Study of the

The existence of ^{26}Al (t_{1/2}=7.17×10^{5} yr) in the interstellar medium provides a direct confirmation of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy. The presence of a low-lying 0^{+} isomer (^{26}Al^{m}), however, severely complicates the astrophysical calculations. We present for the first time a study of the ^{26}Al^{m}(d,p)^{27}Al reaction using an isomeric ^{26}Al beam. The selectivity of this reaction allowed the study of ℓ=0 transfers to T=1/2, and T=3/2 states in ^{27}Al. Mirror symmetry arguments were then used to constrain the ^{26}Al^{m}(p,γ)^{27}Si reaction rate and provide an experimentally determined upper limit of the rate for the destruction of isomeric ^{26}Al via radiative proton capture reactions, which is expected to dominate the destruction path of ^{26}Al^{m} in asymptotic giant branch stars, classical novae, and core collapse supernovae.

Direct Evidence for Octupole Deformation in

Despite the more than 1 order of magnitude difference between the measured dipole moments in ^{144}Ba and ^{146}Ba, the octupole correlations in ^{146}Ba are found to be as strong as those in ^{144}Ba with a similarly large value of B(E3;3^{-}→0^{+}) determined as 48(+21-29) W.u. The new results not only establish unambiguously the presence of a region of octupole deformation centered on these neutron-rich Ba isotopes, but also manifest the dependence of the electric dipole moments on the occupancy of different neutron orbitals in nuclei with enhanced octupole strength, as revealed by fully microscopic calculations.

Direct Evidence of Octupole Deformation in Neutron-Rich

The neutron-rich nucleus ^{144}Ba (t_{1/2}=11.5 s) is expected to exhibit some of the strongest octupole correlations among nuclei with mass numbers A less than 200. Until now, indirect evidence for such strong correlations has been inferred from observations such as enhanced E1 transitions and interleaving positive- and negative-parity levels in the ground-state band. In this experiment, the octupole strength was measured directly by sub-barrier, multistep Coulomb excitation of a post-accelerated 650-MeV ^{144}Ba beam on a 1.0-mg/cm^{2} ^{208}Pb target. The measured value of the matrix element, ⟨3_{1}^{-}∥M(E3)∥0_{1}^{+}⟩=0.65(+17/-23) eb^{3/2}, corresponds to a reduced B(E3) transition probability of 48(+25/-34) W.u. This result represents an unambiguous determination of the octupole collectivity, is larger than any available theoretical prediction, and is consistent with octupole deformation.

The effects of police duty belt and seat design changes on lumbar spine posture, driver contact pressure and discomfort.

Police officers spend large amounts of time performing duties within a police cruiser and report a high prevalence of musculoskeletal problems. This study evaluated the effects of driver seat and duty belt design on posture, pressure and discomfort. Ten male and 10 female university students attended two sessions involving simulated driving in a standard police seat (CV) and an active lumbar support (ALS) seat. Participants wore a full duty belt (FDB) or reduced duty belt (RDB) in each seat. Lumbar postures, driver-seat and driver-duty belt pressures and perceived discomfort were measured. Gender × Seat interactions were found for pelvic (p = 0.0001) and lumbar postures (p = 0.003). Females had more lumbar flexion than males and were more extended in the ALS seat (-9.8 ± 11.3°) than CV seat (-19.8 ± 9.6°). The FDB had greater seat pressure than the RDB (p < 0.0001), which corresponded to increased pelvis discomfort. This study supports the use of an ALS seat and RDB to reduce injury risk associated with prolonged sitting in police officers. PRACTITIONER SUMMARY: Police officers report a high prevalence of musculoskeletal problems to the lower back, associated with prolonged driving and further investigation is needed to reduce injury risk. This simulated driving study investigated seat and duty belt configuration on biomechanical measures and discomfort. Seat design had the greatest impact, regardless of gender and males benefited more from a reduced belt configuration.

Relationship between mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) landing rates on a human subject and numbers captured using CO2-baited light traps.

Capture rates of insectary-reared female Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, Culex nigripalpus Theobald, Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Aedes triseriatus (Say) in CDC-type light traps (LT) supplemented with CO2 and using the human landing (HL) collection method were observed in matched-pair experiments in outdoor screened enclosures. Mosquito responses were compared on a catch-per-unit-effort basis using regression analysis with LT and HL as the dependent and independent variables, respectively. The average number of mosquitoes captured in 1 min by LT over a 24-h period was significantly related to the average number captured in 1 min by HL only for Cx. nigripalpus and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Patterns of diel activity indicated by a comparison of the mean response to LT and HL at eight different times in a 24-h period were not superposable for any species. The capture rate efficiency of LT when compared with HL was ≤15% for all mosquitoes except Cx. quinquefasciatus (43%). Statistical models of the relationship between mosquito responses to each collection method indicate that, except for Ae. albopictus, LT and HL capture rates are significantly related only during certain times of the diel period. Estimates of mosquito activity based on observations made between sunset and sunrise were most precise in this regard for An. quadrimaculatus and Cx. nigripalpus, as were those between sunrise and sunset for Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. triseriatus.

