Impact of Nuclear Deformation and Pairing on the Charge Radii of Palladium Isotopes.

The impact of nuclear deformation can been seen in the systematics of nuclear charge radii, with radii generally expanding with increasing deformation. In this Letter, we present a detailed analysis of the precise relationship between nuclear quadrupole deformation and the nuclear size. Our approach combines the first measurements of the changes in the mean-square charge radii of well-deformed palladium isotopes between A=98 and A=118 with nuclear density functional calculations using Fayans functionals, specifically Fy(std) and Fy(Δr,HFB), and the UNEDF2 functional. The changes in mean-square charge radii are extracted from collinear laser spectroscopy measurements on the 4d^{9}5s ^{3}D_{3}→4d^{9}5p ^{3}P_{2} atomic transition. The analysis of the Fayans functional calculations reveals a clear link between a good reproduction of the charge radii for the neutron-rich Pd isotopes and the overestimated odd-even staggering: Both aspects can be attributed to the strength of the pairing correlations in the particular functional which we employ.

Nuclear Charge Radii of the Nickel Isotopes

Collinear laser spectroscopy is performed on the nickel isotopes ^{58-68,70}Ni, using a time-resolved photon counting system. From the measured isotope shifts, nuclear charge radii R_{c} are extracted and compared to theoretical results. Three ab initio approaches all employ, among others, the chiral interaction NNLO_{sat}, which allows an assessment of their accuracy. We find agreement with experiment in differential radii δ⟨r_{c}^{2}⟩ for all employed ab initio methods and interactions, while the absolute radii are consistent with data only for NNLO_{sat}. Within nuclear density functional theory, the Skyrme functional SV-min matches experiment more closely than the Fayans functional Fy(Δr,HFB).

Incidence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries after reduction in alcohol prices.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol may be involved in 40-50% of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In Finland, the cutting of alcohol taxes by one third in 2004 resulted in a marked increase in per capita alcohol consumption. We investigated the consequences of increased alcohol consumption on the incidence of moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury among a defined population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We identified all residents of Northern Ostrobothia with acute moderate-to-severe TBI admitted to Oulu University Hospital in 1999 and in 2007 as well as those who died on the scene without being admitted to the hospital. Alcohol involvement was recorded by similar methods and equally often during both years. Incidence rates were calculated as number of subjects per 100,000 population. Logistic regression was performed to determine which factors predicted fatal TBI and associated with alcohol-related TBI. RESULTS: No significant increase from 1999 to 2007 occurred in the incidence of alcohol-related moderate-to-severe TBIs among the population of Northern Ostrobothnia. The total number of alcohol-related TBIs were 61/135 (45.2%) in 2007 and 52/126 (41.3%) 1999. Fall-related TBIs were more frequent in 2007 than in 1999. Alcohol and older age predicted fatal outcome. Alcohol was significantly (P < 0.001) more often present in fatal TBIs (83/156, 53.2%) than in non-fatal TBIs (30/105, 28.6%). Male sex, fall, suicide, and assault significantly associated with alcohol-related TBI. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in alcohol prices and the concomitant increase in alcohol consumption did not increase the incidence of alcohol-related moderate-to-severe TBI.

Precision mass measurements beyond 132Sn: anomalous behavior of odd-even staggering of binding energies.

Atomic masses of the neutron-rich isotopes (121-128)Cd, (129,131)In, (130-135)Sn, (131-136)Sb, and (132-140)Te have been measured with high precision (10 ppb) using the Penning-trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP. Among these, the masses of four r-process nuclei (135)Sn, (136)Sb, and (139,140)Te were measured for the first time. An empirical neutron pairing gap expressed as the odd-even staggering of isotopic masses shows a strong quenching across N = 82 for Sn, with a Z dependence that is unexplainable by the current theoretical models.

Evidence of a sudden increase in the nuclear size of proton-rich silver-96.

