Electroweak Nuclear Properties from Single Molecular Ions in a Penning Trap.

We present a novel technique to probe electroweak nuclear properties by measuring parity violation (PV) in single molecular ions in a Penning trap. The trap's strong magnetic field Zeeman shifts opposite-parity rotational and hyperfine molecular states into near degeneracy. The weak interaction-induced mixing between these degenerate states can be larger than in atoms by more than 12 orders of magnitude, thereby vastly amplifying PV effects. The single molecule sensitivity would be suitable for applications to nuclei across the nuclear chart, including rare and unstable nuclei.

Isomeric Excitation Energy for

The excitation energy of the 1/2^{-} isomer in ^{99}In at N=50 is measured to be 671(37) keV and the mass uncertainty of the 9/2^{+} ground state is significantly reduced using the ISOLTRAP mass spectrometer at ISOLDE/CERN. The measurements exploit a major improvement in the resolution of the multireflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The results reveal an intriguing constancy of the 1/2^{-} isomer excitation energies in neutron-deficient indium that persists down to the N=50 shell closure, even when all neutrons are removed from the valence shell. This trend is used to test large-scale shell model, ab initio, and density functional theory calculations. The models have difficulties describing both the isomer excitation energies and ground-state electromagnetic moments along the indium chain.

First Glimpse of the N=82 Shell Closure below Z=50 from Masses of Neutron-Rich Cadmium Isotopes and Isomers.

We probe the N=82 nuclear shell closure by mass measurements of neutron-rich cadmium isotopes with the ISOLTRAP spectrometer at ISOLDE-CERN. The new mass of ^{132}Cd offers the first value of the N=82, two-neutron shell gap below Z=50 and confirms the phenomenon of mutually enhanced magicity at ^{132}Sn. Using the recently implemented phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance method, the ordering of the low-lying isomers in ^{129}Cd and their energies are determined. The new experimental findings are used to test large-scale shell-model, mean-field, and beyond-mean-field calculations, as well as the ab initio valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group.

The cryogenic storage ring CSR.

An electrostatic cryogenic storage ring, CSR, for beams of anions and cations with up to 300 keV kinetic energy per unit charge has been designed, constructed, and put into operation. With a circumference of 35 m, the ion-beam vacuum chambers and all beam optics are in a cryostat and cooled by a closed-cycle liquid helium system. At temperatures as low as (5.5 ± 1) K inside the ring, storage time constants of several minutes up to almost an hour were observed for atomic and molecular, anion and cation beams at an energy of 60 keV. The ion-beam intensity, energy-dependent closed-orbit shifts (dispersion), and the focusing properties of the machine were studied by a system of capacitive pickups. The Schottky-noise spectrum of the stored ions revealed a broadening of the momentum distribution on a time scale of 1000 s. Photodetachment of stored anions was used in the beam lifetime measurements. The detachment rate by anion collisions with residual-gas molecules was found to be extremely low. A residual-gas density below 140 cm(-3) is derived, equivalent to a room-temperature pressure below 10(-14) mbar. Fast atomic, molecular, and cluster ion beams stored for long periods of time in a cryogenic environment will allow experiments on collision- and radiation-induced fragmentation processes of ions in known internal quantum states with merged and crossed photon and particle beams.

Photodissociation of an Internally Cold Beam of CH

We have studied the photodissociation of CH^{+} in the Cryogenic Storage Ring at ambient temperatures below 10 K. Owing to the extremely high vacuum of the cryogenic environment, we were able to store CH^{+} beams with a kinetic energy of ∼60 keV for several minutes. Using a pulsed laser, we observed Feshbach-type near-threshold photodissociation resonances for the rotational levels J=0-2 of CH^{+}, exclusively. In comparison to updated, state-of-the-art calculations, we find excellent agreement in the relative intensities of the resonances for a given J, and we can extract time-dependent level populations. Thus, we can monitor the spontaneous relaxation of CH^{+} to its lowest rotational states and demonstrate the preparation of an internally cold beam of molecular ions.

Susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens type A to 23 antimicrobial drugs.

A total of 106 strains of Clostridium perfringens type A, that had been isolated very recently from faecal cultures of healthy adults, were examined for susceptibility to 23 antimicrobial drugs (agar dilution method). All strains were susceptible to ampicillin, cefazolin, cefotaxime, cefotetan, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, fusidic acid, imipenem, metronidazole, mezlocillin, ofloxacin, penicillin G, piperacillin, teicoplanin, and vancomycin. Teicoplanin and imipenem were the most active, whereas fosfomycin and tetracycline were the least active drugs. Three of the 106 strains revealed multiple drug resistance against clindamycin, erythromycin, josamycin, tetracycline, and, in one instance, against chloramphenicol.

Josamycin: interpretation of inhibition zones with the Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion test as compared with erythromycin.

A total of 432 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (128), coagulase-negative staphylococci (123), group A and B beta-hemolytic streptococci (61), group D streptococci (30), Streptococcus penumoniae (29), Haemophilus influenzae (19), Haemophilus parainfluenzae (12), and Legionella pneumophila (30) were examined with the agar dilution and Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion tests for susceptibility to josamycin as compared with erythromycin. On a weight-for-weight basis, erythromycin was more active than josamycin against all bacterial species, including L. pneumophila. Josamycin inhibited 18 of 23 S. aureus and 11 of 16 coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains resistant to erythromycin. Utilizing minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) breakpoints of less than or equal to 2 micrograms/ml (sensitive), 4 microgram/ml (intermediate) and of greater than or equal to 8 micrograms/ml (resistant), and inhibition zone criteria of greater than or equal to 18 mm diameter (sensitive), 14-17 mm (intermediate), and less than or equal to 13 mm (resistant), and excluding L. pneumophila, there was good correlation between erythromycin MIC and corresponding disk diffusion data for staphylococci and streptococci, but not for Haemophilus species. In comparison, josamycin yielded a significant number of minor discrepant data for group D streptococci and Haemophilus species. It is suggested that erythromycin and josamycin should not be tested against Haemophilus species, and that josamycin should be excluded from test batteries against enterococci. Erythromycin-resistant staphylococci require separate testing with josamycin.