Postnatal development of urea synthesis in VLBW-infants as estimated by 15N-ammonium chloride urine test: Differences between AGA- and SGA-Infants

A prototype off-axis integrated cavity output spectrometer (OA-ICOS) utilizing two identical cavities together with a near-infrared (1.63 μm) external cavity tunable diode laser is described. The two-cavity design—one for a reference gas and one for a sample gas—takes advantage of classical double-beam infrared spectrometer characteristics in reducing uncertainties due to laser scan or power instabilities and major temperature variations by a factor of three or better compared with a single-cavity scheme. This is the first OA-ICOS instrument designed to determine ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios from CO₂ rotation/vibration fine structure in three different combination bands. Preliminary results indicate that at 0.8 Hz a precision of 3.3 and 2.8 \permil\ is obtained for δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, respectively, over a period of 10 h and a pure CO₂ gas sample at 26 hPa. By averaging 100 spectra over a subset of the data, we achieved a precision of 1.6 and 0.8 \permil\ for δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, respectively.     

Selective optothermal detection of NO2 and H2O with a frequency-tuned CO waveguide laser

The results are reported of the CO-laser optothermal (OT) detection of impurity gases when their absorption spectra overlap with those of an interfering gas. The influence of the latter was avoided using low gas pressures corresponding to a maximum of the OT sensitivity. Frequency tuned in the 5.2–6.3 m wavelength range, ¹²C¹⁶O and ¹³C¹⁶O waveguide lasers were used. The fine frequency tuning at 490 MHz was achieved for 150 laser transitions of both molecules. The OT sensitivity was estimated by NO₂ detection in the presence of water vapor. The minimal detectable concentration proved to be 60 ppb at P _19–18(14) transition of a ¹²C¹⁶O laser for NO₂ and 75 ppb on P _12–11(13) transition of a ¹³C¹⁶O laser for H₂O.     

Carbon and oxygen isotope working standards from C3 and C4 photosynthates

A preparation of organic working standards for the online measurement of ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios in biological material is presented. The organic working standards are simple and inexpensive C₃ and C₄ carbohydrates (sugars or cellulose) from distinct geographic origin, including white sugar, toilet and XEROX papers from Switzerland, maize from Ivory Coast, cane sugar from Brazil, papyrus from Egypt, and the core of the stem of a Cyperus papyrus plant from Kenya. These photosynthetic products were compared with International Atomic Energy standards CH-3 and CH-6 and other calibration materials. The presented working standards cover a 15 ‰ range of ¹³C/¹²C ratios and 9 ‰ for ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, with a precision<±0.2 ‰ for n>10.     

A frequency-modulated quantum-cascade laser for spectroscopy of CH4 and N2O isotopomers

We report the development of a novel laser spectrometer for high-sensitivity detection of methane and nitrous oxide. The system relies on a quantum-cascade laser source emitting wavelength of around 8.06 microm, where strong fundamental absorption bands occur for the considered species and their isotopomers. The detection technique is based on audio-frequency and radio-frequency modulation of laser radiation. First experimental tests have been performed to estimate the achievable detection limits and the signal reproducibility levels in view of possible measurements of (13)C/(12)C, (18)O/(16)O, (17)O/(16)O and (15)N/(14)N isotope ratios.     

Proton and α sequential emission in the 16O + 58Ni deep inelastic reaction: A semi-classical approach

The 132 MeV ¹⁶O + ⁵⁸Ni reaction has been experimentally investigated by using coincident charged particle techniques. A closed-form theoretical approach, describing in a simple picture the non-equilibrium component and the evaporative one of the angular correlation between light particles and reaction residues emitted in a peripheral heavy-ion collision, is applied — in the hypotesis of a sequential process — to the (C,N,O)-α and (C,N,O)-p differential multiplicities for the ¹⁶O + ⁵⁸Ni at 8.25 MeV/A deep inelastic collision. From this analysis some reaction mechanism information is deduced.     

Measurements of the isotopic composition of water vapor using a DFG-based spectrometer at

We report on absorption measurements of the isotopic composition of water in a demineralized sample by means of wavelength modulation spectroscopy of H₂O lines in the spectral region around . The mid-IR radiation was obtained by difference-frequency mixing of the radiation of an extended cavity diode laser () and that of a diode-pumped monolithic Nd–YAG laser. Preliminary tests indicate the possibility of obtaining a precision for the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, ¹⁷O/¹⁶O and ²H/¹⁶O isotope ratio measurements of the order of 1 per mil.     