Understanding the evolution of the nuclear charge radius is one of the long-standing challenges for nuclear theory. Recently, density functional theory calculations utilizing Fayans functionals have successfully reproduced the charge radii of a variety of exotic isotopes. However, difficulties in the isotope production have hindered testing these models in the immediate region of the nuclear chart below the heaviest self-conjugate doubly-magic nucleus 100Sn, where the near-equal number of protons (Z) and neutrons (N) lead to enhanced neutron-proton pairing. Here, we present an optical excursion into this region by crossing the N = 50 magic neutron number in the silver isotopic chain with the measurement of the charge radius of 96Ag (N = 49). The results provide a challenge for nuclear theory: calculations are unable to reproduce the pronounced discontinuity in the charge radii as one moves below N = 50. The technical advancements in this work open the N = Z region below 100Sn for further optical studies, which will lead to more comprehensive input for nuclear theory development.

Heterogeneous Reconstruction of Tracks and Primary Vertices With the CMS Pixel Tracker.

The High-Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will see the accelerator reach an instantaneous luminosity of 7 × 1034 cm-2 s-1 with an average pileup of 200 proton-proton collisions. These conditions will pose an unprecedented challenge to the online and offline reconstruction software developed by the experiments. The computational complexity will exceed by far the expected increase in processing power for conventional CPUs, demanding an alternative approach. Industry and High-Performance Computing (HPC) centers are successfully using heterogeneous computing platforms to achieve higher throughput and better energy efficiency by matching each job to the most appropriate architecture. In this paper we will describe the results of a heterogeneous implementation of pixel tracks and vertices reconstruction chain on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The framework has been designed and developed to be integrated in the CMS reconstruction software, CMSSW. The speed up achieved by leveraging GPUs allows for more complex algorithms to be executed, obtaining better physics output and a higher throughput.

Causes of death in pedigrees with the 3243A>G mutation in mitochondrial DNA.

BACKGROUND: Causes of death of patients with the 3243A>G mutation have been described in case reports or case series with a limited number of subjects. METHODS: Eighty-two maternally related sibships of 11 families with 3243A>G were included in this survey. The lifespan of each subject in these families was compared with the life expectancy of the general population, adjusted with respect to year of birth and gender. Causes of death were determined among 3243A>G carriers and their first-degree maternal relatives. RESULTS: We identified 123 deceased subjects in families with 3243A>G and found an excess mortality during the early years of life and young adulthood. The median age at death for 3243A>G carriers and their first-degree maternal relatives was significantly lower than that of the general population. Neurological and cardiovascular diseases made up one-third of the causes of death. Sudden and unexpected death was not uncommon in patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: 3243A>G carriers and their first-degree maternal relatives died younger than was predicted by their life expectancy at birth. Neurological disease was the most common cause of death.

Purification and partial characterization of aminopeptidase A from the serum of pregnant and non-pregnant women.

Aminopeptidase A (L-alpha-aspartyl(L-alpha-glutamyl)-peptide hydrolase, EC 3.4.11.7) was purified from human maternal and control sera using CM-cellulose chromatography, DEAE-Sephacel chromatography, Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purification coefficients were 3069 and 5210 and the yields 6.3 and 6.1% for the maternal and control serum, respectively. The purified enzymes appeared free from other serum aminopeptidases in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The biochemical and physical characteristics of the enzymes from maternal and control sera were similar. A molecular weight of 260 000, an optimum at pH 6.75-7.25 and a fairly good stability of the enzymes at 4 and -18 degrees C were recorded. The alkaline earth metals (Ca2+, Ba2+, Sr2+) were the activators of alpha-L-glutamyl-beta-naphthylamide hydrolysis, while alpha-L-aspartyl-beta-naphthylamide hydrolysis was markedly potentiated with Ca2+ but not with Ba2+ at all. The most rapid hydrolysis was shown with GluNA (Km with Ba2+ 0.156 +/- 0.014 mM and 0.136 +/- 0.009 mM in maternal and control serum, respectively), while only minimal hydrolysis of some neutral and basic amino-acid-beta-naphthylamides were observed. The contribution of the placenta to the elevated aminopeptidase A levels in the pregnancy plasma could not be solved on the basis of the present observations.

Immunohistochemical detection of human brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein in an autopsy series.

