The Superheavy Elements and Anti-Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Anastasovski, Petar K.

2004-02-01

The essence of any propulsion concept is to overcome gravity. Anti-gravity is a natural means to achieve this. Thus, the technology to pursue anti-gravity, by using superheavy elements, may provide a new propulsion paradigm. The theory of superluminal relativity provides a hypothesis for existence of elements with atomic number up to Z = 145, some of which may possess anti-gravity properties. Analysis results show that curved space-time exists demonstrating both gravitic and anti-gravitic properties not only around nuclei but inside the nuclei as well. Two groups of elements (Z Hawking, in honour of Stephen W. Hawking.

Synthesis and investigation of superheavy elements - perspectives with radioactive beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muenzenberg, G.

1997-09-01

The perspectives for the investigation of heavy and superheavy elements with intense beams of radioactive nuclei available from the new generation of secondary beam facilities in combination with modern experimental developments are the subject of this paper. The nuclear properties of the recently discovered shell nuclei centered at Z=108 and N=164 and predictions on the location of the superheavy region with improved theoretical models will be discussed. (orig.)

Frontiers of heavy-ion physics and superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muenzenberg, G.

2003-01-01

This contribution will focus on three topics of GSI nuclear structure research: superheavy elements, direct mass measurements in the storage ring, and studies of fission in reversed kinematics. The GSI project for a new synchrotron facility will be outlined

Search for superheavy elements in monazite from Beach sands of South India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapoor, S.S.; Ramamurthy, V.S.; Lal, R.; Kataria, S.K.

1977-01-01

Monazite minerals obtained from beach of South India were examined for the presence of superheavy elements with photon-induced x-ray fluorescence method. The accumulated data of a number of runs each of several days duration do not show any convicing peaks above the background at the expected locations for superheavy elements which are above the present sensitivity of detection of about 10 ppm by weight for element 126. However, some intriguing features pertaining to structures in the x-ray spectra around 27 kev were observed, which are of interest for further investigations. (author)

Superheavy elements in D I Mendeleev's Periodic Table

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oganessian, Yury Ts; Dmitriev, Sergey N [Flerov Laboratory for Nuclear Reactions, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Moscow Region (Russian Federation)

2009-12-31

The results on the synthesis of new superheavy elements, synthesized in complete fusion reactions of {sup 48}Ca ions with actinide targets, are summarized and analyzed. The perspectives for the synthesis of element 117, as well as of elements with Z>=118 are also considered.

Study of Superheavy Elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, Sigurd

2007-01-01

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond 208 Pb is at a proton number Z = 114, 120, or 126 and at a neutron number N = 172 or 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical 'SuperHeavy Elements' (SHEs). Experimental methods are described, which allowed for the identification of elements produced on a cross-section level of about 1 pb. The decay data reveal that for the heaviest elements, the dominant decay mode is alpha emission, not fission. Decay properties as well as reaction cross-sections are compared with results of theoretical investigations. Finally, plans are presented for the further development of the experimental set-up and the application of new techniques, as for instance the precise mass measurement of the produced nuclei using ion traps. At increased sensitivity, the detailed exploration of the region of spherical SHEs will start, after first steps on the island were made in recent years. (Author)

Silicon vertex detector for superheavy elements identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bednarek A.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Silicon vertex detector for superheavy elements (SHE identification has been proposed. It will be constructed using very thin silicon detectors about 5 μm thickness. Results of test of 7.3 μm four inch silicon strip detector (SSD with fission fragments and α particles emitted by 252Cf source are presented

On superheavy elements, what did we achieve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armbruster, P.

1986-03-01

The properties of the heaviest isotopes are discussed using recent results on α-energies, halflives, and branchings between the different decay modes. From the data on α- and spontaneous fission halflives and absolute masses, fission barriers and barrier widths are deduced. Shell corrections of the heaviest nuclei are obtained and compared to recent calculations. The concept of superheavy elements is examined, and it is shown that the heaviest isotopes known must be classified 'superheavy'. The production cross sections are summarized and within the extra-push model the reduced fusion probabilities in the entrance channel are discussed. It is shown that besides nuclear structure effects in the collision partners are of importance. It is concluded that targets around 208 Pb give a double gain, on the one hand from the fact that fusion is relatively cold (1n- and 2n-channels), and on the other hand that the extra-push limitation is setting in later than the model predicts. The possibilities to make still heavier elements are restricted not by their groundstate instability but by the principal limitations of their production. (orig.)

Electronic structure and properties of superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pershina, V.

2015-01-01

Spectacular developments in the relativistic quantum theory and computational algorithms in the last few decades allowed for accurate calculations of properties of the superheavy elements (SHE) and their compounds. Often conducted in a close link to the experimental research, these investigations helped predict and interpret an outcome of sophisticated and expensive experiments with single atoms. Most of the works, particularly those related to the experimental studies, are overviewed in this publication. The role of relativistic effects being of paramount importance for the heaviest elements is elucidated.

Superheavy element research at the velocity filter ship

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinz, S.

2012-01-01

The Separator for Heavy Ion Reaction Products (SHIP) is a velocity filter located at the UNILAC accelerator of GSI Darmstadt, Germany. For about 35 years a broad experimental program in the field of superheavy element research is running at SHIP. During the last years particularly investigations in the region of the heaviest known nuclei were performed. In fusion reactions of 48 Ca + 248 Cm → 296 116* a total of six decay chains was observed which could be attributed to the evaporation residues 292 116 and 293 116. In this experiment, data measured previously on the same isotopes in Dubna were well confirmed. Besides, two attempts were made to synthesize isotopes of the still unobserved element Z = 120 in reactions of 64 Ni + 238 U and 54 Cr + 248 Cm. No events were observed in these experiments leading to one-event cross-section limits of 90 fb and 560 fb, respectively. For future superheavy element research, a new superconducting continuous wave LINAC is planned at GSI which shall deliver beam intensities of up to 1014 particles per second. In this context we are developing a next generation separator and new detection techniques

Upper Limit of the Periodic Table and Synthesis of Superheavy Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khazan A.

2007-04-01

Full Text Available For the first time, using the heaviest possible element, the diagram for known nuclides and stable isotopes is constructed. The direction of search of superheavy elements is indicated. The Periodic Table with an eighth period is tabulated.

Superheavy Element Synthesis And Nuclear Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, D.; Block, M.; Burkhard, H.-G.; Heinz, S.; Hessberger, F. P.; Khuyagbaatar, J.; Kojouharov, I.; Mann, R.; Maurer, J.; Antalic, S.; Saro, S.; Venhart, M.; Hofmann, S.; Leino, M.; Uusitalo, J.; Nishio, K.; Popeko, A. G.; Yeremin, A. V.

2009-01-01

After the successful progress in experiments to synthesize superheavy elements (SHE) throughout the last decades, advanced nuclear structure studies in that region have become feasible in recent years thanks to improved accelerator, separation and detection technology. The means are evaporation residue(ER)-α-α and ER-α-γ coincidence techniques complemented by conversion electron (CE) studies, applied after a separator. Recent examples of interesting physics to be discovered in this region of the chart of nuclides are the studies of K-isomers observed in 252,254 No and in 270 Ds.

Chemistry of the superheavy elements.

Science.gov (United States)

Schädel, Matthias

2015-03-13

The quest for superheavy elements (SHEs) is driven by the desire to find and explore one of the extreme limits of existence of matter. These elements exist solely due to their nuclear shell stabilization. All 15 presently 'known' SHEs (11 are officially 'discovered' and named) up to element 118 are short-lived and are man-made atom-at-a-time in heavy ion induced nuclear reactions. They are identical to the transactinide elements located in the seventh period of the periodic table beginning with rutherfordium (element 104), dubnium (element 105) and seaborgium (element 106) in groups 4, 5 and 6, respectively. Their chemical properties are often surprising and unexpected from simple extrapolations. After hassium (element 108), chemistry has now reached copernicium (element 112) and flerovium (element 114). For the later ones, the focus is on questions of their metallic or possibly noble gas-like character originating from interplay of most pronounced relativistic effects and electron-shell effects. SHEs provide unique opportunities to get insights into the influence of strong relativistic effects on the atomic electrons and to probe 'relativistically' influenced chemical properties and the architecture of the periodic table at its farthest reach. In addition, they establish a test bench to challenge the validity and predictive power of modern fully relativistic quantum chemical models. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Global and local approaches to population analysis: Bonding patterns in superheavy element compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Oleynichenko, Alexander; Zaitsevskii, Andréi; Romanov, Stepan; Skripnikov, Leonid V.; Titov, Anatoly V.

2018-03-01

Relativistic effective atomic configurations of superheavy elements Cn, Nh and Fl and their lighter homologues (Hg, Tl and Pb) in their simple compounds with fluorine and oxygen are determined using the analysis of local properties of molecular Kohn-Sham density matrices in the vicinity of heavy nuclei. The difference in populations of atomic spinors with the same orbital angular momentum and different total angular momenta is demonstrated to be essential for understanding the peculiarities of chemical bonding in superheavy element compounds. The results are fully compatible with those obtained by the relativistic iterative version of conventional projection analysis of global density matrices.

Mean-field models and superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinhard, P.G.; Bender, M.; Maruhn, J.A.; Frankfurt Univ.

2001-03-01

We discuss the performance of two widely used nuclear mean-field models, the relativistic mean-field theory (RMF) and the non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach (SHF), with particular emphasis on the description of superheavy elements (SHE). We provide a short introduction to the SHF and RMF, the relations between these two approaches and the relations to other nuclear structure models, briefly review the basic properties with respect to normal nuclear observables, and finally present and discuss recent results on the binding properties of SHE computed with a broad selection of SHF and RMF parametrisations. (orig.)

The Superheavy Elements and Anti-Gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anastasovski, Petar K.

2004-01-01

The essence of any propulsion concept is to overcome gravity. Anti-gravity is a natural means to achieve this. Thus, the technology to pursue anti-gravity, by using superheavy elements, may provide a new propulsion paradigm. The theory of superluminal relativity provides a hypothesis for existence of elements with atomic number up to Z = 145, some of which may possess anti-gravity properties. Analysis results show that curved space-time exists demonstrating both gravitic and anti-gravitic properties not only around nuclei but inside the nuclei as well. Two groups of elements (Z < 64 and 63 < Z <145) exist that demonstrate these capabilities. The nuclei of the first group of elements have the masses with only the property of gravity. The nuclei of the elements of the second group have the masses with both properties: gravity and anti-gravity in two different ranges of curved space-time around the nuclei.. The hypothetical element with Z = 145 is the unique among all elements whose nucleus has only anti-gravity property. It is proposed that this element be named Hawking, in honour of Stephen W. Hawking

Search for superheavy elements in the reaction 238U+9.6 MeV/N 63Cu,65Cu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esterlund, R.A.; Molzahn, D.; Brandt, R.; Patzelt, P.; Vater, P.; Boos, A.H.

1976-01-01

According to calculations of NIX and others, the formation of superheavy elements might occur in heavy-ion reaction systems such as the one under investigation in the present work i.e., 238 U + 63 Cu and 65 Cu at 9.6 MeV/nucleon. Since previous experiments have indicated that upper limits to the production cross-section for superheavy elements are extremely low, two rather long irradiations of 27 hrs and 42 hrs, respectively, have been carried out at the University of Manchester LINAC. The first run has already been reported on in the literature. In the case of the second run, after chemical separation into HgS, CdS, and La(OH) 3 fractions, the samples were assayed simultaneously and continuously over a period of 6 months for alpha- and spontaneous-fission activity, using Si surface-barrier detector. Each sample was at the same time mounted on mica, for the purpose of scanning for fission tracks at a later date. No indications from the data have so far been found that superheavy elements were produced. Possible reasons for the failure to detect superheavy elements in this experiment are: The half-life of any product is either too short (a few hours) or too long (a few years); the chemical properties of the superheavy elements are very different from those predicted; the position of the superheavy island is not where it is commonly assumed to be and may, for example, be at Z>=114 and N>=184, as predicted by ROUBEN et al. (T.G.)

Relativistic quantum chemistry of the superheavy elements. Closed-shell element 114 as a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwerdtfeger, Peter; Seth, Michael

2002-01-01

The chemistry of superheavy element 114 is reviewed. The ground state of element 114 is closed shell [112]7s 2 7p 1/2 2 and shows a distinct chemical inertness (low reactivity). This inertness makes it rather difficult to study the atom-at-a-time chemistry of 114 in the gas or liquid phase. (author)

Collisions of deformed nuclei and superheavy-element production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwamoto, Akira; Moeller, P.; Univ. of Aizu, Fukushima; P. Moller Scientific Computing and Graphics, Inc., Los Alamos, NM; Los Alamos National Lab., NM; Nix, J.R.; Sagawa, Hiroyuki, Sagawa

1995-01-01

A detailed understanding of complete fusion cross sections in heavy-ion collisions requires a consideration of the effects of the deformation of the projectile and target. The aim here is to show that deformation and orientation of the colliding nuclei have a very significant effect on the fusion-barrier height and on the compactness of the touching configuration. To facilitate discussions of fusion configurations of deformed nuclei, the authors develop a classification scheme and introduce a notation convention for these configurations. They discuss particular deformations and orientations that lead to compact touching configurations and to fusion-barrier heights that correspond to fairly low excitation energies of the compound systems. Such configurations should be the most favorable for producing superheavy elements. They analyze a few projectile-target combinations whose deformations allow favorable entrance-channel configurations and whose proton and neutron numbers lead to compound systems in a part of the superheavy region where a half-lives are calculated to be observable, that is, longer than 1 micros

Synthesis and properties of superheavy elements

CERN Document Server

Hofmann, S

2003-01-01

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond sup 2 sup 0 sup 8 Pb is at a proton number Z = 114, 120, or 126 and at a neutron number N = 172 or 184. The outstanding of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical 'SuperHeavy Elements' (SHEs). Experimental methods are described which allowed for the identification of elements 107 to 112 in studies of cold fusion reactions based on lead and bismuth targets. Also presented are data which were obtained on the synthesis of elements 112, 114, and 116 in investigation of hot fusion reactions using actinide targets. The decay data reveal that for the heaviest elements, the dominant decay mode is alpha emission, not fission. Decay properties as well as reaction cross- sections are compared with the results of theoretical studies. Finally, plans are presented for the further development of the experimental set-up and the application of new techniques. At a higher sensitivity, the exploration of the regio...

Experimental search for superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wieloch, A.

2008-12-01

This work reports on the experimental search for superheavy elements (SHE). Two types of approaches for SHE production are studied i.e. '' cold '' fusion mechanism and massive transfer mechanism. First mechanism was studied in normal and inverse kinematics, by using Wien filter at the GANIL facility. The production of SHE elements with Z 106 and 108 is reported while negative results on the synthesis of SHE elements with Z 114 and 118 was received. The other approach i.e. reactions induced by heavy ion projectiles (e.g. 172 Yb, 197 Au) on fissile target nuclei (e.g. 238 U, 232 Th) at near Coulomb barrier incident energies was studied by using superconducting solenoid installed Texas A(and)M University. Preliminary results for the reaction 197 Au(7.5 MeV/u) - 232 Th are presented where three cases of the possible candidates for SHE elements were found. A dedicated detection setup for such studies is discussed and the detailed data analysis is presented. Detection of alpha and spontaneous fission radioactive decays is used to unambiguously identify the atomic number of SHE. Special statistical analysis for a very low detected number of α decays is applied to check consistency of the αradioactive chains. (author)

Review of even element super-heavy nuclei and search for element 120

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, S. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany); Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Institut fuer Physik, Frankfurt (Germany); Heinz, S.; Mann, R.; Maurer, J.; Barth, W.; Burkhard, H.G.; Dahl, L.; Kindler, B.; Kojouharov, I.; Lang, R.; Lommel, B.; Runke, J.; Scheidenberger, C.; Schoett, H.J.; Tinschert, K. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany); Muenzenberg, G. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany); Manipal University, Manipal Centre for Natural Sciences, Manipal, Karnataka (India); Antalic, S.; Saro, S. [Comenius University, Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Bratislava (Slovakia); Eberhardt, K.; Thoerle-Pospiech, P.; Trautmann, N. [Johannes Gutenberg-Universitaet Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Grzywacz, R. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Hamilton, J.H. [Vanderbuilt University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Nashville, TN (United States); Henderson, R.A.; Kenneally, J.M.; Moody, K.J.; Shaughnessy, D.A.; Stoyer, M.A. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Miernik, K. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); University of Warsaw, Warsaw (Poland); Miller, D. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Morita, K. [RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, Wako, Saitama (Japan); Nishio, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Popeko, A.G.; Yeremin, A.V. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Roberto, J.B.; Rykaczewski, K.P. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Uusitalo, J. [University of Jyvaeskylae, Department of Physics, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

2016-06-15

The reaction {sup 54}Cr + {sup 248}Cm was investigated at the velocity filter SHIP at GSI, Darmstadt, with the intention to study production and decay properties of isotopes of element 120. Three correlated signals were measured, which occurred within a period of 279ms. The heights of the signals correspond with the expectations for a decay sequence starting with an isotope of element 120. However, a complete decay chain cannot be established, since a signal from the implantation of the evaporation residue cannot be identified unambiguously. Measured properties of the event chain are discussed in detail. The result is compared with theoretical predictions. Previously measured decay properties of even element super-heavy nuclei were compiled in order to find arguments for an assignment from the systematics of experimental data. In the course of this review, a few tentatively assigned data could be corrected. New interpretations are given for results which could not be assigned definitely in previous studies. The discussion revealed that the cross-section for production of element 120 could be high enough so that a successful experiment seems possible with presently available techniques. However, a continuation of the experiment at SHIP for a necessary confirmation of the results obtained in a relatively short irradiation of five weeks is not possible at GSI presently. Therefore, we decided to publish the results of the measurement and of the review as they exist now. In the summary and outlook section we also present concepts for the continuation of research in the field of super-heavy nuclei. (orig.)

On the Production of Superheavy Elements

CERN Document Server

Armbruster, P

2003-01-01

Since the discovery of Deformed Superheavy Nuclei (1983–85) a bridge connects the island of SHE to known isotopes of lighter elements. What we know experimentally and theoretically on the nuclear structure of SHE is reported in a first section. The making of the elements, with an analysis of production cross sections, and the macroscopic limitation to Z=112+ is presented in a second section. The break-down of fusion cross sections in the ‘Coulomb Falls’ within a range of about 10 elements is introduced as the universal limiting phenomenon. How the nuclear structure of the collision partners modifies the on-set of this limitation is presented in Section 3. Reactions induced by deformed nuclei are pushed by side collisions to higher excitation energies (4n- and 5n-channels), whereas reactions driven by the cluster-like, closed-shell nuclei, 208126Pb and 13882Ba, are kept at low excitation energies (1n- and 2n-channels). The on-set of production limitation for deformed collision partners is moved to smalle...

Superheavy Elements: Theoretical Expectations and Related Fundamental Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greiner, W.

2008-01-01

I discuss the theory for superheavy elements, based on the Two Center Shell Model. Potential energy surfaces, cold valleys, cold fusion, quasi fusion and other processes will be discussed. The experimental results from GSI, Dubna and Japan are presented. Finally, utilizing the theory of mass-exchange in dynamical encounters by Zagrebaev and myself, I will outline the possibility of long time delays of giant molecular/atomic systems (e.g. U + U, U + Cm, etc) and its relevance for observing the supercritical decay of the QED-vacuum

Coprecipitation experiment with Sm hydroxide using a multitracer produced by nuclear spallation reaction: A tool for chemical studies with superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasamatsu, Yoshitaka; Yokokita, Takuya; Toyomura, Keigo; Shigekawa, Yudai; Haba, Hiromitsu; Kanaya, Jumpei; Huang, Minghui; Ezaki, Yutaka; Yoshimura, Takashi; Morita, Kosuke; Shinohara, Atsushi

2016-01-01

To establish a new methodology for superheavy element chemistry, the coprecipitation behaviors of 34 elements with samarium hydroxide were investigated using multitracer produced by a spallation of Ta. The chemical reactions were rapidly equilibrated within 10 s for many elements. In addition, these elements exhibited individual coprecipitation behaviors, and the behaviors were qualitatively related to their hydroxide precipitation behaviors. It was demonstrated that the ammine and hydroxide complex formations of superheavy elements could be investigated using the established method. - Highlights: • We established a new methodology for superheavy element (SHE) chemistry. • Coprecipitation behaviors of 34 elements with Sm hydroxide could be simultaneously investigated by using multitracer. • The complex formations were investigated from the coprecipitation behaviors. • The established method will lead to the study on various precipitates of SHEs.

Theoretical Predictions of Cross-Sections of the Super-Heavy Elements

Science.gov (United States)

Bouriquet, B.; Kosenko, G.; Abe, Y.

The evaluation of the residue cross-sections of reactionssynthesising superheavy elements has been achieved by the combination of the two-step model for fusion and the evaporation code (KEWPIE) for survival probability. The theoretical scheme of those calculations is presented, and some encouraging results are given, together with some difficulties. With this approach, the measured excitation functions of the 1n reactions producing elements with Z=108, 110, 111 and 112 are well reproduced. Thus, the model has been used to predict the cross-sections of the reactions leading to the formation of the elements with Z=113 and Z=114.

Theoretical predictions of cross-sections of the super-heavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouriquet, B.; Abe, Y.; Kosenko, G.

2004-01-01

The evaluation of the residue cross-sections of reactions synthesising superheavy elements has been achieved by the combination of the two-step model for fusion and the evaporation code (KEWPIE) for survival probability. The theoretical scheme of those calculations is presented, and some encouraging results are given, together with some difficulties. With this approach, the measured excitation functions of the 1n reactions producing elements with Z = 108, 110, 111 and 112 are well reproduced. Thus, the model has been used to predict the cross-sections of the reactions leading to the formation of the elements with Z = 113 and Z = 114. (author)

Are there superheavy atomic nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrmann, G.

1982-04-01

The author presents a populary introduction to the formation of nuclei with special regards to superheavy nuclei. After a general description of the methods of physics the atomic hypothesis is considered. Thereafter the structure of the nucleus is discussed, and the different isotopes are considered. Then radioactivity is described as an element transmutation. Thereafter the thermonuclear reactions in the sun are considered. Then the synthesis of elements using heavy ion reactions is described. In this connection the transuranium elements and the superheavy elements are considered. (orig./HSI) [de

Mendeleev's principle against Einstein's relativity: news from the chemistry of superheavy elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gaeggeler, Heinz W [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern (Switzerland)

2009-12-31

The review briefly considers the problems of synthesis and chemical identification of superheavy elements. The specific features of their properties are determined by the relativistic effects. The synthesis and chemical investigations into bohrium and element 112 are discussed as examples.

Validation of new superheavy elements and IUPAC-IUPAP joint working group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarlskog, Cecilia

2016-01-01

The great chemist Glenn Seaborg has written a delightful little book “Man-made Transuranium Elements”, published in 1963, in which he points out that: “The former basic criterion for the discovery of a new element – namely, chemical identification and separation from all previously-known elements – had to be changed in the case of lawrencium (element 103). This also may be true for elements beyond lawrencium.” Indeed this is what has happened. The elements with Z ≥ 103 are produced in nuclear reactions and are detected by counters. The detectors have undergone substantial refinement. For example one uses multiwire proportional chambers [for which George Charpak received the 1992 Nobel Prize in Physics] as well as solid state micro-strip detectors. In spite of this remarkable shift from chemistry to physics, the managerial staff of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) does not seem to be aware of what has been going on. The validation of superheavy elements should be done by physicists as the chemists lack the relevant competence as I will discuss here below. This article is about a collaboration between International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and its sister organization International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), to deal with discovery of superheavy elements beyond Z = 112. I spent a great deal of time on this issue. In my opinion, the collaboration turned out to be a failure. For the sake of science, which should be our most important concern (and not politics), the rules for the future collaborations, if any, should be accurately defined and respected. The validation of new elements should be done by people who have the relevant competence – the physicists.

What can we learn from the fission time of the super-heavy elements?

OpenAIRE

Boilley, D.; Marchix, A.; Wilgenbus, D.; Lallouet, Y.; Gimbert, F.; Abe, Y.

2007-01-01

International audience; Recent experiments performed at GANIL with a crystal blocking technique have shown direct evidences of long fission times in the Super-Heavy Elements (SHE) region. Aimed to localize the SHE island of stability, can these experiments give access to the fission barrier and then to the shell-correction energy? In this paper, we calculate the fission time of heavy elements by using a new code, KEWPIE2, devoted to the study of the SHE.We also investigate the effect of poten...

From heavy nuclei to super-heavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theisen, Ch.

2003-01-01

The existence of super-heavy nuclei has been predicted nearly fifty years ago. Due to the strong coulomb repulsion, the stabilisation of these nuclei is possible only through shell effects. The reasons for this fragile stability, as well as the theoretical predictions concerning the position of the island of stability are presented in the first part of this lecture. In the second part, experiments and experimental techniques which have been used to synthesize or search for super-heavy elements are described. Spectroscopic studies performed in very heavy elements are presented in the following section. We close this lecture with techniques that are currently being developed in order to reach the superheavy island and to study the structure of very-heavy nuclei. (author)

Search for long-lived superheavy elements in the reaction system 238U + 9.6-MeV/nucleon 63/sub,/65Cu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esterlund, R.A.; Molzahn, D.; Brandt, R.; Patzelt, P.; Vater, P.; Boos, A.H.; Chandratillake, M.R.; Grant, I.S.; Hemingway, J.D.; Newton, G.W.A.

1977-01-01

A thick 238 U target has been bombarded with 63 /sub,/ 65 Cu ions at an incident beam energy of 9.6 MeV/nucleon. After radiochemical separations into CdS, HgS, and La-oxalate fractions, a search for evidence of the production of superheavy elements was undertaken using Si surface-barrier detectors and mica foils simultaneously for detection of spontaneous-fission events and high-energy α emission. No evidence for the presence of superheavy elements in the samples was found. Upper limits for production cross sections for superheavy elements in each of the three chemical samples, assuming an arbitrary half-life of 100 days and a target thickness equal to the entire reaction range of the incident ions from initial energy to the reaction barrier, are as follows: (a) CdS (Z = 108--115): 1 x 10 -34 cm 2 ; (b) HgS (Z = 112): 6 x 10 -35 cm 2 ; (c) La-oxalate ( 254 Cf): 8 x 10 -35 cm 2

Dissipative dynamics of the synthesis of superheavy elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wada, Takahiro; Aritomo, Y.; Tokuda, T.; Okazaki, K.; Ohta, M. [Konan Univ., Kobe (Japan). Dept. of Physics; Abe, Y.

1997-07-01

Fusion-fission process in heavy systems are analyzed by Smoluchowski equation taking into account the temperature dependent shell correction energy. The evaporation residue cross sections of superheavy elements have been shown to have an optimum value at a certain temperature, due to the balance between the diffusibility for fusion at high temperature and the restoration of the shell correction energy against fission at low temperature. The isotope dependence of the evaporation residue cross section is found to be very strong. Neutron rich compound system with small neutron separation energy is favorable for larger cross section because of the quick restoration of the shell correction energy. The Z-dependence is discussed for the formation of the compound nuclei with Z=102 to Z=114. (author)

On the way to unveiling the atomic structure of superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laatiaoui, Mustapha

2016-01-01

Optical spectroscopy of the transfermium elements (atomic number Z > 100) is nowadays one of the most fascinating and simultaneously challenging tasks in atomic physics. On the one hand, key atomic and even nuclear ground-state properties may be obtained by studying the spectral lines of these heaviest elements. On the other hand, these elements have to be produced “online” by heavy-ion induced fusion-evaporation reactions yielding rates on the order of a few atoms per second at most, which renders their optical spectroscopy extremely difficult. Only recently, a first foray of laser spectroscopy into this heaviest element region was reported. Several atomic transitions in the element nobelium (Z = 102) were observed and characterized, using an ultra-sensitive and highly efficient resonance ionization technique. The findings confirm the predictions and additionally provide a benchmark for theoretical modelling. The work represents an important stepping stone towards experimental studies of the atomic structure of superheavy elements.

Status of the low-energy super-heavy element facility at RIKEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schury, P., E-mail: schury@riken.jp [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Wada, M.; Ito, Y. [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Arai, F. [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Institute of Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (Japan); Kaji, D. [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Kimura, S. [Institute of Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (Japan); Morimoto, K.; Haba, H. [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Jeong, S. [Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Koura, H. [Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Miyatake, H. [Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Morita, K.; Reponen, M. [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Ozawa, A. [Institute of Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki (Japan); Sonoda, T.; Takamine, A. [RIKEN, Nishina Center for Accelerator Based Science, Wako City, Saitama (Japan); Wollnik, H. [Dept. Chemistry and BioChemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM (United States)

2016-06-01

In order to investigate nuclei produced via fusion–evaporation reactions, especially super-heavy elements (SHE), we have begun construction of a facility for conversion of fusion–evaporation residues (EVR) to low-energy beams. At the base of this facility is a small cryogenic gas cell utilizing a traveling wave RF-carpet, located directly following the gas-filled recoil ion separator GARIS-II, which will thermalize EVRs to convert them into ion beams amenable to ion trapping. We present here the results of initial studies of this small gas cell.

The Transplutonium. The superheavy nuclei found in the micas of Madagascar and their interests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raoelina Andriambololona

1976-01-01

Since June 1976, evidence for the existence of superheavy elements is discussed about. After having recalled artificial elements with atomic numbers Z of wich go from Z=95 (Americium) to Z=107 (built in 1976), superheavy elements having Z greater than 110 are considered. They have been discovered by american searchers in giant halos seen in Madagascar micas. The samples have been recoked in the Fort-Dauphin region (Haut Mandrare). The corresponding numbers Z are 114, 115, 116, 124, 125, 125, 126, 127. It seems that the existence of Z=126 element should be accepted with a greater degree of confidence. But different experiences done by other groups seem to show the evidence of superheavy elements in micas looks weaker. Nevertheless, it is interesting to investigate the evidence or the non-evidence of those elements. We estimate the mass numbers A of those superheavy elements in the liquid drop model if we assume that they are stable versus β. The results thus obtained agree with the shell-model ones within 4 % approximation. We propose if the evidence of superheavies is confirmed to give the name of madagascarium to one of them (Z=126) by similitude with francium, lutetium, polonium, berkelium, americium, europium, ...Their evidence was first conjectured in Madagascar micas in 1976. Superheavy nuclei are to be distinguished from hypernuclei. [fr

Superheavy Element Synthesis and Nuclear Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, D.

2009-01-01

The search for the next closed proton and neutron shells beyond 2 08P b has yielded a number of exciting results in terms of the synthesis of new elements [1,2,3]. The superheavy elements (SHE), however, are a nuclear structure phenomenon. They owe their existence to the quantum mechanical origin of shell correction energies without which they would not be bound. In recent years the development of efficient experimental set-ups including separators and advanced particle and photon detection arrangements allowed for more and more detailed nuclear structure studies for nuclei at and beyond Z=100. A review of those recent achievements is given in ref. [4]. Among the most interesting features is the observation of K-isomeric states. Experimentally about 14 cases have been identified in the region of Z>96 as shown in Fig. 1. K-isomers or indications of their existence have been found for almost all even-Z elements in the region Z=100 to 110. We could recently establish and/or confirm such states in the even-even isotopes 2 52,254N o [5]. The heaviest nucleus where such a state was found is 2 70D s with Z=110 as we reported in 2001 [6]. Those nuclear structure studies lay out the grounds for a detailed understanding of these heavy and high-Z nuclear systems, and contribute at the same time valuable information to preparation of strategies to successfully continue the hunt for the localisation of the next spherical proton and neutron shells after 2 08P b. The recent activities for both SHE synthesis and nuclear structure investigations at GSI will be reported.(author)

Attempts in search for superheavy elements in nature II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langrock, E.-J.; Vater, P.; Brandt, R.; Langrock, G.; Schumer, F.; Schreck, P.

1999-01-01

The search for superheavy elements is continued. We chose minerals for long-time exposure in a sandwich arrangement (PAD [polyallyldiglycol carbonate] and mica). In a first step we investigated samples of manganese concretions from the Pacific Ocean, enriched samples from Salton Sea and a volatile by product - fraction of copper - shale (Kupferschiefer) from Mansfeld ('Theisenschlamm'). After an exposure time of 535 days or 326 days, respectively, and proper etching, the SSNTD's were scanned using an optical microscope. Tracks due to the fission fragments could be seen neither at the PAD nor at the mica surface. The most hopeful sample 'Theisenschlamm' gives about 1.2x10 6 tracks of α-particles at PAD. This can be explained by the uranium content. The exposure will be continued and other samples will be investigated, too

From transuranic to superheavy elements a story of dispute and creation

CERN Document Server

Kragh, Helge

2018-01-01

The story of superheavy elements  - those at the very end of the periodic table  - is not well known outside the community of heavy-ion physicists and nuclear chemists. But it is a most interesting story which deserves to be known also to historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science and indeed to the general public. This is what the present work aims at. It tells the story or rather parts of the story, of how physicists and chemists created elements heavier than uranium or searched for them in nature. And it does so with an emphasis on the frequent discovery and naming disputes concerning the synthesis of very heavy elements. Moreover, it calls attention to the criteria which scientists have adopted for what it means to have discovered a new element. In this branch of modern science it may be more appropriate to speak of creation instead of discovery. The work will be of interest to scientists as well as to scholars studying modern science from a meta-perspective.

Synthesis of superheavy elements: Uncertainty analysis to improve the predictive power of reaction models

OpenAIRE

Lu , H.; Boilley , D.; Abe , Y.; Shen , C.

2016-01-01

13 pages, 13 figures, submitted for publication in PRC; International audience; Background: Synthesis of super-heavy elements is performed by heavy-ion fusion-evaporation reactions. However , fusion is known to be hindered with respect to what can be observed with lighter ions. Thus some delicate ambiguities remain on the fusion mechanism that eventually lead to severe discrepancies in the calculated formation probabilities coming from different fusion models. Purpose: In the present work, we...

The cross sections of fusion-evaporation reactions: the most promising route to superheavy elements beyond Z=118

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jadambaa Khuyagbaatar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The synthesis of superheavy elements beyond oganesson (Og, which has atomic number Z = 118, is currently one of the main topics in nuclear physics. An absence of sufficient amounts of target material with atomic numbers heavier than californium (Z = 98 forces the use of projectiles heavier than 48Ca (Z = 20, which has been successfully used for the discoveries of elements with Z = 114 - 118 in complete fusion reactions. Experimental cross sections of 48Ca with actinide targets behave very differently to “cold” and “hot” fusion-evaporation reactions, where doubly-magic lead and deformed actinides are used as targets, respectively. The known cross sections of these reactions have been analysed compared to calculated fission barriers. It has been suggested that observed discrepancies between the cross sections of 48Ca-induced and other fusionevaporation reactions originate from the shell structure of the compound nucleus, which lies in the island of the stability. Besides scarcely known data on other reactions involving heavier projectiles, the most promising projectile for the synthesis of the elements beyond Og seems to be 50Ti. However, detailed studies of 50Ti, 54Cr, 58Fe and 64Ni-induced reactions are necessary to be performed in order to fully understand the complexities of superheavy element formation.

The cross sections of fusion-evaporation reactions: the most promising route to superheavy elements beyond Z=118

Science.gov (United States)

Jadambaa, Khuyagbaatar

2017-11-01

The synthesis of superheavy elements beyond oganesson (Og), which has atomic number Z = 118, is currently one of the main topics in nuclear physics. An absence of sufficient amounts of target material with atomic numbers heavier than californium (Z = 98) forces the use of projectiles heavier than 48Ca (Z = 20), which has been successfully used for the discoveries of elements with Z = 114 - 118 in complete fusion reactions. Experimental cross sections of 48Ca with actinide targets behave very differently to "cold" and "hot" fusion-evaporation reactions, where doubly-magic lead and deformed actinides are used as targets, respectively. The known cross sections of these reactions have been analysed compared to calculated fission barriers. It has been suggested that observed discrepancies between the cross sections of 48Ca-induced and other fusionevaporation reactions originate from the shell structure of the compound nucleus, which lies in the island of the stability. Besides scarcely known data on other reactions involving heavier projectiles, the most promising projectile for the synthesis of the elements beyond Og seems to be 50Ti. However, detailed studies of 50Ti, 54Cr, 58Fe and 64Ni-induced reactions are necessary to be performed in order to fully understand the complexities of superheavy element formation.

Estimation of atomic masses of heavy and superheavy elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uno, Masahiro [Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-07-01

To estimate unknown atomic masses of heavy and superheavy elements, three kinds of formula: FRDM (finite range droplet model by Moeller et al.), TUYY (an empirical formula by Tachibana et al.) and our KUTY are explained. KUTY estimates the crude shell energies of spherical nucleus from sum of single-particle energies. Then, the refined shell energies in due consideration of paring and deformation are obtained by mixing with the functions of the crude shell energies. Experimental values of U and Fm isotopes were compared with estimation mass of KUTY and FRDM. In the field with experimental values of U isotopes, the value of KUTY and FRDM separated the same difference from the experimental value. The behavior of KUTY and FRDM for Fm isotopes were same as that of U, but ETFSI deviated a little from the experimental values. (S.Y.)

Superheavy-element fission tracks in iron meteorites, and reply by Bull, R.K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Runcorn, S.K.

1980-01-01

Comment is made on the lack of superheavy element (SHE) fission tracks observed in silicates from the class IA Odessa iron meteorite by Bull (Nature; 282:393 (1979)). Two explanations are suggested. Firstly, a thermal history for Odessa can be constructed in which the meteorite reaches track retention temperatures only after a time corresponding to many half lives for the SHEs (taken to be approximately 100 Myr) has elapsed and secondly that the IA irons never took up many SHEs. These suggestions are discussed in a reply by Bull. (U.K.)

Relativistic pseudopotential model for superheavy elements: applications to chemistry of eka-Hg and eka-Pb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaitsevskii, Andrei V [Institute of Hydrogen Energetics and Plasma Technologies, Russian Research Centre ' Kurchatov Institute' (Russian Federation); Wuellen, C van [Technische Universitaet Kaiserslautern (Germany); Titov, A V [B P Konstantinov Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Federation)

2009-12-31

Relativistic pseudopotential approach to the electronic structure simulation of superheavy elements (SHE) compounds is presented. Advanced formulations of this approach leaving both valence and outer-core electronic shells for explicit treatment give rise to simple and efficient computational techniques ensuring highly accurate description of most chemical properties of SHE. At present, the errors due to the use of approximate methods for solving the correlation problem for a subsystem of valence electrons are much larger than those stemming from the pseudopotential approximation itself. Recent applications to the studies of the chemistry of elements 112 (eka-Hg) and 114 (eka-Pb) are reviewed; properties of these elements and their lighter homologues, Hg and Pb, are compared.

Theoretical description and predictions of the properties of superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobiczewski, A [Department of Theoretical Physics, Andrzej Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies (Poland)

2009-12-31

Theoretical descriptions of superheavy atomic nuclei are shortly reviewed and illustrated by their results. Such properties of these nuclei as their shapes, masses, fission barriers, decay modes, decay energies, half-lives, are discussed. Special attention is given to the shell structure of the nuclei, due to which they exist. The role of the physical studies of the superheavy nuclei for the chemical research on the superheavy elements and, more generally, the relationship between these two kinds of investigation is underlined. This stresses the importance of close cooperation between physicists and chemists, experimentalists and theoreticians, in these studies.

Electronic structure theory of the superheavy elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eliav, Ephraim, E-mail: ephraim@tau.ac.il [School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv (Israel); Fritzsche, Stephan, E-mail: s.fritzsche@gsi.de [Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, D-07743 Jena (Germany); Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, D-07743 Jena (Germany); Kaldor, Uzi, E-mail: kaldor@tau.ac.il [School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv (Israel)

2015-12-15

High-accuracy calculations of atomic properties of the superheavy elements (SHE) up to element 122 are reviewed. The properties discussed include ionization potentials, electron affinities and excitation energies, which are associated with the spectroscopic and chemical behavior of these elements, and are therefore of considerable interest. Accurate predictions of these quantities require high-order inclusion of relativity and electron correlation, as well as large, converged basis sets. The Dirac–Coulomb–Breit Hamiltonian, which includes all terms up to second order in the fine-structure constant α, serves as the framework for the treatment; higher-order Lamb shift terms are considered in some selected cases. Electron correlation is treated by either the multiconfiguration self-consistent-field approach or by Fock-space coupled cluster theory. The latter is enhanced by the intermediate Hamiltonian scheme, allowing the use of larger model (P) spaces. The quality of the calculations is assessed by applying the same methods to lighter homologs of the SHEs and comparing with available experimental information. Very good agreement is obtained, within a few hundredths of an eV, and similar accuracy is expected for the SHEs. Many of the properties predicted for the SHEs differ significantly from what may be expected by straightforward extrapolation of lighter homologs, demonstrating that the structure and chemistry of SHEs are strongly affected by relativity. The major scientific challenge of the calculations is to find the electronic structure and basic atomic properties of the SHE and assign its proper place in the periodic table. Significant recent developments include joint experimental–computational studies of the excitation spectrum of Fm and the ionization energy of Lr, with excellent agreement of experiment and theory, auguring well for the future of research in the field.

From heavy nuclei to super-heavy nuclei; Des noyaux lourds aux super-lourds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theisen, Ch

2003-01-01

The existence of super-heavy nuclei has been predicted nearly fifty years ago. Due to the strong coulomb repulsion, the stabilisation of these nuclei is possible only through shell effects. The reasons for this fragile stability, as well as the theoretical predictions concerning the position of the island of stability are presented in the first part of this lecture. In the second part, experiments and experimental techniques which have been used to synthesize or search for super-heavy elements are described. Spectroscopic studies performed in very heavy elements are presented in the following section. We close this lecture with techniques that are currently being developed in order to reach the superheavy island and to study the structure of very-heavy nuclei. (author)

Structure of exotic nuclei and superheavy elements in meson field theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linn, Khin Nyan

2008-07-15

In this work the nuclear structure of exotic nuclei and superheavy nuclei is studied in a relativistic framework. In the relativistic mean-field (RMF) approximation, the nucleons interact with each other through the exchange of various effective mesons (scalar, vector, isovector-vector). Ground state properties of exotic nuclei and superheavy nuclei are studied in the RMF theory with the three different parameter sets (ChiM,NL3,NL-Z2). Axial deformation of nuclei within two drip lines are performed with the parameter set (ChiM). The position of drip lines are investigated with three different parameter sets (ChiM,NL3,NL-Z2) and compared with the experimental drip line nuclei. In addition, the structure of hypernuclei are studied and for a certain isotope, hyperon halo nucleus is predicted. (orig.)

Structure of exotic nuclei and superheavy elements in meson field theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Linn, Khin Nyan

2008-07-01

In this work the nuclear structure of exotic nuclei and superheavy nuclei is studied in a relativistic framework. In the relativistic mean-field (RMF) approximation, the nucleons interact with each other through the exchange of various effective mesons (scalar, vector, isovector-vector). Ground state properties of exotic nuclei and superheavy nuclei are studied in the RMF theory with the three different parameter sets (ChiM,NL3,NL-Z2). Axial deformation of nuclei within two drip lines are performed with the parameter set (ChiM). The position of drip lines are investigated with three different parameter sets (ChiM,NL3,NL-Z2) and compared with the experimental drip line nuclei. In addition, the structure of hypernuclei are studied and for a certain isotope, hyperon halo nucleus is predicted. (orig.)

Exotic decay modes of odd-Z (105-119) superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rajeswari, N.S. [Bharathiar University, Department of Physics, Coimbatore (India); Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women - University, Department of Physics, Coimbatore (India); Balasubramaniam, M. [Bharathiar University, Department of Physics, Coimbatore (India)

2014-06-15

Half-lives of proton emission for proton emitters with Z = 51 to 83 are calculated, in the frame-work of unified fission model with the penetrability calculated using the WKB approximation. For all the ground and isomeric state of the proton, the deformation degree of freedom is included. Calculated half-lives are in good agreement with the experimental ones. Experimentally for a few isotopes, proton and alpha branches are reported. Hence we have calculated the half-lives of alpha decay for these elements. For parent nuclei {sup 157}Ta, {sup 166}Ir, {sup 167}Ir, {sup 176}Tl and {sup 177}Tl, the alpha decay mode is preferred over the proton emission. Further, the calculations are extended to find half-lives of superheavy element with odd proton number in the range Z = 105 to 119, for both proton, alpha and for a few cluster decays. Calculations on superheavy elements reveal that cluster radioactivity has half-lives comparable with proton emissions. It is found that proton emission is the primary competing decay mode with respect to alpha decay for superheavy elements. Among considered clusters, {sup 12}C, {sup 20}Ne and {sup 24}Mg are found to have lowest half-lives among other N = Z clusters and for a few clusters the half-lives are found to be comparable with that of proton emission. (orig.)