Task selection for increased mechanical exposure variation: relevance to job rotation.

It is generally considered that variation in mechanical exposure is beneficial from the viewpoint of preventing musculoskeletal disorders. An approach to quantifying the functional similarity of manual tasks was developed and tested by using three handgrips: power grip (PG); pulp pinch (PP); lateral pinch (LP). Changes in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) forces were measured during 15 combinations of 2-min duration, 30% MVC isometric contraction in 25 participants. Strength changes in PG were found to be substantially different from LP; when the two grips were alternated, strength dropped to 85.1% MVC whereas after PG alone, strength dropped to 59.3% MVC. The findings suggest that PG and LP are functionally different enough for their alternating use to contribute to increased exposure variation during manual activities. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The paper describes how to determine if two tasks, when performed alternately, are different enough to reduce fatigue, increase work capacity and potentially prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Better understanding of the differences between tasks has the potential to improve job design by allowing better choice of tasks that combine to define a job.

Charge breeding of radioactive isotopes at the CARIBU facility with an electron beam ion source.

An Electron Beam Ion Source Charge Breeder (EBIS-CB) has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory as part of the californium rare ion breeder upgrade. For the past year, the EBIS-CB has been undergoing commissioning as part of the ATLAS accelerator complex. It has delivered both stable and radioactive beams with A/Q < 6, breeding times <30 ms, low background contamination, and charge breeding efficiencies >18% into a single charge state. The operation of this device, challenges during the commissioning phase, and future improvements will be discussed.

Comparing non-invasive scapular tracking methods across elevation angles, planes of elevation and humeral axial rotations.

Altered scapular motions premeditate shoulder impingement and other musculoskeletal disorders. Divergent experimental conditions in previous research precludes rigorous comparisons of non-invasive scapular tracking techniques. This study evaluated scapular orientation measurement methods across an expanded range of humeral postures. Scapular medial/lateral rotation, anterior/posterior tilt and protraction/retraction was measured using an acromion marker cluster (AMC), a scapular locator, and a reference stylus. Motion was captured using reflective markers on the upper body, as well as on the AMC, locator and stylus. A combination of 5 arm elevation angles, 3 arm elevation planes and 3 arm axial rotations was examined. Measurement method interacted with elevation angle and plane of elevation for all three scapular orientation directions (p < 0.01). Method of measurement interacted with axial rotation in anterior/posterior tilt and protraction/retraction (p < 0.01). The AMC had strong agreement with the reference stylus than the locator for the majority of humeral elevations, planes and axial rotations. The AMC underestimated lateral rotation, with the largest difference of ∼2° at 0° elevation. Both the locator and AMC overestimated posterior tilt at high arm elevation by up to 7.4°. Misestimations from using the locator could be enough to potentially obscure meaningful differences in scapular rotations.

Off-line commissioning of EBIS and plans for its integration into ATLAS and CARIBU.

An Electron Beam Ion Source Charge Breeder (EBIS-CB) has been developed at Argonne to breed radioactive beams from the CAlifornium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) facility at Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS). The EBIS-CB will replace the existing ECR charge breeder to increase the intensity and significantly improve the purity of reaccelerated radioactive ion beams. The CARIBU EBIS-CB has been successfully commissioned offline with an external singly charged cesium ion source. The performance of the EBIS fully meets the specifications to breed rare isotope beams delivered from CARIBU. The EBIS is being relocated and integrated into ATLAS and CARIBU. A long electrostatic beam transport system including two 180° bends in the vertical plane has been designed. The commissioning of the EBIS and the beam transport system in their permanent location will start at the end of this year.

Inhibition of apoptosis in polymorphonuclear neutrophils from burn patients.

Normal human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) undergo rapid apoptosis during in vitro culture. In contrast, apoptosis is inhibited in PMN from patients with severe burns. This inhibition is not an inherent property of the cells but is caused by thermolabile factors present in the plasma. Endotoxin and the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) do not appear to be directly responsible. The ability of burn plasma to inhibit apoptosis was reduced by neutralizing antibodies to human granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF levels could not be detected in the burn plasma. However, the incubation of burn-derived or normal leukocyte populations consisting primarily of PMN in burn plasma induced the production of GM-CSF. The results suggest that activation of GM-CSF synthesis by factor(s) in burn plasma may play a role in regulating inflammation by the inhibition of apoptosis.