We used an immunohistochemical method for the inner mitochondrial membrane uncoupling protein (UCP) to examine whether human brown adipose tissue UCP could be detected by an anti-rat UCP antibody. Samples of human brown adipose tissue were obtained at medicolegal autopsies. Fat tissue was excised from around the common carotid arteries and in the subscapular region and from around the thoracic aorta. The subjects were either known alcohol consumers, in which thermogenically active brown adipose tissue (BAT) is often found, or victims of sudden infant death syndrome (SID). UCP was detected in all the cases examined, even when the post-mortem time from death to autopsy reached several days, but the intensity of the immunostaining was variable. Intense staining was observed in three cases with a post-mortem time under 24 hr, but in the SID cases a strong positive staining was seen even with a post-mortem delay of 4 days. These results show that an anti-rat UCP antibody can be used for immunohistochemical detection of UCP in human brown adipose tissue and that it provides a useful method for distinguishing between white and brown fat in paraffin-embedded samples. It can be used to detect UCP in the BAT of obese and diabetic individuals and probably also in the histopathological diagnosis of brown adipose tissue lipoma, known as hibernoma.

Influence of two beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, propranolol and pindolol, on cold adaptation in the rat.

1. Adult male rats were treated with propranolol (2.0 mg kg-1 day-1 i.p.), pindolol (0.2 mg kg-1 day-1 i.p.) or 0.9% NaCl day-1 i.p. and exposed to +4 degrees C for 42 days, or treated with 0.9% NaCl day-1 i.p. and kept at +23 degrees C for 42 days. They were weighed once a week, when a 24 h urine sample was also collected and colon temperature measured. 2. Urinary noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (Ad) and dopamine were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector. After the acclimatization period the interscapular brown adipose tissue was excised and weighed and the activity of the oxidative enzymes succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase measured. 3. The pindolol-treated and propranolol-treated rats gained weight during the cold-acclimatization period. The amount of interscapular brown adipose tissue increased in the cold, but the increase was lowest in the pindolol-treated group. No changes were seen in the other brown adipose tissue parameters in cold-exposed animals. The excretion of catecholamines followed the same pattern in all three cold-exposed groups, with an initial rise in noradrenaline and adrenaline excretion and a slight rise in dopamine excretion. 4. The results suggest possible connections between beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, weight gain and cold acclimatization. Pindolol had a slight inhibitory effect on cold-induced brown adipose tissue hypertrophy in rats.

Chronic alcohol intake induces the oxidative capacity of brown adipose tissue in the rat.

The present study was carried out to elucidate the effect of long-term alcohol intake on the oxidative capacity of brown adipose tissue in the rat. Rats housed at room temperature were given water containing 10% ethanol for six months, while controls received water alone. Fully cold-acclimated rats (exposed to +4 degrees C for 6 weeks) served as the second control group. Alcohol did not alter the food intake of the rats compared with the controls kept at room temperature, but it did cause a mean decrease of 8 ml in fluid consumption. There was no difference in the increase in body weight between the groups housed at room temperature. Body weight of the rats exposed to cold did not change during cold acclimation. No morphological liver changes were observed in alcohol-fed rats, but some changes related to long-term alcohol consumption were found in the myocardium. Chronic alcohol intake increased the quantity of brown adipose tissue and its protein content but changes were not as great as in the cold-acclimated rats nor did alcohol increase protein content per unit of the adipose tissue as did cold. On the other hand, the specific activity of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase increased by 90% and that of succinate dehydrogenase by 130% in alcohol-fed rats, whereas specific activities of these enzymes displayed little or no change in the cold-acclimated rats. Results suggest that chronic alcohol ingestion induces the oxidative capacity of the interscapular brown adipose tissue in the rat, increasing the mass of BAT and specific activities of mitochondrial enzymes.

Histochemical and biochemical detection of alcohol dehydrogenase in rat brown adipose tissue.

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was studied histochemically in rat brown adipose tissue (BAT), white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver, and its activity was also measured in these tissues. A positive ADH reaction was seen histochemically in the liver and BAT, but not in the WAT, and similarly ADH activity was detected biochemically in the liver and BAT, but there was no measurable activity in the WAT. ADH activity was 80% higher in the liver than in the BAT. It is suggested that the occurrence of an ethanol metabolizing enzyme in brown adipose tissue may be connected with the previously reported ethanol-induced increase in the oxidative capacity of BAT, or, at least, that BAT is able to use ethanol as a substrate for thermogenesis.

Hypothalamic and serum catecholamines in ethanol and acetaldehyde treated guinea-pigs. Relation to moderate short-term cold exposure.