Systematical calculations on the ground state properties of heavy and superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Z.Z.; Center of Theoretical Nuclear Physics, Lanzhou; Mao, Y.C.; Zhi, Q.J.; Xu, C.; Dong, T.K.

2007-01-01

The synthesis of superheavy elements is now a hot topic in nuclear physics. Alpha-decay and spontaneous fission are two main decay modes in heavy and superheavy regions. Theoretical studies on alpha radioactivity and spontaneous fission can provide useful information for experiments. We investigate the alpha-decay and spontaneous fission of heavy and superheavy nuclei with different models. This includes the alpha-decay energies, alpha decay half-lives, and half-lives of spontaneous fission. The theoretical alpha-decay half-lives are in good agreement with experimental ones. The calculated half-lives of spontaneous fission are in reasonable agreement with present data. The properties of unknown nuclei are predicted. (author)

α-decay chains and cluster-decays of superheavy 269-27110 nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sushil Kumar; Rajesh Kumar; Balasubramaniam, M.; Gupta, Raj K.

2001-01-01

Due to the availability of radioactive nuclear beams (RNB) and the advancement in accelerator technology, it is now possible to synthesize very heavy elements (Z> 100), called superheavy elements. It is a well established fact that these superheavy elements, due to their shorter lifetime, decay via successive alpha emissions and at a later stage undergo spontaneous fission. Several such decay chains are now observed. An attempt is made to fit all such known decay chains and the results of the three observed α-decay chains of Z=110 ( 269-271 10) nuclei are presented. The model used is the preformed cluster model (PCM). Also, an attempt is made for the first time to find the possibility of any branching to heavy-cluster emissions in these chains

Fission barriers of superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burvenich, T.

2001-01-01

Full text: Self consistent microscopic mean-field models are powerful tools for the description of nuclear structure phenomena in the region of known elements, where they have reached a good quality. Especially the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) method and the Relativistic Mean-Field (RMF) model will be considered in the discussion of the properties of these models. When it comes to extrapolation to the region of superheavy elements, though there is agreement concerning the global trends, these model exhibit significant differences in their predictions concerning fission barrier heights and structures. (Author)

A novel approach to the island of stability of super-heavy elements search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wieloch A.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available It is expected that the cross section for super-heavy nuclei production of Z > 118 is dropping into the region of tens of femto barns. This creates a serious limitation for the complete fusion technique that is used so far. Moreover, the available combinations of the neutron to proton ratio of stable projectiles and targets are quite limited and it can be difficult to reach the island of stability of super heavy elements using complete fusion reactions with stable projectiles. In this context, a new experimental investigation of mechanisms other than complete fusion of heavy nuclei and a novel experimental technique are invented for our search of super- and hyper-nuclei. This contribution is focused on that technique.

Hydration energies and specific influence of oxo complexes and high coordination numbers on the predicted chemistry of superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorgensen, C.K.; Penneman, R.A.

1975-01-01

On the basis of an analysis of the known ionization energies of gaseous ions and aqua ions of the 3d, 4f, and 6d transition groups and the radius effects, the chemistry of the superheavy elements is predicted. The formation of aqua ion and oxo complexes in the elements with Z below 121 is considered. It is probable that the series from 123 to 140 constitute a close analogy to the lanthanides with Th-like chemistry. Above Z = 140 the elements will probably displace a transition group behavior. A brief comment is made on the analytical aspects to be expected. (U.S.)

Isomeric States in the Second and Third Well of the Potential and Long-Lived Superheavy Element

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinov, A.; Gelberg, S.; Kolb, D.

1999-01-01

Recently, in a study of the 16 O + 197 Au and 28 Si + 181 Ta reactions near and below the Coulomb barrier, long-lived high spin isomeric states have been found by us in the second and third well of the potential-energy surfaces. Such isomeric states have very unusual physical properties. In addition to their very long lifetimes, much longer than of their corresponding ground states, they have very unusual decay properties. They may decay by 5 to 7 orders of magnitude enhanced alpha particles, in transitions from the second or third well of the potential in the parent nuclei to the respective well in the daughters, or by very retarded alpha particles, in transitions from the second well in the parent nucleus to normal states in the daughter, or from the third well in the parent to the second well in the daughter. They also may decay by long-lived proton activities, in transitions from the second well in the parent nucleus to the normal states in the daughter. Experimental evidences for all these new phenomena will be presented in the conference. The existence of long-lived isomeric states in the second and third well of the potential is very important when the production of superheavy elements is considered. Because of the very much reduced extra-push energy needed for their production, they may be produced much easier than the normal states, in reactions between very heavy nuclei. In particular, the discovery of the long-lived superheavy element with Z = 112 can consistently be understood

New approach to description of fusion-fission dynamics in super-heavy element formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zagrebaev, V.I.

2002-01-01

A new mechanism of the fusion-fission process for a heavy nuclear system is proposed, which takes place in the (A 1 , A 2 ) space, where A 1 and A 2 are two nuclei, surrounded by a certain number of shared nucleons ΔA. The nuclei A 1 and A 2 gradually lose (or acquire) their individualities with increasing (or decreasing) a number of collectivized nucleons ΔA. The driving potential in the (A 1 , A 2 ) space is derived, which allows the calculation of both the probability of the compound nucleus formation and the mass distribution of fission and quasi-fission fragments in heavy ion fusion reactions. The cross sections of super-heavy element formation in the 'hot' and 'cold' fusion reactions have been calculated up to Z CN =118. (author)

Stability and production of superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeller, P.; Los Alamos National Lab., NM; Nix, J.R.

1997-01-01

Beyond uranium heavy elements rapidly become increasingly unstable with respect to spontaneous fission as the proton number Z increases, because of the disruptive effect of the long-range Coulomb force. However, in the region just beyond Z = 100 magic proton and neutron numbers and the associated shell structure enhances nuclear stability sufficient to allow observation of additional nuclei. Some thirty years ago it was speculated that an island of spherical, relatively stable superheavy nuclei would exist near the next doubly magic proton-neutron combination beyond 208 Pb, that is, at proton number Z 114 and neutron number N = 184. Theory and experiment now show that there also exists a rock of stability in the vicinity of Z = 110 and N = 162 between the actinide region, which previously was the end of the peninsula of known elements, and the predicted island of spherical superheavy nuclei slightly southwest of the magic numbers Z = 114 and N = 184. The authors review here the stability properties of the heavy region of nuclei. Just as the decay properties of nuclei in the heavy region depend strongly on shell structure, this structure also dramatically affects the fusion entrance channel. The six most recently discovered new elements were all formed in cold-fusion reactions. They discuss here the effect of the doubly magic structure of the target in cold-fusion reactions on the fusion barrier and on dissipation

First prompt in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of a superheavy element: the 256Rf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubert, J; Dorvaux, O; Gall, B J P; Asfari, Z; Piot, J; Greenlees, P T; Grahn, T; Herzan, A; Jakobsson, U; Jones, P; Julin, R; Juutinen, S; Andersson, L L; Cox, D M; Herzberg, R-D; Asai, M; Dechery, F; Hauschild, K; Henning, G; Heßberger, F P

2013-01-01

Using state-of-the-art γ-ray spectroscopic techniques, the first rotational band of a superheavy element, extending up to a spin of 20 h, was discovered in the nucleus 256 Rf. To perform such an experiment at the limits of the present instrumentation, several developments were needed. The most important of these developments was of an intense isotopically enriched 50 Ti beam using the MIVOC method. The experimental set-up and subsequent analysis allowed the 256 Rf ground-state band to be revealed. The rotational properties of the band are discussed and compared with neighboring transfermium nuclei through the study of their moments of inertia. These data suggest that there is no evidence of a significant deformed shell gap at Z = 104.

Superheavy Elements and Beyond: - Supercritical Coulomb Field and Giant Quasiatoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greiner, Walter

2007-01-01

The status of theory of Superheavy Nuclei is reviewed. Based with the Two-Center Shell Model Potential Energy Surfaces are calculated. Fusion, fission, quasifission and other processes are discussed. I particular time-delay during the formation of giant quasi atoms/molecules will be crucial for observing the change of the Dirac vacuum in supercritical Coulomb fields by spontaneous positron emission. It will be shown how the various phenomena are interrelated

Half-life predictions for decay modes of superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duarte, S.B.; Tavares, O.A.P.; Goncalves, M.; Rodriguez, O.; Guzman, F.; Barbosa, T.N.; Garcia, F.; Dimarco, A.

2004-09-01

We applied the Effective Liquid Drop Model (ELDM) to predict the alpha-decay, cluster emission and cold fission half-life-values of nuclei in the region of Superheavy Elements (SHE). The present calculations have been made in the region of the ZN-plane defined by 155 <=N <=220 and 110<=Z<=135. Shell effects are included via the Q-value of the corresponding decay case. We report the results of a systematic calculation of the half-life for the three nuclear decay modes in a region of the ZN-plane where superheavy elements are expected to be found. Results have shown that, among the decay modes investigated here, the alpha decay is the dominant one. i.e, the decay mode of smallest half-lives. Half-life predictions for alpha decay, cluster emission and cold fission for the isotopic family of the most recent SHE detected of Z=115 and for the isotopic family of the already consolidated SHE of Z=111 are presented. (author)

Positron creation in superheavy quasi-molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, B.

1976-01-01

The review of positron creation in superheavy quasi-molecules includes spontaneous positron emission from superheavy atoms, supercritical quasi-molecules, background effects, and some implications of the new ground state. 66 references

Beyond darmstadtium -Status and perspectives of superheavy element research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ackermann, D.

2005-01-01

The search for superheavy elements has yielded exciting results for both the ''cold fusion'' approach with reactions employing Pb and Bi targets and the ''hot fusion'' reactions with 48 Ca beams on actinide targets. In recent years the accelerator laboratories in Berkeley, Dubna and Darmstadt have been joined by new players in the game in France with GANIL, Caen, and in Japan with RIKEN, Tokyo. The latter yielding very encouraging results for the reactions on Pb/Bi targets which confirmed the data obtained at GSI. Beyond the successful synthesis, interesting features of the structure of the very heavy nuclei like the hint for a possible K-isomer in 270 Ds or the population of states at a spin of up to 22ℎ in 254 No give a flavor of the exciting physics we can expect in the region at the very extreme upper right of the nuclear chart. To get a hand on it, a considerable increase in sensitivity is demanded from future experimental set-ups. High intensity stable beam accelerators, mass measurement in ion traps and mass spectrometers, as well as the possible employment of unstable neutron-rich projectile species, initially certainly only for systematic studies of reaction mechanism and nuclear structure features for lighter exotic neutron-rich isotopes, are some of the technological challenges which have been taken on. (orig.)

The extension of the Periodic System: superheavy - superneutronic

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greiner, W [Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, J.W.Goethe University (Germany); Zagrebaev, V [Flerov Laboratory for Nuclear Reactions, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna, Moscow Region (Russian Federation)

2009-12-31

Nuclear reactions leading to formation of new superheavy elements and isotopes are discussed. The scope and limitations of different nuclear reactions ('cold' and 'hot' synthesis, fusion of fission fragments, transfer reactions and reactions with radioactive ion beams) are analyzed, trying to find most promising reactions which may be used at available facilities.

Perspectives of production of superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamian, G. G.; Antonenko, N. V., E-mail: antonenk@theor.jinr.ru; Bezbakh, A. N.; Sargsyan, V. V. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, RU–141980 Dubna (Russian Federation); Scheid, W. [Institut für Theoretische Physik der Justus-Liebig-Universität, D–35392 Giessen (Germany)

2016-07-07

Possible ways of production of superheavies are discussed. Impact of nuclear structure on the production of superheavy nuclei in complete fusion reactions is discussed. The proton shell closure at Z = 120 is discussed.

Nuclear treasure island [superheavy nuclei

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva

1999-01-01

Summary form only given. Soon after the experiments at Dubna, which synthesized element 114 and made the first footprints on the beach of the "island of nuclear stability", two new superheavy elements have been discovered at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Element 118 and its immediate decay product, element 116, were manufactured at Berkeley's 88 inch cyclotron by fusing targets of lead-208 with an intense beam of 449 MeV krypton-86 ions. Although both new nuclei almost instantly decay into lighter ones, the decay sequence is consistent with theories that have long predicted the island of stability for nuclei with approximately 114 protons and 184 neutrons. Theorist Robert Smolanczuk, visiting from the Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies in Poland, had calculated that this reaction should have particularly favourable production rates. Now that this route has been signposted, similar reactions could be possible: new elements and isotopes, tests of nuclear stability and mass models, and a new under...

Exploration of (super-)heavy elements using the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erler, Jochen

2011-01-01

Motivated by the steadily increasing number of known nuclei and nuclear properties, theories of nuclear structure are presently a field of intense research. This work concentrates on the self-consistent description of nuclei in terms of the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) approach. The extrapolation of nuclear shell structure to the region of super-heavy elements (SHE) using the SHF model, the dependence on different parameterization and the influence of collective correlation will be studied. The general scope of this work are large scale calculation for a global survey of properties of SHE like binding energies, separation energies and decay characteristics and lifetimes. These calculations were done in a collaboration with the theory group of the GSI in Darmstadt and have the aim to develop a database of lifetimes and reaction rates for α, β-decay and spontaneous fission in a very wide range with proton numbers 86 ≤ Z ≤ 120 and neutron numbers up to N ∼ 260 relevant for the astrophysical r-process. The results of this study for example predictions of a possible islands of very stable nuclei and information of favored decay mode for each nuclei are also applicable in the recent experimental synthesis of exotic SHE. For these calculation a framework to calculate β-decay half-lives within the SHF model has been developed and the existing axial SHF code has been extended to compute β-transition matrix elements and so to provide an estimation of half-lives. (orig.)

Exploration of (super-)heavy elements using the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erler, Jochen

2011-01-31

Motivated by the steadily increasing number of known nuclei and nuclear properties, theories of nuclear structure are presently a field of intense research. This work concentrates on the self-consistent description of nuclei in terms of the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock (SHF) approach. The extrapolation of nuclear shell structure to the region of super-heavy elements (SHE) using the SHF model, the dependence on different parameterization and the influence of collective correlation will be studied. The general scope of this work are large scale calculation for a global survey of properties of SHE like binding energies, separation energies and decay characteristics and lifetimes. These calculations were done in a collaboration with the theory group of the GSI in Darmstadt and have the aim to develop a database of lifetimes and reaction rates for {alpha}, {beta}-decay and spontaneous fission in a very wide range with proton numbers 86 {<=} Z {<=} 120 and neutron numbers up to N {approx} 260 relevant for the astrophysical r-process. The results of this study for example predictions of a possible islands of very stable nuclei and information of favored decay mode for each nuclei are also applicable in the recent experimental synthesis of exotic SHE. For these calculation a framework to calculate {beta}-decay half-lives within the SHF model has been developed and the existing axial SHF code has been extended to compute {beta}-transition matrix elements and so to provide an estimation of half-lives. (orig.)

Fusion-fission probabilities, cross sections, and structure notes of superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowal, Michał; Cap, Tomasz; Jachimowicz, Piotr; Skalski, Janusz; Siwek-Wilczyńska, Krystyna; Wilczyński, Janusz

2016-01-01

Fusion – fission probabilities in the synthesis of heaviest elements are discussed in the context of the latest experimental reports. Cross sections for superheavy nuclei are evaluated using the “Fusion by Diffusion” (FBD) model. Predictive power of this approach is shown for experimentally known Lv and Og isotopes and predictions given for Z = 119, 120. Ground state and saddle point properties as masses, shell corrections, pairing energies, and deformations necessary for cross-section estimations are calculated systematically within the multidimensional microscopic-macroscopic method based on the deformed Woods-Saxon single-particle potential. In the frame of the FBD approach predictions for production of elements heavier than Z = 118 are not too optimistic. For this reason, and because of high instability of superheavy nuclei, we comment on some structure effects, connected with the K-isomerism phenomenon which could lead to a significant increase in the stability of these systems.

Problem of ''deformed'' superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobiczewski, A.; Patyk, Z.; Muntian, I.

2000-08-01

Problem of experimental confirmation of deformed shapes of superheavy nuclei situated in the neighbourhood of 270 Hs is discussed. Measurement of the energy E 2+ of the lowest 2+ state in even-even species of these nuclei is considered as a method for this confirmation. The energy is calculated in the cranking approximation for heavy and superheavy nuclei. The branching ratio p 2+ /p 0+ between α decay of a nucleus to this lowest 2+ state and to the ground state 0+ of its daughter is also calculated for these nuclei. The results indicate that a measurement of the energy E 2+ for some superheavy nuclei by electron or α spectroscopy is a promising method for the confirmation of their deformed shapes. (orig.)

New Fragment Separation Technology for Superheavy Element Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaughnessy, D A; Moody, K J; Henderson, R A; Kenneally, J M; Landrum, J H; Lougheed, R W; Patin, J B; Stoyer, M A; Stoyer, N J; Wild, J F; Wilk, P A

2008-01-01

This project consisted of three major research areas: (1) development of a solid Pu ceramic target for the MASHA separator, (2) chemical separation of nuclear decay products, and (3) production of new isotopes and elements through nuclear reactions. There have been 16 publications as a result of this project, and this collection of papers summarizes our accomplishments in each of the three areas of research listed above. The MASHA (Mass Analyzer for Super-Heavy Atoms) separator is being constructed at the U400 Cyclotron at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions in Dubna, Russia. The purpose of the separator is to physically separate the products from nuclear reactions based on their isotopic masses rather than their decay characteristics. The separator was designed to have a separation between isotopic masses of ±0.25 amu, which would enable the mass of element 114 isotopes to be measured with outstanding resolution, thereby confirming their discovery. In order to increase the production rate of element 114 nuclides produced via the 244 Pu+ 48 Ca reaction, a new target technology was required. Instead of a traditional thin actinide target, the MASHA separator required a thick, ceramic-based Pu target that was thick enough to increase element 114 production while still being porous enough to allow reaction products to migrate out of the target and travel through the separator to the detector array located at the back end. In collaboration with UNLV, we began work on development of the Pu target for MASHA. Using waste-form synthesis technology, we began by creating zirconia-based matrices that would form a ceramic with plutonium oxide. We used samarium oxide as a surrogate for Pu and created ceramics that had varying amounts of the starting materials in order to establish trends in material density and porosity. The results from this work are described in more detail in Refs. [1,4,10]. Unfortunately, work on MASHA was delayed in Russia because it was found that

Synthesis and decay process of superheavy nuclei with Z=119-122 via hot-fusion reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghahramany, N.; Ansari, A. [Shiraz University, Department of Physics and Biruni Observatory, College of Science, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-09-15

In this research article attempts have been made to calculate the superheavy-nuclei synthesis characteristics including, the potential energy parameters, fusion probability, fusion and evaporation residue (ER) cross sections as well as, decay properties of compound nucleus and the residue nuclei formation probability for elements with Z=119-122 by using the hot-fusion reactions. It is concluded that, although a selection of double magic projectiles such as {sup 48}Ca with high binding energy, simplifies the calculations significantly due to spherical symmetric shape of the projectile, resulting in high evaporation residue cross section, unfortunately, nuclei with Z > 98 do not exist in quantities sufficient for constructing targets for the hot-fusion reactions. Therefore, practically our selection is fusion reactions with titanium projectile because the mass production of target nuclei for experimental purposes is more feasible. Based upon our findings, it is necessary, for new superheavy-nuclei production with Z > 119, to use neutron-rich projectiles and target nuclei. Finally, the maximal evaporation residue cross sections for the synthesis of superheavy elements with Z=119-122 have been calculated and compared with the previously founded ones in the literature. (orig.)

The Peculiarities of the Production and Decay of Superheavy Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itkis, M. G.; Bogachev, A. A.; Itkis, I. M.; Jandel, M.; Kliman, J.; Knyazheva, G. N.; Kondratiev, N. A.; Kozulin, E. M.; Krupa, L.; Oganessian, Yu. Ts.; Pokrovsky, I. V.; Prokhorova, E. V.; Rusanov, A. Ya.; Sagaidak, R. N.; Beghini, S.; Montagnoli, G.; Scarlassara, F.; Behera, B. R.; Corradi, L.; Fioretto, E.

2006-01-01

The interest in the study of the fission process of superheavy nuclei mainly deals with the opportunity to obtain information about the cross-section of the compound nucleus (CN) formation at excitation energies E*≅15-30 MeV. It allows one to estimate the survival probability of the superheavy composite system after evaporation of 1-3 neutrons, i.e. in 'cold' or 'warm' fusion reactions. However, in order to solve this problem deeper understanding of the coalescence processes between colliding nuclei, the competition between fusion-fission and quasi-fission processes is needed. The characteristics of both processes, their manifestation in the experimental observables and the relative contribution to the capture cross-section in dependence on the excitation energies, reaction entrance channel etc were investigated for a wide range of target-projectile combinations. Results of the experiments devoted to the study of the fusion-fission and quasi-fission processes in the reactions of the formation of the superheavy nuclei with Z = 102-122 are presented. The heavy ions 26Mg, 48Ca, 50Ti, 58Fe and 64Ni were used as projectiles. The choice of the reactions with 48Ca and actinide-targets was inspired by the experiments on the production of the isotopes 283112, 289114 and 283116 in Dubna using the same reactions. The 50Ti, 58Fe and 64Ni projectiles were chosen since the corresponding projectile-target combinations lead to the synthesis of even heavier elements. The experiments were carried out at the U-400 accelerator of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (JINR, Russia) and the XTU Tandem accelerator of the National Laboratory of Legnaro (LNL, Italy) using the time-of-flight spectrometer of fission fragments CORSET. The role of the shell effects, the influence of the entrance channel asymmetry and the deformations of colliding nuclei on the mechanism of the fusion-fission and the competitive process of quasi-fission are discussed. The recent results on synthesis of

Gas phase chemical studies of superheavy elements using the Dubna gas-filled recoil separator - Stopping range determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wittwer, D.; Abdullin, F.Sh.; Aksenov, N.V.; Albin, Yu.V.; Bozhikov, G.A.; Dmitriev, S.N.; Dressler, R.; Eichler, R.; Gaeggeler, H.W.; Henderson, R.A.; Huebener, S.; Kenneally, J.M.; Lebedev, V.Ya.; Lobanov, Yu.V.; Moody, K.J.; Oganessian, Yu.Ts.; Petrushkin, O.V.; Polyakov, A.N.; Piguet, D.; Rasmussen, P.

2010-01-01

Currently, gas phase chemistry experiments with heaviest elements are usually performed with the gas-jet technique with the disadvantage that all reaction products are collected in a gas-filled thermalisation chamber adjacent to the target. The incorporation of a physical preseparation device between target and collection chamber opens up the perspective to perform new chemical studies. But this approach requires detailed knowledge of the stopping force (STF) of the heaviest elements in various materials. Measurements of the energy loss of mercury (Hg), radon (Rn), and nobelium (No) in Mylar and argon (Ar) were performed at low kinetic energies of around (40-270) keV per nucleon. The experimentally obtained values were compared with STF calculations of the commonly used program for calculating stopping and ranges of ions in matter (SRIM). Using the obtained data points an extrapolation of the STF up to element 114, eka-lead, in the same stopping media was carried out. These estimations were applied to design and to perform a first chemical experiment with a superheavy element behind a physical preseparator using the nuclear fusion reaction 244 Pu( 48 Ca; 3n) 289 114. One decay chain assigned to an atom of 285 112, the α-decay product of 289 114, was observed.

New elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flerov, G.

1976-01-01

The history is briefly described of the investigation of superheavy elements at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research at Dubna. The significance of the investigation is assessed from the point of view of the nuclear structure study and major problems encountered in experimental efforts are indicated. Current experimental methods aiming at the discovery or the production of superheavy nuclei with Z approximately 114 are listed. (I.W.)

A systematic study of superheavy nuclei for Z = 114 and beyond using the relativistic mean field approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patra, S.K.; Wu, Cheng-Li; Praharaj, C.R.; Gupta, Raj K.

1999-01-01

We have studied the structural properties of even-even, neutron deficient, Z=114-126, superheavy nuclei in the mass region A ∼ 270-320, using an axially deformed relativistic mean field model. The calculations are performed with three parameter sets (NL1, TM1 and NL-SH), in order to see the dependence of the structural properties on the force used. The calculated ground state shapes are found to be parameter dependent. For some parameter sets, many of the nuclei are degenerate in their ground state configuration. Special attention is given to the investigation of the magic structures (spherical shell closures) in the superheavy region. We find that some known magic numbers are absent and new closed shells are predicted. Large shell gaps appear at Z=80, 92, (114), 120 and 138, N=138, (164), (172), 184, (198), (228) and 258, irrespective of the parameter sets used. The numbers in parenthesis are those which correspond to relatively smaller gaps. The existence of new magic numbers in the valley of superheavy elements is discussed. It is suggested that nuclei around Z=114 and N = 164 ∼ 172 could be considered as candidates for the next search of superheavy nuclei. The existence of superheavy islands around Z=120 and N=172 or N 184 double shell closure is also discussed

Fission times studies of the Z=124 superheavy nucleus by X-ray fluorescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Airiau, Maud

2016-01-01

Since the 1960's nuclear structure model have predicted the existence of an island of stability of superheavy elements. It should be located around the next magic numbers expected at N=172 or 184 and between Z=114 and 126 depending on the model. Very high fission barrier of a few MeV are predicted to be generated by microscopic effects for those nuclei for which large fission times distributions extended to very high fission times are induced. Fission time measurements of the superheavy element Z=124 have been made by us using the X-ray fluorescence technique, a method based on the filling of inner-shell electronic vacancies created during the collision leading to the formation of the compound nucleus. The aim of this experiment was to detect in coincidence both fission fragments and characteristic X-rays from the Z=124, created by the reaction 238 U+ 70,76 Ge. The main difficulty was to identify those X-rays due to the fact that gamma-rays from fission fragments were emitted in the same energy range, which affected our photon multiplicities for any fragment selection. This new difficulty brings an important limitation to the study of some particular superheavy elements by the X-ray fluorescence method. K X-rays spectra have been simulated using MCDF (Multi-Configuration-Dirac-Fock) and then compared to the experimental ones in order to get a maximal K X-ray multiplicity compatible with our data. The extracted results were about 6-7% for 76 Ge and from 12 to 14% for 70 Ge. Those values remain compatible with the experimental signature of long lifetime component observed for the same system but using a blocking technique in single crystals. (author) [fr

Measurements of Plutonium isotopes and the search for super-heavy elements via AMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallner, A.; Steier, P.; Golser, R.; Knie, K.; Kutschera, W.; Priller, A.; Hrnecek, E.; Jakopic, R.; Korschinek, G.

2006-01-01

Full text: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) - being independent on the half-life of a radionuclide - provides a technique to determine isotope ratios with the highest sensitivity and allows the measurement of radionuclides over a wide dynamic range of concentration levels. A combination of AMS, Alpha Spectrometry and Liquid Scintillation Counting was used for the determination of the complete information on isotope ratios of Plutonium isotopes in different environmental reference samples (e.g. from the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa) and samples contaminated from nuclear reprocessing. Results for the isotopic ratios of the samples will be shown and the capabilities and detection limits achievable for determination of Pu will be discussed. The long-lived 244 Pu (t 1/2 = 80 Ma) and 247 Cm (t 1/2 = 15.6 Ma) have a very interesting application in astrophysics by detecting possible supernova-produced 244 Pu and 247 Cm in terrestrial archives. The expected extremely small concentrations of 244 Pu makes AMS the favorite method. The actual search for such long-lived extraterrestrial radionuclides and possible implications will be presented. The same method has also been explored for a pinprick-search of long-lived super-heavy elements in the mass region above Z=100. (author)

Superheavy nuclei: a relativistic mean field outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afanasjev, A.V.

2006-01-01

The analysis of quasi-particle spectra in the heaviest A∼250 nuclei with spectroscopic data provides an additional constraint for the choice of effective interaction for the description of superheavy nuclei. It strongly suggests that only the parametrizations which predict Z = 120 and N = 172 as shell closures are reliable for superheavy nuclei within the relativistic mean field theory. The influence of the central depression in the density distribution of spherical superheavy nuclei on the shell structure is studied. A large central depression produces large shell gaps at Z = 120 and N = 172. The shell gaps at Z = 126 and N = 184 are favoured by a flat density distribution in the central part of the nucleus. It is shown that approximate particle number projection (PNP) by means of the Lipkin-Nogami (LN) method removes pairing collapse seen at these gaps in the calculations without PNP

In-beam separation and mass determination of superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malyshev, O.N.; Eremin, A.V.; Popeko, A.G.

2003-01-01

Within the past fifteen years, the recoil separator VASSILISSA has been used for the investigations of evaporation residues produced in complete fusion reactions induced by heavy ions. The study of decay properties and formation cross sections of the isotopes of elements 110, 112 and 114 was performed using high intensity 48 Ca beams and 232 Th, 238 U, 242 Pu targets. For further experiments aimed at the synthesis of the superheavy element isotopes (Z≥110) with the use of intense 48 Ca extracted beams, improvements in the ion optical system of the separator and the focal plane detector system have been made. The results from the test reactions and new result for the isotope 283 112 are presented

On the prospects to detect superheavy elements (SHE) in the earth's crust using the high energy synchrotron radiation and the mass spectrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnier, C.

2001-01-01

There are many indications for the existence of superheavy elements (SHE) in the Earth's crust. The appropriate detection methods are X-ray fluorescence (XRF) using the high energy synchrotron radiation and the mass spectrometry. The characteristic X-rays of each element up to Z >120 (corresponding binding energy of the K-electrons E b >230 keV) can be precisely excited with synchrotron XRF. Up to now, the XRF with high energy photons has never been applied to the quest for SHE. New methods of mass spectrometry eg using resonance ionization (RIMS) are promising to detect unambiguously atomic masses about 300 in solid matrices. It is proposed to restart the quest for SHE in the nature. Finding a SHE in the Earth's crust would be very important, because of what it will tell us about the origin of the elements eg about the nucleosynthesis during a super nova explosion, the structure of the atomic nuclei and the site of SHE in the periodic table of elements. (orig.) [de

Structure of superheavy elements with Meson field theory and beyond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter Greiner

2005-01-01

The extension of the periodic system into various new areas is investigated. Experiments for the synthesis of superheavy elements and the predictions of magic numbers with modern meson field theories are reviewed. Furtheron, different channels of nuclear decay are discussed including cluster radioactivity, cold fission and cold multifragmentation. A perspective for future research is given. We also study the possibility of producing a new kind of nuclear system that in addition to ordinary nucleons contains a few antibaryons. The properties of such systems are described within the relativistic mean-field model by employing G-parity transformed interactions for antibaryons. Calculations are first done for infinite systems and then for finite nuclei from 4 He to 208 Pb. It is demonstrated that the presence of a real antibaryon leads to a strong rearrangement of a target nucleus, resulting in a significant increase of its binding energy and local compression. Noticeable effects remain even after the antibaryon coupling constants are reduced by a factor of 3-4 compared to G-parity motivated values. We have performed detailed calculations of the antibaryon annihilation rates in the nuclear environment by applying a kinetic approach. It is shown that owing to significant reduction of the reaction Q values, the in-medium annihilation rates should be strongly suppressed, leading to relatively long-lived antibaryon- nucleus systems. Multinucleon annihilation channels are analyzed too. We have also estimated formation probabilities of bound antibaryon-nucleus systems in antiproton- nucleus reactions and have found that their observation will be feasible at the future GSI antiproton facility. Several observable signatures are proposed. The possibility of producing cold multi-quark-antiquark clusters is discussed. This opens the possibility for cold compression of nuclear matter - in contrast to the creation of hot and dense nuclear matter in nuclear shock waves created in

Molecular reconstruction of extinct LINE-1 elements and their interaction with nonautonomous elements.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagstaff, Bradley J; Kroutter, Emily N; Derbes, Rebecca S; Belancio, Victoria P; Roy-Engel, Astrid M

2013-01-01

Non-long terminal repeat retroelements continue to impact the human genome through cis-activity of long interspersed element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) and trans-mobilization of Alu. Current activity is dominated by modern subfamilies of these elements, leaving behind an evolutionary graveyard of extinct Alu and L1 subfamilies. Because Alu is a nonautonomous element that relies on L1 to retrotranspose, there is the possibility that competition between these elements has driven selection and antagonistic coevolution between Alu and L1. Through analysis of synonymous versus nonsynonymous codon evolution across L1 subfamilies, we find that the C-terminal ORF2 cys domain experienced a dramatic increase in amino acid substitution rate in the transition from L1PA5 to L1PA4 subfamilies. This observation coincides with the previously reported rapid evolution of ORF1 during the same transition period. Ancestral Alu sequences have been previously reconstructed, as their short size and ubiquity have made it relatively easy to retrieve consensus sequences from the human genome. In contrast, creating constructs of extinct L1 copies is a more laborious task. Here, we report our efforts to recreate and evaluate the retrotransposition capabilities of two ancestral L1 elements, L1PA4 and L1PA8 that were active ~18 and ~40 Ma, respectively. Relative to the modern L1PA1 subfamily, we find that both elements are similarly active in a cell culture retrotransposition assay in HeLa, and both are able to efficiently trans-mobilize Alu elements from several subfamilies. Although we observe some variation in Alu subfamily retrotransposition efficiency, any coevolution that may have occurred between LINEs and SINEs is not evident from these data. Population dynamics and stochastic variation in the number of active source elements likely play an important role in individual LINE or SINE subfamily amplification. If coevolution also contributes to changing retrotransposition rates and the progression of

Status and prospect of super-heavy nuclei research at IMP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Hushan; Sun Zhiyu; Zhan Wenlong; Zhou Xiaohong; Huang Wenxue; Zhang Hongbin; Gan Zaiguo; Li Junqing; Ma Xinwen; Qin Zhi; Xiao Guoqing; Guo Zhongyan; Li Zhihui; Zhang Yuhu; Jin Genming; Huang Tianheng; Hu Zhengguo; Zhang Xueheng; Zheng Chuan; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

2006-01-01

The history and the international status of the super-heavy nuclei synthesis are briefly described. The related research work carried out at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) has been reviewed. The prospect of the super-heavy nuclei research at IMP has been introduced. (authors)

New semi-empirical formula for α-decay half-lives of the heavy and superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manjunatha, H.C. [Government College for Women, Department of Physics, Kolar, Karnataka (India); Sridhar, K.N. [Government First Grade College, Department of Physics, Kolar, Karnataka (India)

2017-07-15

We have succesfully formulated the semi-empirical formula for α-decay half-lives of heavy and superheavy nuclei for different isotopes of the wide atomic-number range 94 < Z < 136. We have considered 2627 isotopes of heavy and superheavy nuclei for the fitting. The value produced by the present formula is compared with that of experiments and other eleven models, i.e. ImSahu, Sahu, Royer10, VS2, UNIV2, SemFIS2, WKB. Sahu16, Densov, VSS and Royer formula. This formula is exclusively for heavy and superheavy nuclei. α-decay is one of the dominant decay mode of superheavy nucleus. By identifying the α-decay mode superheavy nuclei can be detected. This formula helps in predicting the α-decay chains of superheavy nuclei. (orig.)

Neutron activation analysis and the geochemistry of common and trace elements at extinction boundaries in the geological record

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Attrep, M. Jr.; Orth, C.J.; Quintana, L.R.

1994-01-01

The discovery of the iridium anomaly at the 65-Ma Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction boundary initiated numerous investigations, including the search for the coupling of these extinctions with other astronomical events. One hypothesis is that these periodic extinctions are coupled to terrestrial impacts from cyclic swarms of comets or asteroids. The studies have focused on elucidating the conditions and causes of extinction of life at these geological boundaries using elemental abundance patterns. The authors use instrumental neutron activation methods to determine whole-rock abundances for about 40 trace and common elements in thousands of samples. The platinum group elements (iridium, gold, platinum, and osmium) and nickel are measured by radiochemical activation analysis. The authors can measure iridium at levels down to 1 picogram/gram level

State of art in experimental studies and theory of superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zvara, I.

2002-01-01

Recent years have seen remarkable progress in synthesizing new, superheavy' elements (SHE). Researchers at Dubna reached the slopes of the expected 'island of stability' (around Z = 114 and N = 184) in a 'sea' of nuclides with very short partial half-lives against spontaneous fission and/or alpha decay. In long bombardments (weeks to months) of isotopes of U, Pu and Cm by very intense (3x10 12 s -1 ) beams of 48 Ca projectiles, they have discovered mostly alpha active isotopes of previously unknown elements 116 and 114, as well as of element 112, all with unusually long half-lives - up to minutes. Only physical methods have been used for isolation and identification of the produced new nuclei. These findings give an impetus to chemical studies. Feasibility of experiments critically depends on half-lives and production cross section. Lifetimes of the order of a second or more are necessary for some gas phase chemistry studies, but at least some 10 seconds for solution chemistry. The production rates of observable atoms might be higher in chemical studies, because chemists can make use of thicker targets, and achieve higher (chemical) yield and detection efficiency than in physical experiments. Work on chemical identification of the 3-min 283 112 is in progress at Dubna and planned in other laboratories. Being a homologue of Hg, element 112 must be even more volatile metal. Thanks to this, hopefully, its single atoms, will be easily separated from interfering activities simultaneously produced in the bombardment. Quantum (theoretical) chemistry studies aim at solving the problem of 'relativistic effects' in chemical properties of SHE; such effects increase with higher Z's. As the available calculational resources fast and steadily grow (unlike the beam time available at accelerators) one can hope that quantum chemists will once be able to advise the experimenters which kind of studies to do to obtain most important and interesting results. This is not yet possible

Toroidal Superheavy Nuclei in Skyrme-Hartree-Fock Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staszczak, A.; Wong, Cheuk-Yin

2009-01-01

Within the self-consistent constraint Skyrme-Hartree-Fock+BCS model (SHF+BCS), we found equilibrium toroidal nuclear density distributions in the region of superheavy elements. For nuclei with a sufficient oblate deformation (Q 20 < -200 b), it becomes energetically favorable to change the genus of nuclear surface from 0 to 1, i.e., to switch the shape from a biconcave disc to a torus. The energy of the toroidal (genus=1) SHF+BCS solution relative to the compact (genus=0) ground state energy is strongly dependent both on the atomic number Z and the mass number A. We discuss the region of Z and A where the toroidal SHF+BCS total energy begins to be a global minimum

Fusion-fission dynamics and synthesis of the superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Yasuhisa

2003-01-01

given by a product of the sticking and the formation probabilities. The former is that for the system to overcome the Coulomb barrier to stick each other, while the latter that for the system to overcome the conditional saddle to form the spherical shape. Residue cross sections for the superheavy elements are predicted by combining the survival probability which is calculated with the statistical theory of decay. Some examples will be presented on Z=110, 111, 112 and 113. (author)

Alpha-decay chains of superheavy nuclei 292-296118

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, U. K.; Kumawat, M.; Saxena, G.; Kaushik, M.; Jain, S. K.

2018-05-01

We have employed relativistic mean-field plus BCS (RMF+BCS) approach for the study of even-even superheavy nuclei with Z = 118 which is the last and recent observed element in the periodic chart so far. Our study includes binding energies, Qα values, alpha-decay half-lives and spontaneous decay half-lives along with comparison of available experimental data and the results of FRDM calculations. We find an excellent match with the only known decay chain of 294118 for Z = 118 so far and predict decay chain of 292118 and 296118 in consistency with known experimental decay chains and FRDM results. These results may provide a very helpful insight to conduct experiments for realizing the presence of nuclei with Z = 118.

A pilgrimage through superheavy valley

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

gap p, average neutron pairing gap n, two-nucleon separation energy S2q and shell .... study has appeared as a powerful tool to study the shapes and collective properties of nuclei ... and identify the magic proton and neutron numbers in the superheavy region. ... pairing gap indicates the close shell structure of the nucleus.

On the thermalization achieved in the reactions involving superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bansal, Rajni [Department of Physics, MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36A, Chandigarh-160036, India rajnibansal.pu@gmail.com (India)

2016-05-06

In the present study, we aim to explore the role of Coulomb potential on the thermalization achieved in the reactions involving superheavy nuclei. Particularly, we shall study the degree of the equilibrium attained in a reaction by the 3D density plots, anisotropy ratio as well as by the rapidity distribution of the nucleons. Our study reveals that the degree of the equilibrium attained in the central reactions of the superheavy nuclei remains unaffected by the Coulomb potential.

Transactinide elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hemingway, J.D.

1975-01-01

The review is covered in sections, entitled: predicted nuclear properties - including closed shells, decay characteristics; predicted chemical properties - including electronic structure and calculated properties, X-radiation, extrapolated chemical properties, separation chemistry; methods of synthesis; the natural occurrence of superheavy elements. (U.K.)

Bioessential element-depleted ocean following the euxinic maximum of the end-Permian mass extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Satoshi; Yamasaki, Shin-ichi; Ogawa, Yasumasa; Kimura, Kazuhiko; Kaiho, Kunio; Yoshida, Takeyoshi; Tsuchiya, Noriyoshi

2014-05-01

We describe variations in trace element compositions that occurred on the deep seafloor of palaeo-superocean Panthalassa during the end-Permian mass extinction based on samples of sedimentary rock from one of the most continuous Permian-Triassic boundary sections of the pelagic deep sea exposed in north-eastern Japan. Our measurements revealed low manganese (Mn) enrichment factor (normalised by the composition of the average upper continental crust) and high cerium anomaly values throughout the section, suggesting that a reducing condition already existed in the depositional environment in the Changhsingian (Late Permian). Other redox-sensitive trace-element (vanadium [V], chromium [Cr], molybdenum [Mo], and uranium [U]) enrichment factors provide a detailed redox history ranging from the upper Permian to the end of the Permian. A single V increase (representing the first reduction state of a two-step V reduction process) detected in uppermost Changhsingian chert beds suggests development into a mildly reducing deep-sea condition less than 1 million years before the end-Permian mass extinction. Subsequently, a more reducing condition, inferred from increases in Cr, V, and Mo, developed in overlying Changhsingian grey siliceous claystone beds. The most reducing sulphidic condition is recognised by the highest peaks of Mo and V (second reduction state) in the uppermost siliceous claystone and overlying lowermost black claystone beds, in accordance with the end-Permian mass extinction event. This significant increase in Mo in the upper Changhsingian led to a high Mo/U ratio, much larger than that of modern sulphidic ocean regions. This trend suggests that sulphidic water conditions developed both at the sediment-water interface and in the water column. Above the end-Permian mass extinction horizon, Mo, V and Cr decrease significantly. On this trend, we provide an interpretation of drawdown of these elements in seawater after the massive element precipitation event

Gravitational production of superheavy dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Daniel J. H.; Crotty, Patrick; Kolb, Edward W.; Riotto, Antonio

2001-01-01

The dark matter in the universe can be in the form of a superheavy matter species (wimpzilla). Several mechanisms have been proposed for the production of wimpzilla particles during or immediately following the inflationary epoch. Perhaps the most attractive mechanism is through gravitational particle production, where particles are produced simply as a result of the expansion of the universe. In this paper we present a detailed numerical calculation of wimpzilla gravitational production in hybrid-inflation models and natural-inflation models. Generalizing these findings, we also explore the dependence of the gravitational production mechanism on various models of inflation. We show that superheavy dark matter production seems to be robust, with Omega X h 2 ∼(M X /10 11 GeV) 2 (T RH /10 9 GeV), so long as M X I , where M X is the wimpzilla mass, T RH is the reheat temperature, and H I is the expansion rate of the universe during inflation

The chemistry of transactinide elements. Experimental achievements and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaedel, M.

2002-01-01

The chemistry of transactinides and superheavy elements has reached element 108. Preparations are under way to leap to element 112 and beyond. This development, its current status and future perspectives are reviewed from an experimental point of view. The atom-at-a-time situation of transactinide chemistry is briefly outlines. Experimental techniques and important results enlightening the chemical properties of elements 104 through 108 are presented in an exemplary way with emphasis on the aqueous chemistry of the lighter ones. From the results of these experiments it is justified to place these elements in the Periodic Table of the Elements into groups 4 through 8, respectively. However, strongly due to the influence of relativistic effects, it is no longer possible to deduce detailed chemical properties of these superheavy elements from this position. Perspectives for future research programs are given. (author)

Chemical identification and properties of element 112

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Yakushev, AB.; Zvára, Ivo; Oganessian, YT.; Belozerov, AV.; Dmitriev, S. N.; Eichler, B.; Hubener, S.; Sokol, EA.; Turler, A.; Yeremin, AV.; Buklanov, GV.; Chelnokov, ML.; Chepigin, VI.; Gorshkov, VA.; Gulyaev, AV.; Lebedev, VY.; Malyshev, ON.; Popeko, AG.; Soverna, S.; Szeglowski, Z.; Timokhin, SN.; Tretyakova, SP.; Vasko, VM.; Itkis, MG.

