Resonances Generated by the Vector Meson-Baryon Dynamics

We have recently studied vector meson-octet baryon (VB) interactions with the aim to find dynamical generation of resonances in such systems. For this, we consider the s-, t-, u-channel diagrams along with a contact interaction originating from the hidden local symmetry Lagrangian. We find the contribution from all these sources, except the s-channel, to be important. The amplitudes obtained by solving the coupled channel Bethe–Salpeter equations for the systems with total strangeness zero show generation of one isospin 3/2, spin 1/2 resonance and three isospin 1/2 resonances: two with spin 3/2 and one with spin 1/2. We identify these resonances with Δ (1900) S ₃₁, N*(2080) D ₁₃, N* (1700) D ₁₃, and N*(2090) S ₁₁, respectively. Further, we briefly discuss the results of our investigation of the VB systems when coupled to the pseudoscalar meson-baryon (PB) channels. We find that the low-lying resonances couple strongly to the VB channels, a result which can be useful in studying the reactions involving pseudoscalar and vector meson exchanges. In case of the higher mass resonances (in the 1,800–2,200 MeV region), we find that some of the states claimed as dynamically generated states in the VB system can disappear due to their coupling to the PB channels. We also find that new states can appear from PB–VB coupled channel dynamics; for example, we find that a Σ resonance near 1,400 MeV gets developed due to such an effect.     

Finite size effects on the optical transitions in quantum rings under a magnetic field

We present a theoretical study of the energy spectrum of single electron and hole states in quantum dots of annular geometry under a high magnetic field along the ring axis in the frame of uncorrelated electron-hole theory. We predict the periodic disappearance of the optical emission of the electron-hole pair as the magnetic field increases, as a consequence of the finite height of the barriers. The model has been applied to semiconductor rings of various internal and external radii, giving as limiting cases the disk and antidot.     

Time-dependent density functional theory molecular dynamics simulation of doubly charged uracil in gas phase

We use time-dependent density functional theory and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics methods to investigate the fragmentation of doubly ionized uracil in gas phase. Different initial electronic excited states of the dication are obtained by removing electrons from different inner-shell orbitals of the neutral species. We show that shape-equivalent orbitals lead to very different fragmentation patterns revealing the importance of the intramolecular chemical environment. The results are in good agreement with ionion coincidence measurements of uracil collision with 100 keV protons.     

Measurement of safety factor using Hall probes on CASTOR tokamak

Hall sensors offer an attractive true non-inductive method of magnetic field measurements for fusion devices. However, there is only limited experience in using of these sensors in such demanding environment (high heat loads, radiation, and electromagnetic noise). Recently, a combined magnetic probe was developed for CASTOR tokamak, which contains 3 Hall sensors and 3 coils arranged to measure all three components of magnetic field approximately in a single point of space. The probe is compatible with in-vessel use well in confinement region of CASTOR. It is fully controlled by multi-functional electronic system that drives the Hall probes, amplifies their output signals, performs the A/D conversion and stores the measured data on PC. The bandwidth of the system is up to 200 kHz. Design of the system and its implementation on CASTOR is reviewed. Results obtained using this diagnostic on CASTOR tokamak is presented. Radial profile of the poloidal magnetic field is used to deduce radial profile of safety factor.     

The Cellular Interactions of PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles: Effect of PEGylation on Cellular Uptake and Cytotoxicity

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is frequently used to coat various medical nanoparticles (NPs). As PEG is known to minimize NP interactions with biological specimens, the question remains whether PEGylated NPs are intrinsically less toxic or whether this is caused by reduced NP uptake. In the present work, the effect of gold NP PEGylation on uptake by three cell types is compared and evaluated the effect on cell viability, oxidative stress, cell morphology, and functionality using a multiparametric methodology. The data reveal that PEGylation affects cellular NP uptake in a cell‐type‐dependent manner and influences toxicity by different mechanisms. At similar intracellular NP numbers, PEGylated NPs are found to yield higher levels of cell death, mostly by induction of oxidative stress. These findings reveal that PEGylation significantly reduces NP uptake, but that at similar functional (= cell‐associated) NP levels, non‐PEGylated NPs are better tolerated by the cells.     

Application of vernier thinning techniques to segmented annular arrays

Due to the aperture periodicity, the inter-element spacing of two-dimensional squared arrays is maintained near lambda/2 in order to avoid grating lobes. This condition gives rise to severe problems derived from the huge number of array elements and from their little size that causes the signal to noise ratio to bring down. Vernier techniques have been proposed to lower the number of active elements, but the drastic reduction of the ultrasonic energy is still a great problem for the image contrast. In this work, vernier techniques for segmented annular (SA) arrays are theoretically studied. SA arrays produce lower grating lobes than squared arrays and, therefore, allow the element size to be increased beyond the lambda/2 constraint. Using larger elements, SA arrays have advantage to squared arrays because they have larger active area and smaller thinning order for the same complexity (number of channels) of the image system. Theoretical results of the vernier techniques applied to SA arrays in both radial and tangential directions are presented and compared with the equivalent squared array.     

The Piracicaba River basin: isotope hydrology of a tropical river basin under anthropogenic stress

The stable isotope content of samples of precipitation and of the river water throughout the Piracicaba basin in Brazil was measured over a two-year period. The isotope values of precipitation follow a consistent pattern of relatively depleted values of both deuterium and oxygen 18 during the rainy summers and enriched ones during the dry winters, with all values aligned slightly above the Global Meteoric Water Line. The isotopic composition of the river water throughout the basin shows a remarkable spatial coherence and much smaller scatter of data than those of the precipitation. The isotope composition of river water is close to that of the precipitation in the rainy season, however, with a consistent lower d-excess value by 1/1000-2/1000. This is attributed to evaporative water loss in the basin, in part an expression of the recycling of water due to the anthropogenic activity in the region. The more divergent values are recorded during high-water stages in the rivers. In many cases, the floods during the beginning of the rainy season are characterized by an enrichment of the heavy isotopes and lower d-excess values when compared to the precipitation, with the opposite situation later in the rainy season. This is interpreted as resulting from the watershed/riverflow interaction pattern, and it thus suggests that the isotope composition can monitor the hydrologic situation in the basin and its changes.