Adult guinea-pigs were treated with ethanol (2.5 g/kg, IP) or acetaldehyde (100 mg/kg, IP) and exposed to moderate cold (+4 degrees C) for 50 minutes. Controls were given 0.9% NaCl solution. The hypothalamic catecholamines norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) and also norepinephrine and epinephrine (E) in the serum were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with an electrochemical detector. Blood glucose, free fatty acids and glycogen in the liver and skeletal muscle were also measured. Acetaldehyde caused a similar drop in colon temperature as did ethanol, but neither could prevent cold-induced vasoconstriction in the ear lobe. Ethanol significantly reduced the concentration of NE in the hypothalamus compared to the controls. Acetaldehyde had a tendency to lower hypothalamic NE. There was no significant difference between drug-treated groups in NE concentration. Neither ethanol nor acetaldehyde had any effect on hypothalamic DA. In the ethanol group serum E and glucose were significantly elevated compared to the acetaldehyde group. Serum glucose was also higher compared to the controls, and the difference in serum E concentration near the level of significance. No significant differences were found between the groups in serum NE, FFA or skeletal muscle and liver glycogen concentration. The results point to a possible central effect of ethanol during a short-term moderate cold exposure. The effects of acetaldehyde on neuronal tissue remain speculative, but a possible effect on noradrenergic neurons cannot be ruled out. Although the hypothermic effect of acetaldehyde corresponded that of ethanol, further experiments are required to elucidate the role of acetaldehyde in ethanol-induced hypothermia.

Urinary catecholamines in hyperthermia-related deaths.

A group of five hyperthermia-related deaths is presented in which urinary noradrenaline (NA) concentrations were elevated (172.1 +/- 119.4 ng/ml) compared with a control group of rapid violent deaths (43.7 +/- 26.1 ng/ml). Urinary adrenaline (A) concentrations were not elevated in the hyperthermia cases, nor were there any significant differences in urinary dopamine (DA) concentrations between the two groups. All except one of the hyperthermia victims were under the influence of ethanol. It is suggested that a combination of heat stress and ethanol consumption was responsible for the elevated urinary NA in the hyperthermia cases, reflecting increased sympathetic nervous system activity. A combination of high urinary NA with low A seems to be characteristic of hyperthermia fatalities, in contrast to hypothermia deaths, where both NA and A are usually elevated.

Pulmonary and serum surfactant phospholipids and serum catecholamines in strangulation. An experimental study on rats.

Elevations of phospholipid and catecholamine concentrations in the blood are regarded as the vital reactions in asphyxial deaths, which leave few or no morphological signs in the body. These vital reactions were tested here, under strict experimental conditions, employing rapid asphyxia. Rats anaesthetized with barbiturate were strangled with a rope 2 mm thick tightened with a force of 29.4 N (3 kp). The main surfactant components, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanol amine, were measured in serum and lung samples, and catecholamines in the serum. The lungs were also investigated histologically. The serum phospholipid concentration in the strangulated rats was 1.36 +/- 0.32 g/l, versus 1.04 +/- 0.17 g/l in the controls (barbiturate intoxication), P < 0.001, but no change in their content was observed in the lungs (26.21 +/- 4.04 mg/g vs. 25.15 +/- 3.64 mg/g dry weight). Histologically, focal emphysema and tiny haemorrhages were seen in the lungs of both groups with similar frequency. Mean serum noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A) concentrations were significantly higher in the strangulation group (NA = 5.4 +/- 2.6 ng/ml vs. 2.8 +/- 0.1 ng/ml, P < 0.001 and A = 6.0 +/- 3.4 ng/ml vs. 3.8 +/- 3.0 ng/ml, P < 0.05). The results support the notion that phospholipid and catecholamine concentrations are increased in the blood upon suffocation and could thus be taken as indicators of hypoxia. Further investigations into postmortem phospholipid change or stability are needed. There are reports that phospholipid concentration remain quite stable for two days post mortem, whereas catecholamine concentrations tend to rise quite soon after death.

Thrombosis in a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis during subcutaneous heparin therapy in pregnancy; a case report.

Maternal death due to thrombosis in a mechanical aortic valve prosthesis during heparin therapy is described. The patient had a normal pregnancy during warfarin therapy. In this pregnancy, warfarin therapy was replaced by subcutaneous heparin injections, and the patient died of massive thrombosis in the valvuloprosthesis at 20 weeks of pregnancy. The effectiveness of heparin therapy and difficulties in the follow-up of heparin treatment during pregnancy are discussed.

