Combined in-beam electron and gamma-ray spectroscopy of 184,186Hg\u2028

By exploiting the SAGE spectrometer a simultaneous measurement of conversion electrons and gamma rays emitted in the de-excitation of excited levels in the neutron-deficient nuclei (184,186)Hg was performed. The light Hg isotopes under investigation were produced using the 4n channels of the fusion-evaporation reactions of (40)Ar and (148,150)Sm. The measured K- and L-conversion electron ratios confirmed the stretched E2 nature of several transitions of the yrast bands in (184,186)Hg. Additional information on the E0 component of the 2(2)(+) -> 2(1)(+) transition in (186)Hg was obtained.

Revised rates for the stellar triple-alpha process from measurement of C-12 nuclear resonances

4 pages, 3 figures.-- PMID: 15650733 [PubMed].

Single-particle and collective excitations in the transitional nucleus 166Os

The mean lifetimes of the lowest energy 2+, 8+ and 9− states in 166Os have been measured using the recoil distance Doppler-shift method in conjunction with a selective recoil-decay tagging technique. These measurements extend studies into the most neutron-deficient mass region accessible to current experimental methods. The B(E2; 2+ → 0+) = 7(2) W.u. extracted from these measurements is markedly lower than those observed in the heavier even-mass Os isotopes. The 8+ and 9− states yield reduced transition probabilities that are consistent with single-particle transitions. While these values may indicate a departure from collective structure, the level scheme and the underlying nuclear configu…

Reinvestigation of the excited states in the proton emitter Lu-151: Particle-hole excitations across the N = Z=64 subshell

Study of shape coexistence in the very neutron deficient nucleus Hg-176

In-beam γ-ray and γ–γ coincidence measurements have been made for the very neutron deficient nucleus 176Hg using the recoil-decay tagging (RDT) technique. The irregular yrast sequence observed to I=10ℏ indicates that the prolate intruder band, seen in heavier Hg isotopes near the neutron midshell, is crossing the nearly spherical ground-state band of 176Hg above I=6ℏ. peerReviewed

A first episode psychosis case-control genetic association study

Background:GAP(genesandpsychosis) is a case-control studyof first episode psychosis conducted in London and Cambridge, which aims to identify genes conferring susceptibility to psychosis, and associated phenotypes including cognitive dysfunction and cerebral morphology. Methods:First episode psychosis cases have been recruited in South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and in Cambridge. A variety of demographic and clinical data have been collected. In a subset of these, neurocognitive assessments and MRIs have been performed. Samples have been taken for DNA, and in a subset for RNA and proteomic analysis. Genetic association analysis is being undertaken using a candidate gene approach. The gen…

Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance

We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLD experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, $\MZ$ and $\GZ$, and its couplings to fermions, for example the $\rho$ parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle, are precisely measured. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840…