2003-01-01

Roč. 91, č. 8 (2003), s. 433-439 ISSN 0033-8230 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1048901 Keywords : element 112 * superheavy elements * transactinoids Subject RIV: CH - Nuclear ; Quantum Chemistry Impact factor: 0.940, year: 2003

Collective motion in hot superheavy nuclei

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tveter, TS; Gaardhoje, JJ; Maj, A; Ramsoy, T; Atac, A; Bacelar, J; Bracco, A; Buda, A; Camera, F; Herskind, B; Korten, W; Krolas, W; Menthe, A; Million, B; Nifenecker, H; Pignanelli, M; Pinston, JA; vanderPloeg, H; Schussler, F; Sletten, G

1996-01-01

The superheavy nucleus (272)(108)Hs and its evaporation daughters have been produced using the reaction Th-232(Ar-40,gamma xn) with beam energies 10.5 and 15.0 MeV/A. The Giant Dipole Resonance gamma-radiation from the hot conglomerate system prior to fission has been isolated using a differential

Elemental conservation units: communicating extinction risk without dictating targets for protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Chris C; Gross, Mart R

2008-02-01

Conservation biologists mostly agree on the need to identify and protect biodiversity below the species level but have not yet resolved the best approach. We addressed 2 issues relevant to this debate. First, we distinguished between the abstract goal of preserving the maximum amount of unique biodiversity and the pragmatic goal of minimizing the loss of ecological goods and services given that further loss of biodiversity seems inevitable. Second, we distinguished between the scientific task of assessing extinction risk and the normative task of choosing targets for protection. We propose that scientific advice on extinction risk be given at the smallest meaningful scale: the elemental conservation unit (ECU). An ECU is a demographically isolated population whose probability of extinction over the time scale of interest (say 100 years) is not substantially affected by natural immigration from other populations. Within this time frame, the loss of an ECU would be irreversible without human intervention. Society's decision to protect an ECU ought to reflect human values that have social, economic, and political dimensions. Scientists can best inform this decision by providing advice about the probability that an ECU will be lost and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of that loss in a form that can be integrated into landscape planning. The ECU approach provides maximum flexibility to decision makers and ensures that the scientific task of assessing extinction risk informs, but remains distinct from, the normative social challenge of setting conservation targets.

Structural and decay properties of Z = 132, 138 superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rather, Asloob A.; Ikram, M.; Usmani, A.A. [Aligarh Muslim University, Department of Physics, Aligarh (India); Kumar, Bharat; Patra, S.K. [Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar (India); Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, Anushakti Nagar (India)

2016-12-15

In this paper, we analyze the structural properties of Z = 132 and Z = 138 superheavy nuclei within the ambit of axially deformed relativistic mean-field framework with NL3* parametrization and calculate the total binding energies, radii, quadrupole deformation parameter, separation energies, density distributions. We also investigate the phenomenon of shape coexistence by performing the calculations for prolate, oblate and spherical configurations. For clear presentation of nucleon distributions, the two-dimensional contour representation of individual nucleon density and total matter density has been made. Further, a competition between possible decay modes such as α-decay, β-decay and spontaneous fission of the isotopic chain of superheavy nuclei with Z = 132 within the range 312 ≤ A ≤ 392 and 318 ≤ A ≤ 398 for Z = 138 is systematically analyzed within self-consistent relativistic mean-field model. From our analysis, we inferred that the α-decay and spontaneous fission are the principal modes of decay in majority of the isotopes of superheavy nuclei under investigation apart from β-decay as dominant mode of decay in {sup 318-322}138 isotopes. (orig.)

New elements. [Translated from Vestnik Akademii Nauk SSSR, 6 (1974)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flerov, G

1976-04-01

The history is briefly described of the investigation of superheavy elements at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research at Dubna. The significance of the investigation is assessed from the point of view of the nuclear structure study and major problems encountered in experimental efforts are indicated. Current experimental methods aiming at the discovery or the production of superheavy nuclei with Z approximately 114 are listed.

Elemental abundance anomalies in the late Cenomanian extinction interval: a search for the source(s)

Science.gov (United States)

Orth, C.J.; Attrep, M.; Quintana, L.R.; Elder, W.P.; Kauffman, E.G.; Diner, R.; Villamil, T.

1993-01-01

Elemental abundances have been measured by neutron activation methods across the Cenomanian-Turonian (late Cretaceous) extinction interval in samples collected from sixteen sites in the Western Interior Basin of North America and from twelve widely separated locations around the globe, including six ODP/DSDP sites. In most Western Interior Basin sites, in Colombia, and in western Europe (weaker), two closely spaced elemental abundance peaks occur in the upper Cenomanian (??? 92 m.y.), spanning the ammonite zones of Sciponoceras gracile through Neocardioceras juddii. Elements with anomalously high concentrations include Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Ir, Pt and Au. The lower peak coincides with the disappearance (extinction) of the foraminifer Rotalipora cushmani. In North American sections R. greenhornensis also disappears at or just below this horizon, but in Europe it disappears considerably earlier than R. cushmani. A series of molluscan extinction and speciation or migration events also begins near the stratigraphic level of the lower elemental abundance peak. The well-documented positive ?? 13C excursion begins just before the extinctions and the elemental anomalies, and continues into the lower Turonian, well above the upper anomaly. This carbon isotope excursion has been observed in East European sections where we find little or no evidence of the elemental anomalies, suggesting that the two phenomena may not be tightly coupled. Elemental abundance ratios in the anomalies closely resemble those of Mid-Atlantic Ridge basalt or Hawaiian lava (tholeiitic), but not those of C1 chondrite, black shale, average crustal rocks, or lamproite and kimberlite of roughly similar age in southeastern Kansas. The excess Ir and other siderophiles hint at possible large-body impact(s) for the source. However, we have not located microspherules (other than biogenic calcispheres) or shocked mineral grains in any of our samples. Furthermore, Sc, Ti, V and Mn are not enriched in

On-line mass separator of superheavy atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oganesyan, Yu.Ts.

2002-01-01

The concept is presented of an on-line Mass Analyzer of SuperHeavy Atoms (MASHA) dedicated to the separation and determination of the mass and decay properties of new elements and isotopes produced in heavy-ion induced reactions. The new nuclides with half-lives T 1/2 ≥ 1 s are transported to an ECR-source working at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and are separated by mass with a mass resolution of M/ΔM ∼ 1500. In the focal plane of the magnetic analyzer a front strip detector surrounded by side detectors will be placed to determine the mass according to the signals from the detected α-particles or fission fragments with efficiency of about 90 %. In comparison to other existing in-flight recoil separators, the present setup will be characterized by higher efficiency and high selectivity relative to background reaction products. The setup MASHA may be used also in the investigation of nuclear reactions of different type induced by stable and radioactive beams

On-Line Mass Separator of Superheavy Atoms

CERN Document Server

Oganessian, Yu T

2002-01-01

The concept is presented of an on-line Mass Analyzer of SuperHeavy Atoms (MASHA) dedicated to the separation and determination of the mass and decay properties of new elements and isotopes produced in heavy-ion induced reactions. The new nuclides with half-lives T_{1/2}\\ge 1 s are transported to an ECR-source working at a frequency of 2.45 GHz and are separated by mass with a mass resolution of M/\\Delta M\\sim 1500. In the focal plane of the magnetic analyzer a front strip detector surrounded by side detectors will be placed to determine the mass according to the signals from the detected alpha-particles or fission fragments with efficiency of about 90 %. In comparison to other existing in-flight recoil separators, the present setup will be characterized by higher efficiency and high selectivity relative to background reaction products. The setup MASHA may be used also in the investigation of nuclear reactions of different type induced by stable and radioactive beams.

Fusion-fission of superheavy nuclei at low excitation energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itkis, M.G.; Oganesyan, Yu.Ts.; Kozulin, E.M.

2000-01-01

The process of fusion-fission of superheavy nuclei with Z = 102 -122 formed in the reactions with 22 Ne, 26 Mg, 48 Ca, 58 Fe and 86 Kr ions at energies near and below the Coulomb barrier has been studied. The experiments were carried out at the U-400 accelerator of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (JINR) using a time-of-flight spectrometer of fission fragments CORSET and a neutron multi-detector DEMON. As a result of the experiments, mass and energy distributions of fission fragments, fission and quasi-fission cross sections, multiplicities of neutrons and gamma-rays and their dependence on the mechanism of formation and decay of compound superheavy systems have been studied

The transuranium elements: From neptunium and plutonium to element 112

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, D.C.

1996-01-01

Beginning in the 1930's, both chemists and physicists became interested in synthesizing new artificial elements. The first transuranium element, Np, was synthesized in 1940. Over the past six decades, 20 transuranium elements have been produced. A review of the synthesis is given. The procedure of naming the heavy elements is also discussed. It appears feasible to produce elements 113 and 114. With the Berkeley Gas-filled Separator, it should be possible to reach the superheavy elements in the region of the spherical Z=114 shell, but with fewer neutrons than the N=184 spherical shell. 57 refs, 6 figs

Influence of fragment deformation and orientation on compact configuration of odd-Z superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurjit Kaur; Sandhu, Kirandeep; Sharma, Manoj K.

2016-01-01

The synthesis of heavy and superheavy nuclei is generally carried out by using hot and cold fusion reaction mechanisms. It has been noticed that, the cold fusion reactions occur at relatively low excitation energies (E*_C_N ∼ 10-20 MeV) whereas, the hot fusion reactions occur at excitation energies of E*_C_N ∼ 30- 50 MeV. The fusion mechanism is quite different in both the processes. In the cold fusion process, the interaction of spherical targets (Pb and Bi) with deformed light mass projectiles occurs. On the other hand, the fusion of deformed actinide targets with spherical "4"8Ca projectile characterize the hot interaction processes. Hence the deformations and orientations of targets and projectiles play extremely important role in the superheavy fusion process. The present analysis is carried out to aggrandize the work of which illustrate the role of deformations and orientations on even superheavy nuclei. Here, we extend this analysis for odd superheavy nuclei. It is relevant to note that the temperature and angular momentum effects are not included in the present analysis

Super-heavy dark matter – Towards predictive scenarios from inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kannike, Kristjan [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Rävala 10, 10143 Tallinn (Estonia); Racioppi, Antonio, E-mail: antonio.racioppi@kbfi.ee [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Rävala 10, 10143 Tallinn (Estonia); Raidal, Martti [National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Rävala 10, 10143 Tallinn (Estonia); Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu (Estonia)

2017-05-15

A generic prediction of the Coleman–Weinberg inflation is the existence of a heavy particle sector whose interactions with the inflaton, the lightest state in this sector, generate the inflaton potential at loop level. For typical interactions the heavy sector may contain stable states whose relic abundance is generated at the end of inflation by the gravity alone. This general feature, and the absence of any particle physics signal of dark matter so far, motivates us to look for new directions in the dark sector physics, including scenarios in which dark matter is super-heavy. In this article we study the possibility that the dark matter is even heavier than the inflaton, its existence follows from the inflaton dynamics, and its abundance today is naturally determined by the weakness of gravitational interaction. This implies that the super-heavy dark matter scenarios can be tested via the measurements of inflationary parameters and/or the CMB isocurvature perturbations and non-Gaussianities. We explicitly work out details of three Coleman–Weinberg inflation scenarios, study the systematics of super-heavy dark matter production in those cases, and compute which parts of the parameter spaces can be probed by the future CMB measurements.

Decay of heavy and superheavy nuclei

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

April 2014 physics pp. 705–715. Decay of heavy and superheavy nuclei ... study on the feasibility of observing α decay chains from the isotopes of the ... studies on 284−286115 and 288−292117 will be a guide to future experiments. .... ratio of the α decay from the ground state of the parent nucleus to the level i of the.

Super-heavy dark matter – Towards predictive scenarios from inflation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristjan Kannike

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A generic prediction of the Coleman–Weinberg inflation is the existence of a heavy particle sector whose interactions with the inflaton, the lightest state in this sector, generate the inflaton potential at loop level. For typical interactions the heavy sector may contain stable states whose relic abundance is generated at the end of inflation by the gravity alone. This general feature, and the absence of any particle physics signal of dark matter so far, motivates us to look for new directions in the dark sector physics, including scenarios in which dark matter is super-heavy. In this article we study the possibility that the dark matter is even heavier than the inflaton, its existence follows from the inflaton dynamics, and its abundance today is naturally determined by the weakness of gravitational interaction. This implies that the super-heavy dark matter scenarios can be tested via the measurements of inflationary parameters and/or the CMB isocurvature perturbations and non-Gaussianities. We explicitly work out details of three Coleman–Weinberg inflation scenarios, study the systematics of super-heavy dark matter production in those cases, and compute which parts of the parameter spaces can be probed by the future CMB measurements.

Superheavy nuclei – cold synthesis and structure

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

120 and Ж = 172 or 184, for superheavy nuclei. This result is discussed in ... 1980 [7] on the basis of the QMFT, once again prior to its observation in 1984. Thus, cold ... On the other hand, based on a rather complete deformed relativistic mean field (DRMF) calculation, using the NL1 parameter set, we [16] predicted. = 120.

Synthesis of superheavy elements by cold fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, S [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung Gmbh (Germany)

2009-12-31

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond {sup 208}Pb is at the proton number Z=114, 120, or 126 and at the neutron number N=172 or 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical 'Super Heavy Elements' (SHEs). Using cold fusion reactions which are based on lead and bismuth targets, the new elements from 107 to 112 were synthesized at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. Some of these results were confirmed at RIKEN in Wako, Japan, where also a relatively neutron-deficient isotope of element 113 was synthesized. In hot fusion reactions of {sup 48}Ca projectiles with actinide targets, a more neutron-rich isotope of element 112 and the new elements from 113 to 116 and even 118 were produced at FLNR in Dubna, Russia. Recently, part of these hot fusion data, which represent the first identification of nuclei located on the predicted island of SHEs, were confirmed in two independent experiments. The decay data reveal that for the heaviest elements, the dominant decay mode is alpha emission rather than fission. The decay properties as well as reaction cross-sections are compared with results of theoretical studies.

Superheavy nuclei in the relativistic mean-field theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalazissis, G.A.; Ring, P.; Gambhir, Y.K.

1996-01-01

We have carried out a study of superheavy nuclei in the framework of the relativistic mean-field theory. Relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (RHB) calculations have been performed for nuclei with large proton and neutron numbers. A finite-range pairing force of Gogny type has been used in the RHB calculations. The ground-state properties of very heavy nuclei with atomic numbers Z=100-114 and neutron numbers N=154-190 have been obtained. The results show that in addition to N=184 the neutron numbers N=160 and N=166 exhibit an extra stability as compared to their neighbors. For the case of protons the atomic number Z=106 is shown to demonstrate a closed-shell behavior in the region of well deformed nuclei about N=160. The proton number Z=114 also indicates a shell closure. Indications for a doubly magic character at Z=106 and N=160 are observed. Implications of shell closures on a possible synthesis of superheavy nuclei are discussed. (orig.)

Remarks on the fission barriers of super-heavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, S. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany); Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Institut fuer Physik, Frankfurt (Germany); Heinz, S.; Mann, R.; Maurer, J.; Muenzenberg, G.; Barth, W.; Dahl, L.; Kindler, B.; Kojouharov, I.; Lang, R.; Lommel, B.; Runke, J.; Scheidenberger, C.; Tinschert, K. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt (Germany); Antalic, S. [Comenius University, Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Bratislava (Slovakia); Eberhardt, K.; Thoerle-Pospiech, P.; Trautmann, N. [Johannes Gutenberg-Universitaet Mainz, Mainz (Germany); Grzywacz, R. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Hamilton, J.H. [Vanderbilt University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Nashville, TN (United States); Henderson, R.A.; Kenneally, J.M.; Moody, K.J.; Shaughnessy, D.A.; Stoyer, M.A. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Miernik, K. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); University of Warsaw, Warsaw (Poland); Miller, D. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Morita, K. [RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, Wako, Saitama (Japan); Nishio, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Popeko, A.G.; Yeremin, A.V. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Roberto, J.B.; Rykaczewski, K.P. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Uusitalo, J. [University of Jyvaeskylae, Department of Physics, Jyvaeskylae (Finland)

2016-04-15

Shell-correction energies of super-heavy nuclei are approximated by using Q{sub α} values of measured decay chains. Five decay chains were analyzed, which start at the isotopes {sup 285}Fl, {sup 294}118, {sup 291}Lv, {sup 292}Lv and {sup 293}Lv. The data are compared with predictions of macroscopic-microscopic models. Fission barriers are estimated that can be used to eliminate uncertainties in partial fission half-lives and in calculations of evaporation-residue cross-sections. In that calculations, fission probability of the compound nucleus is a major factor contributing to the total cross-section. The data also provide constraints on the cross-sections of capture and quasi-fission in the entrance channel of the fusion reaction. Arguments are presented that fusion reactions for synthesis of isotopes of elements 118 and 120 may have higher cross-sections than assumed so far. (orig.)

First attempt to chemically identify element 112

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Yakushev, AB.; Buklanov, GV.; Chelnokov, ML.; Chepigin, VI.; Dmitriev, S. N.; Gorshkov, VA.; Hubener, S.; Malyshev, ON.; Oganessian, YT.; Popeko, AG.; Sokol, EA.; Timokhin, SN.; Turler, A.; Vasko, VM.; Yeremin, AV.; Zvára, Ivo

2001-01-01

Roč. 89, 11/12 (2001), s. 743-745 ISSN 0033-8230 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1048901 Keywords : superheavy elements * actionoid * transactinoids Subject RIV: CH - Nuclear ; Quantum Chemistry Impact factor: 0.660, year: 2001

Salam-Weinberg symmetry breaking with superheavy Higgs particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misra, S.P.

1986-09-01

We discuss here the possibility of the breaking of the Salam-Weinberg symmetry by Higgs particles which are superheavy. The symmetry-breaking is associated with a nonzero vacuum expectation value of fermion condensates. This mechanism, if operative in nature, will imply the absence of Higgs particles at the weak scale. (author)

Observation of superheavy primary cosmic ray nuclei with solid state track detectors and x-ray films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doke, Tadayoshi; Hayashi, Takayoshi; Ito, Kensai; Yanagimachi, Tomoki; Kobayashi, Shigeru.

1977-01-01

The measurements of energy spectra and the nuclear charge distribution of superheavy nuclei heavier than iron in primary cosmic ray can provide information on the origin, propagation and life time of the cosmic ray. Since incident particles are in the region of relativistic velocity (the low energy cosmic ray below the cutoff energy is forbidden from entering), the charges of cosmic ray nuclei can be determined without knowing the energy of particles. The balloon-borne solid state track detector and plastic and X-ray films were employed for the detection of superheavy cosmic ray, and the five events were detected with the cellulose nitrate film. The flux of superheavy nuclei is predicted from the present analysis. (Yoshimori, M.)

On the problem of synthesis of superheavy nuclei. A short historical review on first theoretical predictions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalinkin, B.N.; Gareev, F.A.

1999-01-01

It is shown that it is just Dubna that possesses the priority both in the recent synthesis of a superheavy nucleus with charge Z=114 (Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, JINR) and in its theoretical prediction (Bogolyubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, JINR) made 33 years ago. Possible sizes of the 'island of stability' of superheavy nuclei are discussed

Dynamics of light, intermediate, heavy and superheavy nuclear ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2014-05-01

May 1, 2014 ... Various features related to the dynamics of competing decay modes of nuclear systems are explored by addressing the experimental data of a number of reactions in light, intermediate, heavy and superheavy mass regions. The DCM, being a non-statistical description for the decay of a com- pound nucleus ...

Moving mesh finite element method for finite time extinction of distributed parameter systems with positive exponential feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnadi, A.D.

1997-01-01

In the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback, non-global existence of solution is not always exist. For some positive initial values, there exist finite time T such that the solution goes to infinity, i.e. finite time extinction or blow-up. Here is present a numerical solution using Moving Mesh Finite Element to solve the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback close to blow-up time. The numerical behavior of the mesh close to the time of extinction is the prime interest in this study

Fission properties of superheavy nuclei for r -process calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Giuliani, Samuel A.; Martínez-Pinedo, Gabriel; Robledo, Luis M.

2018-03-01

We computed a new set of static fission properties suited for r -process calculations. The potential energy surfaces and collective inertias of 3640 nuclei in the superheavy region are obtained from self-consistent mean-field calculations using the Barcelona-Catania-Paris-Madrid energy density functional. The fission path is computed as a function of the quadrupole moment by minimizing the potential energy and exploring octupole and hexadecapole deformations. The spontaneous fission lifetimes are evaluated employing different schemes for the collective inertias and vibrational energy corrections. This allows us to explore the sensitivity of the lifetimes to those quantities together with the collective ground-state energy along the superheavy landscape. We computed neutron-induced stellar reaction rates relevant for r -process nucleosynthesis using the Hauser-Feshbach statistical approach and study the impact of collective inertias. The competition between different reaction channels including neutron-induced rates, spontaneous fission, and α decay is discussed for typical r -process conditions.

Q-value effects in the synthesis of superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graeger, Reimar

2010-01-01

Superheavy elements (Z>or similar 104) only exist due to nuclear shell effects, which stabilize them against spontaneous fission (SF). Theoretical calculations predict these shell stabilization effects to reach a maximum at the closures of the next spherical proton and neutron shells, which are anticipated in the region between Z=114 and Z=126 and at N=184. More recent calculations, that also consider deformed nuclear shapes extended this picture and predicted deformed shell closures at Z=108 and at N=162, creating a region of enhanced stability around 270 Hs, confirmed in recent Hs chemistry experiments by measuring the decay of 270 Hs for the first time. Recently, the formation of deformed doubly-magic 270 Hs in the 4n evaporation channel in the fusion reactions 248 Cm( 26 Mg,4n), 244 Pu( 30 Si,4n), 238 U( 36 S,4n), and 226 Ra( 48 Ca,4n) was studied theoretically using a two-parameter Smoluchowski equation. Simple entrance channel arguments make compound nucleus (CN) formation appear favorable for systems with larger mass asymmetry. However, due to a lower reaction Q value, the reactions 238 U( 36 S,4n) 270 Hs and 226 Ra( 48 Ca,4n) 270 Hs are predicted to have higher cross sections compared to the reactions 248 Cm( 26 Mg,4n) 270 Hs and 244 Pu( 30 Si,4n) 270 Hs. The aim of the research done in the framework of this thesis was to study the influence of the reaction (B-Q)-value on the yield of SHE produced in nuclear fusion reactions. Therefore the most promising reactions 36 S+ 238 U and 48 Ca+ 226 Ra have been investigated and compared with the already measured reaction 26 Mg+ 248 Cm. The reaction 36 S+ 238 U was investigated at two beam energies. One correlated decay chain attributed to 270 Hs was found at E * =51 MeV resulting in a cross section of 0.8 -0.7 +2.6 pb. The reaction 48 Ca+ 226 Ra was investigated at three beam energies. Six correlated decay chains attributed to 270 Hs were detected at E * =40 MeV corresponding to a cross section of 8.3 -3.7 +6.7 pb

Critical angular momentum dependence of the fission barriers and the stability of superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magda, M.T.; Sandulescu, A.

1978-10-01

Measured complete fusion and evaporation cross section data are used to determine the critical angular momenta for which the fission barriers are vanishing in the region of nuclei with Z = 102 - 116. It is shown that, in order to fit these data, larger values of the critical angular momenta are obtained for superheavy nuclei (Z = 110 - 112) than for heavy ones (Z = 102 - 107), which indicates a relatively higher stability against fission for superheavy nuclei, in agreement with the theoretically predicted island of stability. (author)

Gold–superheavy-element interaction in diatomics and cluster adducts: A combined four-component Dirac-Kohn-Sham/charge-displacement study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rampino, Sergio, E-mail: srampino@thch.unipg.it; Belpassi, Leonardo, E-mail: leonardo.belpassi@cnr.it [Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, 06123 Perugia (Italy); Storchi, Loriano [Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi “G. D’Annunzio,” Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti (Italy)

2015-07-14

The chemistry of superheavy elements (Z ≥ 104) is actively investigated in atom-at-a-time experiments of volatility through adsorption on gold surfaces. In this context, common guidelines for interpretation based on group trends in the periodic table should be used cautiously, because relativistic effects play a central role and may cause predictions to fall short. In this paper, we present an all-electron four-component Dirac-Kohn-Sham comparative study of the interaction of gold with Cn (Z = 112), Fl (Z = 114), and Uuo (Z = 118) versus their lighter homologues of the 6th period, Hg, Pb, and Rn plus the noble gas Xe. Calculations were carried out for Au–E (E = Hg, Cn, Pb, Fl, Xe, Rn, Uuo), Au{sub 7}– and Au{sub 20}–E (E = Hg, Cn, Pb, Fl, Rn) complexes, where Au{sub 7} (planar) and Au{sub 20} (pyramidal) are experimentally determined clusters having structures of increasing complexity. Results are analysed both in terms of the energetics of the complexes and of the electron charge rearrangement accompanying their formation. In line with the available experimental data, Cn and more markedly Fl are found to be less reactive than their lighter homologues. On the contrary, Uuo is found to be more reactive than Rn and Xe. Cn forms the weakest bond with the gold atom, compared to Fl and Uuo. The reactivity of Fl decreases with increasing gold-fragment size more rapidly than that of Cn and, as a consequence, the order of the reactivity of these two elements is inverted upon reaching the Au{sub 20}-cluster adduct. Density difference maps between adducts and fragments reveal similarities in the behaviour of Cn and Xe, and in that of Uuo and the more reactive species Hg and Pb. These findings are given a quantitative ground via charge-displacement analysis.

French contribution to the super-heavy nuclei discovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nifenecker, H.; Asghar, M.

1999-01-01

The research on super-heavy nuclei is a science in full operation for which the Berkeley physicist give proof of perseverance. The author wonders about the french absence in this domain. He recalls the strategical decisions concerning the research programs of the period and gives outline of the future with the interest of the ECR (Electronic Cyclotron Resonance) sources. (A.L.B.)

Microstructure Evolution and Surface Cracking Behavior of Superheavy Forgings during Hot Forging

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Zhenhua Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, superheavy forgings that are manufactured from 600 t grade ingots have been applied in the latest generation of nuclear power plants to provide good safety. However, component production is pushing the limits of the current free-forging industry. Large initial grain sizes and a low strain rate are the main factors that contribute to the deformation of superheavy forgings during forging. In this study, 18Mn18Cr0.6N steel with a coarse grain structure was selected as a model material. Hot compression and hot tension tests were conducted at a strain rate of 10−4·s−1. The essential nucleation mechanism of the dynamic recrystallization involved low-angle grain boundary formation and subgrain rotation, which was independent of the original high-angle grain boundary bulging and the presence of twins. Twins were formed during the growth of dynamic recrystallization grains. The grain refinement was not obvious at 1150°C. A lowering of the deformation temperature to 1050°C resulted in a fine grain structure; however, the stress increased significantly. Crack-propagation paths included high-angle grain boundaries, twin boundaries, and the insides of grains, in that order. For superheavy forging, the ingot should have a larger height and a smaller diameter.

Superheavy nuclei and quasi-atoms produced in collisions of transuranium ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zagrebaev, V.; Oganessian, Y.; Itkis, M.; Greiner, W.

2005-01-01

For near-barrier collisions of heavy nuclei it is very important to perform a combined (unified) analysis of all strongly coupled channels: deep-inelastic scattering, quasi-fission, fusion and regular fission. This ambitious goal has now become possible within our new approach. The standard (most important) degrees of freedom are used and a unified potential energy surface is derived determining evolution of the nuclear system in all the channels. This potential has also appropriate values of the Coulomb barriers in the entrance channel and proper values of the fission barriers in the exit one. A unified set of dynamic Langevin type equations is proposed for the simultaneous description of DI and fusion-fission processes including nucleon transfer at all reaction stages. For the first time, the whole evolution of the heavy nuclear system can be traced starting from the approaching stage and ending in DI, QF, and/or fusion-fission channels. The calculated mass, charge, energy and angular distributions of the reaction products agree well with available experimental data. Satisfactory agreement of the first calculations with experiments gives us hope not only to obtain rather accurate predictions for the probabilities of superheavy element formation in near-barrier fusion reactions but also to clarify much better than before the mechanisms of quasi-fission and fusion-fission processes. Also the determination of such fundamental characteristics of nuclear dynamics as the nuclear viscosity and the nucleon transfer rate is now possible. Low energy collisions of very heavy nuclei ( 238 U+ 238 U, 232 Th+ 250 Cf and 238 U + 248 Cm) have been studied within the proposed dynamical model. The multidimensional potential energy surfaces of such systems are rather complicated due to the shell effects and dynamic deformations, even if there is no distinct potential pocket. We found that at low near barrier collision energies these very heavy nuclei, after touching their surfaces

Fission dynamics of superheavy nuclei formed in uranium induced reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurjit Kaur; Sandhu, Kirandeep; Sharma, Manoj K.

2017-01-01

The compound nuclear system follows symmetric fission if the competing processes such as quasi-elastic, deep inelastic, quasi-fission etc are absent. The contribution of quasi fission events towards the fusion-fission mechanism depends on the entrance channel asymmetry of reaction partners, deformations and orientations of colliding nuclei beside the dependence on energy and angular momentum. Usually the 209 Bi and 208 Pb targets are opted for the production of superheavy nuclei with Z CN =104-113. The nuclei in same mass/charge range can also be synthesized using actinide targets + light projectiles (i.e. asymmetric reaction partners) via hot fusion interactions. These actinide targets are prolate deformed which prefer the compact configurations at above barrier energies, indicating the occurrence of symmetric fission events. Here an attempt is made to address the dynamics of light superheavy system (Z CN =104-106), formed via hot fusion interactions involving actinide targets

Decay properties of {sup 256-339}Ds superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santhosh, K.P.; Nithya, C. [Kannur University, School of Pure and Applied Physics, Payyanur, Kerala (India)

2017-09-15

The decay properties of 84 isotopes of darmstadtium superheavy nuclei (Z = 110) have been studied using various theoretical models. The proton emission half-lives, the alpha decay half-lives, the spontaneous fission half-lives and the cluster decay half-lives of all the isotopes are evaluated. The one-proton emission half-lives and the alpha decay half-lives are predicted using the Coulomb and proximity potential model for deformed nuclei (CPPMDN). The calculated alpha half-lives are compared with the available experimental results as well as with the predictions of other theoretical models. The predicted half-lives matches well with the experimental results. The one-proton half-lives are also compared with the predictions using other formalisms. The shell-effect-dependent formula of Santhosh et al. has been employed for calculating the spontaneous fission half-lives. A theoretical comparison of spontaneous fission half-lives with four different formalisms is performed. By comparing the one-proton emission half-lives, the alpha decay half-lives and the spontaneous fission half-lives decay modes are predicted for all the isotopes of Ds. It is seen that the isotopes within the range 256 ≤ A ≤ 263 and 279 ≤ A ≤ 339 decay through spontaneous fission and the isotopes 264 ≤ A ≤ 278 exhibit alpha decay. Cluster decay half-lives are calculated using different models including the Coulomb and proximity potential (CPPM), for determining the magicities in the superheavy region. The effect of magicity at N = 184 and N = 202 were confirmed from the plot of log{sub 10}T{sub 1/2} versus neutron number of the daughter nuclei for the emission of different clusters. We hope that the systematic and detailed study of all the possible decay modes of {sup 256-339}Ds using various theoretical models will be helpful in the experimental identification of the isotopes of the element in the future. (orig.)

Development of a novel heavy element chemistry apparatus using the RIKEN gas-field recoil separator as a pre-separator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haba, H.; Morita, K.; Enomoto, S.; Morimoto, K.; Kaji, D.; Nagame, Yuichiro

2004-01-01

A new system was developed, that supplied the super-heavy element separated physically as the former steps to the chemical analysis devices such as a gas or liquid chromatographs. The gas jet transportation device was newly set up on the edge of existing accelerator research facilities in the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research linac building (GARIS). To conduct the chemical separation experiment of a super-heavy element of 112 in future a radioactive isotope of mercury of light homology elements was manufactured with a gas jet uniting type online multi-tracer manufacturing device. The adsorption chromatograph experiment to the gold was performed using this system. (H. Katsuta)

On the Necessity of Using Element No.155 in the Chemical Physical Calculations: Again on the Upper Limit in the Periodic Table of Elements

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Khazan A.

2010-10-01

Full Text Available It is shown how the properties of different elements of the Periodic System of Elements can be obtained using the properties of the theoretically predicted heaviest element No.155 (it draws the upper principal limit of the Table, behind which stable elements cannot exist. It is suggested how the properties of element No.155 can be used in the synthesis of superheavy elements. An analysis of nuclear reactions is also produced on the same basis.

Elements beyond uranium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seaborg, G.T.; Loveland, W.D.

1990-01-01

This book is the 12th volume in a series on transuranium elements. Varied techniques for production of these elements, the methods used in the identification, and the exquisitely refined microchemical techniques required to deal wth samples sometimes involving only a few atoms are described in detail. The chapter on synthesis of the new elements is liberally laced with reminiscences of the proud progenitors as well as the criteria for the discovery of a new chemical element. The authors lament that the superheavy elements (elements in the region of atomic number 114) still elude detection even though their creation should be possible, and some, at least, should survive long enough to be detected. One chapter in the book is devoted to practical applictions of uranium, and the transuranic elements

Discovery of element 112

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofmann, S. [GSI, Darmstadt (Germany)

1996-12-31

The new elements 110, 111, and 112 were synthesized and unambiguously identified in experiments at SHIP. Due to strong shell effects the dominant decay mode is not fission, but emission of alpha particles. Theoretical investigations predict that maximum shell effects should exist in nuclei near proton number 114 and neutron number 184. Measurements give hope that isotopes of element 114 close to the island of spherical Superheavy Elements could be produced by fusion reactions using {sup 118}Pb as target. systematic studies of the reaction cross-sections indicate that transfer of nucleons is the important process to initiate the fusion.

Extinction probabilities and stationary distributions of mobile genetic elements in prokaryotes: The birth-death-diversification model.

Science.gov (United States)

Drakos, Nicole E; Wahl, Lindi M

2015-12-01

Theoretical approaches are essential to our understanding of the complex dynamics of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) within genomes. Recently, the birth-death-diversification model was developed to describe the dynamics of mobile promoters (MPs), a particular class of MGEs in prokaryotes. A unique feature of this model is that genetic diversification of elements was included. To explore the implications of diversification on the longterm fate of MGE lineages, in this contribution we analyze the extinction probabilities, extinction times and equilibrium solutions of the birth-death-diversification model. We find that diversification increases both the survival and growth rate of MGE families, but the strength of this effect depends on the rate of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). We also find that the distribution of MGE families per genome is not necessarily monotonically decreasing, as observed for MPs, but may have a peak in the distribution that is related to the HGT rate. For MPs specifically, we find that new families have a high extinction probability, and predict that the number of MPs is increasing, albeit at a very slow rate. Additionally, we develop an extension of the birth-death-diversification model which allows MGEs in different regions of the genome, for example coding and non-coding, to be described by different rates. This extension may offer a potential explanation as to why the majority of MPs are located in non-promoter regions of the genome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The mass (charge) spectrum of superheavy nuclei fission fragments: the new perspectives for the theory of nucleosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maslyuk, V.T.

2012-01-01

A new approach to the problem of nucleosynthesis based on assumption of a nuclear matter or superheavy nuclei series fragmentation up to atomic nuclei is proposed. It is shown that studies of the mass (charge) fragments yields (MCFY) after nuclear matter disintegration is possible within proposed statistical theory. The data of MCFY calculation for exotic superheavy nuclei multifragmentation with A=300, 900 and 1200 and arbitrary Z values are demonstrated

Superheavy-element spectroscopy: Correlations along element 115 decay chains

Science.gov (United States)

Rudolph, D.; Forsberg, U.; Sarmiento, L. G.; Golubev, P.; Fahlander, C.

2016-05-01

Following a brief summary of the region of the heaviest atomic nuclei yet created in the laboratory, data on more than hundred α-decay chains associated with the production of element 115 are combined to investigate time and energy correlations along the observed decay chains. Several of these are analysed using a new method for statistical assessments of lifetimes in sets of decay chains.

The synthesis and decay properties of the heaviest elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oganesyan, Yu.Ts.

2000-01-01

The synthesis and the study of radioactive properties of new elements is considered with respect to the existence of the 'islands of stability' of hypothetical superheavy elements predicted by the theory more than 35 years ago. Experimental data demonstrating an enhanced stability of nuclei in the vicinity of deformed shells with Z=108 and N=162 is discussed from the point of view of advent into more heavy and much more stable nuclides near the predicted spherical shells Z=114-122 and N=184 following after the doubly magic nucleus 208 Pb. The author presents the results of experiments on the synthesis of isotopes of elements 114 and 116 in the fusion reactions with 48 Ca. In these reactions the decay chains of heavy atoms consisting of sequential α-decays interrupted by spontaneous fission have been observed. The decay energies and probabilities are compared with predictions of different theoretical models describing the structure of heavy nuclei. The obtained results are considered as the first experimental evidence of the existence of domains of stability of superheavy nuclei which substantially extends the boundaries of existence of chemical elements

The currency and tempo of extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Regan, H M; Lupia, R; Drinnan, A N; Burgman, M A

2001-01-01

This study examines estimates of extinction rates for the current purported biotic crisis and from the fossil record. Studies that compare current and geological extinctions sometimes use metrics that confound different sources of error and reflect different features of extinction processes. The per taxon extinction rate is a standard measure in paleontology that avoids some of the pitfalls of alternative approaches. Extinction rates reported in the conservation literature are rarely accompanied by measures of uncertainty, despite many elements of the calculations being subject to considerable error. We quantify some of the most important sources of uncertainty and carry them through the arithmetic of extinction rate calculations using fuzzy numbers. The results emphasize that estimates of current and future rates rely heavily on assumptions about the tempo of extinction and on extrapolations among taxa. Available data are unlikely to be useful in measuring magnitudes or trends in current extinction rates.

Physics of superheavy dark matter in supergravity

Science.gov (United States)

Addazi, Andrea; Marciano, Antonino; Ketov, Sergei V.; Khlopov, Maxim Yu.

New trends in inflationary model building and dark matter production in supergravity are considered. Starobinsky inflation is embedded into 𝒩 = 1 supergravity, avoiding instability problems, when the inflaton belongs to a vector superfield associated with a U(1) gauge symmetry, instead of a chiral superfield. This gauge symmetry can be spontaneously broken by the super-Higgs mechanism resulting in a massive vector supermultiplet including the (real scalar) inflaton field. Both supersymmetry (SUSY) and the R-symmetry can also be spontaneously broken by the Polonyi mechanism at high scales close to the inflationary scale. In this case, Polonyi particles and gravitinos become superheavy, and can be copiously produced during inflation by the Schwinger mechanism sourced by the universe expansion. The Polonyi mass slightly exceeds twice the gravitino mass, so that Polonyi particles are unstable and decay into gravitinos. Considering the mechanisms of superheavy gravitino production, we find that the right amount of cold dark matter composed of gravitinos can be achieved. In our scenario, the parameter space of the inflaton potential is directly related to the dark matter one, providing a new unifying framework of inflation and dark matter genesis. A multi-superfield extension of the supergravity framework with a single (inflaton) superfield can result in a formation of primordial nonlinear structures like mini- and stellar-mass black holes, primordial nongaussianity, and the running spectral index of density fluctuations. This framework can be embedded into the SUSY GUTs inspired by heterotic string compactifications on Calabi-Yau three-folds, thus unifying particle physics with quantum gravity.

How far are we on the way to the superheavy nuclei?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muenzenberg, G.

1989-10-01

The discovery of the elements 107, 108, and 109 in a region of dominating shell stabilization is the most important step on the way to the superheavy nuclei in recent years. These experiments leading to the presently upper end of the periodic table were possible with the velocity filter SHIP to separate the heavy nuclei produced in complete fusion reactions of heavy ions. The identification of the unknown nuclei was established by α-α mother-daughter correlation of the nuclei decaying after the implantation into position sensitive surface-barrier detectors. With this method it is possible to identify even single nuclei of unknown isotopes unambiguously. The limits of sensitivity are production cross-sections of a few picobarns and about 2 μs of nuclear lifetime. With this method the elements 107, 108, and 109 were observed for the first time by their α-decay and identified unambiguously. For element 107 the isotopes with masses 261 and 262, for the element 108 the isotopes with masses 264 and 265, and for element 109 the isotope with mass 266 were found. The halflives range from 0.1 ms to 0.1 s. The highly fissile transactinide nuclei were produced in cold fusion of heavy ions using 207,208 Pb and 209 Bi targets, respectively, and 50 Ti, 54 Cr, or 58 Fe beams. The evaluation of the excitation functions for the production of very heavy evaporation residues shows a strong decrease above 25 MeV excitation energy caused by a destruction of the groundstate shell effects at high excitation energies. The strong competition of barrier transmission and survival probability results in rather narrow excitation functions and small production cross sections. The maximum cross section is observed close to the Coulomb barrier and corresponding to projectile energies near 5 MeV/u. (orig.) [de

My journey to the superheavy island with Szymanski, Nilsson, Nix, and Swiatecki from Lysekil to the present

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, Peter

2010-01-01

We discuss the great theoretical insights on nuclear stability that emerged in the late 1960s, especially the realization that observable nuclei might include a superheavy island 20+ protons beyond uranium with 92 protons. However, we now realize that the early models were not sufficiently quantitative to yield definite conclusions. Further groundwork for such models was laid in the 1970s. Around 1980 more quantitative, global and universal models appeared and together with experimental advances the mapping of the superheavy island, or as it turns out now, continent started in earnest. We review these early developments and conclude with some examples of our current insights. In particular, 1) some theoretical models do have predictive capabilities for nuclear properties such as ground-state masses, shapes, and half-lives 10 or more neutrons and protons away from previously known regions and 2) the superheavy island may be a continent connected to the actinides by a narrow land bridge; the continent itself may extend from about proton number Z = 110 to Z = 120 or slightly beyond. (author)

Swimming back from the superheavy island

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Draculis, G.

1999-01-01

What's next in the series 108, 109, 110, 111, 112?The answer a couple of years ago looked like being not much. But major ripples are spreading in the Nuclear Physics community as news of the recent discoveries of the Superheavy element Z=118 and its daughters Z=116 and Z=114 was announced by a Berkeley group led by Victor Ninov [1]. Several pieces of news about Z=114 from studies at Dubna promoted by Yuri Oganessian [2,3] were circulating at about the same time.The 'not much' answer was because increasingly heroic efforts seemed to be needed to produce and identify each heavier element in the series. The problem is that such nuclei, if they exist in a stable or quasi-stable form are prone to fission, and so are any nuclei one might conceive as making to provide a path to one's nucleus of choice. The favoured reaction process used to make them is heavy-ion fusion which involves bombarding target nuclei of 208 PB (proton number Z=82), 238 U (Z=92) or even 244 Pu (Z=94) with medium weight (and relatively neutron-rich) beams such as 48 Ca (Z=20) and 86 Kr (Z=36) nuclei, accelerated to energies near or just above the Coulomb barrier, with the hope of the two nuclei overlapping and combining because of the highly attractive (strong) nuclear force. The catch is that putting sufficient energy in to get the nuclei together leaves the compound nucleus with excitation energy and spin, which dramatically increase its probability to fission, and therefore not survive further. As you go lower in beam energy, the probability for the initial fusion drops precipitously since the nuclei have to tunnel through a potential barrier caused by the repulsive Coulomb force between the nuclear charges, in order to make contact. Somewhere between the dramatically falling probability for fusion and steeply increasing probability for fission might be a window of production and survival

Studies on the synthesis of isotopes of superheavy element Lv (Z = 116)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santhosh, K.P.; Safoora, V. [Kannur University, School of Pure and Applied Physics, Payyanur (India)

2017-11-15

The probable projectile-target combinations for the synthesis of superheavy nucleus {sup 296}Lv found in the cold valley of {sup 296}Lv have been identified by studying the interaction barrier of the colliding nuclei, probability of compound nucleus formation, P{sub CN}, and survival probability W{sub sur}. At energies near and above the Coulomb barrier, the capture, fusion and evaporation residue (ER) cross sections for the probable combinations for the hot and cold fusion reactions are systematically investigated. By considering intensities of the projectile beams, availabilities of the targets and half lives of the colliding nuclei, the combination {sup 48}Ca + {sup 248}Cm is found to be the most probable projectile-target pair for the synthesis of {sup 296}Lv. The calculated maximum value of 2n, 3n, 4n and 5n channel cross section for the reaction {sup 48}Ca + {sup 248}Cm are 0.599 pb, 5.957 pb, 4.805 pb, and 0.065 pb, respectively. Moreover, the production cross sections for the synthesis of isotopes {sup 291-295,298}Lv using {sup 48}Ca projectile on {sup 243-247,250}Cm targets are calculated. Among these reactions, the reactions {sup 48}Ca + {sup 247}Cm → {sup 295}Lv and {sup 48}Ca + {sup 250}Cm → {sup 298}Lv have maximum production cross section in 3n (10.697 pb) and 4n (12.006 pb) channel, respectively. Our studies on the SHE Lv using the combinations {sup 48}Ca + {sup 245}Cm → {sup 293}Lv and {sup 48}Ca + {sup 248}Cm → {sup 296}Lv are compared with available experimental data and with other theoretical studies. Our studies are in agreement with experimental data and we hope that these studies will be a guide for the future experiments to synthesize the isotopes of Lv. (orig.)