Properties of isolated DNA bases, base pairs and nucleosides examined by laser spectroscopy

The vibronic spectra of laser desorbed and jet cooled guanine (G) adenine (A), and cytosine (C) consist of bands from four, two and two major tautomers respectively, as revealed by UV-UV and IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy. The vibronic spectrum of adenine around 277 nm consists of weak nπ^* and strong ππ^* transitions, based on IR-UV and deuteration experiments. Precise ionization potentials of G and A were determined with 2-color, 2-photon ionization. We also measured vibronic and IR spectra of several base pairs. GC exhibits a HNH ^... OH/NH ^... N/C=O ^... HNH bonding similar to the Watson-Crick GC base pair but with C as enol tautomer. One GG isomer exhibits non-symmetric hydrogen bonding with HNH ^... N/NH ^... N/C=O ^... HNH interactions. A second observed GG isomer has a symmetrical hydrogen bond arrangement with C=O ^... NH/NH ^... O=C bonding. Two CC isomers were observed with symmetrical C=O ^... NH/NH ^... O=C bonding and nonsymmetrical C=O ^... HNH/NH ^... N interaction, respectively. Guanosine (Gs), 2-DeoxyGs und 3-DeoxyGs each exhibit only one isomer in the investigated wavelength range around 290 nm with a strong intramolecular sugar(5-OH) ^... enolguanine(3-N) hydrogen bond. Received 16 June 2002 / Received in final form 15 July 2002 Published online 13 September 2002     

Observation of nuclear molecular resonances through the (16O, α) reaction on light nuclei

Spectra of the (¹⁶O, α) reaction induced by a 145 MeV beam at forward angles are measured on ¹²C, ¹³C, ¹⁴N, ¹⁶O, and ²⁰Ne targets. Prominent broad peaks are seen for ¹²C, ¹⁶O, and ²⁰Ne targets, but not for ¹³C and ¹⁴N. A direct ¹²C transfer to molecular states is suggested.     

Abrupt change between smooth and oscillatory angular distributions in 16O induced transfer reactions on 26Mg

Angular distributions from (¹⁶O, ¹⁵N) and (¹⁶O, ¹⁴C) reactions on ²⁶Mg have been measured at both 45 and 60 MeV bombarding energies. The two reactions have approximately the same peak cross sections, but the (¹⁶O, ¹⁵N) distributions vary smoothly with angle while the (¹⁶O, ¹⁴C) cross section oscillates strongly as a function of angle. It is shown that the angular distribution shape is strongly dependent on the steepness of the form factor and that the magnitude of the (¹⁶O, ¹⁴C) cross section is very sensitive to the absorptive part of the optical potential.     

Resonances and fluctuations in the 16O + 15N and 12C + 19F collisions

The search and study of quasi-molecular resonances in the ³¹P composite system populated via two entrance channels are performed with two different experimental techniques. The ¹⁶O + ¹⁵N reaction products have been studied by the γ-ray detection method at cm. energies ranging from 15.5 MeV to 36.1 MeV. Binary channels of the ¹⁶O + ¹⁵N and ¹²C + ¹⁹F collisions have been studied by using the kinematical coincidence method at 26 incident energies ranging from E_c.m. = 20.6MeV to 33.5MeV for the first system, and at energies corresponding to the same excitation energies of the composite system for the second system. The ¹⁶O + ¹⁵N reaction exhibits two prominent gross structures in the large angle elastic scattering excitation function correlated with the resonant structures observed in inelastic channel γ-ray yield measurements. Spin assignments were tentatively made for the two resonances. On the contrary, no such structures can be clearly established in the ¹²C + ¹⁹F system where only indications of non-correlated structures in various channels have been observed.     