Neuropeptide regulation of proinflammatory cytokine responses.

Severe traumatic injuries and infections are frequently accompanied by life-threatening shock and are associated with increases in the proinflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). The body's first perception of injury is the nociceptive or pain response. This response is induced at the site of injury and is transmitted systemically by sensory neuropeptides, the tachykinins, released from sensory afferent c-fiber neurons. We studied the role of tachykinins in regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines induced by the administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Destruction of terminal sensory nerve endings before lipopolysaccharide administration abrogates tachykinin synthesis and down-regulates TNF-alpha transcription and secretion. In contrast, the responses of interleukins-1 and -6 are unaffected. Pretreating animals with an antagonist for the substance P-specific NK-1 receptor also down-regulated the TNF-alpha response, whereas blockade of the NK-2 receptor had no effect. These findings indicate that substance P contributes to the induction of those cytokines that are involved in precipitating the shock response.

Fast and efficient charge breeding of the Californium rare isotope breeder upgrade electron beam ion source.

The Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS), developed to breed Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) radioactive beams at Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), is being tested off-line. A unique property of the EBIS is a combination of short breeding times, high repetition rates, and a large acceptance. Overall, we have implemented many innovative features during the design and construction of the CARIBU EBIS as compared to the existing EBIS breeders. The off-line charge breeding tests are being performed using a surface ionization source that produces singly charged cesium ions. The main goal of the off-line commissioning is to demonstrate stable operation of the EBIS at a 10 Hz repetition rate and a breeding efficiency into single charge state higher than 15%. These goals have been successfully achieved and exceeded. We have measured (20% ± 0.7%) breeding efficiency into the single charge state of 28+ cesium ions with the breeding time of 28 ms. In general, the current CARIBU EBIS operational parameters can provide charge breeding of any ions in the full mass range of periodic table with high efficiency, short breeding times, and sufficiently low charge-to-mass ratio, 1/6.3 for the heaviest masses, for further acceleration in ATLAS. In this paper, we discuss the parameters of the EBIS and the charge breeding results in a pulsed injection mode with repetition rates up to 10 Hz.

Association of the G(s)alpha gene with essential hypertension and response to beta-blockade.

We examined whether the GNAS1 locus, encoding the G(s) protein alpha-subunit (G(s)alpha), is implicated in the genetic causes of essential hypertension. A common silent polymorphism (ATT-->ATC, Ile(131)) was identified in exon 5 of the G(s)alpha gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and DNA sequencing. This polymorphism consists of the presence (+) or absence (-) of a restriction site for FokI. Only 1 other rare allele was found in the coding region; the high GC content of the 5' noncoding sequence prevented mutation scanning of the promoter region of the gene. There was a significant difference in frequency of the FokI alleles between 268 white hypertensives (FokI+:FokI-, 51%:49%) and a matched group of 231 control subjects (FokI+:FokI-, 58%:42%) (P=0.02). Multiple regression analysis showed that the FokI genotype was independently related to the level of untreated systolic blood pressure in 294 well-characterized white hypertensives (P=0.01) but not in normotensives. The influence of the FokI allele on blood pressure (BP) response to beta-blockade was examined in 114 of the patients randomly assigned to this class of drug. Significant differences in frequency of the FokI allele were observed in the good responders (FokI+:FokI-, 62.5%:37.5%, n=36) versus the poor responders (FokI+:FokI-, 41.7%:58.3%, n=30) after beta-blocker therapy (P=0.02). In a multiple regression analysis, the G(s)alpha genotype was the only independent predictor of BP response. These results suggest that the GNAS1 locus might carry a functional variant that influences BP variation and response to beta-blockade in essential hypertension.

beta2-adrenoceptor gene polymorphisms and blood pressure variations in East Anglian Caucasians.