The synthesis of superheavy nuclei in the 48Ca + 244Pu reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oganesyan, Yu.Ts.; Utenkov, V.K.; Lobanov, Yu.V.

1999-01-01

In the bombardment of a 244 Pu target with 48 Ca ions, we observed a decay sequence consisting of an implanted heavy atom, three subsequent α-decays, and a spontaneous fission, all correlated in time and position. The measured α-energies and corresponding time intervals were: E α = 9.71 MeV (Δt = 30.4 s), 8.67 MeV (Δt = 15.4 min) and 8.83 MeV (Δt = 1.6 min); for the spontaneous fission (Δt = 16.5 min) the total deposited energy was approximately 190 MeV. The large alpha-particle energies together with the long decay times and spontaneous fission terminating the chain offer evidence of the decay of nuclei with high atomic numbers. This decay chain is a good candidate for originating from the α-decay of the parent nucleus 289 114, produced in the 3n-evaporation channel with a cross section of about 1 pb. The significant increase in the lifetimes of the new Z = 112 and 110 daughters of the Z = 114 nuclide (by a factor of ∼ 10 6 ) with respect to the known heaviest isotopes of elements 112 and 110 can be considered as a direct proof of the existence of the 'island of stability' of superheavy elements

On the synthesis of new elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, S.

2003-01-01

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond 208 Pb is at a proton number between Z=114 and 126 and at a neutron number N=172 or 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical 'Superheavy Elements'. This article describes the experiments that were performed recently at the GSI SHIP. They resulted in an unambiguous identification of elements 110 to 112. They were negative so far in searching for elements 113, 116, and 118. The measured decay data are compared with theoretical predictions. Some aspects concerning the reaction mechanism are also presented. (orig.)

Era of superheavy-particle dominance and big bang nucleosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polnarev, A.G.; Khlopov, M.Y.

1982-01-01

The observed primordial He/sup 4/ abundance imposes astrophysical constraints on the possible departures from radiation dominance in the big bang universe during the neutron hardening era (at epoch t roughly-equal1 sec). Limits are obtained which, along with the data on the spectrum of the cosmic background radiation, practically rule out any stages of superheavy stable-particle dominance in the era 1< or approx. =t<10/sup 10/ sec, thereby setting restrictions on current elementary-particle theories.

Alpha Decay of Even-Even Superheavy Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oudih, M.R.; Hamza, Y.; Fellah, M.; Allal, N.H.; Fellah, M.; Allal, N.H.

2011-01-01

Alpha decay properties of even-even superheavy nuclei with 112.Z.120 have been investigated using the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approach. The method is based on the SkP Skyrme interaction and the Lipkin-Nogami prescription for treating the pairing correlations. The alpha decay energies are extracted from the binding energies and then used for the calculation of the decay half-lives using a formula similar to that of Viola-Seaborg. The parameters of the formula were obtained through a least square fit to even-even heavy nuclei taken from the tables of Audi- Wapstra and some more recent references. The results are compared with other theoretical evaluations.

Actinide collisions for QED and superheavy elements with the time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory and the Balian-Vénéroni variational principle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kedziora David J.

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Collisions of actinide nuclei form, during very short times of few zs (10−21 s, the heaviest ensembles of interacting nucleons available on Earth. Such collisions are used to produce super-strong electric fields by the huge number of interacting protons to test spontaneous positron-electron pair emission (vacuum decay predicted by the quantum electrodynamics (QED theory. Multi-nucleon transfer in actinide collisions could also be used as an alternative way to fusion in order to produce neutron-rich heavy and superheavy elements thanks to inverse quasifission mechanisms. Actinide collisions are studied in a dynamical quantum microscopic approach. The three-dimensional time-dependent Hartree-Fock (TDHF code tdhf3d is used with a full Skyrme energy density functional to investigate the time evolution of expectation values of one-body operators, such as fragment position and particle number. This code is also used to compute the dispersion of the particle numbers (e.g., widths of fragment mass and charge distributions from TDHF transfer probabilities, on the one hand, and using the BalianVeneroni variational principle, on the other hand. A first application to test QED is discussed. Collision times in 238U+238U are computed to determine the optimum energy for the observation of the vacuum decay. It is shown that the initial orientation strongly affects the collision times and reaction mechanism. The highest collision times predicted by TDHF in this reaction are of the order of ~ 4 zs at a center of mass energy of 1200 MeV. According to modern calculations based on the Dirac equation, the collision times at Ecm > 1 GeV are sufficient to allow spontaneous electron-positron pair emission from QED vacuum decay, in case of bare uranium ion collision. A second application of actinide collisions to produce neutron-rich transfermiums is discussed. A new inverse quasifission mechanism associated to a specific orientation of the nuclei is proposed to

Selection-driven extinction dynamics for group II introns in Enterobacteriales.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sébastien Leclercq

Full Text Available Transposable elements (TEs are one of the major driving forces of genome evolution, raising the question of the long-term dynamics underlying their evolutionary success. Some TEs were proposed to evolve under a pattern of periodic extinctions-recolonizations, in which elements recurrently invade and quickly proliferate within their host genomes, then start to disappear until total extinction. Depending on the model, TE extinction is assumed to be driven by purifying selection against colonized host genomes (Sel-DE model or by saturation of host genomes (Sat-DE model. Bacterial group II introns are suspected to follow an extinction-recolonization model of evolution, but whether they follow Sel-DE or Sat-DE dynamics is not known. Our analysis of almost 200 group II intron copies from 90 sequenced Enterobacteriales genomes confirms their extinction-recolonization dynamics: patchy element distributions among genera and even among strains within genera, acquisition of new group II introns through plasmids or other mobile genetic elements, and evidence for recent proliferations in some genomes. Distributions of recent and past proliferations and of their respective homing sites further provide strong support for the Sel-DE model, suggesting that group II introns are deleterious to their hosts. Overall, our observations emphasize the critical impact of host properties on TE dynamics.

Is IR going extinct?

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Audra

2016-01-01

A global extinction crisis may threaten the survival of most existing life forms. Influential discourses of ‘existential risk’ suggest that human extinction is a real possibility, while several decades of evidence from conservation biology suggests that the Earth may be entering a ‘sixth mass extinction event’. These conditions threaten the possibilities of survival and security that are central to most branches of International Relations. However, this discipline lacks a framework for addressing (mass) extinction. From notions of ‘nuclear winter’ and ‘omnicide’ to contemporary discourses on catastrophe, International Relations thinking has treated extinction as a superlative of death. This is a profound category mistake: extinction needs to be understood not in the ontic terms of life and death, but rather in the ontological context of be(com)ing and negation. Drawing on the work of theorists of the ‘inhuman’ such as Quentin Meillassoux, Claire Colebrook, Ray Brassier, Jean-Francois Lyotard and Nigel Clark, this article provides a pathway for thinking beyond existing horizons of survival and imagines a profound transformation of International Relations. Specifically, it outlines a mode of cosmopolitics that responds to the element of the inhuman and the forces of extinction. Rather than capitulating to narratives of tragedy, this cosmopolitics would make it possible to think beyond the restrictions of existing norms of ‘humanity’ to embrace an ethics of gratitude and to welcome the possibility of new worlds, even in the face of finitude.

Stability of superheavy nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Pomorski, K.; Nerlo-Pomorska, B.; Bartel, J.; Schmitt, C.

2018-03-01

The potential-energy surfaces of an extended set of heavy and superheavy even-even nuclei with 92 ≤Z ≤126 and isospins 40 ≤N -Z ≤74 are evaluated within the recently developed Fourier shape parametrization. Ground-state and decay properties are studied for 324 different even-even isotopes in a four-dimensional deformation space, defined by nonaxiality, quadrupole, octupole, and hexadecapole degrees of freedom. Nuclear deformation energies are evaluated in the framework of the macroscopic-microscopic approach, with the Lublin-Strasbourg drop model and a Yukawa-folded mean-field potential. The evolution of the ground-state equilibrium shape (and possible isomeric, metastable states) is studied as a function of Z and N . α -decay Q values and half-lives, as well as fission-barrier heights, are deduced. In order to understand the transition from asymmetric to symmetric fission along the Fm isotopic chain, the properties of all identified fission paths are investigated. Good agreement is found with experimental data wherever available. New interesting features about the population of different fission modes for nuclei beyond Fm are predicted.

Transfer reaction studies in the region of heavy and superheavy nuclei at SHIP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heinz, S; Comas, V; Hofmann, S; Ackermann, D; Heredia, J; Hessberger, F P; Khuyagbaatar, J; Kindler, B; Lommel, B; Mann, R, E-mail: s.heinz@gsi.de [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany)

2011-02-01

We studied multi-nucleon transfer reactions in the region of heavy and superheavy nuclei. The goal was to investigate these reactions as possibility to create new superheavy neutron-rich isotopes, which cannot be produced in fusion reactions. The experiments have been performed at the velocity filter SHIP at GSI. At SHIP we can detect and identify the heavy, target-like, transfer products. Due to the low background at the focal plane detector and the isotope identification via radioactive decays, the setup allows to reach an upper cross-section limit of 10 pb/sr within one day of beamtime. We investigated the systems {sup 58,64}Ni + {sup 207}Pb and {sup 48}Ca + {sup 248}Cm at beam energies below and up to 20% above the Coulomb barrier. At all energies we observed a massive transfer of protons and neutrons, where transfer products with up to eight neutrons more than the target nucleus could be identified.

Approach synthesis of superheavy nuclei from some aspects of cross section calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Zuhua

2003-01-01

Several important aspects in the cross section calculations for the synthesis of superheavy nuclei have been inquired. They are the effects of the coupled-channels, the damping of shell correction energy, the collective enhancements in the level density and the spin distributions of evaporation residues. The channel coupling of relative motion with internal degrees of freedom will enhance significantly the capture cross section at sub-barrier energies. However, recent measurements of spin distributions for the survived compound nucleus show that only low partial waves contribute to the evaporation residues, which should at least partially cancel out the enhancement due to the effects of the channel coupling. The fission barriers are determined mainly by the shell correction energy in the case of superheavy nuclei. Therefore, it is especially important to determine as accurate as possible the damping parameter which describes the decrease of the shell effects influence. In addition, the collective enhancement factor in the level density also plays a very important role in the synthesis of heavy spherical nuclei

Superheavy Nuclei in the Quark-Meson-Coupling Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stone Jirina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present a selection of the first results obtained in a comprehensive calculation of ground state properties of even-even superheavy nuclei in the region of 96 < Z < 136 and 118 < N < 320 from the Quark-Meson-Coupling model (QMC. Ground state binding energies, the neutron and proton number dependence of quadrupole deformations and Qα values are reported for even-even nuclei with 100 < Z < 136 and compared with available experimental data and predictions of macro-microscopic models. Predictions of properties of nuclei, including Qα values, relevant for planning future experiments are presented.

Frontiers of heavy-ion physics and superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muenzenberg, Gottfried

2002-01-01

This contribution will focus on three topics of GSI nuclear structure research: super heavy elements, direct mass measurements in the storage ring, and the measurement of spallation cross section in reversed kinematics. The GSI project for an extended synchrotron facility will be outlined. (author)

Extinction of radiant energy by large atmospheric crystals with different shapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shefer, Olga

2016-01-01

The calculated results of extinction characteristics of visible and infrared radiation for large semi-transparent crystals are obtained by hybrid technique, which is a combination of the geometric optics method and the physical optics method. Energy and polarization characteristics of the radiation extinction in terms of the elements of the extinction matrix for individual large crystals and ensemble of crystals are discussed. Influences of particle shapes, aspect ratios, parameters of size distribution, complex refractive index, orientation of crystals, wavelength, and the polarization state of an incident radiation on the extinction are illustrated. It is shown that the most expressive and stable features of energy and polarization characteristics of the extinction are observed in the midinfrared region, despite the fact that the ice particles significantly absorb the radiant energy of this spectrum. It is demonstrated that the polarized extinction characteristics can reach several tens of percent at IR wavelengths. For the large crystals, the conditions of occurrence of the spectral behavior of the extinction coefficient in the visible, near-IR, and mid-IR wavelength ranges are determined. - Highlights: • Method of physical optics is used at coherent sum of diffracted and refracted fields. • The extinction characteristics in terms of elements of extinction matrix are obtained. • Influence of shapes and sizes of large particles on the extinction is evaluated. • Conditions of occurrence of extinction features are determined.

The synthesis of the deformed superheavy elements 107 to 111

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armbuster, P.

1995-01-01

By inflight separation, implantation into Si-detector arrays, and correlation analysis of subsequent α-decay chains many isotopes were discovered at GSI since 1980, among others the elements Nielsbohriurn, Hassium and Meitnerium. The sensitivity of the method allows to identify an element by one decay chain, as we demonstrated for the case of 266 Mt. After a break of our work during the time when the new accelerator system SIS-FRS-ESR was installed (1989-1993) at GSI, and many improvements of our system EZR-UNILAC-SHIP accomplished, we restarted element synthesis in 1994. The synthesis of the isotopes 269 110, 271 110, and 272 111 of the new elements Z--110 and Z=l11 was a first success at the end of 1994. This discovery is in the center of this presentation. The reaction mechanism, a one-step, cold and compact rearrangement process at a level of some 10 -36 cm 2 is discussed. Cross sections and excitation functions systematically studied allow to extrapolate to the next element Z=112, which seems not to be out of reach

Synthesis and properties of neutron deficient isotopes of elements around Z=100

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antalic, S.

2005-01-01

In the presented Thesis work the results of spectroscopic studies of 246 Md, 247 Md, 254 Lr and 255 Lr decay chains are given. These isotopes were produced using heavy ion induced fusion reactions of 40 Ar + 209 Bi and 48 Ca + 209 Bi as a part of the long term project aimed to study spectroscopy properties of superheavy elements. The experiments were performed at velocity filter SHIP, placed at the central beam line of the UNILAC accelerator at GSI Darmstadt in Germany. The work also gives a basic overview of research in the region of superheavy elements, description of the used experimental setup and shows the usual analysis methods used in spectroscopic studies in the region of elements around Z ∼ 100. The results were obtained using α, α - γ spectroscopy methods and recoil - α, α - α correlations search. Although these isotopes have been known for a longer time, no detailed spectroscopy investigation were performed so far and only rough information was known. Beside the improved precision of known data, this work gives a new information about the decay properties of these isotopes. This give us the possibility to build a decay schemes for mentioned decay chains. (author)

Seal coat damage evaluation due to superheavy load moves based on a mechanistic-empirical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

The number of superheavy load (SHL) moves has increased drastically within the past 5 years in : Texas. Along with the increasing SHL moves, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has : become increasingly aware of the rising concerns associa...

Neutrino masses and superheavy dark matter in the 3-3-1-1 model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huong, D.T.; Dong, P.V. [Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Institute of Physics, Hanoi (Viet Nam)

2017-04-15

In this work, we interpret the 3-3-1-1 model when the B - L and 3-3-1 breaking scales behave simultaneously as the inflation scale. This setup not only realizes the previously achieved consequences of inflation and leptogenesis, but also provides new insights in superheavy dark matter and neutrino masses. We argue that the 3-3-1-1 model can incorporate a scalar sextet, which induces both small masses for the neutrinos via a combined type I and II seesaw and large masses for the new neutral fermions. Additionally, all the new particles have large masses in the inflation scale. The lightest particle among the W-particles that have abnormal (i.e., wrong) B - L number in comparison to those of the standard model particles may be superheavy dark matter as it is stabilized by W-parity. The dark matter candidate may be a Majorana fermion, a neutral scalar, or a neutral gauge boson, which was properly created in the early universe due to gravitational effects on the vacuum or thermal production after cosmic inflation. (orig.)

On the fate of superheavy magnetic monopoles in a neutron star

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzmin, V.A.; Rubakov, V.A.; AN SSSR, Moscow. Inst. Yadernykh Issledovanij)

1983-02-01

We propose two possible scenarios of the behaviour of superheavy magnetic monopoles in a neutron star, in which the monopole-antimonopole annihilation rate is sufficiently large to prevent the enormous heating of a neutron star due to the monopole induced neutron decays. We find that the galactic monopole flux of order 10 -16 cm -2 s -1 ster -1 can be compatible with the observational limit on the X-ray luminosity of neutron stars. (author)

Moving mesh finite element method for finite time extinction of distributed parameter systems with positive exponential feedback; Lokakarya Komputasi dalam Sains dan Teknologi Nuklir VI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garnadi, A D [Department of Matematics, Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Bogor (Indonesia)

1997-07-01

In the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback, non-global existence of solution is not always exist. For some positive initial values, there exist finite time T such that the solution goes to infinity, i.e. finite time extinction or blow-up. Here is present a numerical solution using Moving Mesh Finite Element to solve the distributed parameter systems with exponential feedback close to blow-up time. The numerical behavior of the mesh close to the time of extinction is the prime interest in this study.

Predictions on the modes of decay of odd Z superheavy isotopes within the range 105 ≤ Z ≤ 135

Science.gov (United States)

Santhosh, K. P.; Nithya, C.

2018-05-01

The decay modes of 1051 odd Z superheavy nuclei within the range 105 ≤ Z ≤ 135, and their daughter nuclei are studied by comparing the alpha decay half-lives with the spontaneous fission half-lives. The alpha decay half-lives are calculated using the Coulomb and proximity potential model for deformed nuclei (CPPMDN) proposed by Santhosh et al. (2011) and the spontaneous fission half-lives are obtained with the shell-effect dependent formula of Santhosh et al. (Santhosh and Nithya, 2016). For a theoretical comparison, the alpha decay half-lives are also computed with the Coulomb and proximity potential model (CPPM), Viola-Seaborg-Sobiczewski semi-empirical relation (VSS), Universal curve of Poenaru et al. (UNIV), the analytical formula of Royer, and the Universal decay law of Qi et al. (UDL). The predicted decay modes and half-lives were compared with the available experimental results. The proton and neutron separation energies are calculated to identify those nuclei, which decay through proton and neutron emission. From the entire study of odd Z superheavy elements, it is seen that among 1051 nuclei, 233 nuclei exhibit proton emission and 18 nuclei exhibit neutron emission. 56 nuclei are stable against alpha decay with negative Q value for the decay. 92 nuclei show alpha decay followed by spontaneous fission and 9 nuclei show alpha decay followed by proton emission. 39 nuclei decay through full alpha chain and 595 nuclei decay through spontaneous fission. We hope that the study will be very useful for the future experimental investigations in this field.

α decay chains in 271-294115 superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santhosh, K. P.; Priyanka, B.; Joseph, Jayesh George; Sahadevan, Sabina

2011-01-01

α decay of 271-294 115 superheavy nuclei is studied using the Coulomb and proximity potential model for deformed nuclei (CPPMDN). The predicted α half-lives of 287 115 and 288 115 nuclei and their decay products are in good agreement with experimental values. Comparison of α and spontaneous fission half-lives predicts four-α chains and three-α chains, respectively, from 287 115 and 288 115 nuclei and are in agreement with experimental observation. Our study predicts two-α chains from 273,274,289 115, three-α chains from 275 115, and four-α chains consistently from 284,285,286 115 nuclei. These observations will be useful for further experimental investigation in this region.

True ternary fission and quasifission of superheavy nuclear systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Greiner Walter

2011-10-01

Full Text Available We found that a true ternary fission with formation of a heavy third fragment (a new kind of radioactivity is quite possible for superheavy nuclei due to the strong shell effects leading to a three-body clusterization with the two doubly magic tin-like cores. The three-body quasifission process could be even more pronounced for giant nuclear systems formed in collisions of heavy actinide nuclei. In this case a three-body clusterization might be proved experimentally by detection of two coincident lead-like fragments in low-energy U+U collisions.

Chemistry of the actinide elements. Second edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katz, J.J.; Seaborg, G.T.; Morss, L.R.

1987-01-01

This is an exhaustive, updated discourse on the chemistry of Actinides, Volume 1 contains a systematic coverage of the elements Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, and Pu, which constitutes Part 1 of the work. The characterization of each element is discussed in terms of its nuclear properties, occurrence, preparation, atomic and metallic properties, chemistry of specific compounds, and solution chemistry. The first part of Volume 2 follows the same format as Volume 1 but is confined to the elements Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, and Es, plus a more condensed coverage of the Transeinsteinium elements (Fm, Md, No, Lw, and 104-109). Part 2 of this volume is devoted to a discussion of the actinide elements in general, with a specific focus on electronic spectra, thermodynamic and magnetic properties, the metallic state, structural chemistry, solution kinetics, organometallic chemistry for σ- and π-bonded compounds, and some concluding remarks on the superheavy elements

Contributions to the theory of alpha disintegration of heavy and superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarnoveanu, G.I.

1977-01-01

Alpha disintegration of heavy and super-heavy spherical nuclei is studied. When the new calculation technique for alpha intensities dependent on the shell-model has been applied, a technique which allows the use of a more complex structure of the alpha particle, the detailed calculation of the alpha half-times is performed for both radioactive alpha nuclei in the lead area and for the super-heavy nuclei, by using the R matrix theory of alpha disintegration independent of the channel radius. The relative values of overlap integrals calculated by means of the intrinsic function for the Gauss and Moshinsky type alpha particle are presented, as well as a comparison between them and the experiment values for 8.6, 9.00 and 9.6 fm channel radii in the case of Po, Ra, Rn and Th isotopes. Original contributions to the alpha disintegration theory are represented by the generalization of the Taylor series method expressing the transformations to the centre of mass, and the relative distance from two particles to four particles in the same harmonic oscillator potential, and by the development of the R matrix theory for alpha disintegration independent of the channel radius in the case of complex structured alpha particles. (author)

Toward an accurate description of solid-state properties of superheavy elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schwerdtfeger Peter

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the last two decades cold and hot fusion experiments lead to the production of new elements for the Periodic Table up to nuclear charge 118. Recent developments in relativistic quantum theory have made it possible to obtain accurate electronic properties for the trans-actinide elements with the aim to predict their potential chemical and physical behaviour. Here we report on first results of solid-state calculations for Og (element 118 to support future atom-at-a-time gas-phase adsorption experiments on surfaces such as gold or quartz.

Alguns aspectos históricos da classificação periódica dos elementos químicos Some historical aspects of the periodic classification of the chemical elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Tolentino

1997-02-01

Full Text Available A history of the periodic table of the elements is presented, from the first tentative classifications, passing through Meyer and Mendeleev, up to recent speculations on super-heavy elements still to be synthesized. Many of the discussions and discoveries related to chemical elements and their proper periodic classification are also presented.

Model Experiments on Chemical Properties of Superheavy Elements in Aqueous Solutions

CERN Document Server

Szeglowski, Z

2003-01-01

This paper presents a brief review of model experiments on investigation of chemical properties of transactinide elements, ranging from 104 to 116. The possibilities of isolation of the nuclei of these elements from nuclear reaction products, using the ion-exchange method, are also considered.

Synthesis of the New Element with Z=117

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, J H; Ramayya, A V; Oganessian, Yu Ts; Abdullin, F Sh; Dmitriev, S N; Itkis, M G; Lobanov, Yu V; Mezentsev, A N; Polyakov, A N; Bailey, P D; Benker, D; Ezold, J; Porter, C E; Riley, F; Roberto, J B; Bennett, M E; Henderson, R A; Moody, K J; Nelson, S L; Ryabinin, M A

2011-01-01

The synthesis of the new chemical element with atomic number Z=117 is presented. The isotopes 293 117 and 294 117were produced in fusion reactions between 48 Ca and 249 Bk. The 249 Bk was produced in the High Flux Isotope Reactor and chemically separated at Oak Ridge. Decay chains involving eleven new nuclei were identified by means of the Dubna Gas Filled Recoil Separator. The measured decay properties show a strong rise of stability for super-heavy nuclei toward N=184.

Toward the drip lines and the superheavy island of stability with the Super Separator Spectrometer S{sup 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dechery, F.; Boutin, D.; Gall, B.; Le Blanc, F. [Universite de Strasbourg, IPHC, Strasbourg (France); CNRS, UMR7178, Strasbourg (France); Drouart, A.; Authier, M.; Delferriere, O.; Payet, J.; Uriot, D. [CEA-Saclay, Irfu, Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Savajols, H.; Stodel, M.H.; Traykov, E. [GANIL, Caen (France); Nolen, J. [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL (United States); Amthor, A.M. [Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA (United States); Hue, A.; Laune, B. [Universite Paris-Sud 11, CNRS/IN2P3, IPNO, Orsay (France); Manikonda, S. [AML Superconductivity and Magnetics, Palm Bay, Florida (United States); Collaboration: S3 Collaboration

2015-06-15

The Super Separator Spectrometer S{sup 3} is a major experimental system developed for SPIRAL2. It has been designed for physics experiments with very low cross sections by taking full advantage of the very high intensity stable beams to be produced by LINAG, the superconducting linear accelerator at GANIL. These intensities will open new opportunities in several physics domains using fusion evaporation reactions, principally: super-heavy and very heavy element properties, spectroscopy at and beyond the dripline, and isomer and ground-state properties. The common feature of these experiments is the requirement to separate very rare events from intense backgrounds. S{sup 3} accomplishes this with a large acceptance, a high background rejection efficiency, and a physical mass separation. This article will present the technical specifications and optical constraints needed to achieve these physical goals. The optical layout of the spectrometer will be presented, focusing on technical elements of the target system, the superconducting multipole magnets used to correct high-order optical aberrations, the electric and magnetic dipoles, and the open multipole triplet used for primary beam rejection. The expected system performance will be presented for three experimental cases using 3 specific optical modes of the spectrometer. (orig.)

Charge-exchange resonances and restoration of Wigner’s supersymmetry in heavy and superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lutostansky, Yu. S., E-mail: lutostansky@yandex.ru; Tikhonov, V. N. [National Research Center Kurchatov Institute (Russian Federation)

2016-11-15

Various facets of the question of whether Wigner’s supersymmetry [SU(4) symmetry] may be restored in heavy and superheavy nuclei are analyzed on the basis of a comparison of the results of calculations with experimental data. The energy difference between the giant Gamow–Teller resonance and the analog resonance (the difference of E{sub G} and E{sub A}) according to calculations based on the theory of finite Fermi systems is presented for the case of 33 nuclei for which experimental data are available. The calculated difference ΔE{sub G–A} of E{sub G} and E{sub A} tends to zero in heavier nuclei, showing evidence of the restoration of Wigner’s SU(4) symmetry. Also, the isotopic dependence of the Coulomb energy difference between neighboring isobaric nuclei is analyzed within the SU(4) approach for more than 400 nuclei in the mass-number range of A = 5–244. The restoration of Wigner’s SU(4) symmetry in heavy nuclei is confirmed. It is shown that the restoration of SU(4) symmetry is compatible with the possible existence of the stability island in the region of superheavy nuclei.

Production of the superheavy baryon Λ{sub c} {sub anti} {sub c}{sup *}(4209) in kaon-induced reaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Xiao-Yun [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Modern Physics, Lanzhou (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China); Institute of Modern Physics of CAS and Lanzhou University, Research Center for Hadron and CSR Physics, Lanzhou (China); Chen, Xu-Rong [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Modern Physics, Lanzhou (China); Institute of Modern Physics of CAS and Lanzhou University, Research Center for Hadron and CSR Physics, Lanzhou (China)

2015-07-15

The production of superheavy Λ{sub c} {sub anti} {sub c}{sup *}(4209) baryon in the K{sup -}p → η{sub c}Λ process via s-channel is investigated with an effective Lagrangian approach and the isobar model. Moreover, the background from the K{sup -}p → η{sub c}Λ reaction through the t-channel with K* exchange and u-channel with nucleon exchange are also considered. The numerical results indicate it is feasible to search for the superheavy Λ{sub c} {sub anti} {sub c}{sup *}(4209) via K{sup -}p scattering. The relevant calculations not only shed light on the further experiment of searching for the Λ{sub c} {sub anti} {sub c}{sup *}(4209) through kaon-induced reaction, but also enable us to have a better understanding of the exotic baryons. (orig.)

Spectroscopy of very heavy nuclei with a view to study super-heavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalfallah, F.

2007-08-01

Within the recent years, the spectroscopic study of single particle orbitals of very heavy elements (VHE) has become possible with the development of increasingly efficient experimental setups. This allows us, through nuclear deformation, to access with these deformed nuclei to orbitals situated around the Fermi level in the spherical superheavy elements (SHE) and learn more about the nuclear structure of these nuclei. The aim of this work is the spectroscopic studies of heavy and very heavy elements. Because of the experimental difficulties associated with the fusion reactions in the VHE region, a detailed optimization studies is essential. Simulation of energy loss and angular straggling of these nuclei due to the interaction in the target and to neutron's evaporation was carried out and allowed us to optimize the angular acceptance of the separators according to the target thickness. An extensive survey and exploration in the VHE region was also conducted on the basis of cross section's systematics in the literature and simulations carried out using the statistical code Hivap. In this framework, the possible extension of the range of validity of a set of Hivap parameters was investigated. This work has enabled us to prepare a list of experiments of interest for the production of very heavy nuclei. In this thesis, our work was concentrated on the spectroscopy of the nuclei No 256 et Rf 256 for which two experimental proposals were accepted. The octupole deformations predicted in the actinides region is studied in another part of this thesis, a part witch is dedicated to the gamma spectroscopy of Pa 223 . The data from a new experiment carried out using the Jurogam-Ritu-Great setup are analysed and compared to previous results. They confirm the octupole deformed shape in this nucleus. (author)

The predictive accuracy of analytical formulas and semiclassical approaches for α decay half-lives of superheavy nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, T. L.; Bao, X. J.; Guo, S. Q.

2018-02-01

Systematic calculations on the α decay half-lives are performed by using three analytical formulas and two semiclassical approaches. For the three analytical formulas, the experimental α decay half-lives and {Q}α values of the 66 reference nuclei have been used to obtain the coefficients. We get only four adjustable parameters to describe α decay half-lives for even-even, odd-A, and odd-odd nuclei. By comparison between the calculated values from ten analytical formulas and experimental data, it is shown that the new universal decay law (NUDL) foumula is the most accurate one to reproduce the experimental α decay half-lives of the superheavy nuclei (SHN). Meanwhile it is found that the experimental α decay half-lives of SHN are well reproduced by the Royer formula although many parameters are contained. The results show that the NUDL formula and the generalized liquid drop model (GLDM2) with consideration of the preformation factor can give fairly equivalent results for the superheavy nuclei.

Synthesis of a New Element with Atomic Number Z=117

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oganessian, Yu. Ts.; Abdullin, F. Sh.; Dmitriev, S. N.; Itkis, M. G.; Lobanov, Yu. V.; Mezentsev, A. N.; Polyakov, A. N.; Sagaidak, R. N.; Shirokovsky, I. V.; Subbotin, V. G.; Sukhov, A. M.; Tsyganov, Yu. S.; Utyonkov, V. K.; Voinov, A. A.; Vostokin, G. K.; Bailey, P. D.; Benker, D. E.; Ezold, J. G.; Porter, C. E.; Riley, F. D.

2010-01-01

The discovery of a new chemical element with atomic number Z=117 is reported. The isotopes 293 117 and 294 117 were produced in fusion reactions between 48 Ca and 249 Bk. Decay chains involving 11 new nuclei were identified by means of the Dubna gas-filled recoil separator. The measured decay properties show a strong rise of stability for heavier isotopes with Z≥111, validating the concept of the long sought island of enhanced stability for superheavy nuclei.

Charge quantization without superheavy masses in a Kaluza--Klein description of electromagnetism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, D.K.

1987-01-01

A scalar matter field coupled to general relativity and electromagnetism in a five-dimensional Kaluza--Klein model is considered. The five-dimensional space is assumed to be a fiber bundle as in the usual description of a gauge theory and not a more general manifold. Properly taking this into account allows one to use a Lagrangian density for the scalar field which includes charge quantization but not the unphysical superheavy masses found by other authors. A natural, satisfactory explanation of why charge is quantized results

Effects of high-order deformation on high-K isomers in superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, H. L.; Bertulani, C. A.; Xu, F. R.; Walker, P. M.

2011-01-01

Using, for the first time, configuration-constrained potential-energy-surface calculations with the inclusion of β 6 deformation, we find remarkable effects of the high-order deformation on the high-K isomers in 254 No, the focus of recent spectroscopy experiments on superheavy nuclei. For shapes with multipolarity six, the isomers are more tightly bound and, microscopically, have enhanced deformed shell gaps at N=152 and Z=100. The inclusion of β 6 deformation significantly improves the description of the very heavy high-K isomers.

Superheavy magnetic monopoles and the standard cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.S.

1984-10-01

The superheavy magnetic monopoles predicted to exist in grand unified theories (GUTs) are very interesting obsects, both from the point of view of particle physics, as well as from astrophysics and cosmology. Astrophysical and cosmological considerations have proved to be invaluable in studying the properties of GUT monopoles. Because of the glut of monopoles predicted in the standard cosmology for the simplest GUTs (so many that the Universe should have reached a temperature of 3 0 K at the tender age of approx. = 10,000 yrs), the simplest GUTs and the standard cosmology are not compatible. This is a very important piece of information about physics at unification energies (E greater than or equal to 10 14 GeV) and about the earliest moments (t less than or equal to 10 -34 s) of the Universe. In this talk the author reviews the cosmological consequences of GUT monopoles within the context of the standard hot big bang model. 46 references

Superheavy thermal dark matter and primordial asymmetries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bramante, Joseph; Unwin, James

2017-01-01

The early universe could feature multiple reheating events, leading to jumps in the visible sector entropy density that dilute both particle asymmetries and the number density of frozen-out states. In fact, late time entropy jumps are usually required in models of Affleck-Dine baryogenesis, which typically produces an initial particle-antiparticle asymmetry that is much too large. An important consequence of late time dilution, is that a smaller dark matter annihilation cross section is needed to obtain the observed dark matter relic density. For cosmologies with high scale baryogenesis, followed by radiation-dominated dark matter freeze-out, we show that the perturbative unitarity mass bound on thermal relic dark matter is relaxed to 10 10 GeV. We proceed to study superheavy asymmetric dark matter models, made possible by a sizable entropy injection after dark matter freeze-out, and identify how the Affleck-Dine mechanism would generate the baryon and dark asymmetries.

Superheavy thermal dark matter and primordial asymmetries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bramante, Joseph [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics,31 Caroline St N, Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5 (Canada); Unwin, James [Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago,845 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607 (United States)

2017-02-23

The early universe could feature multiple reheating events, leading to jumps in the visible sector entropy density that dilute both particle asymmetries and the number density of frozen-out states. In fact, late time entropy jumps are usually required in models of Affleck-Dine baryogenesis, which typically produces an initial particle-antiparticle asymmetry that is much too large. An important consequence of late time dilution, is that a smaller dark matter annihilation cross section is needed to obtain the observed dark matter relic density. For cosmologies with high scale baryogenesis, followed by radiation-dominated dark matter freeze-out, we show that the perturbative unitarity mass bound on thermal relic dark matter is relaxed to 10{sup 10} GeV. We proceed to study superheavy asymmetric dark matter models, made possible by a sizable entropy injection after dark matter freeze-out, and identify how the Affleck-Dine mechanism would generate the baryon and dark asymmetries.

Superheavy dark matter through Higgs portal operators

Science.gov (United States)

Kolb, Edward W.; Long, Andrew J.

2017-11-01

The WIMPzilla hypothesis is that the dark matter is a super-weakly-interacting and superheavy particle. Conventionally, the WIMPzilla abundance is set by gravitational particle production during or at the end of inflation. In this study we allow the WIMPzilla to interact directly with Standard Model fields through the Higgs portal, and we calculate the thermal production (freeze-in) of WIMPzilla dark matter from the annihilation of Higgs boson pairs in the plasma. The two particle-physics model parameters are the WIMPzilla mass and the Higgs-WIMPzilla coupling. The two cosmological parameters are the reheating temperature and the expansion rate of the universe at the end of inflation. We delineate the regions of parameter space where either gravitational or thermal production is dominant, and within those regions we identify the parameters that predict the observed dark matter relic abundance. Allowing for thermal production opens up the parameter space, even for Planck-suppressed Higgs-WIMPzilla interactions.

PROPERTIES OF DUST GRAINS PROBED WITH EXTINCTION CURVES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozawa, Takaya; Fukugita, Masataka

2013-01-01

Modern data of the extinction curve from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared are revisited to study properties of dust grains in the Milky Way (MW) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We confirm that the graphite-silicate mixture of grains yields the observed extinction curve with the simple power-law distribution of the grain size but with a cutoff at some maximal size: the parameters are tightly constrained to be q = 3.5 ± 0.2 for the size distribution a –q and the maximum radius a max = 0.24 ± 0.05 μm, for both MW and SMC. The abundance of grains, and hence the elemental abundance, is constrained from the reddening versus hydrogen column density, E(B – V)/N H . If we take the solar elemental abundance as the standard for the MW, >56% of carbon should be in graphite dust, while it is dust /ρ H = 1 / (120 +10 -16 ) for the MW and 1 / (760 +70 -90 ) for the SMC under the elemental abundance constraints. We underline the importance of the wavelength dependence of the extinction curve in the near-infrared in constructing the dust model: if A λ ∝λ –γ with γ ≅ 1.6, the power-law grain-size model fails, whereas it works if γ ≅ 1.8-2.0.

48Ca+249Bk fusion reaction leading to element Z = 117: long-lived α-decaying 270Db and discovery of 266Lr.

Science.gov (United States)

Khuyagbaatar, J; Yakushev, A; Düllmann, Ch E; Ackermann, D; Andersson, L-L; Asai, M; Block, M; Boll, R A; Brand, H; Cox, D M; Dasgupta, M; Derkx, X; Di Nitto, A; Eberhardt, K; Even, J; Evers, M; Fahlander, C; Forsberg, U; Gates, J M; Gharibyan, N; Golubev, P; Gregorich, K E; Hamilton, J H; Hartmann, W; Herzberg, R-D; Heßberger, F P; Hinde, D J; Hoffmann, J; Hollinger, R; Hübner, A; Jäger, E; Kindler, B; Kratz, J V; Krier, J; Kurz, N; Laatiaoui, M; Lahiri, S; Lang, R; Lommel, B; Maiti, M; Miernik, K; Minami, S; Mistry, A; Mokry, C; Nitsche, H; Omtvedt, J P; Pang, G K; Papadakis, P; Renisch, D; Roberto, J; Rudolph, D; Runke, J; Rykaczewski, K P; Sarmiento, L G; Schädel, M; Schausten, B; Semchenkov, A; Shaughnessy, D A; Steinegger, P; Steiner, J; Tereshatov, E E; Thörle-Pospiech, P; Tinschert, K; Torres De Heidenreich, T; Trautmann, N; Türler, A; Uusitalo, J; Ward, D E; Wegrzecki, M; Wiehl, N; Van Cleve, S M; Yakusheva, V

2014-05-02

The superheavy element with atomic number Z=117 was produced as an evaporation residue in the (48)Ca+(249)Bk fusion reaction at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at GSI Darmstadt, Germany. The radioactive decay of evaporation residues and their α-decay products was studied using a detection setup that allowed measuring decays of single atomic nuclei with half-lives between sub-μs and a few days. Two decay chains comprising seven α decays and a spontaneous fission each were identified and are assigned to the isotope (294)117 and its decay products. A hitherto unknown α-decay branch in (270)Db (Z = 105) was observed, which populated the new isotope (266)Lr (Z = 103). The identification of the long-lived (T(1/2) = 1.0(-0.4)(+1.9) h) α-emitter (270)Db marks an important step towards the observation of even more long-lived nuclei of superheavy elements located on an "island of stability."

Superheavy contributions to FCNC in the flipped SU(5) x U(1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabbiani, F.; Masiero, A.

1988-08-04

In the supersymmetric GUT's the presence of the superheavy fields yields new contributions to flavour-changing neutral-current effects at low energy. We analyse this phenomenon in the context of the flipped SU(5) x U(1) superstring (-inspired) model. We show that possibly sizeable flavour leptonic changes (..mu.. -> e..gamma.., ..mu.. -> eeanti e, ..mu..-e conversion in nuclei) are generated. K-anti K, B-anti B mixings and b -> s..gamma.. constrain new couplings at the superlarge scale, which are unrelated to the standard Yukawa coefficients.

Superheavy particles in cosmology and evolution of inhomogeneities in the early universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khlopov, M. Yu.; Polnarev, A.G.

1983-01-01

The stages of dominance of superheavy metastable particles, predicted by GUTs, are shown to result in the formation of primordial black holes (PBH) in the course of evolution of small initial inhomogeneities. The minimal probability of PBH formation is estimated. The relationship between the spectrum of these PBH, the spectrum of initial metric fluctuations and the parameters of the GUTs is established. Observational astrophysical restrictions on the PBH spectrum then provide a number of restrictions on the parameters of the GUTs depending on the amplitude of initial metric perturbations. (author)

Spallation RI beam facility and heavy element nuclear chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagame, Yuichiro [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1997-11-01

An outline of the spallation RI (Radioactive Ion) beam facility is presented. Neutron-rich nuclides are produced in the reaction of high intensity (10-1000 {mu}A) protons with energy of 1.5 GeV and an uranium carbide target. Produced nuclides are ionized in an isotope separator on-line (ISOL) and accelerated by the JAERI tandem and the booster linac. Current progress and a future project on the development of the RI beam facility are given. Studies of transactinide elements, including the synthesis of superheavy elements, nuclear structure far from stability, and RI-probed material science are planned with RI beams. An outlook of the transactinide nuclear chemistry studies using neutron-rich RI beams is described. (author)

Recent developments for high-precision mass measurements of the heaviest elements at SHIPTRAP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minaya Ramirez, E.; Ackermann, D.; Blaum, K.; Block, M.; Droese, C.; Düllmann, Ch. E.; Eibach, M.; Eliseev, S.; Haettner, E.; Herfurth, F.; Heßberger, F.P.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Direct high-precision mass measurements of No and Lr isotopes performed. • High-precision mass measurements with a count rate of 1 ion/hour demonstrated. • The results provide anchor points for a large region connected by alpha-decay chains. • The binding energies determine the strength of the deformed shell closure N = 152. • Technical developments and new techniques will pave the way towards heavier elements. -- Abstract: Atomic nuclei far from stability continue to challenge our understanding. For example, theoretical models have predicted an “island of stability” in the region of the superheavy elements due to the closure of spherical proton and neutron shells. Depending on the model, these are expected at Z = 114, 120 or even 126 and N = 172 or 184. Valuable information on the road to the island of stability is derived from high-precision mass measurements, which give direct access to binding energies of short-lived trans-uranium nuclei. Recently, direct mass measurements at SHIPTRAP have been extended to nobelium and lawrencium isotopes around the deformed shell gap N = 152. In order to further extend mass measurements to the region of superheavy elements, new technical developments are required to increase the performance of our setup. The sensitivity will increase through the implementation of a new detection method, where observation of one single ion is sufficient. Together with the use of a more efficient gas stopping cell, this will us allow to significantly enhance the overall efficiency of SHIPTRAP

Thermal neutrons could be a cause of biological extinctions 65 Myr ago

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yayanos, A.A.

1983-01-01

Tabulations of the number of genera present before and after the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinctions have revealed certain patterns. Marine organisms were much more susceptible to extinction than were freshwater or terrestrial organisms. Benthic marine organisms were affected as much as those organisms that swam or floated. However, some marine genera were unaffected whilst some terrestrial ones were severely affected. Organisms making calcium-containing skeletons were the most sensitive. Among the hypotheses proposed for the extinctions is that they were caused by ionizing radiations. The hypothesis proposed here is that the pattern of extinction in the fossil record emerged as a consequence of neutron activation of certain elements in organisms and in their environment. (author)

Molar extinction coefficients of some carbohydrates in aqueous ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

of plants and animals, both as structural elements and in the maintenance of functional ... In this paper we report the molar extinction coefficient ε, of carbohydrates ... as the area, which has to be hit by the photons in order to cause interaction.

Nuclear spectroscopy with Geant4. The superheavy challenge

Science.gov (United States)

Sarmiento, Luis G.

