Inelastic deuteron breakup followed by fission at intermediate energy

The results of experimental and theoretical studies of the double-differential proton and neutron spectra measured in coincidence with fission fragments in the deuteron-induced reaction on a ²³⁸U target at E _d =65 MeV are presented. These spectra measured in the forward direction are analyzed in the plane-wave Born approximation by using the modified model of stripping into a continuum. The pre-neutron emission fission fragment mass distributions were measured for the (d, f), (d, pf), and (d, nf) reaction channels. The enhancement of highly asymmetric mass division in the (d, pf) channel for the low-energy part of the breakup proton spectrum was observed. The (d, pf) channel can be used to imitate the neutron-induced fission at intermediate energy. The fission characteristics were analyzed in the model taking into account nuclear friction and relevant fission modes.     

Yeast-based carbon paste bioelectrode for ethanol

An amperometric bioelectrode for primary alcohols based on the incorporation of yeasts into the carbon paste matrix is reported. The response is based on the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in yeasts. The intimate contact between the biocatalytic and sensing sites results in short response times. The addition of a redox-mediating hexacyanoferrate (III) ion greatly facilitates the detection of the enzymatically produced NADH. The effects of operating potential, carbon paste composition, concentration of coenzyme or redox mediator and other parameters are explored for optimum analytical performance. The dynamic properties of this electrode are exploited for detection in flow-injection systems, with a detection limit of 2 × 10^?6 M (9 ng) of ethanol. The relative standard deviation for repetitive injections of a 1× 10^?3 M ethanol solution over a 100-min period is 2.8%. Applicability to alcoholic beverages is illustrated. The trend in sensitivity toward different alcohols is in agreement with the known biospecificity of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase.     

Inelastic <Superscript>9</Superscript>Be + α scattering at 90 MeV: Whether the concept of the <Superscript>9</Superscript>Be structure should be changed?

Experimental data on inelastic ⁹Be+α scattering induced by 90-MeV α particles are analyzed. The 2.78-MeV excited state is shown to have spin–parity of I^π=1/2^- in agreement with the existing data. For the 4.70-MeV excited state, it is impossible to make an unambiguous choice between the previous value I^π = 3/2⁺, and the proposed new value I^π = 1/2^?.     

Proton halo in the <Superscript>13</Superscript>N nucleus

We demonstrate that the radii of excited nuclear states can be estimated using the (³He, t) charge-exchange reaction and relying on the modified diffraction model. The radius of the N excited state with an excitation energy of E*=2.73 MeV, which lies in a continuous spectrum, is determined. The radius of this state proves to be close to that of the mirror 3.09-MeV state of the ¹³С nucleus, which possesses a neutron halo but lies in a discrete spectrum. Thereby, we demonstrate that the 2.37-MeV state of the ¹³N nucleus has a proton halo. The analysis is based on published measurements of differential cross sections for relevant reactions.     

Alpha-decay characteristics of neutron-deficient 190Po, 189Bi and 186Pb isotopes

The neutron-deficient ¹⁹⁰Po and ¹⁸⁹Bi isotopes have been produced in the 2n respectively p2n channels of the ⁴⁸Ti +¹⁴⁴ Sm reaction. Cross sections for different reaction channels are given. For ¹⁹⁰Po, improved values of α-energy E_α = 7550(15) keV and half-life T_1/2 = 1.9 _?0.4 ^+0.6 ms were measured. By using correlated α-decay chains an α-branching ratio of 0.50(25) was deduced for ¹⁸⁶Pb. The reduced α-width systematic is extended for both of these isotopes, confirming a persistence of the saturation towards the lighter Po isotopes and the absence of any anomalies for the neutron-deficient Pb isotopes. For ¹⁸⁹Bi improved values of E_α = 7300(15) keV and T_1/2 = 4.8(5) ms were measured.     

Alpha decay of the new isotope 174Hg

Neutron deficient mercury isotopes were produced in the reaction ³⁶Ar + ¹⁴⁴Sm using bombarding energies of 180–230 MeV. Fusion products were separated in-flight from the primary beam using a gas-filled recoil separator. An alpha line with the alpha particle energy and half-life of (7069±11) keV and (2.1 _?0.7 ^+1.8 ) ms, respectively, was assigned to the new mercury isotope ¹⁷⁴Hg.     

Inhomogeneity of low-noise wearing courses evaluated by tire/road noise measurements using the close-proximity method

Performing numerous analyses of tire/road noise measurements on low-noise pavements during the last several years, the authors observed significant inhomogeneity of the wearing course in numerous cases, while similar problems were almost non-existent when dense pavements were measured.     

Effects of surface heterogeneity of carbon nanotubes in adsorption of colloid nanoparticles studied by means of computer simulations

This work deals with a construction of an implicit solvent model which can be used in molecular dynamics simulations of systems comprising colloid nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes. Such systems, due to finite sizes of both components, cannot be accurately approximated by a smaller slab geometry and thus represent a particularly difficult case in terms of computer simulations. Adsorption of large colloid nanoparticles on the surfaces of carbon nanotubes were studied and we determined the adsorption energy profiles of the nanoparticles on the carbon nanotubes surfaces. We also determined the adsorption isotherms which help to understand a preferred location of the nanoparticles on the nanotubes surfaces.     

Molecular modeling of Ca2+-oligo(α-l-guluronate) complexes: toward the understanding of the junction zone structure in calcium alginate gels

Gelling of alginates in the presence of divalent metal ions is accompanied by the formation of the junction zone, i.e., the region of the alginate chains aggregation. The structure of the junction zone results primarily from the nature of interaction between the ??dimers,?? created by two alginate chains connected via Ca²⁺ ions. We have applied the molecular dynamics technique, in combination with the GROMOS96 biomolecular force field to elucidate the structural features and the stability of such dimer?Cdimer complexes, where the alginate chains were represented by oligomers of ??-l-guluronate. The results indicate that only associations mediated by calcium ions and carboxylic groups are stable during simulations. Hydrogen bonding-type interactions are too weak to support the stability of complexes. The parallel arrangement of two dimers is the favorable one, due to their helical twists, which interfere with the formation of the fully ordered structure of the junction zone.