Spectroscopy of 13B, 14B, 15B and 16B using multi-nucleon transfer reactions

New information has been obtained on excited states of the neutron-rich boron isotopes ¹⁴B, ¹⁵B and ¹⁶B, using the reactions ¹²C(¹⁴C,¹²N)¹⁴B, ¹³C(¹⁴C,¹²N)¹⁵B and ¹⁴C(¹⁴C,¹²N)¹⁶B at about 24 MeV/A. The mass excess of ¹⁶B has been measured for the first time, it is 37.08(6) MeV. This means that ¹⁶B is unbound by only 0.04(6) MeV. Furthermore, the nucleus ¹³B has been investigated with the four reactions ¹⁶O(¹⁴C,¹⁷F), ¹²C(¹⁴C,¹³N), ¹²C(¹³C,¹²N) and ¹²C(¹⁵N,¹⁴O). Choosing different target-projectile combinations, it was possible to populate states with different selectivity. New states are observed in ¹³B at excitation energies above the threshold for two-neutron decay. Received: 27 December 1999 / Revised version: 11 February 2000     

Two proton transfer reactions between pairing rotational states with 104 MeV16O on142Nd,144Sm,148Sm and152Sm

(¹⁶O,¹⁴C) reactions on target nuclei with open proton shells, which are members of protonpairing rotational bands have been studied. For all target nuclei strong transitions to the ground states are observed. The reduced groundstate transition strength's (after removal ofQ-value dependence) are almost equal for all four target nuclei. Additional data on (¹⁶O,¹⁵N), (¹⁶O,¹³C) and (¹⁶O,¹²C) reactions are used to discuss the enhancement in the two proton transfer.     

Two proton transfer reactions between pairing rotational states with 104 MeV16O on142Nd,144Sm,148Sm and152Sm

(¹⁶O,¹⁴C) reactions on target nuclei with open proton shells, which are members of protonpairing rotational bands have been studied. For all target nuclei strong transitions to the ground states are observed. The reduced groundstate transition strength's (after removal ofQ-value dependence) are almost equal for all four target nuclei. Additional data on (¹⁶O,¹⁵N), (¹⁶O,¹³C) and (¹⁶O,¹²C) reactions are used to discuss the enhancement in the two proton transfer.     

Use of 13C and 15N Mass Spectrometry to Study the Decomposition of Calamagrostis epigeios in Soil Column Experiments with and Without Ash Additions

Abstract

The dynamics of C and N in terrestrial ecosystems are not completely understood and the use of stable isotopes may be useful to gain further insight in the pathways of CO₂ emissions and leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) during decomposition of litter. Objectives were (i) to study the decomposition dynamics of Calamagrostis epigeios, a common grass species in forests, using ¹³C-depleted and ¹⁵N-enriched plants and (ii) to quantify the effect wood ash addition on the decomposition and leaching of DOC and DON. Decomposition was studied for 128 days under aerobic conditions at 8°C and moisture close to field capacity in a spodic dystric Cambisol with mor-moder layer. Variants included control plots and additions of (i) Calamagrostis litter and (ii) Calamagrostis litter plus 4 kg ash m^?2.

• Decomposition of Calamagrostis resulted in a CO₂ production of 76.2 g CO₂–C m^?2 (10% of added C) after 128 days and cumulative DOC production was 14.0 g C m^?2 out of which 0.9g C m^?2 was Calamagrostis-derived (0.1% of added C). The specific CO₂ formation and specific DOC production from Calamagrostis were 6 times higher (CO₂) and 4 times smaller (DOC) than those from the organic layer. The amount of Calamagrostis-derived total N (NH₄ ⁺, NO₃ ^?, DON) leached was 0.7g N m^?2 (4.8% of added N). Cumulative DON production was 0.8g N m^?2 which was slightly higher than for the control. During soil passage, much of the DOC and DON was removed due to sorption or decomposition. DOC and DON releases from the mineral soil (17cm depth) were 6.3g C m^?2 and 0.5g N m^?2.

  Addition of ash resulted in a complete fixing of CO₂ for 40 days due to carbonatisation. Afterwards, the CO₂ production rates were similar to the variant without ash addition. Production of DOC (98.6g C m^?2) and DON (2.5g N m^?2) was marked, mainly owing to humus decay. However, Calamagrostis-derived DOC and Culamagrostis-derived total N were only 3.9g C m^?2 (0.5 YO of added C) and 0.5g N m^?2 (3.4% of added N). The specific DOC production rate from the organic layer was 6 times higher than that from Cularnagrostis. The results suggest that with increasing humification from fresh plant residues to more decomposed material (O_F and O_H layers) the production ratio of DOC/CO₂-C increases. Addition of alkaline substances to the forest floor can lead to a manifold increase in DOC production.