2016-12-01

The simulation toolkit Geant4 was originally developed at CERN for high-energy physics. Over the years it has been established as a swiss army knife not only in particle physics but it has seen an accelerated expansion towards nuclear physics and more recently to medical imaging and γ- and ion- therapy to mention but a handful of new applications. The validity of Geant4 is vast and large across many particles, ions, materials, and physical processes with typically various different models to choose from. Unfortunately, atomic nuclei with atomic number Z > 100 are not properly supported. This is likely due to the rather novelty of the field, its comparably small user base, and scarce evaluated experimental data. To circumvent this situation different workarounds have been used over the years. In this work the simulation toolkit Geant4 will be introduced with its different components and the effort to bring the software to the heavy and superheavy region will be described.

Neutron and Proton Diffusion in Fusion Reactions for the Synthesis of Superheavy Nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ming-Hui, Huang; Zai-Guo, Gan; Zhao-Qing, Feng; Xiao-Hong, Zhou; Jun-Qing, Li

2008-01-01

The restriction of the one dimensional (1D) master equation (ME) with the mass number of the projectile-like fragment as a variable is studied, and a two-dimensional (2D) master equation with the neutron and proton numbers as independent variables is set up, and solved numerically. Our study showed that the 2D ME can describe the fusion process well in all projectile-target combinations. Therefore the possible channels to synthesize super-heavy nuclei can be studied correctly in wider possibilities. The available condition for employing 1D ME is pointed out

Temporal Dynamics of Recovery from Extinction Shortly after Extinction Acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

Archbold, Georgina E.; Dobbek, Nick; Nader, Karim

2013-01-01

Evidence suggests that extinction is new learning. Memory acquisition involves both short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) components; however, few studies have examined early phases of extinction retention. Retention of auditory fear extinction was examined at various time points. Shortly (1-4 h) after extinction acquisition…

Rethinking Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Niv, Yael; Daw, Nathaniel; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Extinction serves as the leading theoretical framework and experimental model to describe how learned behaviors diminish through absence of anticipated reinforcement. In the past decade, extinction has moved beyond the realm of associative learning theory and behavioral experimentation in animals and has become a topic of considerable interest in the neuroscience of learning, memory, and emotion. Here, we review research and theories of extinction, both as a learning process and as a behavioral technique, and consider whether traditional understandings warrant a re-examination. We discuss the neurobiology, cognitive factors, and major computational theories, and revisit the predominant view that extinction results in new learning that interferes with expression of the original memory. Additionally, we reconsider the limitations of extinction as a technique to prevent the relapse of maladaptive behavior, and discuss novel approaches, informed by contemporary theoretical advances, that augment traditional extinction methods to target and potentially alter maladaptive memories. PMID:26447572

Seasonal atmospheric extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikhail, J.S.

1979-01-01

Mean monochromatic extinction coefficients at various wavelengths at the Kottamia Observatory site have shown the existence of a seasonal variation of atmospheric extinction. The extinction of aerosol compontnts with wavelengths at winter represent exceedingly good conditions. Spring gives the highest extinction due to aerosol. (orig.)

Empirical relationships between gas abundances and UV selective extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joseph, C.L.

1990-01-01

Several studies of gas-phase abundances in lines of sight through the outer edges of dense clouds are summarized. These lines of sight have 0.4 less than E(B-V) less than 1.1 and have inferred spatial densities of a few hundred cm(-3). The primary thrust of these studies has been to compare gaseous abundances in interstellar clouds that have various types of peculiar selective extinction. To date, the most notable result has been an empirical relationship between the CN/Fe I abundance ratio and the depth of the 2200 A extinction bump. It is not clear whether these two parameters are linearly correlated or the data are organized into two discrete ensembles. Based on 19 samples lines of sight that have a CN/Fe I abundance ratio greater than 0.3 (dex) appear to have a shallow 2.57 plus or minus 0.55 bump compared to 3.60 plus or minus 0.36 for other dense clouds and compared to the 3.6 Seaton (1979) average. The difference in the strength of the extinction bump between these two ensembles is 1.03 plus or minus 0.23. Although a high-resolution IUE survey of dense clouds is far from complete, the few lines of sight with shallow extinction bumps all show preferential depletion of certain elements, while those lines of sight with normal 2200 A bumps do not. Ca II, Cr II, and Mn II appear to exhibit the strongest preferential depletion. Fe II and Si II depletions also appear to be enhanced somewhat. It should be noted that Copernicus data suggest all elements, including the so-called nondepletors, deplete in diffuse clouds (Snow and Jenkins 1980, Joseph 1988). Those lines of sight through dense clouds that have normal 2200 A extinction bumps appear to be extensions of the depletions found in the diffuse interstellar medium

Search for super-heavy GUT magnetic monopoles in cosmic rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepko, M.J.

1986-05-01

A search for superheavy grand unified (GUT) magnetic monopoles has been performed utilizing a large (260m 2 sr) array of scintillation counters, sited underground at a depth of 1200 m.w.e. This apparatus measures both the time of flight and specific ionization of particles passing through it and has a trigger which is sensitive to prompt as well as very slowly developing pulses from the detector. No monopole events have been observed during 280 days of live time operation of this detector. An upper limit on the flux of monopoles of 4.6 x 10 -14 cm -2 sr -1 s -1 is obtained in the velocity range 8.5 x 10 -4 c to 0.012c at a 90% confidence level. 50 refs., 47 figs., 16 tabs

Predictions on the modes of decay of even Z superheavy isotopes within the range 104 ≤ Z ≤ 136

Science.gov (United States)

Santhosh, K. P.; Nithya, C.

2018-01-01

The decay modes and half lives of all the even Z isotopes of superheavy elements within the range 104 ≤ Z ≤ 136 have been predicted by comparing the alpha decay half-lives with the spontaneous fission half-lives. The Coulomb and proximity potential model for deformed nuclei (CPPMDN) and the shell-effect-dependent formula of Santhosh et al. are used to calculate the alpha half-lives and spontaneous fission half-lives respectively. For theoretical comparison the alpha decay half-lives are also calculated using Coulomb and proximity potential model (CPPM), the Viola-Seaborg-Sobiczewski semi-empirical (VSS) relation, the universal (UNIV) curve of Poenaru et al., the analytical formula of Royer and the universal decay law (UDL) of Qi et al. Another tool used for the evaluation of spontaneous fission half-lives is the semi-empirical formula of Xu et al. The nuclei with alpha decay half-lives less than spontaneous fission half-lives will survive fission and hence decay through alpha emission. The predicted half lives and decay modes are compared with the available experimental results. The one-proton and two-proton separation energies of all the isotopes are calculated to find nuclei which lie beyond the proton drip line. Among 1119 even Z nuclei within the range 104 ≤ Z ≤ 136, 164 nuclei show sequential alpha emission followed by subsequent spontaneous fission. Since the isotopes decay through alpha decay chain and the half-lives are in measurable range, these isotopes are predicted to be synthesized and detected in laboratory via alpha decay. 2 nuclei will decay by alpha decay followed by proton emission, 54 nuclei show full alpha chains, 642 nuclei will decay through spontaneous fission, 166 nuclei exhibit proton decay and 91 isotopes are found to be stable against alpha decay. All the isotopes are tabulated according to their decay modes. The study is intended to enhance further experimental investigations in superheavy region.

Heavy-Ion Fusion Mechanism and Predictions of Super-Heavy Elements Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, Yasuhisa; Shen Caiwan; Boilley, David; Giraud, Bertrand G.; Kosenko, Grigory

2009-01-01

Fusion process is shown to firstly form largely deformed mono-nucleus and then to undergo diffusion in two-dimensions with the radial and mass-asymmetry degrees of freedom. Examples of prediction of residue cross sections are given for the elements with Z = 117 and 118.

Resurrection of DNA function in vivo from an extinct genome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew J Pask

2008-05-01

Full Text Available There is a burgeoning repository of information available from ancient DNA that can be used to understand how genomes have evolved and to determine the genetic features that defined a particular species. To assess the functional consequences of changes to a genome, a variety of methods are needed to examine extinct DNA function. We isolated a transcriptional enhancer element from the genome of an extinct marsupial, the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacinus cynocephalus or thylacine, obtained from 100 year-old ethanol-fixed tissues from museum collections. We then examined the function of the enhancer in vivo. Using a transgenic approach, it was possible to resurrect DNA function in transgenic mice. The results demonstrate that the thylacine Col2A1 enhancer directed chondrocyte-specific expression in this extinct mammalian species in the same way as its orthologue does in mice. While other studies have examined extinct coding DNA function in vitro, this is the first example of the restoration of extinct non-coding DNA and examination of its function in vivo. Our method using transgenesis can be used to explore the function of regulatory and protein-coding sequences obtained from any extinct species in an in vivo model system, providing important insights into gene evolution and diversity.

Towards Superheavies: Spectroscopy of 94 < Z < 98, 150 < N < 154 Nuclei

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chowdhury P.

2016-01-01

nuclear structure studies are important testing grounds for theoretical models that aim to describe superheavy nuclei. To study the highest neutron orbitals (150 ≤ N ≤ 154, we have populated high angular momentum states in a series of Pu (Z = 94, Cm (Z = 96 and Cf (Z = 98 nuclei, via inelastic and transfer reactions, with heavy beams on long-lived radioactive actinide targets. Multiple collective excitation modes and structures were identified, and their configurations deduced. Quasiparticle alignments are mapped, with odd-A band structures helping identify specific orbital contributions via blocking arguments. Higher-order multipole shapes are observed to play a significant role in disentangling competing neutron and proton alignments. The N > 152 data provide new perspectives on physics beyond the N = 152 sub-shell gap.

Analysing the floral elements of the lost tree of Easter Island: a morphometric comparison between the remaining ex-situ lines of the endemic extinct species Sophora toromiro.

Science.gov (United States)

Püschel, Thomas A; Espejo, Jaime; Sanzana, María-José; Benítez, Hugo A

2014-01-01

Sophora toromiro (Phil) Skottsb. is a species that has been extinct in its natural habitat Easter Island (Rapa Nui) for over 50 years. However, seed collections carried out before its extinction have allowed its persistence ex-situ in different botanical gardens and private collections around the world. The progenies of these diverse collections have been classified in different lines, most of them exhibiting high similarity as corroborated by molecular markers. In spite of this resemblance observed between the different lines, one of them (Titze) has dissimilar floral elements, thus generating doubts regarding its species classification. The floral elements (wing, standard and keel) belonging to three different S. toromiro lines and two related species were analyzed using geometric morphometrics. This method was applied in order to quantify the floral shape variation of the standard, wing, and keel between the different lines and control species. Geometric morphometrics analyses were able to distinguish the floral elements at both intra (lines) and inter-specific levels. The present results are on line with the cumulative evidence that supports the Titze line as not being a proper member of the S. toromiro species, but probably a hybridization product or even another species of the Edwardsia section. The reintroduction programs of S. toromiro should consider this information when assessing the authenticity and origin of the lines that will be used to repopulate the island.

Analysing the floral elements of the lost tree of Easter Island: a morphometric comparison between the remaining ex-situ lines of the endemic extinct species Sophora toromiro.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas A Püschel

Full Text Available Sophora toromiro (Phil Skottsb. is a species that has been extinct in its natural habitat Easter Island (Rapa Nui for over 50 years. However, seed collections carried out before its extinction have allowed its persistence ex-situ in different botanical gardens and private collections around the world. The progenies of these diverse collections have been classified in different lines, most of them exhibiting high similarity as corroborated by molecular markers. In spite of this resemblance observed between the different lines, one of them (Titze has dissimilar floral elements, thus generating doubts regarding its species classification. The floral elements (wing, standard and keel belonging to three different S. toromiro lines and two related species were analyzed using geometric morphometrics. This method was applied in order to quantify the floral shape variation of the standard, wing, and keel between the different lines and control species. Geometric morphometrics analyses were able to distinguish the floral elements at both intra (lines and inter-specific levels. The present results are on line with the cumulative evidence that supports the Titze line as not being a proper member of the S. toromiro species, but probably a hybridization product or even another species of the Edwardsia section. The reintroduction programs of S. toromiro should consider this information when assessing the authenticity and origin of the lines that will be used to repopulate the island.

New isotopes of elements 104, 106 and 108 - highly stable superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oganessian, Yuri

1994-01-01

In April 1993, as part of a joint Dubna-Livermore experiment at the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, new heavy isotopes of elements 104 and 106 were synthesized - 262 104, 265 106 and 266 106. Compared with the known even-even isotopes of elements 104 and 106, the new nuclei are characterized by their extraordinary high resistance to spontaneous fission. This is a direct proof of the macro-microscopic theory predictions in its version calculated by A.Sobiczewski et al. regarding a substantial increase in the half-lives of heavy nuclei near deformed shells with atomic number (Z) 108 and neutron number (N) 162.

Bimodal extinction without cross-modal extinction.

OpenAIRE

Inhoff, A W; Rafal, R D; Posner, M J

1992-01-01

Three patients with unilateral neurological injury were clinically examined. All showed consistent unilateral extinction in the tactile and visual modalities on simultaneous intramodal stimulation. There was virtually no evidence for cross-modal extinction, however, so that contralateral stimulation of one modality would have extinguished perception of ipsilateral stimuli in the other modality. It is concluded that the attentional system controlling the encoding of tactile and visual stimuli ...

Rethinking Extinction

OpenAIRE

Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Niv, Yael; Daw, Nathaniel; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Extinction serves as the leading theoretical framework and experimental model to describe how learned behaviors diminish through absence of anticipated reinforcement. In the past decade, extinction has moved beyond the realm of associative learning theory and behavioral experimentation in animals and has become a topic of considerable interest in the neuroscience of learning, memory, and emotion. Here, we review research and theories of extinction, both as a learning process and as a behavior...

Modeling galactic extinction

OpenAIRE

Cecchi-Pestellini, C.; Mulas, G.; Casu, S.; Iatì, M. A.; Saija, R.; Cacciola, A.; Borghese, F.; Denti, P.

2011-01-01

We present a model for interstellar extinction dust, in which we assume a bimodal distribution of extinction carriers, a dispersion of core-mantle grains, supplemented by a collection of PAHs in free molecular form. We use state-of-the-art methods to calculate the extinction due to macroscopic dust particles, and the absorption cross-sections of PAHs in four different charge states. While successfull for most of observed Galactic extinction curves, in few cases the model cannot provide reliab...

The Synthesis and Decay Properties of the Heaviest Elements

CERN Document Server

Oganessian, Yu T

2000-01-01

The synthesis and the study of radioactive properties of new elements is considered with respect to the existence of the "islands of stability" of hypothetical superheavy elements predicted by the theory more than 35 years ago. Experimental data demonstrating an enhanced stability of nuclei in the vicinity of deformed shells with Z=108 and N=162 is discussed from the point of view of advent into more heavy and much more stable nuclides near the predicted spherical shells Z=114-122 and N=184 following after the doubly magic nucleus ^{208}Pb. The author presents the results of experiments on the synthesis of isotopes of elements 114 and 116 in the fusion reactions with ^{48}Ca. In these reactions the decay chains of heavy atoms consisting of sequential alpha-decays interrupted by spontaneous fission have been observed. The decay energies and probabilities are compared with predictions of different theoretical models describing the structure of heavy nuclei. The obtained results are considered as the first exper...

CHARGE SPECTRUM OF HEAVY AND SUPERHEAVY COMPONENTS OF GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS: RESULTS OF THE OLIMPIYA EXPERIMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alexeev, Victor; Kalinina, Galina; Pavlova, Tatyana, E-mail: aval37@mail.ru, E-mail: gakalin@mail.ru, E-mail: pavlova4tat@mail.ru [Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 19 Kosygin Str., Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); and others

2016-10-01

The aim of the OLIMPIYA experiment is to search for and identify traces of heavy and superheavy nuclei of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) in olivine crystals from stony–iron meteorites serving as nuclear track detectors. The method is based on layer-by-layer grinding and etching of particle tracks in these crystals. Unlike the techniques of other authors, this annealing-free method uses two parameters: the etching rate along the track ( V {sub etch}) and the total track length ( L ), to identify charge Z of a projectile. A series of irradiations with different swift heavy ions at the accelerator facilities of GSI (Darmstadt) and IMP (Lanzhou) were performed in order to determine and calibrate the dependence of projectile charge on V {sub etch} and L . To date, one of the most essential results of the experiment is the obtained charge spectrum of GCR nuclei within the range of Z > 40, based on about 11.6 thousand processed tracks. As the result of data processing, 384 nuclei with charges Z ≥ 75 have been identified, including 10 nuclei identified as actinides (90 < Z < 103). Three tracks were identified to be produced by nuclei with charges 113 < Z < 129. Such nuclei may be part of the Island of Stability of transfermium elements.

Observational constraints on interstellar depletion mechanisms in lines of sight exhibiting peculiar extinction curves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joseph, C.L.

1985-01-01

The nature of dust-gas interactions, which are capable of modifying the size distribution of the grains and thus causing changes in the selective extinction curve, are investigated through depletion studies. The gaseous abundances of 16 elements were determined for several lines of sight toward moderately reddened stars, each having a so called anomalous extinction curve. Four lines of sight in the rho Ophiuchi dark cloud complexes as well as several lines of sight through the diffuse interstellar medium were also analyzed for comparison. Two approaches are used to assess the strength of density dependent depletion processes. First, the depletion pattern from element-to-element for each integrated line of sight is studied with particular emphasis being given to those species that are potential discriminators between the two major competing models of grain formation and growth. In the second approach, the relative abundancies of neutral atoms, which are thought to form primarily in the densest portions of interstellar clouds, are studied. Both of these constraints are then compared to a theoretical extinction curve derived from a simple model for the size distribution of the grains based on the degree of mantling

Long-term maintenance of immediate or delayed extinction is determined by the extinction-test interval

OpenAIRE

Johnson, Justin S.; Escobar, Martha; Kimble, Whitney L.

2010-01-01

Short acquisition-extinction intervals (immediate extinction) can lead to either more or less spontaneous recovery than long acquisition-extinction intervals (delayed extinction). Using rat subjects, we observed less spontaneous recovery following immediate than delayed extinction (Experiment 1). However, this was the case only if a relatively long extinction-test interval was used; a relatively short extinction-test interval yielded the opposite result (Experiment 2). Previous data appear co...

Selecting for extinction: nonrandom disease-associated extinction homogenizes amphibian biotas.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Kevin G; Lips, Karen R; Chase, Jonathan M

2009-10-01

Studying the patterns in which local extinctions occur is critical to understanding how extinctions affect biodiversity at local, regional and global spatial scales. To understand the importance of patterns of extinction at a regional spatial scale, we use data from extirpations associated with a widespread pathogenic agent of amphibian decline, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) as a model system. We apply novel null model analyses to these data to determine whether recent extirpations associated with Bd have resulted in selective extinction and homogenization of diverse tropical American amphibian biotas. We find that Bd-associated extinctions in this region were nonrandom and disproportionately, but not exclusively, affected low-occupancy and endemic species, resulting in homogenization of the remnant amphibian fauna. The pattern of extirpations also resulted in phylogenetic homogenization at the family level and ecological homogenization of reproductive mode and habitat association. Additionally, many more species were extirpated from the region than would be expected if extirpations occurred randomly. Our results indicate that amphibian declines in this region are an extinction filter, reducing regional amphibian biodiversity to highly similar relict assemblages and ultimately causing amplified biodiversity loss at regional and global scales.

On the spectroscopy of the 1ssigma-orbital in superheavy collision systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stiebing, K.E.; Schmidt-Boecking, H.; Schadt, W.; Bethge, K.; Mokler, P.H.; Bosch, F.; Liesen, D.; Vincent, P.

1982-01-01

The probability for the emission of quasimolecular K-radiation (K-MO-radiation) in superheavy collision systems was measured in the system 208 Pb + 208 Pb as function of the scattering angle and the photon energy for incident energies of 4.3 and 4.8 MeV/u. In the present article these measurements and their evaluation are extensively described. The results are discussed with special regards to the contributions from the 1ssigma-molecular orbital, because there exists a great interest on an utmost precise knowledge of the binding energy of these most strongly bound electrons. For this a survey about the dynamical model of the emission of quasimolecular X-radiation in the configuration formalism is given. (orig./HSI) [de

Interstellar extinction correlations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, A.P.; Williams, D.A.; Duley, W.W.

1987-01-01

A recently proposed model for interstellar grains in which the extinction arises from small silicate cores with mantles of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (HAC or α-C:H), and large, but thinly coated, silicate grains can successfully explain many of the observed properties of interstellar dust. The small silicate cores give rise to the 2200 A extinction feature. The extinction in the visual is produced by the large silicates and the HAC mantles on the small cores, whilst the far UV extinction arises in the HAC mantles with a small contribution form the silicate grains. The grain model requires that the silicate material is the more resilient component and that variations in the observed extinction from region to region are due to the nature and depletion of the carbon in the HAC mantles. (author)

Spontaneous Recovery After Extinction of the Conditioned Proboscis Extension Response in the Honeybee

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoz, Jean-Christophe; Pham-Delègue, Minh-Hà

2004-01-01

In honeybees, the proboscis extension response (PER) can be conditioned by associating an odor stimulus (CS) to a sucrose reward (US). Conditioned responses to the CS, which are acquired by most bees after a single CS-US pairing, disappear after repeated unrewarded presentations of the CS, a process called extinction. Extinction is usually thought to be based either on (1) the disruption of the stored CS-US association, or (2) the formation of an inhibitory “CS-no US” association that is better retrieved than the initial CS-US association. The observation of spontaneous recovery, i.e., the reappearance of responses to the CS after time passes following extinction, is traditionally interpreted as a proof for the formation of a transient inhibitory association. To provide a better understanding of extinction in honeybees, we examined whether time intervals during training and extinction or the number of conditioning and extinction trials have an effect on the occurrence of spontaneous recovery. We found that spontaneous recovery mostly occurs when conditioning and testing took place in a massed fashion (1-min intertrial intervals). Moreover, spontaneous recovery depended on the time elapsed since extinction, 1 h being an optimum. Increasing the number of conditioning trials improved the spontaneous recovery level, whereas increasing the number of extinction trials reduced it. Lastly, we show that after single-trial conditioning, spontaneous recovery appears only once after extinction. These elements suggest that in honeybees extinction of the PER actually reflects the impairment of the CS-US association, but that depending on training parameters different memory substrates are affected. PMID:15466313

Facilitation of extinction and re-extinction of operant behavior in mice by chlordiazepoxide and D-cycloserine.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Julian C; Norwood, Kelly

2013-05-01

The aim was to compare operant extinction with re-extinction following re-acquisition and to investigate neuropharmacological mechanisms through administration of drugs potentiating GABAergic or glutamatergic systems. Groups of C57Bl/6 mice were trained to lever press for food on a fixed ratio schedule, then extinguished with or without pre-session chlordiazepoxide or post-session d-cycloserine administration (15mg/kg in each case), then retrained to lever press for food, then re-extinguished with or without pre-session chlordiazepoxide or post-session d-cycloserine. Under vehicle injections, extinction and re-extinction curves were indistinguishable, but drug treatments showed that there was less resistance to extinction in the re-extinction phase. Chlordiazepoxide facilitated extinction and re-extinction, with an earlier effect during re-extinction. d-Cycloserine also facilitated extinction and re-extinction, with some evidence of an earlier effect during re-extinction. These results replicate and extend earlier findings with operant extinction, but differ from some previous reports of d-cycloserine on re-extinction of Pavlovian conditioned fear. Implications for accounts of the similarities and differences between neural mechanisms of extinction following either Pavlovian or operant conditioning, and applications of these findings, are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Maintenance of Immediate or Delayed Extinction Is Determined by the Extinction-Test Interval

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Justin S.; Escobar, Martha; Kimble, Whitney L.

2010-01-01

Short acquisition-extinction intervals (immediate extinction) can lead to either more or less spontaneous recovery than long acquisition-extinction intervals (delayed extinction). Using rat subjects, we observed less spontaneous recovery following immediate than delayed extinction (Experiment 1). However, this was the case only if a relatively…

Extinction and the fossil record

Science.gov (United States)

Sepkoski, J. J. Jr; Sepkoski JJ, ,. J. r. (Principal Investigator)

1994-01-01

The author examines evidence of mass extinctions in the fossil record and searches for reasons for such large extinctions. Five major mass extinctions eliminated at least 40 percent of animal genera in the oceans and from 65 to 95 percent of ocean species. Questions include the occurrence of gradual or catastrophic extinctions, causes, environment, the capacity of a perturbation to cause extinctions each time it happens, and the possibility and identification of complex events leading to a mass extinction.

Extinctions. Paleontological baselines for evaluating extinction risk in the modern oceans.

Science.gov (United States)

Finnegan, Seth; Anderson, Sean C; Harnik, Paul G; Simpson, Carl; Tittensor, Derek P; Byrnes, Jarrett E; Finkel, Zoe V; Lindberg, David R; Liow, Lee Hsiang; Lockwood, Rowan; Lotze, Heike K; McClain, Craig R; McGuire, Jenny L; O'Dea, Aaron; Pandolfi, John M

2015-05-01

Marine taxa are threatened by anthropogenic impacts, but knowledge of their extinction vulnerabilities is limited. The fossil record provides rich information on past extinctions that can help predict biotic responses. We show that over 23 million years, taxonomic membership and geographic range size consistently explain a large proportion of extinction risk variation in six major taxonomic groups. We assess intrinsic risk-extinction risk predicted by paleontologically calibrated models-for modern genera in these groups. Mapping the geographic distribution of these genera identifies coastal biogeographic provinces where fauna with high intrinsic risk are strongly affected by human activity or climate change. Such regions are disproportionately in the tropics, raising the possibility that these ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable to future extinctions. Intrinsic risk provides a prehuman baseline for considering current threats to marine biodiversity. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Fission in the landscape of heaviest elements: Some recent examples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khuyagbaatar, J.; Yakushev, A.; Düllmann, Ch.E.; Ackermann, D.; Andersson, L.-L.; Block, M.; Brand, H.; Even, J.; Forsberg, University; Hartmann, W.; Herzberg, R.-D.; Heßberger, F.P.; Hoffmann, J.; Hübner, A.; Jäger, E.; Jeppsson, J.; Kindler, B.; Kratz, J.V.; Krier, J.; Kurz, N.; Lommel, B.; Maiti, M.; Minami, S.; Rudolph, D.; Runke, J.; Sarmiento, L.G.; Schädel, M.; Schausten, B.; Steiner, J.; Heidenreich, T. Torres De; Uusitalo, J.; Wiehl, N.; Yakusheva, V.

2016-01-01

The fission process still remains a main factor that determines the stability of the atomic nucleus of heaviest elements. Fission half-lives vary over a wide range, 10"−"1"9−10"2"4 s. Present experimental techniques for the synthesis of the superheavy elements that usually measure α-decay chains are sensitive only in a limited range of half-lives, often 10"−"5−10"3 s. In the past years, measurement techniques for very short-lived and very long-lived nuclei were significantly improved at the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at GSI Darmstadt. Recently, several experimental studies of fission-related phenomena have successfully been performed. In this paper, results on "2"5"4"−"2"5"6Rf and "2"6"6Lr are presented and corresponding factors for retarding the fission process are discussed.

Biological extinction in earth history

Science.gov (United States)

Raup, D. M.

1986-01-01

Virtually all plant and animal species that have ever lived on the earth are extinct. For this reason alone, extinction must play an important role in the evolution of life. The five largest mass extinctions of the past 600 million years are of greatest interest, but there is also a spectrum of smaller events, many of which indicate biological systems in profound stress. Extinction may be episodic at all scales, with relatively long periods of stability alternating with short-lived extinction events. Most extinction episodes are biologically selective, and further analysis of the victims and survivors offers the greatest chance of deducing the proximal causes of extinction. A drop in sea level and climatic change are most frequently invoked to explain mass extinctions, but new theories of collisions with extraterrestrial bodies are gaining favor. Extinction may be constructive in a Darwinian sense or it may only perturb the system by eliminating those organisms that happen to be susceptible to geologically rare stresses.

Biological Extinction in Earth History

Science.gov (United States)

Raup, David M.

1986-03-01

Virtually all plant and animal species that have ever lived on the earth are extinct. For this reason alone, extinction must play an important role in the evolution of life. The five largest mass extinctions of the past 600 million years are of greatest interest, but there is also a spectrum of smaller events, many of which indicate biological systems in profound stress. Extinction may be episodic at all scales, with relatively long periods of stability alternating with short-lived extinction events. Most extinction episodes are biologically selective, and further analysis of the victims and survivors offers the greatest chance of deducing the proximal causes of extinction. A drop in sea level and climatic change are most frequently invoked to explain mass extinctions, but new theories of collisions with extraterrestrial bodies are gaining favor. Extinction may be constructive in a Darwinian sense or it may only perturb the system by eliminating those organisms that happen to be susceptible to geologically rare stresses.

Metapopulation extinction risk: dispersal's duplicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, Kevin

2009-09-01

Metapopulation extinction risk is the probability that all local populations are simultaneously extinct during a fixed time frame. Dispersal may reduce a metapopulation's extinction risk by raising its average per-capita growth rate. By contrast, dispersal may raise a metapopulation's extinction risk by reducing its average population density. Which effect prevails is controlled by habitat fragmentation. Dispersal in mildly fragmented habitat reduces a metapopulation's extinction risk by raising its average per-capita growth rate without causing any appreciable drop in its average population density. By contrast, dispersal in severely fragmented habitat raises a metapopulation's extinction risk because the rise in its average per-capita growth rate is more than offset by the decline in its average population density. The metapopulation model used here shows several other interesting phenomena. Dispersal in sufficiently fragmented habitat reduces a metapopulation's extinction risk to that of a constant environment. Dispersal between habitat fragments reduces a metapopulation's extinction risk insofar as local environments are asynchronous. Grouped dispersal raises the effective habitat fragmentation level. Dispersal search barriers raise metapopulation extinction risk. Nonuniform dispersal may reduce the effective fraction of suitable habitat fragments below the extinction threshold. Nonuniform dispersal may make demographic stochasticity a more potent metapopulation extinction force than environmental stochasticity.

Stress before extinction learning enhances and generalizes extinction memory in a predictive learning task.

Science.gov (United States)

Meir Drexler, Shira; Hamacher-Dang, Tanja C; Wolf, Oliver T

2017-05-01

In extinction learning, the individual learns that a previously acquired association (e.g. between a threat and its predictor) is no longer valid. This learning is the principle underlying many cognitive-behavioral psychotherapeutic treatments, e.g. 'exposure therapy'. However, extinction is often highly-context dependent, leading to renewal (relapse of extinguished conditioned response following context change). We have previously shown that post-extinction stress leads to a more context-dependent extinction memory in a predictive learning task. Yet as stress prior to learning can impair the integration of contextual cues, here we aim to create a more generalized extinction memory by inducing stress prior to extinction. Forty-nine men and women learned the associations between stimuli and outcomes in a predictive learning task (day 1), extinguished them shortly after an exposure to a stress/control condition (day 2), and were tested for renewal (day 3). No group differences were seen in acquisition and extinction learning, and a renewal effect was present in both groups. However, the groups differed in the strength and context-dependency of the extinction memory. Compared to the control group, the stress group showed an overall reduced recovery of responding to the extinguished stimuli, in particular in the acquisition context. These results, together with our previous findings, demonstrate that the effects of stress exposure on extinction memory depend on its timing. While post-extinction stress makes the memory more context-bound, pre-extinction stress strengthens its consolidation for the acquisition context as well, making it potentially more resistant to relapse. These results have implications for the use of glucocorticoids as extinction-enhancers in exposure therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PROPERTIES OF DUST GRAINS PROBED WITH EXTINCTION CURVES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nozawa, Takaya; Fukugita, Masataka [Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan)

2013-06-10

Modern data of the extinction curve from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared are revisited to study properties of dust grains in the Milky Way (MW) and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We confirm that the graphite-silicate mixture of grains yields the observed extinction curve with the simple power-law distribution of the grain size but with a cutoff at some maximal size: the parameters are tightly constrained to be q = 3.5 {+-} 0.2 for the size distribution a {sup -q} and the maximum radius a{sub max} = 0.24 {+-} 0.05 {mu}m, for both MW and SMC. The abundance of grains, and hence the elemental abundance, is constrained from the reddening versus hydrogen column density, E(B - V)/N{sub H}. If we take the solar elemental abundance as the standard for the MW, >56% of carbon should be in graphite dust, while it is <40% in the SMC using its available abundance estimate. This disparity and the relative abundance of C to Si explain the difference of the two curves. We find that 50%-60% of carbon may not necessarily be in graphite but in the amorphous or glassy phase. Iron may also be in the metallic phase or up to {approx}80% in magnetite rather than in silicates, so that the Mg/Fe ratio in astronomical olivine is arbitrary. With these substitutions, the parameters of the grain size remain unchanged. The mass density of dust grains relative to hydrogen is {rho}{sub dust}/{rho}{sub H}= 1 / (120{sup +10}{sub -16}) for the MW and 1 / (760{sup +70}{sub -90}) for the SMC under the elemental abundance constraints. We underline the importance of the wavelength dependence of the extinction curve in the near-infrared in constructing the dust model: if A{sub {lambda}}{proportional_to}{lambda}{sup -{gamma}} with {gamma} {approx_equal} 1.6, the power-law grain-size model fails, whereas it works if {gamma} {approx_equal} 1.8-2.0.

How elements up to 118 were reached and how to go beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Düllmann, Christoph E.

2017-11-01

The new superheavy elements with Z=113, 115, 117, and 118 were recently accepted into the periodic table and have been named. Elements with Z≥112 are predominantly produced in 48Ca-induced fusion reactions on actinide targets. This pathway is exhausted at Z=118 due to the lack of target materials with sufficiently high proton number to reach elements with Z≥119. Search experiments for yet heavier elements were performed at GSI Darmstadt and FLNR Dubna. The reactions 50Ti + 249Bk, which leads to Z=119, as well as 64Ni + 238U, 58Fe + 244Pu, 54Cr + 248Cm, and 50Ti + 249Cf, leading to Z=120, have been studied. Despite a total duration of these experiments of more than one year, neither succeeded in the identification of a new element. To obtain improved guidance for better-informed search experiments, nuclear reaction studies appear necessary and have recently started. Also technical advances will be an important pillar to this end. At GSI, work towards a new continuous-wave linear accelerator is ongoing and is briefly described.

Temporal factors in the extinction of fear in inbred mouse strains differing in extinction efficacy.

Science.gov (United States)

MacPherson, Kathryn; Whittle, Nigel; Camp, Marguerite; Gunduz-Cinar, Ozge; Singewald, Nicolas; Holmes, Andrew

2013-07-05

Various neuropsychiatric conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are characterized by deficient fear extinction, but individuals differ greatly in risk for these. While there is growing evidence that fear extinction is influenced by certain procedural variables, it is unclear how these influences might vary across individuals and subpopulations. To model individual differences in fear extinction, prior studies identified a strain of inbred mouse, 129S1/SvImJ (S1), which exhibits a profound deficit in fear extinction, as compared to other inbred strains, such as C57BL/6J (B6). Here, we assessed the effects of procedural variables on the impaired extinction phenotype of the S1 strain and, by comparison, the extinction-intact B6 strain. The variables studied were 1) the interval between conditioning and extinction, 2) the interval between cues during extinction training, 3) single-cue exposure before extinction training, and 4) extinction of a second-order conditioned cue. Conducting extinction training soon after ('immediately') conditioning attenuated fear retrieval in S1 mice and impaired extinction in B6 mice. Spacing cue presentations with long inter-trial intervals during extinction training augmented fear in S1 and B6 mice. The effect of spacing was lost with one-trial fear conditioning in B6, but not S1 mice. A single exposure to a conditioned cue before extinction training did not alter extinction retrieval, either in B6 or S1 mice. Both the S1 and B6 strains exhibited robust second-order fear conditioning, in which a cue associated with footshock was sufficient to serve as a conditioned exciter to condition a fear association to a second cue. B6 mice extinguished the fear response to the second-order conditioned cue, but S1 mice failed to do so. These data provide further evidence that fear extinction is strongly influenced by multiple procedural variables and is so in a highly strain-dependent manner. This suggests that the efficacy of

Extinction produces context inhibition and multiple-context extinction reduces response recovery in human predictive learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Glautier, Steven; Elgueta, Tito; Nelson, James Byron

2013-12-01

Two experiments with human participants were used to investigate recovery of an extinguished learned response after a context change using ABC designs. In an ABC design, the context changes over the three successive stages of acquisition (context A), extinction (context B), and test (context C). In both experiments, we found reduced recovery in groups that had extinction in multiple contexts, and that the extinction contexts acquired inhibitory strength. These results confirm those of previous investigations, that multiple-context extinction can produce less response recovery than single-context extinction, and they also provide new evidence for the involvement of contextual inhibitory processes in extinction in humans. The foregoing results are broadly in line with a protection-from-extinction account of response recovery. Yet, despite the fact that we detected contextual inhibition, predictions based on protection-from-extinction were not fully reliable for the single- and multiple-context group differences that we observed in (1) rates of extinction and (2) the strength of context inhibition. Thus, although evidence was obtained for a protection-from-extinction account of response recovery, this account can not explain all of the data.

Increased perceived self-efficacy facilitates the extinction of fear in healthy participants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Armin eZlomuzica

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Self-efficacy has been proposed as an important element of a successful cognitive behavioral treatment. Positive changes in perceived self-efficacy have been linked to an improved adaptive emotional and behavioral responding in the context of anxiety-provoking situations. Furthermore, a positive influence of self-efficacy on cognitive functions has been confirmed. The present study examined the effect of verbal persuasion on perceived self-efficacy and fear extinction. Healthy participants were subjected to a standardized differential fear conditioning paradigm. After fear acquisition, half of the participants received a verbal persuasion aimed at increasing perceived self-efficacy. The extinction of fear was assessed immediately thereafter on both the implicit and explicit level. Our results suggest that an increased perceived self-efficacy was associated with enhanced extinction, evidenced on the psychophysiological level and accompanied by more pronounced decrements in conditioned negative valence. Changes in extinction were not due to a decrease in overall emotional reactivity to conditioned stimuli. In addition, debriefing participants about the false positive feedback did not affect the processing of already extinguished conditioned responses during a subsequent continued extinction phase. Our results suggest that positive changes in perceived self-efficacy can be beneficial for emotional learning. Findings are discussed with respect to strategies aimed at increasing extinction learning in the course of exposure-based treatments.

Modern examples of extinctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lövei, Gabor L

2013-01-01

No species lives forever, and extinction is the ultimate fate of all living species. The fossil record indicates that a recent extinction wave affecting terrestrial vertebrates was parallel with the arrival of modern humans to areas formerly uninhabited by them. These modern instances of extinction...

A phantom extinction? New insights into extinction dynamics of the Don-hare Lepus tanaiticus.

Science.gov (United States)

Prost, S; Knapp, M; Flemmig, J; Hufthammer, A K; Kosintsev, P; Stiller, M; Hofreiter, M

2010-09-01

The Pleistocene to Holocene transition was accompanied by a worldwide extinction event affecting numerous mammalian species. Several species such as the woolly mammoth and the giant deer survived this extinction wave, only to go extinct a few thousand years later during the Holocene. Another example for such a Holocene extinction is the Don-hare, Lepus tanaiticus, which inhabited the Russian plains during the late glacial. After being slowly replaced by the extant mountain hare (Lepus timidus), it eventually went extinct during the middle Holocene. Here, we report the phylogenetic relationship of L. tanaiticus and L. timidus based on a 339-basepair (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial D-loop. Phylogenetic tree- and network reconstructions do not support L. tanaiticus and L. timidus being different species. Rather, we suggest that the two taxa represent different morphotypes of a single species and the extinction of 'L. tanaiticus' represents the disappearance of a local morphotype rather than the extinction of a species.

Superheavy elements and decay properties

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

chains from 294118 and, it can be seen that our predictions on the α decay ... The Coulomb and proximity potential model for deformed nuclei (CPPMDN) .... Here the half-life is in seconds, Q-value is in MeV and Z is the atomic number of the.

Superheavy elements and decay properties

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2015-08-04

Aug 4, 2015 ... The decay properties of the isotopes of = 115, 117, 118 and 119 have been extensively investigated, focussing on the newly synthesized isotopes within the Coulomb and proximity potential model for deformed nuclei (CPPMDN). The half-lives have also been evaluated using the Viola–Seaborg ...

Instructed fear learning, extinction, and recall: additive effects of cognitive information on emotional learning of fear.

Science.gov (United States)

Javanbakht, Arash; Duval, Elizabeth R; Cisneros, Maria E; Taylor, Stephan F; Kessler, Daniel; Liberzon, Israel

2017-08-01

The effects of instruction on learning of fear and safety are rarely studied. We aimed to examine the effects of cognitive information and experience on fear learning. Fourty healthy participants, randomly assigned to three groups, went through fear conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction recall with two conditioned stimuli (CS+). Information was presented about the presence or absence of conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) contingency at different stages of the experiment. Information about the CS-US contingency prior to fear conditioning enhanced fear response and reduced extinction recall. Information about the absence of CS-US contingency promoted extinction learning and recall, while omission of this information prior to recall resulted in fear renewal. These findings indicate that contingency information can facilitate fear expression during fear learning, and can facilitate extinction learning and recall. Information seems to function as an element of the larger context in which conditioning occurs.

The Late Ordovician Extinction: How it became the best understood of the five major extinctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheehan, P.

2003-04-01

The end Ordovician extinction has become arguably the best-understood major extinction event in Earth History. A plethora of workers have established the pattern of faunal change and causes of the extinction with remarkably little disagreement. The first indication of increased extinction at the end of the Ordovician was a graph of global diversity patterns by Norman Newell in 1967, although he did not recognize it as a major event. The presence of a major extinction event became clear as William Berry and Art Boucot assembled data for Silurian correlation charts in the late 1960s. The first reports of North African glaciation in the late 1960s provided a cause for the extinction and study of the event snowballed. It was no accident that recognition of the extinction began in North America, because it was there that the extinction completely overturned faunas in the epicontinental seas. Glacio-eustatic regression of shallow seaway coincided with the disappearance of endemic Laurentian faunas and replacement by a highly cosmopolitan fauna in the Silurian. Once the event was established in North America, paleontologists soon found evidence of the event around the globe. The well-documented Hirnantia Fauna was found to correspond to the glacial interval, and Pat Brenchley soon recognized that there were two pulses of extinction, at the beginning and end of the glaciation. At the same time that the faunal changes were being documented geologic studies of the glaciation provided information on the environmental changes associated with the extinction. The timing of the glacial maximum was established in Africa and by the presence of dropstones in high latitude marine rocks. The 1990s saw geochemical techniques employed that allowed examination of atmospheric CO2 and temperature changes. In many places carbonate deposition declined. Glacio-eustatic regression was obvious in many areas, and a sea-level decline in the range of 50-100 m was established. Shallow

Modelling interstellar extinction: Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, A.P.

1988-01-01

Several methods of calculating the extinction of porous silicate grains are discussed, these include effective medium theories and hollow spherical shells. Porous silicate grains are shown to produce enhanced infrared, ultraviolet and far-ultraviolet extinction and this effect can be used to reduce the abundance of carbon required to match the average interstellar extinction, however, matching the visual extinction is rather more problematical. We have shown that the enhanced extinction at long and short wavelengths have different origins, and have explained why the visual extinction is little affected by porosity. The implications of porous grains in the interstellar medium are discussed with particular reference to surface chemistry, the polarization of starlight, and their dynamical evolution. (author)

Extinction Events Can Accelerate Evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehman, Joel; Miikkulainen, Risto

2015-01-01

Extinction events impact the trajectory of biological evolution significantly. They are often viewed as upheavals to the evolutionary process. In contrast, this paper supports the hypothesis that although they are unpredictably destructive, extinction events may in the long term accelerate...... evolution by increasing evolvability. In particular, if extinction events extinguish indiscriminately many ways of life, indirectly they may select for the ability to expand rapidly through vacated niches. Lineages with such an ability are more likely to persist through multiple extinctions. Lending...... computational support for this hypothesis, this paper shows how increased evolvability will result from simulated extinction events in two computational models of evolved behavior. The conclusion is that although they are destructive in the short term, extinction events may make evolution more prolific...

Extraterrestrial cause for the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, L.W.; Alvarez, W.; Asaro, F.; Michel, H.V.

