The quantum-mechanical nuclear-shell structure determines the stability and limits of the existence of the heaviest nuclides with large proton numbers Z ≳ 100 (refs. ). Shell effects also affect the sizes and shapes of atomic nuclei, as shown by laser spectroscopy studies in lighter nuclides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe observation of neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay would offer proof of lepton number violation, demonstrating that neutrinos are Majorana particles, while also helping us understand why there is more matter than antimatter in the Universe. If the decay is driven by the exchange of the three known light neutrinos, a discovery would, in addition, link the observed decay rate to the neutrino mass scale through a theoretical quantity known as the nuclear matrix element (NME). Accurate values of the NMEs for all nuclei considered for use in 0νββ experiments are therefore crucial for designing and interpreting those experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe interpretation of the emergent collective behavior of atomic nuclei in terms of deformed intrinsic shapes is at the heart of our understanding of the rich phenomenology of their structure, ranging from nuclear energy to astrophysical applications across a vast spectrum of energy scales. A new window into the deformation of nuclei has been recently opened with the realization that nuclear collision experiments performed at high-energy colliders, such as the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC), enable experimenters to identify the relative orientation of the colliding ions in a way that magnifies the manifestations of their intrinsic deformation. Here we apply this technique to LHC data on collisions of ^{129}Xe nuclei to exhibit the first evidence of nonaxiality in the ground state of ions collided at high energy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: In 2019, there were 29 reported cases of measles in the Canton of Zurich, with two cases occurring among university students. In collaboration with the University of Zurich Travel Clinic, the Health Department of the Canton of Zurich offered free measles vaccination to all employees and students at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). This short communication shares the results of this large measles vaccination campaign.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorking with Hamiltonians from chiral effective field theory, we develop a novel framework for describing arbitrary deformed medium-mass nuclei by combining the in-medium similarity renormalization group with the generator coordinate method. The approach leverages the ability of the first method to capture dynamic correlations and the second to include collective correlations without violating symmetries. We use our scheme to compute the matrix element that governs the neutrinoless double beta decay of ^{48}Ca to ^{48}Ti, and find it to have the value 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In line with the worldwide strive to combat measles, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Heath (FOPH) launched a National Strategy for measles elimination 2011-2015. In this study, we highlight the importance of travel medicine consultations to complement measles vaccination programmes based on data from the Travel Clinic of the University of Zurich.
Method: We analysed measles vaccination data from the Zurich Travel Clinic between July 2010 and February 2016 and focused on three groups: (i) all clients who received the measles vaccination, (ii) all clients aged>two years who received the measles vaccination ("catch-up vaccination"), and (iii) all clients aged>two years and born after 1963 ("FOPH recommended catch-up vaccination").
The first measurement of the low-lying states of the neutron-rich ^{110}Zr and ^{112}Mo was performed via in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy after one proton removal on hydrogen at ∼200 MeV/nucleon. The 2_{1}^{+} excitation energies were found at 185(11) keV in ^{110}Zr, and 235(7) keV in ^{112}Mo, while the R_{42}=E(4_{1}^{+})/E(2_{1}^{+}) ratios are 3.1(2), close to the rigid rotor value, and 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAstrocytes are specialized and heterogeneous cells that contribute to central nervous system function and homeostasis. However, the mechanisms that create and maintain differences among astrocytes and allow them to fulfill particular physiological roles remain poorly defined. We reveal that neurons actively determine the features of astrocytes in the healthy adult brain and define a role for neuron-derived sonic hedgehog (Shh) in regulating the molecular and functional profile of astrocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Shigellae cause severe disease in endemic countries, especially in children. Several efficacy trials have been conducted with candidate vaccines against Shigellae, but the lack of protection, the safety concerns, or manufacturing challenges hindered successful market approval. Conjugated vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective for different pathogens (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic skin-healing defects are one of the leading challenges to lifelong well-being, affecting 2-5% of populations. Chronic wound formation is linked to age and diabetes and frequently leads to major limb amputation. Here we identify a strategy to reverse fibroblast senescence and improve healing rates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBeyond mean-field methods are very successful tools for the description of large-amplitude collective motion for even-even atomic nuclei. The state-of-the-art framework of these methods consists in a generator coordinate method based on angular-momentum and particle-number projected triaxially deformed Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) states. The extension of this scheme to odd-mass nuclei is a long-standing challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFrom 24 April to 31 July 2011, nine cases of listeriosis were registered in the cantons of Aargau, Basel-Land and Zurich, Switzerland. In six of the cases, infection with Listeria monocytogenes was laboratory confirmed, while three remained suspected cases. The suspected cases were family members of confirmed cases with identical or similar symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Fr Anesth Reanim
February 2008
Ann Fr Anesth Reanim
October 2007
Objectives: To evaluate the impact of difficult intubation workshops on airway management knowledge and daily medical practice in anaesthesiology.
Study Design: Prospective survey.
Methods: The participants to the workshops accredited by the French college of anaesthesiologists (Cfar) in 2003 were invited to answer to MCQ before, immediately and three months after the course.
Ann Fr Anesth Reanim
August 2003
Ann Fr Anesth Reanim
September 1992
The pharmacokinetic characteristics of a constant rate methohexitone infusion were studied in young ASA 1 patients undergoing maxillofacial surgery. They were randomly assigned to two groups; group M patients (n = 7) were given 9 mg.kg-1.
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