges to understanding the origin of the heavy elements beyond iron lie in both the uncertainties associated with astrophysical conditions that are needed to allow an r process to occur and a vast lack of knowledge about the properties of nuclei far from stability. One way is to disentangle the nuclear and astrophysical components of the question. On the nuclear physics side, there is great global competition to access and measure the most exotic nuclei that existing facilities can reach, while simultaneously building new, more powerful accelerators to make even more exotic nuclei. On the astrophysics side, various astrophysical scenarios for the production of the heaviest elements have been proposed but open questions remain. This paper reports on a sensitivity study of the r process to determine the most crucial nuclear masses to measure using an r-process simulation code, several mass models (FRDM, Duflo-Zuker, and HFB-21), and three potential astrophysical scenarios
Sensitivity of the r-process to nuclear masses
No full textThe rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is thought to be responsible for the creation of more than half of all elements beyond iron. The scientific challenges to understanding the origin of the heavy elements beyond iron lie in both the uncertainties associated with astrophysical conditions that are needed to allow an r-process to occur and a vast lack of knowledge about the properties of nuclei far from stability. There is great global competition to access and measure the most exotic nuclei that existing facilities can reach, while simultaneously building new, more powerful accelerators to make even more exotic nuclei. This work is an attempt to determine the most crucial nuclear masses to measure using an r-process simulation code and several mass models (FRDM, Duflo-Zuker, and HFB-21). The most important nuclear masses to measure are determined by the changes in the resulting r-process abundances. Nuclei around the closed shells near N = 50 , 82, and 126 have the largest impact on r-process abundances irrespective of the mass models used
Sensitivity studies for r-process nucleosynthesis in three astrophysical scenarios
No full textIn rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis, heavy elements are built up via a sequence of neutron captures and β decays that involves thousands of nuclei far from stability. Though we understand the basics of how the r process proceeds, its astrophysical site is still not conclusively known. The nuclear network simulations we use to test potential astrophysical scenarios require nuclear physics data (masses, β decay lifetimes, neutron capture rates, fission probabilities) for all of the nuclei on the neutron-rich side of the nuclear chart, from the valley of stability to the neutron drip line. Here we discuss recent sensitivity studies that aim to determine which individual pieces of nuclear data are the most crucial for r-process calculations. We consider three types of astrophysical scenarios: a traditional hot r process, a cold r process in which the temperature and density drop rapidly, and a neutron star merger trajectory
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