1980-01-01

Platinum metals are depleted in the earth's crust relative to their cosmic abundance; concentrations of these elements in deep-sea sediments may thus indicate influxes of extraterrestrial material. Deep-sea limestones exposed in Italy, Denmark, and New Zealand show iridium increases of about 30, 160, and 20 times, respectively, above the background level at precisely the time of the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinctions, 65 million years ago. Reasons are given to indicate that this iridium is of extraterrestrial origin, but did not come from a nearby supernova. A hypothesis is suggested which accounts for the extinctions and the iridium observations. Impact of a large earth-crossing asteroid would inject about 60 times the object's mass into the atmosphere as pulverized rock; a fraction of this dust would stay in the stratosphere for several years and be distributed worldwide. The resulting darkness would suppress photosynthesis, and the expected biological consequences match quite closely the extinctions observed in the paleontological record. One prediction of this hypothesis has been verified: the chemical composition of the boundary clay, which is thought to come from the stratospheric dust, is markedly different from that of clay mixed with the Cretaceous and Tertiary limestones, which are chemically similar to each other. Four different independent estimates of the diameter of the asteroid give values that lie in the range 10 +- 4 kilometers

Timing of extinction relative to acquisition: A parametric analysis of fear extinction in humans

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Norrholm, S.D.; Vervliet, B.; Jovanovic, T.; Boshoven, W.; Myers, K.M.; Davis, M.; Rothbaum, B.O.; Duncan, E.J.

2008-01-01

Fear extinction is a reduction in conditioned fear following repeated exposure to the feared cue in the absence of any aversive event. Extinguished fear often reappears after extinction through spontaneous recovery. Animal studies suggest that spontaneous recovery can be abolished if extinction

Press/Pulse: Explaining selective terrestrial extinctions at the Cretaceous/Palaeogene boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Arens, Nan Crystal

2010-05-01

mire plants preferentially survive? Deccan Trap volcanism generated climatic warming and instability during the last 500 Ka of the Cretaceous. This resulted in extensive rearrangement of terrestrial floras. Dramatic cooling in the millennia immediately preceding the K/P boundary caused regional diversity loss and an apparent increase in vegetation heterogeneity. These changes, coupled with the spread of wetland ecosystems across the western interior of North America in the latest Cretaceous, exerted stress—press disturbance—on some elements of the biota, while favoring others. This press stress may have rendered lineages requiring well-drained or large homogeneous habitats endangered and vulnerable to extinction in the face of the terminal-Cretaceous bolide impact(s)—pulse disturbance. And, in fact, the impact's survivors were primarily wetland plants and animals.

Rescaling of temporal expectations during extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Drew, Michael R.; Walsh, Carolyn; Balsam, Peter D

2016-01-01

Previous research suggests that extinction learning is temporally specific. Changing the CS duration between training and extinction can facilitate the loss of the CR within the extinction session but impairs long-term retention of extinction. In two experiments using conditioned magazine approach with rats, we examined the relation between temporal specificity of extinction and CR timing. In Experiment 1 rats were trained on a 12-s, fixed CS-US interval and then extinguished with CS presentations that were 6, 12, or 24 s in duration. The design of Experiment 2 was the same except rats were trained using partial rather than continuous reinforcement. In both experiments, extending the CS duration in extinction facilitated the diminution of CRs during the extinction session, but shortening the CS duration failed to slow extinction. In addition, extending (but not shortening) the CS duration caused temporal rescaling of the CR, in that the peak CR rate migrated later into the trial over the course of extinction training. This migration partially accounted for the faster loss of the CR when the CS duration was extended. Results are incompatible with the hypothesis that extinction is driven by cumulative CS exposure and suggest that temporally extended nonreinforced CS exposure reduces conditioned responding via temporal displacement rather than through extinction per se. PMID:28045291

End Ordovician extinctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harper, David A. T.; Hammarlund, Emma; Rasmussen, Christian M. Ø.

2014-01-01

-global anoxia associated with a marked transgression during the Late Hirnantian. Most recently, however, new drivers for the extinctions have been proposed, including widespread euxinia together with habitat destruction caused by plate tectonic movements, suggesting that the end Ordovician mass extinctions were...

Extinction of NGC 7027

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seaton, M.J.

1979-01-01

Emission intensities of recombination lines in hydrogenic spectra are known accurately relative to intensities in the free-free radio continuum. For NGC 7027 intensities have been measured for the radio continuum and for H I and He II lines in the wavelength range from lambda = 2.17 μm to lambda = 1640 A: comparison with the calculated emission intensities gives the extinction. Determinations of the standard interstellar extinction function are critically discussed. The extinction deduced for the total radiation from NGC 7027 has a dependence on wavelength for 6563 A >= lambda >= 1640 A which is in excellent agreement with the adopted standard results, but there are some anomalies for longer wavelengths and for the ratio of total to selective extinction. These can be explained using a model which allows for a local contribution to the extinction which is variable over the surface of the nebula. (author)

Extinction with multiple excitors

OpenAIRE

McConnell, Bridget L.; Miguez, Gonzalo; Miller, Ralph R.

2013-01-01

Four conditioned suppression experiments with rats, using an ABC renewal design, investigated the effects of compounding the target conditioned excitor with additional, nontarget conditioned excitors during extinction. Experiment 1 showed stronger extinction, as evidenced by less renewal, when the target excitor was extinguished in compound with a second excitor, relative to when it was extinguished with associatively neutral stimuli. Critically, this deepened extinction effect was attenuated...

Description of new element Z=113 and its α-decay chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tai Fei; Chen Dinghan; Xu Chang; Ren Zhongzhou; National Laboratory of Heavy Ion Accelerator, Lanzhou

2005-01-01

RIKEN has produced a new element Z=113 by cold-fusion reaction. Here we systematically study the new nuclide 278 113 and its α-Decay chain using deformed relativistic mean-field theory with three sets of force parameters, TMA, NL-Z2 and NL3. The results are compared with those of the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model, Moeller et al and also with the new experimental data. The experimental decay energies are well reproduced with RMF. This not only shows the validity of self-consistent field theoretical model in researching the ground state properties of superheavy nuclei, but also shows that prolate deformation is important for the ground state of these nuclei. (authors)

Immediate extinction causes a less durable loss of performance than delayed extinction following either fear or appetitive conditioning

OpenAIRE

Woods, Amanda M.; Bouton, Mark E.

2008-01-01

Five experiments with rat subjects compared the effects of immediate and delayed extinction on the durability of extinction learning. Three experiments examined extinction of fear conditioning (using the conditioned emotional response method), and two experiments examined extinction of appetitive conditioning (using the food-cup entry method). In all experiments, conditioning and extinction were accomplished in single sessions, and retention testing took place 24 h after extinction. In both f...

How elements up to 118 were reached and how to go beyond

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Düllmann Christoph E.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The new superheavy elements with Z=113, 115, 117, and 118 were recently accepted into the periodic table and have been named. Elements with Z≥112 are predominantly produced in 48Ca-induced fusion reactions on actinide targets. This pathway is exhausted at Z=118 due to the lack of target materials with sufficiently high proton number to reach elements with Z≥119. Search experiments for yet heavier elements were performed at GSI Darmstadt and FLNR Dubna. The reactions 50Ti + 249Bk, which leads to Z=119, as well as 64Ni + 238U, 58Fe + 244Pu, 54Cr + 248Cm, and 50Ti + 249Cf, leading to Z=120, have been studied. Despite a total duration of these experiments of more than one year, neither succeeded in the identification of a new element. To obtain improved guidance for better-informed search experiments, nuclear reaction studies appear necessary and have recently started. Also technical advances will be an important pillar to this end. At GSI, work towards a new continuous-wave linear accelerator is ongoing and is briefly described.

The discovery of elements 107 to 112

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hofmann Sigurd

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the 1960s, theoretical concepts prepared the path to nuclear matter with proton and neutron numbers far beyond the nuclei known at that time. The new laboratory GSI was founded for research on reactions with heavy ions, in particular those for production of the predicted super-heavy nuclei. In this contribution it is presented how the interaction between experiment and theory resulted in a continuous improvement of the experimental set-ups on the one hand, and of the knowledge of the processes during the nuclear reaction and of the properties of the produced nuclei on the other hand. In the course of this work six new elements from 107 to 112 were produced and identified. An overview of the present status of experimental results and a comparison with theoretical interpretations is given.

Extinction risk escalates in the tropics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana C Vamosi

Full Text Available The latitudinal biodiversity gradient remains one of the most widely recognized yet puzzling patterns in nature. Presently, the high level of extinction of tropical species, referred to as the "tropical biodiversity crisis", has the potential to erode this pattern. While the connection between species richness, extinction, and speciation has long intrigued biologists, these interactions have experienced increased poignancy due to their relevancy to where we should concentrate our conservation efforts. Natural extinction is a phenomenon thought to have its own latitudinal gradient, with lower extinction rates in the tropics being reported in beetles, birds, mammals, and bivalves. Processes that have buffered ecosystems from high extinction rates in the past may also buffer ecosystems against disturbance of anthropogenic origin. While potential parallels between historical and present-day extinction patterns have been acknowledged, they remain only superficially explored and plant extinction patterns have been particularly neglected. Studies on the disappearances of animal species have reached conflicting conclusions, with the rate of extinction appearing either higher or lower in species richness hotspots. Our global study of extinction risk in vascular plants finds disproportionately higher extinction risk in tropical countries, even when indicators of human pressure (GDP, population density, forest cover change are taken into account. Our results are at odds with the notion that the tropics represent a museum of plant biodiversity (places of historically lowered extinction and we discuss mechanisms that may reconcile this apparent contradiction.

Extinction risk escalates in the tropics.

Science.gov (United States)

Vamosi, Jana C; Vamosi, Steven M

2008-01-01

The latitudinal biodiversity gradient remains one of the most widely recognized yet puzzling patterns in nature. Presently, the high level of extinction of tropical species, referred to as the "tropical biodiversity crisis", has the potential to erode this pattern. While the connection between species richness, extinction, and speciation has long intrigued biologists, these interactions have experienced increased poignancy due to their relevancy to where we should concentrate our conservation efforts. Natural extinction is a phenomenon thought to have its own latitudinal gradient, with lower extinction rates in the tropics being reported in beetles, birds, mammals, and bivalves. Processes that have buffered ecosystems from high extinction rates in the past may also buffer ecosystems against disturbance of anthropogenic origin. While potential parallels between historical and present-day extinction patterns have been acknowledged, they remain only superficially explored and plant extinction patterns have been particularly neglected. Studies on the disappearances of animal species have reached conflicting conclusions, with the rate of extinction appearing either higher or lower in species richness hotspots. Our global study of extinction risk in vascular plants finds disproportionately higher extinction risk in tropical countries, even when indicators of human pressure (GDP, population density, forest cover change) are taken into account. Our results are at odds with the notion that the tropics represent a museum of plant biodiversity (places of historically lowered extinction) and we discuss mechanisms that may reconcile this apparent contradiction.

Dreaming Your Fear Away: A Computational Model for Fear Extinction Learning During Dreaming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Treur, J.; Lu et al., B.L.

2011-01-01

In this paper a computational model is presented that models how dreaming is used to learn fear extinction. The approach addresses dreaming as internal simulation incorporating memory elements in the form of sensory representations and their associated fear. During dream episodes regulation of fear

Rescuing Ecosystems from Extinction Cascades

Science.gov (United States)

Sahasrabudhe, Sagar; Motter, Adilson

2010-03-01

Food web perturbations stemming from climate change, overexploitation, invasive species, and natural disasters often cause an initial loss of species that results in a cascade of secondary extinctions. Using a predictive modeling framework, here we will present a systematic network-based approach to reduce the number of secondary extinctions. We will show that the extinction of one species can often be compensated by the concurrent removal of a second specific species, which is a counter-intuitive effect not previously tested in complex food webs. These compensatory perturbations frequently involve long-range interactions that are not a priori evident from local predator-prey relationships. Strikingly, in numerous cases even the early removal of a species that would eventually be extinct by the cascade is found to significantly reduce the number of cascading extinctions. Other nondestructive interventions based on partial removals and growth suppression and/or mortality increase are shown to sometimes prevent all secondary extinctions.

Search for surviving actinides and superheavy nuclei in damped collisions of 238U with 238U and 248Cm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kratz, J.V.

1980-03-01

In the present talk aspects of the reaction mechanism related to the survival probability of the heaviest fragments in 238 U + 238 U collisions are discussed first. This is followed by a description of the experiments that have been performed to search for surviving superheavy fragments in the 238 U + 238 U reaction and by a presentation of the results obtained so far. In a third section our recent first attempts with the 238 U + 248 Cm reaction are described and preliminary results are discussed. (orig.)

Stress and Fear Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Maren, Stephen; Holmes, Andrew

2016-01-01

Stress has a critical role in the development and expression of many psychiatric disorders, and is a defining feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Stress also limits the efficacy of behavioral therapies aimed at limiting pathological fear, such as exposure therapy. Here we examine emerging evidence that stress impairs recovery from trauma by impairing fear extinction, a form of learning thought to underlie the suppression of trauma-related fear memories. We describe the major structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions that are particularly vulnerable to stress, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, which may underlie stress-induced impairments in extinction. We also discuss some of the stress-induced neurochemical and molecular alterations in these brain regions that are associated with extinction deficits, and the potential for targeting these changes to prevent or reverse impaired extinction. A better understanding of the neurobiological basis of stress effects on extinction promises to yield novel approaches to improving therapeutic outcomes for PTSD and other anxiety and trauma-related disorders. PMID:26105142

Temporal specificity of extinction in autoshaping.

Science.gov (United States)

Drew, Michael R; Yang, Cynthia; Ohyama, Tatsuya; Balsam, Peter D

2004-07-01

Three experiments investigated the effects of varying the conditioned stimulus (CS) duration between training and extinction. Ring doves (Streptopelia risoria) were autoshaped on a fixed CS-unconditioned stimulus (US) interval and extinguished with CS presentations that were longer, shorter, or the same as the training duration. During a subsequent test session, the training CS duration was reintroduced. Results suggest that the cessation of responding during an extinction session is controlled by generalization of excitation between the training and extinction CSs and by the number of nonreinforced CS presentations. Transfer of extinction to the training CS is controlled by the similarity between the extinction and training CSs. Extinction learning is temporally specific. (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved

Perspectives of Super-Heavy Nuclei research with the upcoming separator-spectrometer setup S3 at GANIL/SPIRAL2 - The VAMOS Gas-Filled separator and AGATA

Science.gov (United States)

Theisen, Christophe

2017-11-01

Several facilities or apparatus for the synthesis and spectroscopy of the Super-Heavy Nuclei (SHN) are presently under construction in the world, which reflect the large interest for this region of extreme mass and charge, but also for the need of even more advanced research infrastructures. Among this new generation, the GANIL/SPIRAL2 facility in Caen, France, will soon deliver very high intense ion beams of several tens of particle μA. The Super Separator Spectrometer S3 has been designed to exploit these new beams for the study of SHN after separation. It will provide the needed beam rejection, mass selection and full arsenal of state-of-the art detection setups. Still at GANIL, the AGATA new generation gamma-ray tracking array is being operated. The VAMOS high acceptance spectrometer is being upgraded as a gas-filled separator. Its coupling with AGATA will lower the spectroscopic limits for the prompt gamma-ray studies of heavy and super-heavy nuclei. In this proceeding, these new devices will be presented along with a selected physics case.

Search for isobar-analog states of superheavy hydrogen isotopes5-7He

Science.gov (United States)

Chernyshev, B. A.; Gurov, Yu B.; Korotkova, L. Yu; Kuznetsov, D. S.; Lapushkin, S. V.; Tel'kushev, M. V.; Schurenkova, T. D.

2016-02-01

Search for isobar-analog states (IAS) of superheavy hydrogen isotopes 5-7H was performed among the high-excited states of helium isotopes 5-7He. The excited spectra were measured in stopped pion absorption by light nuclei. The experiment was performed at low energy pion channel of LANL with two-arm multilayer semiconductor spectrometer. Excited states of 5-7He were observed in three-body reaction channels on 10,11B nuclei. Several excited levels were observed for the first time. 6He excited state with Ex = 27.0(8) MeV observed in 10B(π-,pt)X channel is an IAS candidate for 6H with Er ∼ 5.5 MeV. 7He excited state with Ex = 24.8(4) MeV observed in 10B(π-,pd)X, nB(π-,pt)X and nB(π-,dd)X channels is an IAS candidate for 7H with Er ∼ 3 MeV.

Thermal Transgressions and Phanerozoic Extinctions

Science.gov (United States)

Worsley, T. R.; Kidder, D. L.

2007-12-01

A number of significant Phanerozoic extinctions are associated with marine transgressions that were probably driven by rapid ocean warming. The conditions associated with what we call thermal transgressions are extremely stressful to life on Earth. The Earth system setting associated with end-Permian extinction exemplifies an end-member case of our model. The conditions favoring extreme warmth and sea-level increases driven by thermal expansion are also conducive to changes in ocean circulation that foster widespread anoxia and sulfidic subsurface ocean waters. Equable climates are characterized by reduced wind shear and weak surface ocean circulation. Late Permian and Early Triassic thermohaline circulation differs considerably from today's world, with minimal polar sinking and intensified mid-latitude sinking that delivers sulfate from shallow evaporative areas to deeper water where it is reduced to sulfide. Reduced nutrient input to oceans from land at many of the extinction intervals results from diminished silicate weathering and weakened delivery of iron via eolian dust. The falloff in iron-bearing dust leads to minimal nitrate production, weakening food webs and rendering faunas and floras more susceptible to extinction when stressed. Factors such as heat, anoxia, ocean acidification, hypercapnia, and hydrogen sulfide poisoning would significantly affect these biotas. Intervals of tectonic quiescence set up preconditions favoring extinctions. Reductions in chemical silicate weathering lead to carbon dioxide buildup, oxygen drawdown, nutrient depletion, wind and ocean current abatement, long-term global warming, and ocean acidification. The effects of extinction triggers such as large igneous provinces, bolide impacts, and episodes of sudden methane release are more potent against the backdrop of our proposed preconditions. Extinctions that have characteristics we call for in the thermal transgressions include the Early Cambrian Sinsk event, as well as

Workshop of Advanced Science Research Center, JAERI. Nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry of superheavy elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishio, Katsuhisa; Nishinaka, Ichiro; Ikezoe, Hiroshi; Nagame, Yuichiro

2004-03-01

A liquid drop model predicts that the fission barrier of a nucleus whose atomic number (Z) is larger than 106 disappears, so that such heavier nuclei as Z > 106 cannot exist. The shell effect, however, drastically changes structure of the fission barrier and stabilizes nucleus against fission, predicting the presence of super heavy element (SHE, Z=114-126) with measurable half-life. In the SHE region, a wave function of outermost electron of an atom, which controls chemical properties of an elements, is disturbed or changed by relativistic effects compared to the one from the non-relativistic model. This suggests that the SHEs have different chemical properties from those of lighter elements belonging to the same family. The chemistry of SHEs requires event by event analysis to reveal their chemical properties, thus is called 'atom-at-a-time chemistry'. Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has been investigating fusion mechanism between heavy nuclei to find out favorable reactions to produce SHE by using JAERI-tandem and booster accelerator. In the JAERI-tandem facility, isotopes of Rf and Db are produced by using actinide targets such as 248 Cm in order to investigate their chemical properties. The present workshop was held in Advanced Science Research Center of JAERI at February 27-28 (2003) in order to discuss current status and future plans for the heavy element research. The workshop also included topics of the radioactive nuclear beam project forwarded by the JAERI-KEK cooperation and the nuclear transmutation facility of J-PARC. Also included is the nuclear fission process as a decay characteristic of heavy elements. There were sixty participants in the workshop including graduate and undergraduate eleven students. We had guests from Germany and Hungary. Through the workshop, we had a common knowledge that researches on SHE in Japan should fill an important role in the world. (author)

Distinctive Roles for Amygdalar CREB in Reconsolidation and Extinction of Fear Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Tronson, Natalie C.; Wiseman, Shari L.; Neve, Rachael L.; Nestler, Eric J.; Olausson, Peter; Taylor, Jane R.

2012-01-01

Cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) plays a critical role in fear memory formation. Here we determined the role of CREB selectively within the amygdala in reconsolidation and extinction of auditory fear. Viral overexpression of the inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) or the dominant-negative mCREB, specifically within the lateral…

Trajectories of Late Permian – Jurassic radiolarian extinction rates: no evidence for an end-Triassic mass extinction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Kiessling

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The hypothesis that ocean acidification was a proximate trigger of the marine end-Triassic mass extinction rests on the assumption that taxa that strongly invest in the secretion of calcium-carbonate skeletons were significantly more affected by the crisis than other taxa. An argument against this hypothesis is the great extinction toll of radiolarians that has been reported from work on local sections. Radiolarians have siliceous tests and thus should be less affected by ocean acidification. We compiled taxonomically vetted occurrences of late Permian and Mesozoic radiolarians and analyzed extinction dynamics of radiolarian genera. Although extinction rates were high at the end of the Triassic, there is no evidence for a mass extinction in radiolarians but rather significantly higher background extinction in the Triassic than in the Jurassic. Although the causes for this decline in background extinction levels remain unclear, the lack of a major evolutionary response to the end-Triassic event, gives support for the hypothesis that ocean acidification was involved in the dramatic extinctions of many calcifying taxa. doi:10.1002/mmng.201000017

Constraints on Enhanced Extinction Resulting from Extinction Treatment in the Presence of an Added Excitor

Science.gov (United States)

Urcelay, Gonzalo P.; Lipatova, Olga; Miller, Ralph R.

2009-01-01

Three Pavlovian fear conditioning experiments with rats as subjects explored the effect of extinction in the presence of a concurrent excitor. Our aim was to explore this particular treatment, documented in previous studies to deepen extinction, with novel control groups to shed light on the processes involved in extinction. Relative to subjects…

Synthesis of superheavy elements and dinuclear-system concept of compound-nucleus formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antonenko, N.V.; Adamian, G.G.; Cherepanov, E.A. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation)] [and others

1996-12-31

Dinuclear system concept is applied to the analysis of reactions used for the synthesis of elements with Z = 110, 112, 114, and 116. The inner fusion barriers obtained for these reactions are in good agreement with the experimental estimations resulted from the excitation energies of compound nuclei. A model is suggested for the calculation of the competition between complete fusion and quasifission in reactions with heavy nuclei. The fusion rate through the inner fusion barrier in mass asymmetry is found by using the multidimensional Kramers-type stationary solution of the Fokker-Planck equation. The influence of dissipative effects on the dynamics of nuclear fusion is considered.

Extinction of H II regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Israel, F.P.; Kennicutt, R.C.

1980-01-01

Visual extinction of H II regions in nine nearby galaxies as derived from the ratio of the radio continuum emission to H-alpha emission is systematically larger than visual extinction deduced from the Balmer lines alone, if one assumes a value Av/E(B-V) 3. An optically-limited sample of about 30 extragalactic H II regions has a mean extinction of 1.7 m in the visual while about 1.2 m is not seen in the reddening of the Balmer lines. Both reddening and extinction decreases with increasing galactic radius, at least for M33 and M101

A reconciliation of extinction theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabine, T.M.

1988-01-01

The differences between previous theoretical treatments of extinction based on the Darwin intensity equations arise because of the different functional form chosen for the coupling constant σ. When the same function is used these theories make closely similar predictions. It is shown that a limiting condition on integrated intensity as the crystal size increases puts restrictions on the functions which may be used. A Lorentzian or Fresnellian function can be used for primary extinction while secondary extinction requires a Gaussian, rectangular or triangular function. An analytical expression is given for the variation in the value of the extinction factor with scattering angle. (orig.)

The ethics of reviving long extinct species.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandler, Ronald

2014-04-01

There now appears to be a plausible pathway for reviving species that have been extinct for several decades, centuries, or even millennia. I conducted an ethical analysis of de-extinction of long extinct species. I assessed several possible ethical considerations in favor of pursuing de-extinction: that it is a matter of justice; that it would reestablish lost value; that it would create new value; and that society needs it as a conservation last resort. I also assessed several possible ethical arguments against pursuing de-extinction: that it is unnatural; that it could cause animal suffering; that it could be ecologically problematic or detrimental to human health; and that it is hubristic. There are reasons in favor of reviving long extinct species, and it can be ethically acceptable to do so. However, the reasons in favor of pursuing de-extinction do not have to do with its usefulness in species conservation; rather, they concern the status of revived species as scientific and technological achievements, and it would be ethically problematic to promote de-extinction as a significant conservation strategy, because it does not prevent species extinctions, does not address the causes of extinction, and could be detrimental to some species conservation efforts. Moreover, humanity does not have a responsibility or obligation to pursue de-extinction of long extinct species, and reviving them does not address any urgent problem. Therefore, legitimate ecological, political, animal welfare, legal, or human health concerns associated with a de-extinction (and reintroduction) must be thoroughly addressed for it to be ethically acceptable. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Proceedings of the workshop on the nuclear sciences of the heaviest elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagame, Yuichiro; Haba, Hiromitsu; Ikezoe, Hiroshi [eds.

2000-03-01

The workshop on the nuclear sciences of the heaviest elements took place on July 21-22, 1999 at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI), Tokai. Approximately 40 scientists and 15 graduate students participated in the workshop which was organized by the Advanced Science Research Center, JAERI. The successful syntheses of three new super-heavy elements in 1999, Z=114 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, and Z=118 (with Z=116 following from {alpha}-decay of Z=118) at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in USA, are tremendous progress in the field of the heavy element research. The 1st International Conference on the Chemistry and Physics of the Transactinide Elements (TAN99) was held in Germany from September 26 to 30, 1999 to discuss in a larger context all scientific aspects of the heaviest elements. Thus, it was timely to hold the present domestic workshop to summarize what has been done in recent years, to see what has come true, and to discuss the perspectives in the near feature. The subjects in the workshop were classified into; (1) synthesis of heavy elements, (2) decay properties of heavy nuclei, (3) chemistry of the heaviest elements, and (4) future plans of the heavy element research in Japan. This volume contains the papers presented in the workshop. The 14 papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

Immediate Extinction Causes a Less Durable Loss of Performance than Delayed Extinction following Either Fear or Appetitive Conditioning

Science.gov (United States)

Woods, Amanda M.; Bouton, Mark E.

2008-01-01

Five experiments with rat subjects compared the effects of immediate and delayed extinction on the durability of extinction learning. Three experiments examined extinction of fear conditioning (using the conditioned emotional response method), and two experiments examined extinction of appetitive conditioning (using the food-cup entry method). In…

No disillusions in auditory extinction: perceiving a melody comprised of unperceived notes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon Y Deouell

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The formation of coherent percepts requires grouping together spatio-temporally disparate sensory inputs. Two major questions arise: (1 is awareness necessary for this process; and (2 can non-conscious elements of the sensory input be grouped into a conscious perceptµ To address this question, we tested two patients suffering from severe left auditory extinction following right hemisphere damage. In extinction, patients are unaware of the presence of left side stimuli when they are presented simultaneously with right side stimuli. We used the ‘scale illusion’ to test whether extinguished tones on the left can be incorporated into the content of conscious awareness. In the scale illusion, healthy listeners obtain the illusion of distinct melodies, which are the result of grouping of information from both ears into illusory auditory streams. We show that the two patients were susceptible to the scale illusion while being consciously unaware of the stimuli presented on their left. This suggests that awareness is not necessary for auditory grouping and non-conscious elements can be incorporated into a conscious percept.

Ionization history of the universe as a test for superheavy dark matter particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doroshkevich, A.G.; Naselsky, P.D.

2002-01-01

In this paper we discuss the possible distortions of the ionization history of the universe caused by an injection of nonthermal energy due to decays of hypothetical superheavy dark matter (SHDM) particles. These particles are usually considered as a possible source of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays in the framework of the top-down model. Estimates of the fraction of energy of decays converted to the UV range show that, for suitable parameters of the SHDM particles, significant distortions of the power spectra of the cosmic microwave background anisotropy appear. A comparison with the observed power spectrum allows us to restrict some properties of the SHDM particles. These decays can also increase by about 5-10 times the degree of ionization of hydrogen at redshifts z∼10-50, which essentially accelerates the formation of molecules of H 2 and the first stars during the 'dark ages'

Decline and local extinction of Fucales in French Riviera: the harbinger of future extinctions?

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T. THIBAUT

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The French Riviera is one of the Mediterranean areas that has been longest and most thoroughly impacted by human activities. Fucales are long-lived, large-sized brown algae that constitute a good model for studying human impact on species diversity. We gathered all historical data (literature and herbarium vouchers, since the early 19th century, to reconstruct their distribution. The current distribution was established from a 7-year (2007-2013 survey of the 212-km shoreline (1/2 500 map, by means of boating, snorkelling and scuba diving. Overall, 18 taxa of Cystoseira and Sargassum have been reported. Upon comparison with historical data, 5 taxa were no longer observed (C. elegans, C. foeniculacea f. latiramosa, C. squarrosa, C. spinosa var. spinosa and S. hornschuchii while C. jabukae, previously unrecorded, was observed. In addition to these  taxa, probably extinct at a local scale, some taxa had suffered a dramatic decline (C. barbata f. barbata, C. crinita, C. spinosa var. compressa and S. acinarium or become nearly extinct (C. foeniculacea f. tenuiramosa. Three of them, which played in the past significant functional roles in coastal communities, can be considered as functionally extinct. Possible causes of decline and local extinction are discussed. A similar situation has already been reported, although at a much more local scale, in a variety of Mediterranean localities. The question therefore arises about the status of Fucales species in the Mediterranean: are some species on the brink of extinction? Is their extinction at the scale of the French Riviera the harbinger of their extinction Mediterranean–wide?

Reviving the dead: history and reactivation of an extinct l1.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lei; Brunsfeld, John; Scott, LuAnn; Wichman, Holly

2014-06-01

Although L1 sequences are present in the genomes of all placental mammals and marsupials examined to date, their activity was lost in the megabat family, Pteropodidae, ∼24 million years ago. To examine the characteristics of L1s prior to their extinction, we analyzed the evolutionary history of L1s in the genome of a megabat, Pteropus vampyrus, and found a pattern of periodic L1 expansion and quiescence. In contrast to the well-characterized L1s in human and mouse, megabat genomes have accommodated two or more simultaneously active L1 families throughout their evolutionary history, and major peaks of L1 deposition into the genome always involved multiple families. We compared the consensus sequences of the two major megabat L1 families at the time of their extinction to consensus L1s of a variety of mammalian species. Megabat L1s are comparable to the other mammalian L1s in terms of adenosine content and conserved amino acids in the open reading frames (ORFs). However, the intergenic region (IGR) of the reconstructed element from the more active family is dramatically longer than the IGR of well-characterized human and mouse L1s. We synthesized the reconstructed element from this L1 family and tested the ability of its components to support retrotransposition in a tissue culture assay. Both ORFs are capable of supporting retrotransposition, while the IGR is inhibitory to retrotransposition, especially when combined with either of the reconstructed ORFs. We dissected the inhibitory effect of the IGR by testing truncated and shuffled versions and found that length is a key factor, but not the only one affecting inhibition of retrotransposition. Although the IGR is inhibitory to retrotransposition, this inhibition does not account for the extinction of L1s in megabats. Overall, the evolution of the L1 sequence or the quiescence of L1 is unlikely the reason of L1 extinction.

Reviving the dead: history and reactivation of an extinct l1.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Yang

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Although L1 sequences are present in the genomes of all placental mammals and marsupials examined to date, their activity was lost in the megabat family, Pteropodidae, ∼24 million years ago. To examine the characteristics of L1s prior to their extinction, we analyzed the evolutionary history of L1s in the genome of a megabat, Pteropus vampyrus, and found a pattern of periodic L1 expansion and quiescence. In contrast to the well-characterized L1s in human and mouse, megabat genomes have accommodated two or more simultaneously active L1 families throughout their evolutionary history, and major peaks of L1 deposition into the genome always involved multiple families. We compared the consensus sequences of the two major megabat L1 families at the time of their extinction to consensus L1s of a variety of mammalian species. Megabat L1s are comparable to the other mammalian L1s in terms of adenosine content and conserved amino acids in the open reading frames (ORFs. However, the intergenic region (IGR of the reconstructed element from the more active family is dramatically longer than the IGR of well-characterized human and mouse L1s. We synthesized the reconstructed element from this L1 family and tested the ability of its components to support retrotransposition in a tissue culture assay. Both ORFs are capable of supporting retrotransposition, while the IGR is inhibitory to retrotransposition, especially when combined with either of the reconstructed ORFs. We dissected the inhibitory effect of the IGR by testing truncated and shuffled versions and found that length is a key factor, but not the only one affecting inhibition of retrotransposition. Although the IGR is inhibitory to retrotransposition, this inhibition does not account for the extinction of L1s in megabats. Overall, the evolution of the L1 sequence or the quiescence of L1 is unlikely the reason of L1 extinction.

Behavioral tagging of extinction learning.

Science.gov (United States)

de Carvalho Myskiw, Jociane; Benetti, Fernando; Izquierdo, Iván

2013-01-15

Extinction of contextual fear in rats is enhanced by exposure to a novel environment at 1-2 h before or 1 h after extinction training. This effect is antagonized by administration of protein synthesis inhibitors anisomycin and rapamycin into the hippocampus, but not into the amygdala, immediately after either novelty or extinction training, as well as by the gene expression blocker 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole administered after novelty training, but not after extinction training. Thus, this effect can be attributed to a mechanism similar to synaptic tagging, through which long-term potentiation can be enhanced by other long-term potentiations or by exposure to a novel environment in a protein synthesis-dependent fashion. Extinction learning produces a tag at the appropriate synapses, whereas novelty learning causes the synthesis of plasticity-related proteins that are captured by the tag, strengthening the synapses that generated this tag.

Extinction of Harrington's mountain goat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mead, J.I.; Martin, P.S.; Euler, R.C.; Long, A.; Jull, A.J.T.; Toolin, L.J.; Donahue, D.J.; Linick, T.W.

1986-01-01

Keratinous horn sheaths of the extinct Harrington's mountain goat, Oreamnos harringtoni, were recovered at or near the surface of dry caves of the Grand Canyon, Arizona. Twenty-three separate specimens from two caves were dated nondestructively by the tandem accelerator mass spectrometer (TAMS). Both the TAMS and the conventional dates indicate that Harrington's mountain goat occupied the Grand Canyon for at least 19,000 years prior to becoming extinct by 11,160 +/- 125 radiocarbon years before present. The youngest average radiocarbon dates on Shasta ground sloths, Nothrotheriops shastensis, from the region are not significantly younger than those on extinct mountain goats. Rather than sequential extinction with Harrington's mountain goat disappearing from the Grand Canyon before the ground sloths, as one might predict in view of evidence of climatic warming at the time, the losses were concurrent. Both extinctions coincide with the regional arrival of Clovis hunters

Open-field exposure facilitates consummatory extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Justel, Nadia; Psyrdellis, Mariana; Pautassi, Ricardo M

2016-12-07

During extinction, the organism learns that a conditioned stimulus or a conditioned response is no longer associated with an unconditioned stimulus, and as a consequence, a decrement in the response is presented. The exposure to novel situations (e.g. exploration of a novel open field) has been used widely to modulate (i.e. either enhance or deteriorate) learning and memory. The aim of the present study was to test whether open-field exposure could modulate consummatory extinction. The results indicated that open-field exposure accelerated the extinction response (i.e. experimental animals provided novelty exposure had lower consummatory behavior than control animals) when applied before - but not after - the first extinction trial, or when applied before the second extinction trial. The results suggest that environmental treatments such as novelty exposure provide a valuable, nonpharmacological alternative to potentially modulate extinction processes.

Amount of fear extinction changes its underlying mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

An, Bobae; Kim, Jihye; Park, Kyungjoon; Lee, Sukwon; Song, Sukwoon; Choi, Sukwoo

2017-07-03

There has been a longstanding debate on whether original fear memory is inhibited or erased after extinction. One possibility that reconciles this uncertainty is that the inhibition and erasure mechanisms are engaged in different phases (early or late) of extinction. In this study, using single-session extinction training and its repetition (multiple-session extinction training), we investigated the inhibition and erasure mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala of rats, where neural circuits underlying extinction reside. The inhibition mechanism was prevalent with single-session extinction training but faded when single-session extinction training was repeated. In contrast, the erasure mechanism became prevalent when single-session extinction training was repeated. Moreover, ablating the intercalated neurons of amygdala, which are responsible for maintaining extinction-induced inhibition, was no longer effective in multiple-session extinction training. We propose that the inhibition mechanism operates primarily in the early phase of extinction training, and the erasure mechanism takes over after that.

Quest for superheavy nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heenen, P.H. [Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Service de Physique Nucleaire Theorique (Belgium); Nazarewicz, W. [Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Physics; Warsaw Univ. (Poland). Inst. Fizyki Teoretycznej

2002-02-01

This article draws the long history of the discovery of new heavy nuclei since its beginning in 1940 when neptunium was found, and presents the current status of research in this field. The last 3 years have brought a number of experimental surprises which have truly rejuvenated the field. In January 1999, scientists from Dubna (Russia) reported the synthesis of 1 atom of element 114 ({sup 298}Uuq) in a hot fusion reaction between a {sup 48}Ca beam and a {sup 244}Pu target. This discovery was followed by 3 other reports from Dubna. First using the {sup 242}Pu({sup 48}Ca,3n) reaction, they produced {sup 287}Uuq. In 1999 the synthesis of another isotope of Z=114, the even-even {sup 288}Uuq was reported. The element Z=116 ({sup 292}Uuh) was discovered as a product of the {sup 248}Cm({sup 48}Ca,4n) reaction. The GSI (Germany) group found a new even isotope of the element 110: {sup 270}Uun and also {sup 272}Uuu (element 111) and {sup 277}Uub (element 112). 2 new isotopes of the element 107: {sup 266}Bh and {sup 267}Bh have been found at Berkeley (Usa). The synthesis of the new element Z=118 ({sup 293}Uuo) announced in 1999 by the Berkeley group was retracted 2 years later. The lifetimes reported for the elements {sup 284}Uub and {sup 280}Uun are by many orders of magnitude longer than those of the isotopes with Z{<=}112 previously discovered at GSI. (A.C.)

Extinction of Chained Instrumental Behaviors: Effects of Procurement Extinction on Consumption Responding

Science.gov (United States)

Thrailkill, Eric A.; Bouton, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Instrumental behavior often consists of sequences or chains of responses that minimally include procurement behaviors that enable subsequent consumption behaviors. In such chains, behavioral units are linked by access to one another and eventually to a primary reinforcer, such as food or a drug. The present experiments examined the effects of extinguishing procurement responding on consumption responding after training of a discriminated heterogeneous instrumental chain. Rats learned to make a procurement response (e.g., pressing a lever) in the presence of a distinctive discriminative stimulus; making that response led to the presentation of a second discriminative stimulus that set the occasion for a consumption response (e.g., pulling a chain), which then produced a food-pellet reinforcer. Experiment 1 showed that extinction of either the full procurement-consumption chain or procurement alone weakened the consumption response tested in isolation. Experiment 2 replicated the procurement extinction effect and further demonstrated that the opportunity to make the procurement response, as opposed to simple exposure to the procurement stimulus alone, was required. In Experiment 3, rats learned 2 distinct discriminated heterogeneous chains; extinction of 1 procurement response specifically weakened the consumption response that had been associated with it. The results suggest that learning to inhibit the procurement response may produce extinction of consumption responding through mediated extinction. The experiments suggest the importance of an associative analysis of instrumental behavior chains. PMID:25915751

Biological correlates of extinction risk in bats.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Kate E; Purvis, Andy; Gittleman, John L

2003-04-01

We investigated patterns and processes of extinction and threat in bats using a multivariate phylogenetic comparative approach. Of nearly 1,000 species worldwide, 239 are considered threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and 12 are extinct. Small geographic ranges and low wing aspect ratios are independently found to predict extinction risk in bats, which explains 48% of the total variance in IUCN assessments of threat. The pattern and correlates of extinction risk in the two bat suborders are significantly different. A higher proportion (4%) of megachiropteran species have gone extinct in the last 500 years than microchiropteran bats (0.3%), and a higher proportion is currently at risk of extinction (Megachiroptera: 34%; Microchiroptera: 22%). While correlates of microchiropteran extinction risk are the same as in the order as a whole, megachiropteran extinction is correlated more with reproductive rate and less with wing morphology. Bat extinction risk is not randomly distributed phylogenetically: closely related species have more similar levels of threat than would be expected if extinction risk were random. Given the unbalanced nature of the evolutionary diversification of bats, it is probable that the amount of phylogenetic diversity lost if currently threatened taxa disappear may be greater than in other clades with numerically more threatened species.

On the Source of the Systematic Errors in the Quatum Mechanical Calculation of the Superheavy Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khazan A.

2010-10-01

Full Text Available It is shown that only the hyperbolic law of the Periodic Table of Elements allows the exact calculation for the atomic masses. The reference data of Periods 8 and 9 manifest a systematic error in the computer software applied to such a calculation (this systematic error increases with the number of the elements in the Table.

On the Source of the Systematic Errors in the Quantum Mechanical Calculation of the Superheavy Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khazan A.

2010-10-01

Full Text Available It is shown that only the hyperbolic law of the Periodic Table of Elements allows the exact calculation for the atomic masses. The reference data of Periods 8 and 9 manifest a systematic error in the computer software applied to such a calculation (this systematic error increases with the number of the elements in the Table.

Assessment of light extinction at a European polluted urban area during wintertime: Impact of PM1 composition and sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Vecchi, R; Bernardoni, V; Valentini, S; Piazzalunga, A; Fermo, P; Valli, G

2018-02-01

In this paper, results from receptor modelling performed on a well-characterised PM 1 dataset were combined to chemical light extinction data (b ext ) with the aim of assessing the impact of different PM 1 components and sources on light extinction and visibility at a European polluted urban area. It is noteworthy that, at the state of the art, there are still very few papers estimating the impact of different emission sources on light extinction as we present here, although being among the major environmental challenges at many polluted areas. Following the concept of the well-known IMPROVE algorithm, here a tailored site-specific approach (recently developed by our group) was applied to assess chemical light extinction due to PM 1 components and major sources. PM 1 samples collected separately during daytime and nighttime at the urban area of Milan (Italy) were chemically characterised for elements, major ions, elemental and organic carbon, and levoglucosan. Chemical light extinction was estimated and results showed that at the investigated urban site it is heavily impacted by ammonium nitrate and organic matter. Receptor modelling (i.e. Positive Matrix Factorization, EPA-PMF 5.0) was effective to obtain source apportionment; the most reliable solution was found with 7 factors which were tentatively assigned to nitrates, sulphates, wood burning, traffic, industry, fine dust, and a Pb-rich source. The apportionment of aerosol light extinction (b ext,aer ) according to resolved sources showed that considering all samples together nitrate contributed at most (on average 41.6%), followed by sulphate, traffic, and wood burning accounting for 18.3%, 17.8% and 12.4%, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultraviolet extinction in M-supergiant circumstellar envelopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buss, R.H. Jr.; Snow, T.P. Jr.

1986-01-01

Using International Ultraviolet (IUS) archival low-dispersion spectra, ultraviolet spectral extinctions were derived for the circumstellar envelopes of two M supergiants: HD 60414 and HD 213310. The observed stellar systems belong to a class of widely-separated spectroscopic binaries that are called VV Cephei stars. The total extinction was calculated by dividing the reddened fluxes with unreddened comparison fluxes of similar stars (g B2.5 for HD 213310 and a normalized s+B3 for HD 60414) from the reference atlas. After substracting the interstellar extinctions, which were estimated from the E(B-V) reddening of nearby stars, the resultant circumstellar extinctions were normalized at about 3.5 inverse microns. Not only is the 2175 A extinction bump absent in the circumstellar extinctions, but the far-ultraviolet extinction rise is also absent. The rather flat, ultraviolet extinction curves were interpreted as signatures of a population of noncarbonaceous, oxygen-rich grains with diameters larger than the longest observed wavelength

Mass extinctions: Ecological selectivity and primary production

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Melissa Clark; Thayer, Charles W.

1991-09-01

If mass extinctions were caused by reduced primary productivity, then extinctions should be concentrated among animals with starvation-susceptible feeding modes, active lifestyles, and high-energy budgets. The stratigraphic ranges (by stage) of 424 genera of bivalves and 309 genera of articulate brachiopods suggest that there was an unusual reduction of primary productivity at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary extinction. For bivalves at the K/T, there were (1) selective extinction of suspension feeders and other susceptible trophic categories relative to deposit feeders and other resistant categories, and (2) among suspension feed-ers, selective extinction of bivalves with active locomotion. During the Permian-Triassic (P/Tr) extinction and Jurassic background time, extinction rates among suspension feeders were greater for articulate brachiopods than for bivalves. But during the K/T event, extinction rates of articulates and suspension-feeding bivalves equalized, possibly because the low-energy budgets of articulates gave them an advantage when food was scarce.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine facilitates fear extinction learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Young, M B; Andero, R; Ressler, K J; Howell, L L

2015-09-15

Acutely administered 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') has been proposed to have long-term positive effects on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms when combined with psychotherapy. No preclinical data support a mechanistic basis for these claims. Given the persistent nature of psychotherapeutic gains facilitated by MDMA, we hypothesized that MDMA improves fear extinction learning, a key process in exposure-based therapies for PTSD. In these experiments, mice were first exposed to cued fear conditioning and treated with drug vehicle or MDMA before extinction training 2 days later. MDMA was administered systemically and also directly targeted to brain structures known to contribute to extinction. In addition to behavioral measures of extinction, changes in mRNA levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) and Fos were measured after MDMA treatment and extinction. MDMA (7.8 mg kg(-1)) persistently and robustly enhanced long-term extinction when administered before extinction training. MDMA increased the expression of Fos in the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), whereas increases in Bdnf expression were observed only in the amygdala after extinction training. Extinction enhancements were recapitulated when MDMA (1 μg) was infused directly into the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA), and enhancement was abolished when BDNF signaling was inhibited before extinction. These findings suggest that MDMA enhances fear memory extinction through a BDNF-dependent mechanism, and that MDMA may be a useful adjunct to exposure-based therapies for PTSD and other anxiety disorders characterized by altered fear learning.