     

Determination of δ2H and δ18O in saline oil-associated waters: the question of simple vacuum distillation of water samples prior to isotopic analyses

The paper deals with analytical and procedural aspects of δ¹⁸O and δ²H determination in saline oil-associated waters. The main objective of the study was to show experimentally the qualitative and quantitative applicability of the simple vacuum distillation of saline oil-associated waters while routine procedures of water isotopic analyses are applied. Additionally, two standard off-line techniques of δ²H determination in water – the zinc and the chromium method – have been compared. Each time a typical isotope salt effect has been tracked on the Dead Sea water. The results clearly show that application of the simple vacuum distillation improve the accuracy and reproducibility of δ²H determinations, especially in chromium off-line technique which appeared to be more sensitive to water salinity. The simple vacuum distillation does not improve the quality of δ¹⁸O determinations in the range of water salinities studied. Its application to high concentrated brines (for example, Dead Sea water) decreases the time of equilibration but still propagate the isotopic error connected with low water activity (in the case of ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio) and the incomplete water extraction from the remaining salts (in the case of ²H/¹H ratio); in consequence, its time-consuming application seems to be baseless.     

Sensitivity and mass selectivity of NO detection by stepwise photoionization

State selective stepwise laser photoionization of nitric oxide molecules has been investigated using mass spectroscopic detection with a quadrupole filter. The ionization was carried out in two steps, the first being excitation with a tunable dye laser in the (A ²∑⁺,v′=0.1 state at wavelength around 226 nm and 215 nm, and the second being excitation beyond the ionization limit with a fixed frequency laser at 266 nm, i.e. the fourth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser. The sensitivity of NO detection and the mass resolution of this method has been studied. The ion signal of NO⁺ was observed with linear pressure dependence at partial densities of NO down to 1×10⁵ cm⁻³. This corresponds to a density per state of about 2.5×10⁴ cm⁻³. The mass selectivity was investigated at the various isotopic components of natural nitric oxide¹⁴N¹⁶O,¹⁵N¹⁶O,¹⁴N¹⁸O and the isobare¹⁴N¹⁷O.     

The β-delayed α-spectrum of 16N,and its role in defining the astrophysical cross section for 12C(α,γ)16O

It has proven to be very difficult to determine the astrophysically important cross section for ¹²C(α, γ)¹⁶O at the relevant energies (∼300 keV) from radiative capture measurements. The present paper summarizes a new measurement of the β-delayed α-spectrum of ¹⁶N that substantially improves our knowledge of the E1 α-capture cross section on ¹²C at 300 keV. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the status of the total ¹²C(α, γ)¹⁶O cross section at 300 keV.     

用两束真空紫外激光和离子速度成像方法测量12C16O分子在108000∽113200 cm-1能量范围的解离通道分支比：生成O(1D)通道的观测

本文利用两束可调谐真空紫外激光和离子速度成像的方法测量了CO在108000∽113200 cm^-1光解离通道分支比[C(³P₀)+O(¹D)]/{[C(³P₀)+O(³P)]+[C(³P₀)+O(¹D)]}和[C(³P₂)+O(¹D)]/{[C(³P₂)+O(³P)]+[C(³P₂)+O(¹D)]}. 本文先用一束真空紫外激光将CO分子激发至特定的高激发量子态并发生解离,接着用另一束真空外激光选择性地电离C(³P₀)和C(³P₂)并进行探测. 1VUV+1UV/visible共振增强多光子电离的方法大大提高了实验的探测灵敏度,使得之前没有观测到的较弱的吸收带也首次被观测到. 通过分支比的测量,发现自旋禁阻的解离通道C(³P₀)+O(¹D)和C(³P₂)+O(¹D) 只在某些分立的较窄能量范围内才能被观测到. 这可能是由于直接激发的高里德堡态和解离到上述自旋禁阻通道的价态在这些能量范围内发生了共振的自旋-轨道耦合相互作用.     

14N fusion with 13C and 16O at sub-barrier energies

Total fusion cross sections for the ¹⁴N+¹²C and ¹⁴N+¹⁶O reactions have been measured in the c.m. energy ranges 3.6–9.2 MeV and 5.6–12.6 MeV, respectively. Cross sections are also reported for important individual exit channels which were studied by observing discrete γ-ray transitions in the evaporation residues with a Ge(Li) detector. Excitation functions reveal no evidence of intermediate structure in these reactions. The fusion cross sections for ¹⁴N induced reactions on ¹²C, ¹⁴N and ¹⁶O are compared with an IWB calculation using recently published semi-empirical parameters for the real ion-ion interaction potential. Such a comparison supports the view that low-energy fusion studies may be sensitive probes of the nuclear potential in the interior of the interaction barrier.