OBJECTIVE: The amino-terminal polymorphisms, Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu, of the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) have been shown to affect regulation of the receptor expression by an agonist in cell culture studies. The Arg16Gly polymorphism has also been recently shown to be associated with essential hypertension. We therefore evaluated whether the amino-terminal polymorphisms of beta2AR are associated with hypertension in a Caucasian population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed an association study in 298 hypertensive patients and an equal number of age-matched normotensive controls from the East Anglian region, with blood pressure assessed categorically and quantitatively. We also examined the influence of the amino-terminal polymorphisms on blood pressure response to beta-blockade in 144 of the patients randomly assigned to this class of drug. Genotyping of the Arg16Gly polymorphism was undertaken by a newly designed mismatched polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digestion with Nde I, whereas the Gln27Glu polymorphism was genotyped by PCR followed by Fnu4H I cleavage. RESULTS: We found no differences in the genotype or allele frequencies of the beta2AR polymorphisms between hypertensive and normotensive participants. There was also no association between the beta2AR genotypes and variations in either basal blood pressure or the blood pressure response to a beta-blocker. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the amino-terminal polymorphisms of the beta2AR gene are unlikely to constitute major susceptibility for essential hypertension in the East Anglian population.

The Baltimore Sepsis Scale: measurement of sepsis in patients with burns using a new scoring system.

A new sepsis scale has been developed, and it consists of 13 parameters, each of which is measured daily on a variable point scale. In 41 patients with major burns the Baltimore Sepsis scale correlated well with death or survival, with occurrence of septicemia, and with the level of serum interleukin-6. It did not correlate well with the level of plasma endotoxin or with the type of organism that was grown in blood cultures (gram-positive or gram-negative). We propose that the Baltimore Sepsis Scale would be an accurate and easy scale to use for the measurement of interventions that are aimed at improving the septic state.

EBIS charge breeder for CARIBU.

A high-efficiency charge breeder based on an Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) is being developed by the ANL Physics Division to increase the intensity and improve the purity of accelerated radioactive ion beams. A wide variety of low-energy neutron-rich ion beams are produced by the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) for the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS). These beams will be charge-bred by an EBIS charge breeder to a charge-to-mass ratio (q/A) ≥ 1/7 and accelerated by ATLAS to energies of about 10 MeV/u. The assembly of the CARIBU EBIS charge breeder except the injection/extraction beam lines has been completed. This summer we started electron beam commissioning of the EBIS. The first results on electron beam extraction, transport from the electron gun to a high power electron collector are presented and discussed.

Evaluation of the influence of mobile data terminal location on physical exposures during simulated police patrol activities.

Prolonged occupational police driving combined with use of an in-vehicle computer elicits awkward, sustained postures in a scenario that lacks the adjustability to accommodate many mobile officer anthropometries and job-specific components. Twenty participants performed simulated police patrol sessions at five mobile data terminal (MDT) locations and using two seats: standard police vehicle seat and modified seat designed for police use. An MDT location self-selected prior to the session reduced perceived discomfort by up to 50% in the low back (p < .0001) and 68% in the right shoulder (p < .0001) compared to other tested locations, including the most common currently used location recorded from a representative police force. Muscle activity was lowest at the self-selected and current MDT locations for all muscles, significantly so for posterior deltoid (p < .0001) and supraspinatus (p < .0001). The modified seat reduced low back discomfort from the standard seat by 28% (p < .0001). Combining a self-selected MDT location and modified driver seat generated lower discomfort and physical loading than the currently used configuration.

Design of the injection beamline for the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade electron beam ion source charge breeder.

The design of the ion injection line connecting the electron beam ion source (EBIS) charge breeder and the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade radio frequency quadrupole cooler-buncher at the Argonne Tandem Linear Accelerator System was investigated with particle tracking simulations. The injection line was configured to accommodate several differential pumping sections, individual optical components were optimized to minimize emittance growth, and the ion beam parameters were matched with the EBIS electron beam acceptance to minimize losses upon injection.

Development of electron beam ion source charge breeder for rare isotopes at Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade.

Recently, the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) to the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) was commissioned and became available for production of rare isotopes. Currently, an electron cyclotron resonance ion source is used as a charge breeder for CARIBU beams. To further increase the intensity and improve the purity of neutron-rich ion beams accelerated by ATLAS, we are developing a high-efficiency charge breeder for CARIBU based on an electron beam ion source (EBIS). The CARIBU EBIS charge breeder will utilize the state-of-the-art EBIS technology recently developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The electron beam current density in the CARIBU EBIS trap will be significantly higher than that in existing operational charge-state breeders based on the EBIS concept. The design of the CARIBU EBIS charge breeder is nearly complete. Long-lead components of the EBIS such as a 6-T superconducting solenoid and an electron gun have been ordered with the delivery schedule in the fall of 2011. Measurements of expected breeding efficiency using the BNL Test EBIS have been performed using a Cs(+) surface ionization ion source for external injection in pulsed mode. In these experiments we have achieved ∼70% injection∕extraction efficiency and breeding efficiency into the most abundant charge state of ∼17%.