Elucidating the mechanisms of fear extinction in developing animals: a special case of NMDA receptor-independent extinction in adolescent rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisby, Madelyne A; Baker, Kathryn D; Richardson, Rick

2018-04-01

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are considered critical for the consolidation of extinction but recent work challenges this assumption. Namely, NMDARs are not required for extinction retention in infant rats as well as when extinction training occurs for a second time (i.e., reextinction) in adult rats. In this study, a possible third instance of NMDAR-independent extinction was tested. Although adolescents typically exhibit impaired extinction retention, rats that are conditioned as juveniles and then given extinction training as adolescents (JuvCond-AdolesExt) have good extinction retention. Unexpectedly, this good extinction retention is not associated with an up-regulation of a synaptic plasticity marker in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region implicated in extinction consolidation. In the current study, rats received either the noncompetitive NMDAR antagonist MK801 (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline before extinction training. In several experiments, rats conditioned and extinguished as juveniles, adolescents, or adults exhibited impaired extinction retention after MK801 compared to saline, but this effect was not observed in JuvCond-AdolesExt rats. Further experiments ruled out several alternative explanations for why NMDAR antagonism did not affect extinction retention in adolescents extinguishing fear learned as a juvenile. These results illustrate yet another circumstance in which NMDARs are not required for successful extinction retention and highlight the complexity of fear inhibition across development. © 2018 Bisby et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

An investigation of the interstellar extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, P.F.; Aitken, D.K.; Melbourne Univ., Point Cook

1984-01-01

The 10 μm extinction towards six WC8 or WC9 Wolf-Rayet stars is investigated. All objects show smooth dust emission suffering silicate absorption with depths well correlated with the extinction in the visible. The de-reddened spectra are well represented by emission from featureless grain components, possibly from iron or carbon grains. The extinction to the stars is found to be dominantly interstellar in origin with little extinction from the circumstellar shell. (author)

AN ANALYSIS OF THE SHAPES OF INTERSTELLAR EXTINCTION CURVES. VI. THE NEAR-IR EXTINCTION LAW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzpatrick, E. L.; Massa, D.

2009-01-01

We combine new observations from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera of Survey with existing data to investigate the wavelength dependence of near-IR (NIR) extinction. Previous studies suggest a power law form for NIR extinction, with a 'universal' value of the exponent, although some recent observations indicate that significant sight line-to-sight line variability may exist. We show that a power-law model for the NIR extinction provides an excellent fit to most extinction curves, but that the value of the power, β, varies significantly from sight line to sight line. Therefore, it seems that a 'universal NIR extinction law' is not possible. Instead, we find that as β decreases, R(V) ≡ A(V)/E(B - V) tends to increase, suggesting that NIR extinction curves which have been considered 'peculiar' may, in fact, be typical for different R(V) values. We show that the power-law parameters can depend on the wavelength interval used to derive them, with the β increasing as longer wavelengths are included. This result implies that extrapolating power-law fits to determine R(V) is unreliable. To avoid this problem, we adopt a different functional form for NIR extinction. This new form mimics a power law whose exponent increases with wavelength, has only two free parameters, can fit all of our curves over a longer wavelength baseline and to higher precision, and produces R(V) values which are consistent with independent estimates and commonly used methods for estimating R(V). Furthermore, unlike the power-law model, it gives R(V)s that are independent of the wavelength interval used to derive them. It also suggests that the relation R(V) = -1.36 E(K-V)/(E(B-V)) - 0.79 can estimate R(V) to ±0.12. Finally, we use model extinction curves to show that our extinction curves are in accord with theoretical expectations, and demonstrate how large samples of observational quantities can provide useful constraints on the grain properties.

Mass extinction efficiency and extinction hygroscopicity of ambient PM2.5 in urban China.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhen; Ma, Xin; He, Yujie; Jiang, Jingkun; Wang, Xiaoliang; Wang, Yungang; Sheng, Li; Hu, Jiangkai; Yan, Naiqiang

2017-07-01

The ambient PM 2.5 pollution problem in China has drawn substantial international attentions. The mass extinction efficiency (MEE) and hygroscopicity factor (f(RH)) of PM 2.5 can be readily applied to study the impacts on atmospheric visibility and climate. The few previous investigations in China only reported results from pilot studies and are lack of spatial representativeness. In this study, hourly average ambient PM 2.5 mass concentration, relative humidity, and atmospheric visibility data from China national air quality and meteorological monitoring networks were retrieved and analyzed. It includes 24 major Chinese cities from nine city-clusters with the period of October 2013 to September 2014. Annual average extinction coefficient in urban China was 759.3±258.3Mm -1 , mainly caused by dry PM 2.5 (305.8.2±131.0Mm -1 ) and its hygroscopicity (414.6±188.1Mm -1 ). High extinction coefficient values were resulted from both high ambient PM 2.5 concentration (68.5±21.7µg/m 3 ) and high relative humidity (69.7±8.6%). The PM 2.5 mass extinction efficiency varied from 2.87 to 6.64m 2 /g with an average of 4.40±0.84m 2 /g. The average extinction hygroscopic factor f(RH=80%) was 2.63±0.45. The levels of PM 2.5 mass extinction efficiency and hygroscopic factor in China were in comparable range with those found in developed countries in spite of the significant diversities among all 24 cities. Our findings help to establish quantitative relationship between ambient extinction coefficient (visual range) and PM 2.5 & relative humidity. It will reduce the uncertainty of extinction coefficient estimation of ambient PM 2.5 in urban China which is essential for the research of haze pollution and climate radiative forcing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aqueous chemistry of transactinides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaedel, M.

2001-01-01

The aqueous chemistry of the first three transactinide elements is briefly reviewed with special emphasis given to recent experimental results. Short introductory remarks are discussing the atom-at-a-time situation of transactinide chemistry as a result of low production cross-sections and short half-lives. In general, on-line experimental techniques and, more specifically, the automated rapid chemistry apparatus, ARCA, are presented. Present and future developments of experimental techniques and resulting perspectives are outlined at the end. The central part is mainly focussing on hydrolysis and complex formation aspects of the superheavy group 4, 5, and 6 transition metals with F - and Cl - anions. Experimental results are compared with the behaviour of lighter homologous elements and with relativistic calculations. It will be shown that the chemical behaviour of the first superheavy elements is already strongly influenced by relativistic effects. While it is justified to place rutherfordium, dubnium and seaborgium in the Periodic Table of the Elements into group 4, 5 and 6, respectively, it is no more possible to deduce from this position in detail the chemical properties of these transactinide or superheavy elements. (orig.)

Mass extinctions and supernova explosions

OpenAIRE

Korschinek, Gunther

2016-01-01

A nearby supernova (SN) explosion could have negatively influenced life on Earth, maybe even been responsible for mass extinctions. Mass extinction poses a significant extinction of numerous species on Earth, as recorded in the paleontologic, paleoclimatic, and geological record of our planet. Depending on the distance between the Sun and the SN, different types of threats have to be considered, such as ozone depletion on Earth, causing increased exposure to the Sun's ultraviolet radiation, o...

Extinction debt: a challenge for biodiversity conservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuussaari, Mikko; Bommarco, Riccardo; Heikkinen, Risto K; Helm, Aveliina; Krauss, Jochen; Lindborg, Regina; Ockinger, Erik; Pärtel, Meelis; Pino, Joan; Rodà, Ferran; Stefanescu, Constantí; Teder, Tiit; Zobel, Martin; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf

2009-10-01

Local extinction of species can occur with a substantial delay following habitat loss or degradation. Accumulating evidence suggests that such extinction debts pose a significant but often unrecognized challenge for biodiversity conservation across a wide range of taxa and ecosystems. Species with long generation times and populations near their extinction threshold are most likely to have an extinction debt. However, as long as a species that is predicted to become extinct still persists, there is time for conservation measures such as habitat restoration and landscape management. Standardized long-term monitoring, more high-quality empirical studies on different taxa and ecosystems and further development of analytical methods will help to better quantify extinction debt and protect biodiversity.

The extinction of the dinosaurs.

Science.gov (United States)

Brusatte, Stephen L; Butler, Richard J; Barrett, Paul M; Carrano, Matthew T; Evans, David C; Lloyd, Graeme T; Mannion, Philip D; Norell, Mark A; Peppe, Daniel J; Upchurch, Paul; Williamson, Thomas E

2015-05-01

Non-avian dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, geologically coincident with the impact of a large bolide (comet or asteroid) during an interval of massive volcanic eruptions and changes in temperature and sea level. There has long been fervent debate about how these events affected dinosaurs. We review a wealth of new data accumulated over the past two decades, provide updated and novel analyses of long-term dinosaur diversity trends during the latest Cretaceous, and discuss an emerging consensus on the extinction's tempo and causes. Little support exists for a global, long-term decline across non-avian dinosaur diversity prior to their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. However, restructuring of latest Cretaceous dinosaur faunas in North America led to reduced diversity of large-bodied herbivores, perhaps making communities more susceptible to cascading extinctions. The abruptness of the dinosaur extinction suggests a key role for the bolide impact, although the coarseness of the fossil record makes testing the effects of Deccan volcanism difficult. © 2014 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2014 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Noradrenergic stimulation modulates activation of extinction-related brain regions and enhances contextual extinction learning without affecting renewal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silke eLissek

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Renewal in extinction learning describes the recovery of an extinguished response if the extinction context differs from the context present during acquisition and recall. Attention may have a role in contextual modulation of behavior and contribute to the renewal effect, while noradrenaline is involved in attentional processing. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI study we investigated the role of the noradrenergic system for behavioral and brain activation correlates of contextual extinction and renewal, with a particular focus upon hippocampus and ventromedial PFC, which have crucial roles in processing of renewal. Healthy human volunteers received a single dose of the NA reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine prior to extinction learning. During extinction of previously acquired cue-outcome associations, cues were presented in a novel context (ABA or in the acquisition context (AAA. In recall, all cues were again presented in the acquisition context. Atomoxetine participants (ATO showed significantly faster extinction compared to placebo (PLAC. However, atomoxetine did not affect renewal. Hippocampal activation was higher in ATO during extinction and recall, as was ventromedial PFC activation, except for ABA recall. Moreover, ATO showed stronger recruitment of insula, anterior cingulate, and dorsolateral/orbitofrontal PFC. Across groups, cingulate, hippocampus and vmPFC activity during ABA extinction correlated with recall performance, suggesting high relevance of these regions for processing the renewal effect. In summary, the noradrenergic system appears to be involved in the modification of established associations during extinction learning and thus has a role in behavioral flexibility. The assignment of an association to a context and the subsequent decision on an adequate response, however, presumably operate largely independently of noradrenergic mechanisms.

AESoP: Astronomical Extinction Spectrophotometer

Science.gov (United States)

Linford, Justin; McGraw, J.; Zimmer, P.; Ackermann, M.; Fitch, J.

2009-01-01

The Earth's atmosphere is a major obstruction to the precision and accuracy of ground-based photometry. The atmosphere removes light from astronomical objects both by absorption and scattering by constituent molecules, aerosols and clouds. These effects can change significantly over short time periods and over modest angles on the sky. To further understand these effects, the UNM Measurement Astrophysics Group has designed, built and recently deployed the Astronomical Extinction Spectrophotometer (AESoP), a 100mm objective grating spectrometer. By monitoring bright stars in sensibly the same direction as a larger photometric telescope is observing, AESoP will measure the wavelength-dependent extinction due to the Earth's atmosphere from 450nm to 900nm on time scales of approximately one minute. The collocated Astronomical LIDAR for Extinction (ALE) provides a high-precision monochromatic extinction measurement at 527nm. Knowing the extinction at a single wavelength allows us to pin the relative spectra generated by AESoP. These extinction spectra can then be integrated over the bandpass of the photometric telescope system to create real time corrections of observations. We present the design and construction of AESoP along with the preliminary results of our first combined observing campaign. This effort is our first step toward breaking the 1% photometry barrier. This project is funded by AFRL Grant FA9451-04-2-0355

Assessing Extinction Risk: Integrating Genetic Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason Dunham

1999-06-01

Full Text Available Risks of population extinction have been estimated using a variety of methods incorporating information from different spatial and temporal scales. We briefly consider how several broad classes of extinction risk assessments, including population viability analysis, incidence functions, and ranking methods integrate information on different temporal and spatial scales. In many circumstances, data from surveys of neutral genetic variability within, and among, populations can provide information useful for assessing extinction risk. Patterns of genetic variability resulting from past and present ecological and demographic events, can indicate risks of extinction that are otherwise difficult to infer from ecological and demographic analyses alone. We provide examples of how patterns of neutral genetic variability, both within, and among populations, can be used to corroborate and complement extinction risk assessments.

Estimating extinction using unsupervised machine learning

Science.gov (United States)

Meingast, Stefan; Lombardi, Marco; Alves, João

2017-05-01

Dust extinction is the most robust tracer of the gas distribution in the interstellar medium, but measuring extinction is limited by the systematic uncertainties involved in estimating the intrinsic colors to background stars. In this paper we present a new technique, Pnicer, that estimates intrinsic colors and extinction for individual stars using unsupervised machine learning algorithms. This new method aims to be free from any priors with respect to the column density and intrinsic color distribution. It is applicable to any combination of parameters and works in arbitrary numbers of dimensions. Furthermore, it is not restricted to color space. Extinction toward single sources is determined by fitting Gaussian mixture models along the extinction vector to (extinction-free) control field observations. In this way it becomes possible to describe the extinction for observed sources with probability densities, rather than a single value. Pnicer effectively eliminates known biases found in similar methods and outperforms them in cases of deep observational data where the number of background galaxies is significant, or when a large number of parameters is used to break degeneracies in the intrinsic color distributions. This new method remains computationally competitive, making it possible to correctly de-redden millions of sources within a matter of seconds. With the ever-increasing number of large-scale high-sensitivity imaging surveys, Pnicer offers a fast and reliable way to efficiently calculate extinction for arbitrary parameter combinations without prior information on source characteristics. The Pnicer software package also offers access to the well-established Nicer technique in a simple unified interface and is capable of building extinction maps including the Nicest correction for cloud substructure. Pnicer is offered to the community as an open-source software solution and is entirely written in Python.

Binary fragmentation based studies for the near super-heavy compound nucleus {sup 256}Rf

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thakur, Meenu; Behera, B.R.; Mahajan, Ruchi; Kaur, Gurpreet; Sharma, Priya; Kapoor, Kushal; Rani, Kavita [Panjab University, Department of Physics, Chandigarh (India); Saneesh, N.; Dubey, R.; Yadav, A.; Sugathan, P.; Jhingan, A.; Chatterjee, A.; Chatterjee, M.B. [Inter University Accelerator Centre, New Delhi (India); Kumar, Neeraj; Mandal, S. [University of Delhi, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, Delhi (India); Kumar, S. [Andhra University, Department of Nuclear Physics, Visakhapatnam (India); Saxena, A.; Kailas, S. [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Nuclear Physics Division, Mumbai (India); Pal, Santanu [CS, Kolkata (India); Nasirov, Avazbek [JINR, Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Dubna (Russian Federation); National University, Department of Physics, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Kayumov, Bakhodir [National University, Department of Physics, Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

2017-06-15

Binary fragmentation of the near super-heavy compound nucleus {sup 256}Rf has been studied through the reaction {sup 48}Ti + {sup 208}Pb at a bombarding energy well above the Coulomb barrier. For a better understanding of its reaction dynamics, the mass distribution, mass-energy distribution and mass-angle distribution of the fission fragments produced from {sup 256}Rf have been investigated thoroughly. The masses and kinetic energies of the fission fragments were reconstructed event-by-event from their measured velocities and emission angles. From the mass-energy analysis, a sizeable contribution from the asymmetric fission was observed on the edges of symmetric mass distribution. Evidence of asymmetric fission was also clued from the observed correlation between the masses and emission angles of the fission fragments. Contribution of the quasi-fission products has also been estimated by performing the theoretical dinuclear system calculations. (orig.)

Trophic redundancy reduces vulnerability to extinction cascades.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Dirk; Thébault, Elisa; Kehoe, Rachel; Frank van Veen, F J

2018-03-06

Current species extinction rates are at unprecedentedly high levels. While human activities can be the direct cause of some extinctions, it is becoming increasingly clear that species extinctions themselves can be the cause of further extinctions, since species affect each other through the network of ecological interactions among them. There is concern that the simplification of ecosystems, due to the loss of species and ecological interactions, increases their vulnerability to such secondary extinctions. It is predicted that more complex food webs will be less vulnerable to secondary extinctions due to greater trophic redundancy that can buffer against the effects of species loss. Here, we demonstrate in a field experiment with replicated plant-insect communities, that the probability of secondary extinctions is indeed smaller in food webs that include trophic redundancy. Harvesting one species of parasitoid wasp led to secondary extinctions of other, indirectly linked, species at the same trophic level. This effect was markedly stronger in simple communities than for the same species within a more complex food web. We show that this is due to functional redundancy in the more complex food webs and confirm this mechanism with a food web simulation model by highlighting the importance of the presence and strength of trophic links providing redundancy to those links that were lost. Our results demonstrate that biodiversity loss, leading to a reduction in redundant interactions, can increase the vulnerability of ecosystems to secondary extinctions, which, when they occur, can then lead to further simplification and run-away extinction cascades. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Nuclear structure studies towards superheavy elements and perspectives with AGATA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korichi, A.

2005-01-01

A variety of theoretical approaches have been used to calculate the shell closure of spherical Super Heavy Elements (SHE) but the predictions of the location of the 'island of stability' vary from Z=114 to 120 and 126, with neutron numbers around N=172 or N=184 depending on the model employed. A deformed minimum around Z=108 and N=162 is predicted and an increase of the half-life of Hassium (Z=108) is experimentally observed when approaching the neutron number N=162. Super heavy nuclei are produced with very low cross-section (a few picobarns) and this makes their spectroscopic study impossible with today's beam intensities and detectors. However, important information can be obtained from the structure of mid-shell deformed nuclei (Z∼104) where selected single particle orbitals, which lie close to the spherical shell gap in SHE, are close to the Fermi level. The information will come from decay and in-beam spectroscopy. A promising area of progress, using the state-of-the art instruments, is represented by the observation of rotational gamma-ray transitions in No and Fm isotopes showing the deformed character of these nuclei. One of the objectives and focus of the nuclear structure community is related to the investigation of Single particle excitations beyond the N=152 neutron gap and collective properties of heavier systems towards Z∼104. The IN2P3-JINR collaboration has launched a project of electron and gamma-ray spectroscopy studies of heavy nuclei at the FLNR. This project benefits from the radioactive actinide targets uniquely available at Dubna and from the very intense stable beams provided by the U400 cyclotron. This offers a unique opportunity for the study of nuclei above Z=100 along an isotopic chain approaching N=162. In this contribution, the emphasis will be on the GABRIELA project and its issues. I will finally point out the perspectives with the new generation of gamma detectors such as AGATA

Predicting extinction rates in stochastic epidemic models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, Ira B; Billings, Lora; Dykman, Mark; Landsman, Alexandra

2009-01-01

We investigate the stochastic extinction processes in a class of epidemic models. Motivated by the process of natural disease extinction in epidemics, we examine the rate of extinction as a function of disease spread. We show that the effective entropic barrier for extinction in a susceptible–infected–susceptible epidemic model displays scaling with the distance to the bifurcation point, with an unusual critical exponent. We make a direct comparison between predictions and numerical simulations. We also consider the effect of non-Gaussian vaccine schedules, and show numerically how the extinction process may be enhanced when the vaccine schedules are Poisson distributed

MicroRNA-Mediated Rescue of Fear Extinction Memory by miR-144-3p in Extinction-Impaired Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Conor P; Li, Xiang; Maurer, Verena; Oberhauser, Michael; Gstir, Ronald; Wearick-Silva, Luis Eduardo; Viola, Thiago Wendt; Schafferer, Simon; Grassi-Oliveira, Rodrigo; Whittle, Nigel; Hüttenhofer, Alexander; Bredy, Timothy W; Singewald, Nicolas

2017-06-15

MicroRNA (miRNA)-mediated control of gene expression suggests that miRNAs are interesting targets and/or biomarkers in the treatment of anxiety- and trauma-related disorders, where often memory-associated gene expression is adversely affected. The role of miRNAs in the rescue of impaired fear extinction was assessed using the 129S1/SvlmJ (S1) mouse model of impaired fear extinction. miRNA microarray analysis, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, fluorescent in situ hybridization, lentiviral overexpression, and Luciferase reporter assays were used to gain insight into the mechanisms underlying miRNA-mediated normalization of deficient fear extinction. Rescuing impaired fear extinction via dietary zinc restriction was associated with differential expression of miRNAs in the amygdala. One candidate, miR-144-3p, robustly expressed in the basolateral amygdala, showed specific extinction-induced, but not fear-induced, increased expression in both extinction-rescued S1 mice and extinction-intact C57BL/6 (BL6) mice. miR-144-3p upregulation and effects on subsequent behavioral adaption was assessed in S1 and BL6 mice. miR-144-3p overexpression in the basolateral amygdala rescued impaired fear extinction in S1 mice, led to enhanced fear extinction acquisition in BL6 mice, and furthermore protected against fear renewal in BL6 mice. miR-144-3p targets a number of genes implicated in the control of plasticity-associated signaling cascades, including Pten, Spred1, and Notch1. In functional interaction studies, we revealed that the miR-144-3p target, PTEN, colocalized with miR-144-3p in the basolateral amygdala and showed functional downregulation following successful fear extinction in S1 mice. These findings identify a fundamental role of miR-144-3p in the rescue of impaired fear extinction and suggest this miRNA as a viable target in developing novel treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and related disorders. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological

Intergalactic extinction and the deceleration parameter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinel, R.

1981-01-01

The deceleration parameter q 0 is calculated from the relation between apparent magnitudes m of the brightest galaxies in clusters and their redshifts z considering an intergalactic extinction. The calculation is valid for a Friedman universe, homogeneously filled with dust grains, assuming the extinction to be 0.5 mag at z = 1 and aΛ -1 -law of extinction (according to Oleak and Schmidt 1976). Using the m,z-values of Kristian, Sandage, and Westphal (1978) a formal value of q 0 approximately 2.1 is obtained instead of q 0 approximately 1.6 without consideration of intergalactic extinction. (author)

Climate predictors of late quaternary extinctions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nogués-Bravo, David; Ohlemüller, Ralf; Batra, Persaram

2010-01-01

Between 50,000 and 3,000 years before present (BP) 65% of mammal genera weighing over 44 kg went extinct, together with a lower proportion of small mammals. Why species went extinct in such large numbers is hotly debated. One of the arguments proposes that climate changes underlie Late Quaternary...... extinctions, but global quantitative evidence for this hypothesis is still lacking. We test the potential role of global climate change on the extinction of mammals during the Late Quaternary. Our results suggest that continents with the highest climate footprint values, in other words, with climate changes...... of greater magnitudes during the Late Quaternary, witnessed more extinctions than continents with lower climate footprint values, with the exception of South America. Our results are consistent across species with different body masses, reinforcing the view that past climate changes contributed to global...

Biogeographic and bathymetric determinants of brachiopod extinction and survival during the Late Ordovician mass extinction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Finnegan, Seth; Mac Ørum Rasmussen, Christian; Harper, David A. T.

2016-01-01

–Early Silurian genus extinctions and evaluate which extinction drivers are best supported by the data. The first (latest Katian) pulse of the LOME preferentially affected genera restricted to deeper waters or to relatively narrow (less than 35°) palaeolatitudinal ranges. This pattern is only observed...... in the latest Katian, suggesting that it reflects drivers unique to this interval. Extinction of exclusively deeper-water genera implies that changes in water mass properties such as dissolved oxygen content played an important role. Extinction of genera with narrow latitudinal ranges suggests that interactions...... between shifting climate zones and palaeobiogeography may also have been important. We test the latter hypothesis by estimating whether each genus would have been able to track habitats within its thermal tolerance range during the greenhouse–icehouse climate transition. Models including these estimates...

Precision Photometric Extinction Corrections from Direct Atmospheric Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

McGraw, John T.; Zimmer, P.; Linford, J.; Simon, T.; Measurement Astrophysics Research Group

2009-01-01

For decades astronomical extinction corrections have been accomplished using nightly mean extinction coefficients derived from Langley plots measured with the same telescope used for photometry. Because this technique results in lost time on program fields, observers only grudgingly made sporadic extinction measurements. Occasionally extinction corrections are not measured nightly but are made using tabulated mean monthly or even quarterly extinction coefficients. Any observer of the sky knows that Earth's atmosphere is an ever-changing fluid in which is embedded extinction sources ranging from Rayleigh (molecular) scattering to aerosol, smoke and dust scattering and absorption, to "just plain cloudy.” Our eyes also tell us that the type, direction and degree of extinction changes on time scales of minutes or less - typically shorter than many astronomical observations. Thus, we should expect that atmospheric extinction can change significantly during a single observation. Mean extinction coefficients might be well-defined nightly means, but those means have high variance because they do not accurately record the wavelength-, time-, and angle-dependent extinction actually affecting each observation. Our research group is implementing lidar measurements made in the direction of observation with one minute cadence, from which the absolute monochromatic extinction can be measured. Simultaneous spectrophotometry of nearby bright standard stars allows derivation and MODTRAN modeling atmospheric transmission as a function of wavelength for the atmosphere through which an observation is made. Application of this technique is demonstrated. Accurate real-time extinction measurements are an enabling factor for sub-1% photometry. This research is supported by NSF Grant 0421087 and AFRL Grant #FA9451-04-2-0355.

Interstellar extinction in the Large Magellanic Cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandy, K.; Morgan, D.H.; Willis, A.J.; Wilson, R.; Gondhalekar, P.M.

1981-01-01

A systematic investigation of interstellar extinction in the ultraviolet as a function of position in the Large Magellanic Cloud has been made from an enlarged sample of reddened and comparison stars distributed throughout the cloud. Except for one star SK-69-108, the most reddened star of our sample, the shape of the extinction curves for the LMC stars do not show significant variations. All curves show an increase in extinction towards 2200 A, but some have maxima near 2200 A, some near 1900 A. It has been shown that the feature of the extinction curve near 1900 A is caused by the mismatch of the stellar F III 1920 A feature. The strength of this 1920 A feature as a function of luminosity and spectral type has been determined. The extinction curves have been corrected for the mismatch of the 1920 feature and a single mean extinction curve for the LMC normalized to Asub(V) = 0 and Esub(B-V) = 1 is presented. For the same value of Esub(B-V) the LMC stars show the 2200 A feature weaker by a factor 2 as compared with the galactic stars. Higher extinction shortward of 2000 A in the LMC extinction curves than that in our Galaxy, as reported in earlier papers, is confirmed. (author)

Immediate extinction promotes the return of fear.

Science.gov (United States)

Merz, Christian J; Hamacher-Dang, Tanja C; Wolf, Oliver T

2016-05-01

Accumulating evidence indicates that immediate extinction is less effective than delayed extinction in attenuating the return of fear. This line of fear conditioning research impacts the proposed onset of psychological interventions after threatening situations. In the present study, forty healthy men were investigated in a differential fear conditioning paradigm with fear acquisition in context A, extinction in context B, followed by retrieval testing in both contexts 24h later to test fear renewal. Differently coloured lights served as conditioned stimuli (CS): two CS (CS+) were paired with an electrical stimulation that served as unconditioned stimulus, the third CS was never paired (CS-). Extinction took place immediately after fear acquisition or 24h later. One CS+ was extinguished whereas the second CS+ remained unextinguished to control for different time intervals between fear acquisition and retrieval testing. Immediate extinction led to larger skin conductance responses during fear retrieval to both the extinguished and unextinguished CS relative to the CS-, indicating a stronger return of fear compared to delayed extinction. Taken together, immediate extinction is less potent than delayed extinction and is associated with a stronger renewal effect. Thus, the time-point of psychological interventions relative to the offset of threatening situations needs to be carefully considered to prevent relapses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimising Extinction of Conditioned Disgust

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bosman, Renske C.; Borg, Charmaine; de Jong, Peter J.

2016-01-01

Maladaptive disgust responses are tenacious and resistant to exposure-based interventions. In a similar vein, laboratory studies have shown that conditioned disgust is relatively insensitive to Conditioned Stimulus (CS)-only extinction procedures. The relatively strong resistance to extinction might

Interstellar dust and extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathis, J.S.

1990-01-01

It is noted that the term interstellar dust refers to materials with rather different properties, and that the mean extinction law of Seaton (1979) or Savage and Mathis (1979) should be replaced by the expression given by Cardelli et al. (1989), using the appropriate value of total-to-selective extinction. The older laws were appropriate for the diffuse ISM but dust in clouds differs dramatically in its extinction law. Dust is heavily processed while in the ISM by being included within clouds and cycled back into the diffuse ISM many times during its lifetime. Hence, grains probably reflect only a trace of their origin, although meteoritic inclusions with isotopic anomalies demonstrate that some tiny particles survive intact from a supernova origin to the present. 186 refs

Mass extinction in poorly known taxa.

Science.gov (United States)

Régnier, Claire; Achaz, Guillaume; Lambert, Amaury; Cowie, Robert H; Bouchet, Philippe; Fontaine, Benoît

2015-06-23

Since the 1980s, many have suggested we are in the midst of a massive extinction crisis, yet only 799 (0.04%) of the 1.9 million known recent species are recorded as extinct, questioning the reality of the crisis. This low figure is due to the fact that the status of very few invertebrates, which represent the bulk of biodiversity, have been evaluated. Here we show, based on extrapolation from a random sample of land snail species via two independent approaches, that we may already have lost 7% (130,000 extinctions) of the species on Earth. However, this loss is masked by the emphasis on terrestrial vertebrates, the target of most conservation actions. Projections of species extinction rates are controversial because invertebrates are essentially excluded from these scenarios. Invertebrates can and must be assessed if we are to obtain a more realistic picture of the sixth extinction crisis.

Compound Stimulus Extinction Reduces Spontaneous Recovery in Humans

Science.gov (United States)

Coelho, Cesar A. O.; Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Fear-related behaviors are prone to relapse following extinction. We tested in humans a compound extinction design ("deepened extinction") shown in animal studies to reduce post-extinction fear recovery. Adult subjects underwent fear conditioning to a visual and an auditory conditioned stimulus (CSA and CSB, respectively) separately…

Towards the island of superheavy stability - Prompt spectroscopy of 246Fm and 256Rf nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piot, J.

2010-10-01

The region of trans-fermium nuclei (Z = 100 to 104) is the last region of the nuclides chart to be accessible to spectroscopic measurements. It therefore provides the ultimate anchor points for nuclear models. This region also lies on the path of the alpha-decay chains of the super-heavy elements. This region represents the limit of today's spectroscopic capabilities. It therefore requires technological developments in order to overcome these limits. My thesis focuses on various aspects of the spectroscopy of trans-fermium nuclei. I took part in the development of the TNT2D digital acquisition cards for germanium detectors. I validated their use on the gamma-ray spectrometer JUROGAM during an in-beam experiment and demonstrated the gain compared to an analogue acquisition system. These tests were part of the developments needed to secure a study of the prompt spectroscopy of 256 Rf. The preparation of this experiment also lead me to work on the development of a 50 Ti beam. For that purpose, I studied and tested the use of titanium organo-metallic compounds compatible with the MIVOC technique. In parallel, I studied the use of metallic and oxide titanium pellets with an inductive oven newly developed at the University of Jyvaeskylae. In addition to these developments, I had the opportunity to study the in-beam prompt spectroscopy of 246 Fm at the University of Jyvaeskylae. The measurements yielded a rotational band built on the ground state of 246 Fm. This band has been observed up to the level 16 + and shows a behaviour quite similar to the neighbouring even-even isotopes, except for the top of the band for which a wider statistics is necessary in order to conclude. (author)

On the trap of extinction and its elimination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vitanov, Nikolay K.; Dimitrova, Zlatinka I.; Kantz, Holger

2006-01-01

We investigate the dynamics of a system of three interacting populations in presence of extinction and substitution: each population whose number of individuals drops under some threshold value becomes extinct, and it is substituted by another population with different fitness and different coefficients of interaction with the other populations. We study the influence of extinction on the system states, which in the absence of extinction can be fixed points, limit cycles or chaotic attractors of Shilnikov kind. The extinction can destabilize each of these states. We observe two possible kinds of evolution in the destabilized system: (i) it can remain forever in the trap of extinction, i.e., the extinctions and substitutions of populations continue for indefinitely long time or (ii) it can avoid the trap of extinction by means of the substitution, i.e., the fitness and the coefficients of the interactions between the species move the system attractor away from the zone of the threshold values, the extinction stops, and the system settles on a new attractor. The obtained results are discussed from the point of view of products competing for the preference of buyers that can change their opinion

EARTH SCIENCE: Did Volcanoes Drive Ancient Extinctions?

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, R A

2000-08-18

With the publication in recent weeks of two papers on a mass extinction 183 million years ago, researchers can add five suggestive cases to the list of extinctions with known causes. These extinctions coincide with massive outpourings of lava, accompanied by signs that global warming threw the ocean-atmosphere system out of whack. Although no one can yet pin any of these mass extinctions with certainty on the volcanic eruptions, scientists say it's unlikely that they're all coincidences.

Extinction rates in North American freshwater fishes, 1900-2010

Science.gov (United States)

Burkhead, Noel M.

2012-01-01

Widespread evidence shows that the modern rates of extinction in many plants and animals exceed background rates in the fossil record. In the present article, I investigate this issue with regard to North American freshwater fishes. From 1898 to 2006, 57 taxa became extinct, and three distinct populations were extirpated from the continent. Since 1989, the numbers of extinct North American fishes have increased by 25%. From the end of the nineteenth century to the present, modern extinctions varied by decade but significantly increased after 1950 (post-1950s mean = 7.5 extinct taxa per decade). In the twentieth century, freshwater fishes had the highest extinction rate worldwide among vertebrates. The modern extinction rate for North American freshwater fishes is conservatively estimated to be 877 times greater than the background extinction rate for freshwater fishes (one extinction every 3 million years). Reasonable estimates project that future increases in extinctions will range from 53 to 86 species by 2050.

Reintroducing resurrected species: selecting DeExtinction candidates.

Science.gov (United States)

Seddon, Philip J; Moehrenschlager, Axel; Ewen, John

2014-03-01

Technological advances have raised the controversial prospect of resurrecting extinct species. Species DeExtinction should involve more than the production of biological orphans to be scrutinized in the laboratory or zoo. If DeExtinction is to realize its stated goals of deep ecological enrichment, then resurrected animals must be translocated (i.e., released within suitable habitat). Therefore, DeExtinction is a conservation translocation issue and the selection of potential DeExtinction candidates must consider the feasibility and risks associated with reintroduction. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Guidelines on Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations provide a framework for DeExtinction candidate selection. We translate these Guidelines into ten questions to be addressed early on in the selection process to eliminate unsuitable reintroduction candidates. We apply these questions to the thylacine, Yangtze River Dolphin, and Xerces blue butterfly. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution: Postponing Extinction by Polyandry

OpenAIRE

Wade, Michael J.

2010-01-01

Sex-ratio meiotic drive occurs when males produce a predominance of X-chromosome bearing sperm and an inordinate number of daughters. A driving X causes highly female-biased sex ratios and the risk of extinction. Polyandry can rescue a population from extinction.

Dynamical limitations to heavy-ion fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Back, B.B.

1983-01-01

In spite of the many attempts to synthesize superheavy elements in recent years, these efforts have not yet been successful. Recent improved theoretical models of heavy-ion fusion reactions suggest that the formation of super-heavy elements is hindered by the dynamics of the process. Several recent experiments lend support to these theories. The necessity of an excess radial velocity (extra push) over the Coulomb barrier in order to induce fusion is observed experimentally as predicted by the theory. So is a new reaction mechanism, called quasi-fission which tend to exhaust the part of the reaction cross section, which would otherwise lead to fusion. The present study shows that the angular distribution of fragments from quasi-fission processes are very sensitive to the occurrence of this reaction mechanism. A slight modification of one parameter in the theory demanded by the observation of quasi-fission for lighter projectiles via the angular distributions, has the consequence of posing even more-stringent limitations on heavy-ion-fusion reactions. This reduces even further the possibility for synthesizing and identifying superheavy elements in heavy-ion-fusion reactions

Can we avoid the Sixth Mass Extinction? Setting today's extinction crisis in the context of the Big Five

Science.gov (United States)

Barnosky, A. D.

2012-12-01

While the ultimate extinction driver now—Homo sapiens—is unique with respect to the drivers of past extinctions, comparison of parallel neontological and paleontological information helps calibrate how far the so-called Sixth Mass Extinction has progressed and whether it is inevitable. Such comparisons document that rates of extinction today are approaching or exceeding those that characterized the Big Five Mass Extinctions. Continuation of present extinction rates for vertebrates, for example, would result in 75% species loss—the minimum benchmark exhibited in the Big Five extinctions—within 3 to 22 centuries, assuming constant rates of loss and no threshold effects. Preceding and during each of the Big Five, the global ecosystem experienced major changes in climate, atmospheric chemisty, and ocean chemistry—not unlike what is being observed presently. Nevertheless, only 1-2% of well-assessed modern species have been lost over the past five centuries, still far below what characterized past mass extinctions in the strict paleontological sense. For mammals, adding in the end-Pleistocene species that died out would increase the species-loss percentage by some 5%. If threatened vertebrate species were to actually go extinct, losses would rise to between 14 and 40%, depending on the group. Such observations highlight that, although many species have already had their populations drastically reduced to near-critical levels, the Sixth Mass Extinction has not yet progressed to the point where it is unavoidable. Put another way, the vast majority of species that have occupied the world in concert with Homo sapiens are still alive and are possible to save. That task, however, will require slowing the abnormally high extinction rates that are now in progress, which in turn requires unified efforts to cap human population growth, decrease the average human footprint, reduce fossil fuel use while simultaneously increasing clean energy technologies, integrate

Current extinction rates of reptiles and amphibians.

Science.gov (United States)

Alroy, John

2015-10-20

There is broad concern that a mass extinction of amphibians and reptiles is now underway. Here I apply an extremely conservative Bayesian method to estimate the number of recent amphibian and squamate extinctions in nine important tropical and subtropical regions. The data stem from a combination of museum collection databases and published site surveys. The method computes an extinction probability for each species by considering its sighting frequency and last sighting date. It infers hardly any extinction when collection dates are randomized and it provides underestimates when artificial extinction events are imposed. The method also appears to be insensitive to trends in sampling; therefore, the counts it provides are absolute minimums. Extinctions or severe population crashes have accumulated steadily since the 1970s and 1980s, and at least 3.1% of frog species have already disappeared. Based on these data and this conservative method, the best estimate of the global grand total is roughly 200 extinctions. Consistent with previous results, frog losses are heavy in Latin America, which has been greatly affected by the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Extinction rates are now four orders-of-magnitude higher than background, and at least another 6.9% of all frog species may be lost within the next century, even if there is no acceleration in the growth of environmental threats.

Extinction of laminar partially premixed flames

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aggarwal, Suresh K. [Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 842 W. Taylor Street, Room 2039, MC-251, Chicago, IL 60607-7022 (United States)

2009-12-15

Flame extinction represents one of the classical phenomena in combustion science. It is important to a variety of combustion systems in transportation and power generation applications. Flame extinguishment studies are also motivated from the consideration of fire safety and suppression. Such studies have generally considered non-premixed and premixed flames, although fires can often originate in a partially premixed mode, i.e., fuel and oxidizer are partially premixed as they are transported to the reaction zone. Several recent investigations have considered this scenario and focused on the extinction of partially premixed flames (PPFs). Such flames have been described as hybrid flames possessing characteristics of both premixed and non-premixed flames. This paper provides a review of studies dealing with the extinction of PPFs, which represent a broad family of flames, including double, triple (tribrachial), and edge flames. Theoretical, numerical and experimental studies dealing with the extinction of such flames in coflow and counterflow configurations are discussed. Since these flames contain both premixed and non-premixed burning zones, a brief review of the dilution-induced extinction of premixed and non-premixed flames is also provided. For the coflow configuration, processes associated with flame liftoff and blowout are described. Since lifted non-premixed jet flames often contain a partially premixed or an edge-flame structure prior to blowout, the review also considers such flames. While the perspective of this review is broad focusing on the fundamental aspects of flame extinction and blowout, results mostly consider flame extinction caused by the addition of a flame suppressant, with relevance to fire suppression on earth and in space environment. With respect to the latter, the effect of gravity on the extinction of PPFs is discussed. Future research needs are identified. (author)

Genetic sex determination and extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedrick, Philip W; Gadau, Jürgen; Page, Robert E

2006-02-01

Genetic factors can affect the probability of extinction either by increasing the effect of detrimental variants or by decreasing the potential for future adaptive responses. In a recent paper, Zayed and Packer demonstrate that low variation at a specific locus, the complementary sex determination (csd) locus in Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps), can result in a sharply increased probability of extinction. Their findings illustrate situations in which there is a feedback process between decreased genetic variation at the csd locus owing to genetic drift and decreased population growth, resulting in an extreme type of extinction vortex for these ecologically important organisms.

Are marine and nonmarine extinctions correlated?

Science.gov (United States)

Rampino, Michael R.

Recent papers in Eos have debated the possible relationships between marine mass extinctions, comet showers, and volcanism [Alvarez, 1986; Officer and Grieve, 1986], and ail three might be linked [Rampino, 1987]. Moreover, as Officer and Grieve [ 1986] point out, various other causes have been suggested for given extinction events, including changes in climate, ocean circulation, and sea level fluctuations, possibly related to plate tectonics and continental positions. Also under debate is the issue of whether mass extinctions were gradual, stepped, or geologically sudden events (see, for example, Hut et al. [1987]). A missing ingredient thus far in these debates has been the record of faunal diversity of nonmarine animals. Does this show any agreement with the marine extinction record?

How does climate change cause extinction?

Science.gov (United States)

Cahill, Abigail E; Aiello-Lammens, Matthew E; Fisher-Reid, M Caitlin; Hua, Xia; Karanewsky, Caitlin J; Ryu, Hae Yeong; Sbeglia, Gena C; Spagnolo, Fabrizio; Waldron, John B; Warsi, Omar; Wiens, John J

2013-01-07

Anthropogenic climate change is predicted to be a major cause of species extinctions in the next 100 years. But what will actually cause these extinctions? For example, will it be limited physiological tolerance to high temperatures, changing biotic interactions or other factors? Here, we systematically review the proximate causes of climate-change related extinctions and their empirical support. We find 136 case studies of climatic impacts that are potentially relevant to this topic. However, only seven identified proximate causes of demonstrated local extinctions due to anthropogenic climate change. Among these seven studies, the proximate causes vary widely. Surprisingly, none show a straightforward relationship between local extinction and limited tolerances to high temperature. Instead, many studies implicate species interactions as an important proximate cause, especially decreases in food availability. We find very similar patterns in studies showing decreases in abundance associated with climate change, and in those studies showing impacts of climatic oscillations. Collectively, these results highlight our disturbingly limited knowledge of this crucial issue but also support the idea that changing species interactions are an important cause of documented population declines and extinctions related to climate change. Finally, we briefly outline general research strategies for identifying these proximate causes in future studies.

Visible and ultraviolet (800--130 nm) extinction of vapor-condensed silicate, carbon, and silicon carbide smokes and the interstellar extinction curve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephens, J.R.