Drugs and alcohol in hypothermia and hyperthermia related deaths: a retrospective study.

Hypothermia and hyperthermia related cases recorded for the period 1973 to 1984 were collected from the files of the Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Oulu, and the necropsy protocols including toxicological results were analyzed. The fact that similar alcohol concentrations were found in both types of fatalities points to the poikilothermic effect of alcohol in humans, as found in animal studies. Both types of deaths seem to be associated with the alcohol elimination phase. Antidepressants and neuroleptics were most often found in the hypothermia cases, but benzodiazepines were also quite frequently present. In spite of the diminished use of barbiturates, these still appear in hypothermia fatalities. Certain other drugs that affect thermoregulation were also noted in solitary cases. Extended toxicological analysis was seldom made in the cases of hyperthermia deaths, and no firm conclusions on the poikilothermic effect of psychotropic drugs could be reached, for example. Therapeutic drug concentrations did not alone predispose the subjects to hypothermia, but appeared in connection with alcohol consumption or chronic diseases.

Estrogen receptor-1 genotype is related to coronary intima thickness in young to middle-aged women.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of coronary disease in premenopausal women is about one-half that in men of similar age. The estrogen receptor-1 (ESR1, c.454-397T>C) CC variant genotype is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and an increased risk of myocardial infarction in men. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether this ESR1 CC variant also disposes to atherosclerosis in women in terms of increased total coronary artery intima thickness. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 125 forensic autopsy cases of women aged 15 to 49 years were investigated. The thickness of the coronary intima, which reflects the severity of atherosclerosis, was measured by computerized image analysis. The ESR1 c.454-397T>C genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: The mean intima thicknesses in the three genotype groups were 428+/-298 microm (TT), 494+/-371 microm (CT) and 636+/-436 microm (CC). We found that, on average, women with the CC genotype had a thicker coronary intima compared with that of women with the TT genotype, even after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.030). The intermediate group (TC) did not significantly differ from either the CC or the TT genotype group in this respect. CONCLUSION: Our results point to the importance of ESR1 genotype in relation to cardiovascular disease susceptibility.

The -1C to T polymorphism in the annexin A5 gene is not associated with the risk of acute myocardial infarction or sudden cardiac death in middle-aged Finnish males.

OBJECTIVE: A common polymorphism (-1C to T) in the translation initiation sequence of annexin A5 (ANV) gene has recently been associated with a decreased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between the ANV genepolymorphism and the risk of AMI and ischemic sudden cardiac death (SCD) in middle-aged Finnish males. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A case-control study involving three distinct groups of subjects was carried out: (1) victims of SCD (n=98), (2) survivors of AMI (n=212), and (3) randomly selected control subjects without any history of coronary heart disease (n=243). The ANV polymorphism was genotyped in each study group. RESULTS: Among the control group of healthy Finnish males the prevalence rates of the CC, CT, and TT genotypes were 83.1%, 15.2%, and 1.6%, respectively. Among the survivors of AMI, the prevalence rates of CC, CT, and TT were 79.7%, 20.3%, and 0%, respectively, and among the victims of SCD 83.7%, 16.3%, and 0%, respectively. No significant differences in the genotype or allele distributions were observed between the study groups. CONCLUSION: The -1C to T polymorphism in the ANV gene is not associated with the risk of AMI or SCD in middle-aged Finnish males.

Hyperthermia deaths in Finland in 1970-86.

All cases in which hyperthermia had been determined as the basic cause of death during the period 1970-86 were collected from the records of the Central Statistical Office of Finland. Of the total of 230 cases, 228 were included in the present study; the two remaining victims died abroad, and no autopsy was performed in Finland. Most of the hyperthermia deaths occurred while the decedent was taking a sauna bath; most decedents were men aged 42-62 years. An increase in the total number of hyperthermia deaths, and of male victims, was noted from the beginning of the 1970s onward; the number of female victims remained at a relatively steady level throughout, with the exception of a slight rise in 1986. Acute alcohol consumption was detected in most of the victims; in some cases there was also a reference to chronic alcoholism or recent long-term heavy drinking. The findings suggest that in addition to the acute hazardous effect of ethanol on thermoregulatory mechanisms, the long-term consumption of alcohol may have promoted fatal hyperthermia in these subjects.