'Magic' nucleus 42Si.

Nuclear shell structures--the distribution of the quantum states of individual protons and neutrons--provide one of our most important guides for understanding the stability of atomic nuclei. Nuclei with 'magic numbers' of protons and/or neutrons (corresponding to closed shells of strongly bound nucleons) are particularly stable. Whether the major shell closures and magic numbers change in very neutron-rich nuclei (potentially causing shape deformations) is a fundamental, and at present open, question. A unique opportunity to study these shell effects is offered by the 42Si nucleus, which has 28 neutrons--a magic number in stable nuclei--and 14 protons. This nucleus has a 12-neutron excess over the heaviest stable silicon nuclide, and has only one neutron fewer than the heaviest silicon nuclide observed so far. Here we report measurements of 42Si and two neighbouring nuclei using a technique involving one- and two-nucleon knockout from beams of exotic nuclei. We present strong evidence for a well-developed proton subshell closure at Z = 14 (14 protons), the near degeneracy of two different (s(1/2) and d(3/2)) proton orbits in the vicinity of 42Si, and a nearly spherical shape for 42Si.

Kinetics of neutrophils in mice exposed to radiation and/or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor treatment.

Astronauts have the potential to develop the hematopoietic syndrome as a result of exposure to radiation from a solar particle event (SPE) during exploration class missions. This syndrome is characterized by a reduction in the number of circulating blood cells (cytopenias). In the present study the effects of SPE-like proton and γ radiation on the kinetics of circulating neutrophils were evaluated during a one-month time period using mice as a model system. The results revealed that exposure to a 2 Gy dose of either SPE-like proton or γ radiation significantly decreased the number of circulating neutrophils, with two nadirs observed on day 4 and day 16 postirradiation. Low circulating neutrophil count (neutropenia) is particularly important because it can increase the risk of astronauts developing infections, which can compromise the success of the mission. Thus, two granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs), filgrastim and pegfilgrastim were evaluated as countermeasures for this endpoint. Both forms of G-CSF significantly increased neutrophil counts in irradiated mice, however, the effect of pegfilgrastim was more potent and lasted longer than filgrastim. Using the expression of CD11b, CD18 and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as markers of neutrophil activation, it was determined that the neutrophils in the irradiated mice treated with pegfilgrastim were physiologically active. Thus, these results suggest that pegfilgrastim could be a potential countermeasure for the reduced number of circulating neutrophils in irradiated animals.

Effect of SPE-like proton or photon radiation on the kinetics of mouse peripheral blood cells and radiation biological effectiveness determinations.

Exploration missions outside low-Earth orbit are being planned; therefore, it is critical to understand the risk astronauts would be exposed to in the space environment, especially during extravehicular activities (EVAs). Reductions in white blood cell (WBC) numbers can occur as a result of exposure to solar particle event (SPE) radiation. The aim of the present study was to determine the duration of the effects on blood cell numbers from exposure to a single whole-body dose of SPE-like proton radiation or photon radiation as well as to determine the radiation biological effectiveness (RBE) values at those times when radiation exposure causes blood cell numbers to experience the most critical effects when using mice as a model. Our results indicate that both types of radiation cause significant reductions in the numbers of all blood cell types at different times post-irradiation. The RBE values were not significantly different from 1.0. These results indicate that the risk estimations for astronauts from exposure of mice to SPE-like proton radiation are comparable to those previously made for doses of standard reference radiations, suggesting that countermeasures should be developed for the decreases in blood cell counts observed following the exposure of mice to SPE radiation.

Acute hematological effects of solar particle event proton radiation in the porcine model.

Acute radiation sickness (ARS) is expected to occur in astronauts during large solar particle events (SPEs). One parameter associated with ARS is the hematopoietic syndrome, which can result from decreased numbers of circulating blood cells in those exposed to radiation. The peripheral blood cells are critical for an adequate immune response, and low blood cell counts can result in an increased susceptibility to infection. In this study, Yucatan minipigs were exposed to proton radiation within a range of skin dose levels expected for an SPE (estimated from previous SPEs). The proton-radiation exposure resulted in significant decreases in total white blood cell count (WBC) within 1 day of exposure, 60% below baseline control value or preirradiation values. At the lowest level of the blood cell counts, lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes and eosinophils were decreased up to 89.5%, 60.4%, 73.2% and 75.5%, respectively, from the preirradiation values. Monocytes and lymphocytes were decreased by an average of 70% (compared to preirradiation values) as early as 4 h after radiation exposure. Skin doses greater than 5 Gy resulted in decreased blood cell counts up to 90 days after exposure. The results reported here are similar to studies of ARS using the nonhuman primate model, supporting the use of the Yucatan minipig as an alternative. In addition, the high prevalence of hematologic abnormalities resulting from exposure to acute, whole-body SPE-like proton radiation warrants the development of appropriate countermeasures to prevent or treat ARS occurring in astronauts during space travel.

Structure of 240Pu: evidence for octupole phonon condensation?

The expanded level structure of 240Pu available from the present study highlights the role of strong octupole correlations in this nucleus. In addition to a delayed alignment in the yrast band, the observations include the presence of both I(+)-->(I-1)(-) and I(-)-->(I-1)(+)E1 transitions linking states of the yrast and negative-parity bands at high spin and the presence of an additional even-spin, positive-parity band deexciting exclusively to the negative-parity sequence. The observations appear to be consistent with expectations based on the recently proposed concept of octupole phonon condensation.

Astrophysical reaction rate for the neutron-generator reaction 13C(alpha,n)16O in asymptotic giant branch stars.

The reaction 13C(alpha,n) is considered to be the main source of neutrons for the s process in asymptotic giant branch stars. At low energies, the cross section is dominated by the 1/2+ 6.356 MeV subthreshold resonance in (17)O whose contribution at stellar temperatures is uncertain by a factor of 10. In this work, we performed the most precise determination of the low-energy astrophysical S factor using the indirect asymptotic normalization (ANC) technique. The alpha-particle ANC for the subthreshold state has been measured using the sub-Coulomb alpha-transfer reaction ((6)Li,d). Using the determined ANC, we calculated S(0), which turns out to be an order of magnitude smaller than in the nuclear astrophysics compilation of reaction rates.

p-sd Shell gap reduction in neutron-rich systems and cross-shell excitations in 20 O.

Excited states in 20O were populated in the reaction 10Be(14C,alpha) at Florida State University (FSU). Charged particles were detected with a particle telescope consisting of 4 annularly segmented Si surface barrier detectors and gamma radiation was detected with the FSU gamma detector array. Five new states were observed below 6 MeV from the alpha-gamma and alpha-gamma-gamma coincidence data. Shell model calculations suggest that most of the newly observed states are core-excited 1p-1h excitations across the N=Z=8 shell gap. Comparisons between experimental data and calculations for the neutron-rich O and F isotopes imply a steady reduction of the p-sd shell gap as neutrons are added.