1980-01-01

The extinction curves from 800 to 130 nm (1.25--7.7 μm -1 ) of amorphous silicate smokes nominally of olivine and pyroxene composition, carbon smokes, and crystalline SiC smokes are presented. The SiC smoke occurred in the low-temperature (β) cubic structural form. The mean grain radius ranged from 5 to 13 nm. The extinction profiles of the amorphous olivine smokes were similar in the ultraviolet to the measured extinction curves of crystalline olivine of nearly the same grain size. The SiC smoke showed an absorption edge which occurred at significantly longer wavelengths than the calculated extinction profile of the hexagonal SiC form previously used to calculate the interstellar extinction profile. Neither SiC nor amorphous silicates show an extinction band similar to the observed 6.6 μm -1 astronomical extinction band

Global extinction in spiral galaxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tully, RB; Pierce, MJ; Saunders, W; Verheijen, MAW; Witchalls, PL

Magnitude-limited samples of spiral galaxies drawn from the Ursa Major and Pisces Clusters are used to determine their extinction properties as a function of inclination. Imaging photometry is available for 87 spirals in the B, R, I, and K' bands. Extinction causes systematic scatter in

Methylphenidate enhances extinction of contextual fear

OpenAIRE

Abraham, Antony D.; Cunningham, Christopher L.; Lattal, K. Matthew

2012-01-01

Methylphenidate (MPH, Ritalin) is a norepinephrine and dopamine transporter blocker that is widely used in humans for treatment of attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy. Although there is some evidence that targeted microinjections of MPH may enhance fear acquisition, little is known about the effect of MPH on fear extinction. Here, we show that MPH, administered before or immediately following extinction of contextual fear, will enhance extinction retention in C57BL/6 mice. Animals that ...

One extinct turtle species less: Pelusios seychellensis is not extinct, it never existed.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heiko Stuckas

Full Text Available Pelusios seychellensis is thought to be a freshwater turtle species endemic to the island of Mahé, Seychelles. There are only three museum specimens from the late 19(th century known. The species has been never found again, despite intensive searches on Mahé. Therefore, P. seychellensis has been declared as "Extinct" by the IUCN and is the sole putatively extinct freshwater turtle species. Using DNA sequences of three mitochondrial genes of the historical type specimen and phylogenetic analyses including all other species of the genus, we provide evidence that the description of P. seychellensis was erroneously based on a widely distributed West African species, P. castaneus. Consequently, we synonymize the two species and delete P. seychellensis from the list of extinct chelonian species and from the faunal list of the Seychelles.

Study of the influence of the shell correction energy on the nuclear reactions leading to the region of the superheavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchix, A.

2007-11-01

The aim of this work is to study the influence of shell correction energy on the deexcitation of superheavy nuclei. For that purpose, a new statistical code, called Kewpie2, which is based on an original algorithm allowing to have access to very weak probabilities, was developed. The results obtained with Kewpie2 have been compared to the experimental data on residue cross sections obtained by cold fusion (Z=108 to Z=113) and by hot fusion (Z=112, Z=114 and Z=116), as well as data on fission times (Z=114, Z=120 and Z=126). Constraints on the microscopic structure of the studied nuclei have been obtained by means of the shell correction energy. By adjusting the intrinsic parameters of the models of fusion in order to reproduce the data on the fusion cross sections, this study shows the necessity of decreasing very strongly the shell correction energy predicted by the calculations of Moller and Nix, during the study of the residues cross sections as well for the nuclei produced by cold fusion as by hot fusion. On the other hand, during the confrontation of the results of Kewpie2 to the data on mean fission times, it is rather advisable to increase it. A shift of the proton shell closure predicted for Z=114 by the calculations of Moller and Nix towards larger Z would allow to explain these opposite conclusions. In this thesis, we also have shown the significant influence of the inclusion of isomeric states on fission times for the superheavy nuclei. (author)

Interstellar extinction in the Large Magellanic Cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandy, K.; Morgan, D.H.; Willis, A.J.; Wilson, R.; Gondhalekar, P.M.; Houziaux, L.

1980-01-01

Recent UV observations together with complementary visible data of several reddened and comparison stars of similar spectral types in the Large Magellanic Cloud have been used to study the interstellar extinction in that galaxy. Most of the reddened stars studied here are located within 2 0 of 30 Doradus and show remarkably high extinction in the far UV, suggesting a large abundance of small particles. From the optical wavelength to 2,600 A the normalised extinction curves of the LMC stars are similar to the mean galactic extinction law. (author)

Mass extinctions vs. uniformitarianism in biological evolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bak, P.; Paczuski, M.

1995-12-31

It is usually believed that Darwin`s theory leads to a smooth gradual evolution, so that mass extinctions must be caused by external shocks. However, it has recently been argued that mass extinctions arise from the intrinsic dynamics of Darwinian evolution. Species become extinct when swept by intermittent avalanches propagating through the global ecology. These ideas are made concrete through studies of simple mathematical models of co-evolving species. The models exhibit self-organized criticality and describe some general features of the extinction pattern in the fossil record.

Further Evidence of Auditory Extinction in Aphasia

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Rebecca Shisler; Basilakos, Alexandra; Love-Myers, Kim

2013-01-01

Purpose: Preliminary research ( Shisler, 2005) suggests that auditory extinction in individuals with aphasia (IWA) may be connected to binding and attention. In this study, the authors expanded on previous findings on auditory extinction to determine the source of extinction deficits in IWA. Method: Seventeen IWA (M[subscript age] = 53.19 years)…

Reactivated Memories Compete for Expression After Pavlovian Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Laborda, Mario A.; Miller, Ralph R.

2012-01-01

We view the response decrement resulting from extinction treatment as an interference effect, in which the reactivated memory from acquisition competes with the reactivated memory from extinction for behavioral expression. For each of these memories, reactivation is proportional to both the strength of the stimulus-outcome association and the quality of the facilitatory cues for that association which are present at test. Here we review basic extinction and recovery-from-extinction phenomena, showing how these effects are explicable in this associative interference framework. Moreover, this orientation has and continues to dictate efficient manipulations for minimizing recovery from extinction. This in turn suggests procedures that might reduce relapse from exposure therapy for a number of psychological disorders. Some of these manipulations enhance the facilitatory cues from extinction that are present at test, others strengthen the extinction association (i.e., CS-no outcome), and yet others seem to work by a combination of these two processes. PMID:22326812

Running from fear: Exercise modulation of fear extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanner, Margaret K; Hake, Holly S; Bouchet, Courtney A; Greenwood, Benjamin N

2018-03-31

Extinction-based exposure therapy is the most common behavioral therapy for anxiety and trauma-related disorders, but fear tends to resurface even after successful extinction. Identification of novel strategies to enhance fear extinction and reduce fear relapse is of paramount importance to mental health. Exercise can enhance cognitive function, but it is not yet well understood whether exercise can be an effective augmentation strategy for fear extinction. In the current review, we present the current state of knowledge on the effects of exercise on fear extinction. Effects of exercise duration, explanations for conflicting results, and potential mechanisms, focusing on a hypothesized role for dopamine, are all discussed. We also provide new data suggesting that the timing in which acute exercise occurs relative to fear extinction, is a crucial variable in determining whether exercise can enhance fear extinction. Clinical implications and ideas to guide future research endeavors in this area are provided. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Climate change, elevational range shifts, and bird extinctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Sekercioglu, Cagan H; Schneider, Stephen H; Fay, John P; Loarie, Scott R

2008-02-01

Limitations imposed on species ranges by the climatic, ecological, and physiological effects of elevation are important determinants of extinction risk. We modeled the effects of elevational limits on the extinction risk of landbirds, 87% of all bird species. Elevational limitation of range size explained 97% of the variation in the probability of being in a World Conservation Union category of extinction risk. Our model that combined elevational ranges, four Millennium Assessment habitat-loss scenarios, and an intermediate estimate of surface warming of 2.8 degrees C, projected a best guess of 400-550 landbird extinctions, and that approximately 2150 additional species would be at risk of extinction by 2100. For Western Hemisphere landbirds, intermediate extinction estimates based on climate-induced changes in actual distributions ranged from 1.3% (1.1 degrees C warming) to 30.0% (6.4 degrees C warming) of these species. Worldwide, every degree of warming projected a nonlinear increase in bird extinctions of about 100-500 species. Only 21% of the species predicted to become extinct in our scenarios are currently considered threatened with extinction. Different habitat-loss and surface-warming scenarios predicted substantially different futures for landbird species. To improve the precision of climate-induced extinction estimates, there is an urgent need for high-resolution measurements of shifts in the elevational ranges of species. Given the accelerating influence of climate change on species distributions and conservation, using elevational limits in a tested, standardized, and robust manner can improve conservation assessments of terrestrial species and will help identify species that are most vulnerable to global climate change. Our climate-induced extinction estimates are broadly similar to those of bird species at risk from other factors, but these estimates largely involve different sets of species.

A robust nonparametric method for quantifying undetected extinctions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chisholm, Ryan A; Giam, Xingli; Sadanandan, Keren R; Fung, Tak; Rheindt, Frank E

2016-06-01

How many species have gone extinct in modern times before being described by science? To answer this question, and thereby get a full assessment of humanity's impact on biodiversity, statistical methods that quantify undetected extinctions are required. Such methods have been developed recently, but they are limited by their reliance on parametric assumptions; specifically, they assume the pools of extant and undetected species decay exponentially, whereas real detection rates vary temporally with survey effort and real extinction rates vary with the waxing and waning of threatening processes. We devised a new, nonparametric method for estimating undetected extinctions. As inputs, the method requires only the first and last date at which each species in an ensemble was recorded. As outputs, the method provides estimates of the proportion of species that have gone extinct, detected, or undetected and, in the special case where the number of undetected extant species in the present day is assumed close to zero, of the absolute number of undetected extinct species. The main assumption of the method is that the per-species extinction rate is independent of whether a species has been detected or not. We applied the method to the resident native bird fauna of Singapore. Of 195 recorded species, 58 (29.7%) have gone extinct in the last 200 years. Our method projected that an additional 9.6 species (95% CI 3.4, 19.8) have gone extinct without first being recorded, implying a true extinction rate of 33.0% (95% CI 31.0%, 36.2%). We provide R code for implementing our method. Because our method does not depend on strong assumptions, we expect it to be broadly useful for quantifying undetected extinctions. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Extinction Generates Outcome-Specific Conditioned Inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Laurent, Vincent; Chieng, Billy; Balleine, Bernard W

2016-12-05

Extinction involves altering a previously established predictive relationship between a cue and its outcome by repeatedly presenting that cue alone. Although it is widely accepted that extinction generates some form of inhibitory learning [1-4], direct evidence for this claim has been lacking, and the nature of the associative changes induced by extinction have, therefore, remained a matter of debate [5-8]. In the current experiments, we used a novel behavioral approach that we recently developed and that provides a direct measure of conditioned inhibition [9] to compare the influence of extinguished and non-extinguished cues on choice between goal-directed actions. Using this approach, we provide direct evidence that extinction generates outcome-specific conditioned inhibition. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this inhibitory learning is controlled by the infralimbic cortex (IL); inactivation of the IL using M4 DREADDs abolished outcome-specific inhibition and rendered the cue excitatory. Importantly, we found that context modulated this inhibition. Outside its extinction context, the cue was excitatory and functioned as a specific predictor of its previously associated outcome, biasing choice toward actions earning the same outcome. In its extinction context, however, the cue acted as a specific inhibitor and biased choice toward actions earning different outcomes. Context modulation of these excitatory and inhibitory memories was mediated by the dorsal hippocampus (HPC), suggesting that the HPC and IL act in concert to control the influence of conditioned inhibitors on choice. These findings demonstrate for the first time that extinction turns a cue into a net inhibitor that can influence choice via counterfactual action-outcome associations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mammal extinctions in the Vallesian (Upper Miocene)

Science.gov (United States)

Agusti, J.; Moya-Sola, S.

The term Vallesian was created by Crusafont (1950) to designate the first European Mammalian palaeofaunas containing the equid Hipparion, the remainder of the faunas being composed of typical elements coming from the Middle Miocene such as Micromeryx, Euprox, Sansanosmilus, Pseudaelurus, and Listriodon. Thus, the Aragonian-Vallesian boundary does not show a strong change among European Miocene mammalian faunas (Agusti et al., 1984). On the other hand, the Lower Vallesian/Upper Vallesian transition corresponds to a major biotic crisis. This boudnary is characterized by the disappearence of most of the Aragonian artiodactyl forms such as Protragocerus, Miotragocerus, Listriodon, Hyotherium, Parachleusastochoerus, etc. Among the rodents, this crisis affects the family Eomyidae and most of the cricetid and glirid species. On the other hand, a number of eastern elements appear in the area at the same time. This is the case of the suid Schizochoerus and the murid Progonomys. Other eastern forms are Tragoportax, Graecoryx, Adcrocuta, Paramachairodus, Microstonyx, etc. Most of these are typical elements of the next Mammal stage, the Turolian. Thus, whereas the Lower Vallesian fauna has a typical Aragonian composition except for Hipparion. After the Middle Vallesian event, the Upper Vallesian faunas are already largely Turolian in character. The possible factors involved in this extinction event are discussed.

Bilateral Alternating Auditory Stimulations Facilitate Fear Extinction and Retrieval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Boukezzi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Disruption of fear conditioning, its extinction and its retrieval are at the core of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD. Such deficits, especially fear extinction delay, disappear after alternating bilateral stimulations (BLS during eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR therapy. An animal model of fear recovery, based on auditory cued fear conditioning and extinction learning, recently showed that BLS facilitate fear extinction and fear extinction retrieval. Our goal was to determine if these previous results found in animals can be reproduced in humans. Twenty-two healthy participants took part in a classical fear conditioning, extinction, and extinction recall paradigm. Behavioral responses (fear expectations as well as psychophysiological measures (skin conductance responses, SCRs were recorded. The results showed a significant fear expectation decrease during fear extinction with BLS. Additionally, SCR for fear extinction retrieval were significantly lower with BLS. Our results demonstrate the importance of BLS to reduce negative emotions, and provide a successful model to further explore the neural mechanisms underlying the sole BLS effect in the EMDR.

Bilateral Alternating Auditory Stimulations Facilitate Fear Extinction and Retrieval

OpenAIRE

Boukezzi, Sarah; Silva, Catarina; Nazarian, Bruno; Rousseau, Pierre-François; Guedj, Eric; Valenzuela-Moguillansky, Camila; Khalfa, Stéphanie

2017-01-01

Disruption of fear conditioning, its extinction and its retrieval are at the core of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such deficits, especially fear extinction delay, disappear after alternating bilateral stimulations (BLS) during eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. An animal model of fear recovery, based on auditory cued fear conditioning and extinction learning, recently showed that BLS facilitate fear extinction and fear extinction retrieval. Our goal was to ...

Scattering and extinction by spherical particles immersed in an absorbing host medium

Science.gov (United States)

Mishchenko, Michael I.; Dlugach, Janna M.

2018-05-01

Many applications of electromagnetic scattering involve particles immersed in an absorbing rather than lossless medium, thereby making the conventional scattering theory potentially inapplicable. To analyze this issue quantitatively, we employ the FORTRAN program developed recently on the basis of the first-principles electromagnetic theory to study far-field scattering by spherical particles embedded in an absorbing infinite host medium. We further examine the phenomenon of negative extinction identified recently for monodisperse spheres and uncover additional evidence in favor of its interference origin. We identify the main effects of increasing the width of the size distribution on the ensemble-averaged extinction efficiency factor and show that negative extinction can be eradicated by averaging over a very narrow size distribution. We also analyze, for the first time, the effects of absorption inside the host medium and ensemble averaging on the phase function and other elements of the Stokes scattering matrix. It is shown in particular that increasing absorption significantly suppresses the interference structure and can result in a dramatic expansion of the areas of positive polarization. Furthermore, the phase functions computed for larger effective size parameters can develop a very deep minimum at side-scattering angles bracketed by a strong diffraction peak in the forward direction and a pronounced backscattering maximum.

Mass Extinctions and Supernova Explosions

Science.gov (United States)

Korschinek, Gunther

A nearby supernova (SN) explosion could have negatively influenced life on Earth, maybe even been responsible for mass extinctions. Mass extinction poses a significant extinction of numerous species on Earth, as recorded in the paleontologic, paleoclimatic, and geological record of our planet. Depending on the distance between the Sun and the SN, different types of threats have to be considered, such as ozone depletion on Earth, causing increased exposure to the Sun's ultraviolet radiation or the direct exposure of lethal X-rays. Another indirect effect is cloud formation, induced by cosmic rays in the atmosphere which result in a drop in the Earth's temperature, causing major glaciations of the Earth. The discovery of highly intensive gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which could be connected to SNe, initiated further discussions on possible life-threatening events in the Earth's history. The probability that GRBs hit the Earth is very low. Nevertheless, a past interaction of Earth with GRBs and/or SNe cannot be excluded and might even have been responsible for past extinction events.

LIFTING THE VEIL OF DUST FROM NGC 0959: THE IMPORTANCE OF A PIXEL-BASED TWO-DIMENSIONAL EXTINCTION CORRECTION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamura, K.; Jansen, R. A.; Windhorst, R. A.; Eskridge, P. B.; Cohen, S. H.

2010-01-01

We present the results of a study of the late-type spiral galaxy NGC 0959, before and after application of the pixel-based dust extinction correction described in Tamura et al. (Paper I). Galaxy Evolution Explorer far-UV, and near-UV, ground-based Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, UBVR, and Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm images are studied through pixel color-magnitude diagrams and pixel color-color diagrams (pCCDs). We define groups of pixels based on their distribution in a pCCD of (B - 3.6 μm) versus (FUV - U) colors after extinction correction. In the same pCCD, we trace their locations before the extinction correction was applied. This shows that selecting pixel groups is not meaningful when using colors uncorrected for dust. We also trace the distribution of the pixel groups on a pixel coordinate map of the galaxy. We find that the pixel-based (two-dimensional) extinction correction is crucial for revealing the spatial variations in the dominant stellar population, averaged over each resolution element. Different types and mixtures of stellar populations, and galaxy structures such as a previously unrecognized bar, become readily discernible in the extinction-corrected pCCD and as coherent spatial structures in the pixel coordinate map.

High frequency of functional extinctions in ecological networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Säterberg, Torbjörn; Sellman, Stefan; Ebenman, Bo

2013-07-25

Intensified exploitation of natural populations and habitats has led to increased mortality rates and decreased abundances of many species. There is a growing concern that this might cause critical abundance thresholds of species to be crossed, with extinction cascades and state shifts in ecosystems as a consequence. When increased mortality rate and decreased abundance of a given species lead to extinction of other species, this species can be characterized as functionally extinct even though it still exists. Although such functional extinctions have been observed in some ecosystems, their frequency is largely unknown. Here we use a new modelling approach to explore the frequency and pattern of functional extinctions in ecological networks. Specifically, we analytically derive critical abundance thresholds of species by increasing their mortality rates until an extinction occurs in the network. Applying this approach on natural and theoretical food webs, we show that the species most likely to go extinct first is not the one whose mortality rate is increased but instead another species. Indeed, up to 80% of all first extinctions are of another species, suggesting that a species' ecological functionality is often lost before its own existence is threatened. Furthermore, we find that large-bodied species at the top of the food chains can only be exposed to small increases in mortality rate and small decreases in abundance before going functionally extinct compared to small-bodied species lower in the food chains. These results illustrate the potential importance of functional extinctions in ecological networks and lend strong support to arguments advocating a more community-oriented approach in conservation biology, with target levels for populations based on ecological functionality rather than on mere persistence.

Interstellar Silicon Depletion and the Ultraviolet Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Ajay; Li, Aigen

2018-01-01

Spinning small silicate grains were recently invoked to account for the Galactic foreground anomalous microwave emission. These grains, if present, will absorb starlight in the far ultraviolet (UV). There is also renewed interest in attributing the enigmatic 2175 Å interstellar extinction bump to small silicates. To probe the role of silicon in the UV extinction, we explore the relations between the amount of silicon required to be locked up in silicates [Si/H]dust and the 2175 Å bump or the far-UV extinction rise, based on an analysis of the extinction curves along 46 Galactic sightlines for which the gas-phase silicon abundance [Si/H]gas is known. We derive [Si/H]dust either from [Si/H]ISM - [Si/H]gas or from the Kramers- Kronig relation which relates the wavelength-integrated extinction to the total dust volume, where [Si/H]ISM is the interstellar silicon reference abundance and taken to be that of proto-Sun or B stars. We also derive [Si/H]dust from fi�tting the observed extinction curves with a mixture of amorphous silicates and graphitic grains. We fi�nd that in all three cases [Si/H]dust shows no correlation with the 2175 Å bump, while the carbon depletion [C/H]dust tends to correlate with the 2175 Å bump. This supports carbon grains instead of silicates as the possible carrier of the 2175 Å bump. We also �find that neither [Si/H]dust nor [C/H]dust alone correlates with the far-UV extinction, suggesting that the far-UV extinction is a combined effect of small carbon grains and silicates.

Mass Extinctions and Biosphere-Geosphere Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Rothman, Daniel; Bowring, Samuel

2015-04-01

Five times in the past 500 million years, mass extinctions have resulted in the loss of greater than three-fourths of living species. Each of these events is associated with significant environmental change recorded in the carbon-isotopic composition of sedimentary rocks. There are also many such environmental events in the geologic record that are not associated with mass extinctions. What makes them different? Two factors appear important: the size of the environmental perturbation, and the time scale over which it occurs. We show that the natural perturbations of Earth's carbon cycle during the past 500 million years exhibit a characteristic rate of change over two orders of magnitude in time scale. This characteristic rate is consistent with the maximum rate that limits quasistatic (i.e., near steady-state) evolution of the carbon cycle. We identify this rate with marginal stability, and show that mass extinctions occur on the fast, unstable side of the stability boundary. These results suggest that the great extinction events of the geologic past, and potentially a "sixth extinction" associated with modern environmental change, are characterized by common mechanisms of instability.

The extinction of the West African lion: whose responsibility?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nollkaemper, A.

2014-01-01

A recently published study showed that the lion in West Africa is now critically endangered and faces extinction. From one angle, this would be just one of the large (though unknown) number of species that has previously faced extinction or has even become extinct. But the risk of extinction of some

Peaceful berkelium

Science.gov (United States)

Trabesinger, Andreas

2017-09-01

The first new element produced after the Second World War has led a rather peaceful life since entering the period table -- until it became the target of those producing superheavy elements, as Andreas Trabesinger describes.

The attenuation of the periodic table

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, N.D.

1990-01-01

Unique among models of nuclear structure, the face-centered-cubic (FCC) lattice model predicts the attenuation of the periodic table at Z < 110 and the impossibility of superheavy nuclei. The total binding energies of superheavy nuclei in the FCC model (109 < Z < 127) were calculated on the basis of parameters obtained from a least-squares best-fit for 914 nuclei (Z < 99). No indication of increased stability is found for any of the transuranic elements

Brain structural connectivity and context-dependent extinction memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermann, Andrea; Stark, Rudolf; Blecker, Carlo R; Milad, Mohammed R; Merz, Christian J

2017-08-01

Extinction of conditioned fear represents an important mechanism in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Return of fear after successful extinction or exposure therapy in patients with anxiety disorders might be linked to poor temporal or contextual generalization of extinction due to individual differences in brain structural connectivity. The goal of this magnetic resonance imaging study was therefore to investigate the association of context-dependent extinction recall with brain structural connectivity. Diffusion-tensor imaging was used to determine the fractional anisotropy as a measure of white matter structural integrity of fiber tracts connecting central brain regions of the fear and extinction circuit (uncinate fasciculus, cingulum). Forty-five healthy men participated in a two-day fear conditioning experiment with fear acquisition in context A and extinction learning in context B on the first day. Extinction recall in the extinction context as well as renewal in the acquisition context and a novel context C took place one day later. Renewal of conditioned fear (skin conductance responses) in the acquisition context was associated with higher structural integrity of the hippocampal part of the cingulum. Enhanced structural integrity of the cingulum might be related to stronger hippocampal modulation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, a region important for modulating conditioned fear output by excitatory projections to the amygdala. This finding underpins the crucial role of individual differences in the structural integrity of relevant fiber tracts for context-dependent extinction recall and return of fear after exposure therapy in anxiety disorders. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Synthesis and Modelling of Gold Nanostars with Tunable Morphology and Extinction Spectrum

OpenAIRE

Trigari, Silvana; Rindi, Alessio; Margheri, Giancarlo; Sottini, Stefano; Dellepiane, Giovanna; Giorgetti, Emilia

2011-01-01

We present a simple seed-less synthesis procedure to fabricate stable gold nanostars (AuNSs) with tunable extinction properties from the visible up to 1800 nm, depending on the average values of core size and branch length. The experimental results are compared with data from Finite Elements Method computations by using an approximated model of the fabricated branched systems. The theoretical computations highlight the existence of hot spots located on the tips of the nanostars even up to 180...

The Sixth Great Mass Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Wagler, Ron

2012-01-01

Five past great mass extinctions have occurred during Earth's history. Humanity is currently in the midst of a sixth, human-induced great mass extinction of plant and animal life (e.g., Alroy 2008; Jackson 2008; Lewis 2006; McDaniel and Borton 2002; Rockstrom et al. 2009; Rohr et al. 2008; Steffen, Crutzen, and McNeill 2007; Thomas et al. 2004;…

The Effect of Size and Ecology on Extinction Susceptibility

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, C.; Yuan, A.; Heim, N.; Payne, J.

2015-12-01

Although life on Earth first emerged as prokaryotic organisms, it eventually evolved into billions of different species. However, extinctions on Earth, especially the five mass extinctions, have decimated species. So what leads to a species survival or demise during a mass extinction? Are certain species more susceptible to extinctions based on their size and ecology? For this project, we focused on the data of marine animals. To examine the impact of size and ecology on a species's likelihood of survival, we compared the sizes and ecologies of the survivors and victims of the five mass extinctions. The ecology, or life mode, of a genus consists of the combination of tiering, motility, and feeding mechanism. Tiering refers to the animal's typical location in the water column and sediments, motility refers to its ability to move, and feeding mechanism describes the way the organism eats; together, they describe the animal's behavior. We analyzed the effect of ecology on survival using logistic regression, which compares life mode to the success or failure of a genus during each mass extinction interval. For organism size, we found the extinct organisms' mean size (both volume and length) and compared it with the average size of survivors on a graph. Our results show that while surviving genera of mass extinctions tended to be slightly larger than those that went extinct, there was no significant difference. Even though the Permian (Changhsingian) and Triassic (Rhaetian) extinctions had larger surviving species, likewise the difference was small. Ecology had a more obvious impact on the likelihood of survival; fast-moving, predatory pelagic organisms were the most likely to go extinct, while sedentary, infaunal suspension feeders had the greatest chances of survival. Overall, ecology played a greater role than size in determining the survival of a species. With this information, we can use ecology to predict which species would survive future extinctions.

Synthesis of superheavy elements and application of nuclear physics methods in related fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flerov, G.

1985-01-01

Heavy ion accelerators are used not only for the synthesis of new elements but also for the production of nuclear filters from polymers. The principle is described of the manufacture of such filters, and their chemical processing. By changes in irradiation conditions and in conditions of chemical leaching, nuclear filters may be obtained of various density, shape and size of pores and with a different angular distribution of tracks in the polymer material. The most frequently used polymer is polyethylene terephthalate film. The uses are described of nuclear filters, such as water treatment in the production of semiconductor instruments, in cryogenic instruments, in the purification concentration and sterilization filtration of viruses and vaccines, etc. Other uses of heavy ion beams are suggested, such as the method of nuclear tracks, the manufacture of membranes with a single opening, the manufacture of laser diaphragms, lithography, etc. (E.S.)

Enhancing Divergent Search through Extinction Events

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehman, Joel; Miikkulainen, Risto

2015-01-01

for the capacity to evolve. This hypothesis is tested through experiments in two evolutionary robotics domains. The results show that combining extinction events with divergent search increases evolvability, while combining them with convergent search offers no similar benefit. The conclusion is that extinction...

Are Humans too Numerous to Become Extinct?

OpenAIRE

Cairns, John

2009-01-01

Some claim that humans are too numerous to become extinct. However, passenger pigeon, once the most numerous birds on the planet, are now extinct. For years, humankind has been damaging its habitat, discharging toxic chemicals into the environment, and having harmful effects on agricultural productivity due to climate change. Humankind s extinction depends on the continuation of various human activities including economic growth, addiction to fossil fuel, over consumption, overpopulation, oc...

Competition between fusion and quasi-fission in heavy ion induced reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Back, B.B.

1986-09-01

Quantitative analyses of angular distributions and angle-mass correlations have been applied to the U + Ca reaction to obtain upper limit estimates for the cross sections for complete fusion near or below the interaction barrier. Extrapolating to the systems Ca + Cm and Ca + Es using the well established scaling properties of the extra push model, an estimate of the cross sections relevant to the efforts of synthesizing super-heavy elements in the region Z = 116 and N = 184 via heavy-ion fusion reactions are obtained. A simple evaporation calculation using properties of the super heavy elements shows that the failure to observe super-heavy elements with the Ca + Cm reaction is consistent with estimates of the complete fusion process. 33 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

A window of vulnerability: impaired fear extinction in adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Kathryn D; Den, Miriam L; Graham, Bronwyn M; Richardson, Rick

2014-09-01

There have been significant advances made towards understanding the processes mediating extinction of learned fear. However, despite being of clear theoretical and clinical significance, very few studies have examined fear extinction in adolescence, which is often described as a developmental window of vulnerability to psychological disorders. This paper reviews the relatively small body of research examining fear extinction in adolescence. A prominent finding of this work is that adolescents, both humans and rodents, exhibit a marked impairment in extinction relative to both younger (e.g., juvenile) and older (e.g., adult) groups. We then review some potential mechanisms that could produce the striking extinction deficit observed in adolescence. For example, one neurobiological candidate mechanism for impaired extinction in adolescence involves changes in the functional connectivity within the fear extinction circuit, particularly between prefrontal cortical regions and the amygdala. In addition, we review research on emotion regulation and attention processes that suggests that developmental changes in attention bias to threatening cues may be a cognitive mechanism that mediates age-related differences in extinction learning. We also examine how a differential reaction to chronic stress in adolescence impacts upon extinction retention during adolescence as well as in later life. Finally, we consider the findings of several studies illustrating promising approaches that overcome the typically-observed extinction impairments in adolescent rodents and that could be translated to human adolescents. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extinction of aversive classically conditioned human sexual response.

Science.gov (United States)

Brom, Mirte; Laan, Ellen; Everaerd, Walter; Spinhoven, Philip; Both, Stephanie

2015-04-01

Research has shown that acquired subjective likes and dislikes are quite resistant to extinction. Moreover, studies on female sexual response demonstrated that diminished genital arousal and positive affect toward erotic stimuli due to aversive classical conditioning did not extinguish during an extinction phase. Possible resistance to extinction of aversive conditioned sexual responses may have important clinical implications. However, resistance to extinction of aversive conditioned human sexual response has not been studied using extensive extinction trials. This article aims to study resistance to extinction of aversive conditioned sexual responses in sexually functional men and women. A differential conditioning experiment was conducted, with two erotic pictures as conditioned stimulus (CSs) and a painful stimulus as unconditioned stimuli (USs). Only one CS (the CS+) was followed by the US during the acquisition phase. Conditioned responses were assessed during the extinction phase. Penile circumference and vaginal pulse amplitude were assessed, and ratings of affective value and subjective sexual arousal were obtained. Also, a stimulus response compatibility task was included to assess automatic approach and avoidance tendencies. Men and women rated the CS+ more negative as compared with the CS-. During the first trials of the extinction phase, vaginal pulse amplitude was lower in response to the CS+ than in response to the CS-, and on the first extinction trial women rated the CS+ as less sexually arousing. Intriguingly, men did not demonstrate attenuated genital and subjective sexual response. Aversive conditioning, by means of painful stimuli, only affects sexual responses in women, whereas it does not in men. Although conditioned sexual likes and dislikes are relatively persistent, conditioned affect eventually does extinguish. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Selection, subdivision and extinction and recolonization.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherry, Joshua L

2004-02-01

In a subdivided population, the interaction between natural selection and stochastic change in allele frequency is affected by the occurrence of local extinction and subsequent recolonization. The relative importance of selection can be diminished by this additional source of stochastic change in allele frequency. Results are presented for subdivided populations with extinction and recolonization where there is more than one founding allele after extinction, where these may tend to come from the same source deme, where the number of founding alleles is variable or the founders make unequal contributions, and where there is dominance for fitness or local frequency dependence. The behavior of a selected allele in a subdivided population is in all these situations approximately the same as that of an allele with different selection parameters in an unstructured population with a different size. The magnitude of the quantity N(e)s(e), which determines fixation probability in the case of genic selection, is always decreased by extinction and recolonization, so that deleterious alleles are more likely to fix and advantageous alleles less likely to do so. The importance of dominance or frequency dependence is also altered by extinction and recolonization. Computer simulations confirm that the theoretical predictions of both fixation probabilities and mean times to fixation are good approximations.

First evidence for a massive extinction event affecting bees close to the K-T boundary.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra M Rehan

Full Text Available Bees and eudicot plants both arose in the mid-late Cretaceous, and their co-evolutionary relationships have often been assumed as an important element in the rise of flowering plants. Given the near-complete dependence of bees on eudicots we would expect that major extinction events affecting the latter would have also impacted bees. However, given the very patchy distribution of bees in the fossil record, identifying any such extinctions using fossils is very problematic. Here we use molecular phylogenetic analyses to show that one bee group, the Xylocopinae, originated in the mid-Cretaceous, coinciding with the early radiation of the eudicots. Lineage through time analyses for this bee subfamily show very early diversification, followed by a long period of seemingly no radiation and then followed by rapid diversification in each of the four constituent tribes. These patterns are consistent with both a long-fuse model of radiation and a massive extinction event close to the K-T boundary. We argue that massive extinction is much more plausible than a long fuse, given the historical biogeography of these bees and the diversity of ecological niches that they occupy. Our results suggest that events near the K-T boundary would have disrupted many plant-bee relationships, with major consequences for the subsequent evolution of eudicots and their pollinators.

First evidence for a massive extinction event affecting bees close to the K-T boundary.

Science.gov (United States)

Rehan, Sandra M; Leys, Remko; Schwarz, Michael P

2013-01-01

Bees and eudicot plants both arose in the mid-late Cretaceous, and their co-evolutionary relationships have often been assumed as an important element in the rise of flowering plants. Given the near-complete dependence of bees on eudicots we would expect that major extinction events affecting the latter would have also impacted bees. However, given the very patchy distribution of bees in the fossil record, identifying any such extinctions using fossils is very problematic. Here we use molecular phylogenetic analyses to show that one bee group, the Xylocopinae, originated in the mid-Cretaceous, coinciding with the early radiation of the eudicots. Lineage through time analyses for this bee subfamily show very early diversification, followed by a long period of seemingly no radiation and then followed by rapid diversification in each of the four constituent tribes. These patterns are consistent with both a long-fuse model of radiation and a massive extinction event close to the K-T boundary. We argue that massive extinction is much more plausible than a long fuse, given the historical biogeography of these bees and the diversity of ecological niches that they occupy. Our results suggest that events near the K-T boundary would have disrupted many plant-bee relationships, with major consequences for the subsequent evolution of eudicots and their pollinators.

The Astronomical Pulse of Global Extinction Events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David F.V. Lewis

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The linkage between astronomical cycles and the periodicity of mass extinctions is reviewed and discussed. In particular, the apparent 26 million year cycle of global extinctions may be related to the motion of the solar system around the galaxy, especially perpendicular to the galactic plane. The potential relevance of Milankovitch cycles is also explored in the light of current evidence for the possible causes of extinction events over a geological timescale.

Infectious Disease, Endangerment, and Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

MacPhee, Ross D. E.; Greenwood, Alex D.

2013-01-01

Infectious disease, especially virulent infectious disease, is commonly regarded as a cause of fluctuation or decline in biological populations. However, it is not generally considered as a primary factor in causing the actual endangerment or extinction of species. We review here the known historical examples in which disease has, or has been assumed to have had, a major deleterious impact on animal species, including extinction, and highlight some recent cases in which disease is the chief suspect in causing the outright endangerment of particular species. We conclude that the role of disease in historical extinctions at the population or species level may have been underestimated. Recent methodological breakthroughs may lead to a better understanding of the past and present roles of infectious disease in influencing population fitness and other parameters. PMID:23401844

POST-RETRIEVAL EXTINCTION ATTENUATES ALCOHOL CUE REACTIVITY IN RATS

Science.gov (United States)

Cofresí, Roberto U.; Lewis, Suzanne M.; Chaudhri, Nadia; Lee, Hongjoo J.; Monfils, Marie-H.; Gonzales, Rueben A.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Conditioned responses to alcohol-associated cues can hinder recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD). Cue exposure (extinction) therapy (CET) can reduce reactivity to alcohol cues, but its efficacy is limited by phenomena such as spontaneous recovery and reinstatement that can cause a return of conditioned responding after extinction. Using a preclinical model of alcohol cue reactivity in rats, we evaluated whether the efficacy of alcohol CET could be improved by conducting CET during the memory reconsolidation window after retrieval of a cue-alcohol association. METHODS Rats were provided with intermittent access to unsweetened alcohol. Rats were then trained to predict alcohol access based on a visual cue. Next, rats were treated with either standard extinction (n=14) or post-retrieval extinction (n=13). Rats were then tested for long-term memory of extinction and susceptibility to spontaneous recovery and reinstatement. RESULTS Despite equivalent extinction, rats treated with post-retrieval extinction exhibited reduced spontaneous recovery and reinstatement relative to rats treated with standard extinction. CONCLUSIONS Post-retrieval CET shows promise for persistently attenuating the risk to relapse posed by alcohol cues in individuals with AUD. PMID:28169439

Dust extinction in the first galaxies

Science.gov (United States)

Jaacks, Jason; Finkelstein, Steven L.; Bromm, Volker

2018-04-01

Using cosmological volume simulations and a custom built sub-grid model for Population III (Pop III) star formation, we examine the baseline dust extinction in the first galaxies due to Pop III metal enrichment in the first billion years of cosmic history. We find that although the most enriched, high-density lines of sight in primordial galaxies can experience a measurable amount of extinction from Pop III dust [E(B - V)max = 0.07, AV, max ≈ 0.28], the average extinction is very low with ≲ 10-3. We derive a power-law relationship between dark matter halo mass and extinction of E(B-V)∝ M_halo^{0.80}. Performing a Monte Carlo parameter study, we establish the baseline reddening of the ultraviolet spectra of dwarf galaxies at high redshift due to Pop III enrichment only. With this method, we find - 2.51 ± 0.07, which is both nearly halo mass and redshift independent.

Extinction vulnerability of coral reef fishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Nicholas A J; Chabanet, Pascale; Evans, Richard D; Jennings, Simon; Letourneur, Yves; Aaron Macneil, M; McClanahan, Tim R; Ohman, Marcus C; Polunin, Nicholas V C; Wilson, Shaun K

2011-04-01

With rapidly increasing rates of contemporary extinction, predicting extinction vulnerability and identifying how multiple stressors drive non-random species loss have become key challenges in ecology. These assessments are crucial for avoiding the loss of key functional groups that sustain ecosystem processes and services. We developed a novel predictive framework of species extinction vulnerability and applied it to coral reef fishes. Although relatively few coral reef fishes are at risk of global extinction from climate disturbances, a negative convex relationship between fish species locally vulnerable to climate change vs. fisheries exploitation indicates that the entire community is vulnerable on the many reefs where both stressors co-occur. Fishes involved in maintaining key ecosystem functions are more at risk from fishing than climate disturbances. This finding is encouraging as local and regional commitment to fisheries management action can maintain reef ecosystem functions pending progress towards the more complex global problem of stabilizing the climate. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.

LINE DERIVED INFRARED EXTINCTION TOWARD THE GALACTIC CENTER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fritz, T. K.; Gillessen, S.; Dodds-Eden, K.; Lutz, D.; Genzel, R.; Raab, W.; Ott, T.; Pfuhl, O.; Eisenhauer, F.; Yusef-Zadeh, F.

2011-01-01

We derive the extinction curve toward the Galactic center (GC) from 1 to 19 μm. We use hydrogen emission lines of the minispiral observed by ISO-SWS and SINFONI. The extinction-free flux reference is the 2 cm continuum emission observed by the Very Large Array. Toward the inner 14'' x 20'', we find an extinction of A 2.166μm = 2.62 ± 0.11, with a power-law slope of α = -2.11 ± 0.06 shortward of 2.8 μm, consistent with the average near-infrared slope from the recent literature. At longer wavelengths, however, we find that the extinction is grayer than shortward of 2.8 μm. We find that it is not possible to fit the observed extinction curve with a dust model consisting of pure carbonaceous and silicate grains only, and the addition of composite particles, including ices, is needed to explain the observations. Combining a distance-dependent extinction with our distance-independent extinction, we derive the distance to the GC to be R 0 = 7.94 ± 0.65 kpc. Toward Sgr A* (r H = 4.21 ± 0.10, A Ks = 2.42 ± 0.10, and A L' = 1.09 ± 0.13.

Malthusian Catastrophe: Species Extinction Caused By Oversized Population

OpenAIRE

Pan, Xubin

2017-01-01

There is one pseudo-extinction debt and four occurring conditions for real extinction debt. Since small and oversized populations have a high extinction risk, Pan threshold (upper limit) was calculated for Verhulst-Pear logistic growth model and logistic model with the Allee effect, an important parameter corresponding to Allee threshold (lower limit).

Experience with dynamic reinforcement rates decreases resistance to extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Andrew R; Shahan, Timothy A

2016-03-01

The ability of organisms to detect reinforcer-rate changes in choice preparations is positively related to two factors: the magnitude of the change in rate and the frequency with which rates change. Gallistel (2012) suggested similar rate-detection processes are responsible for decreases in responding during operant extinction. Although effects of magnitude of change in reinforcer rate on resistance to extinction are well known (e.g., the partial-reinforcement-extinction effect), effects of frequency of changes in rate prior to extinction are unknown. Thus, the present experiments examined whether frequency of changes in baseline reinforcer rates impacts resistance to extinction. Pigeons pecked keys for variable-interval food under conditions where reinforcer rates were stable and where they changed within and between sessions. Overall reinforcer rates between conditions were controlled. In Experiment 1, resistance to extinction was lower following exposure to dynamic reinforcement schedules than to static schedules. Experiment 2 showed that resistance to presession feeding, a disruptor that should not involve change-detection processes, was unaffected by baseline-schedule dynamics. These findings are consistent with the suggestion that change detection contributes to extinction. We discuss implications of change-detection processes for extinction of simple and discriminated operant behavior and relate these processes to the behavioral-momentum based approach to understanding extinction. © 2016 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Candesartan ameliorates impaired fear extinction induced by innate immune activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Quiñones, María M; Maldonado, Lizette; Velazquez, Bethzaly; Porter, James T

2016-02-01

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) tend to show signs of a relatively increased inflammatory state suggesting that activation of the immune system may contribute to the development of PTSD. In the present study, we tested whether activation of the innate immune system can disrupt acquisition or recall of auditory fear extinction using an animal model of PTSD. Male adolescent rats received auditory fear conditioning in context A. The next day, an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100 μg/kg) prior to auditory fear extinction in context B impaired acquisition and recall of extinction. LPS (100 μg/kg) given after extinction training did not impair extinction recall suggesting that LPS did not affect consolidation of extinction. In contrast to cued fear extinction, contextual fear extinction was not affected by prior injection of LPS (100 μg/kg). Although LPS also reduced locomotion, we could dissociate the effects of LPS on extinction and locomotion by using a lower dose of LPS (50 μg/kg) which impaired locomotion without affecting extinction. In addition, 15 h after an injection of 250 μg/kg LPS in adult rats, extinction learning and recall were impaired without affecting locomotion. A sub-chronic treatment with candesartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker, prevented the LPS-induced impairment of extinction in adult rats. Our results demonstrate that activation of the innate immune system can disrupt auditory fear extinction in adolescent and adult animals. These findings also provide direction for clinical studies of novel treatments that modulate the innate immune system for stress-related disorders like PTSD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extinction-Induced Variability in Human Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Kinloch, Jennifer M.; Foster, T. Mary; McEwan, James S. A.

2009-01-01

Participants earned points by pressing a computer space bar (Experiment 1) or forming rectangles on the screen with the mouse (Experiment 2) under differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate schedules, followed by extinction. Variability in interresponse time (the contingent dimension) increased during extinction, as for Morgan and Lee (1996);…

Context and Behavioral Processes in Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Bouton, Mark E.

2004-01-01

This article provides a selective review and integration of the behavioral literature on Pavlovian extinction. The first part reviews evidence that extinction does not destroy the original learning, but instead generates new learning that is especially context-dependent. The second part examines insights provided by research on several related…

Can CCM law properly represent all extinction curves?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geminale, Anna; Popowski, Piotr

2005-01-01

We present the analysis of a large sample of lines of sight with extinction curves covering wavelength range from near-infrared (NIR) to ultraviolet (UV). We derive total to selective extinction ratios based on the Cardelli, Clayton and Mathis (1989, CCM) law, which is typically used to fit the extinction data both for diffuse and dense interstellar medium. We conclude that the CCM law is able to fit most of the extinction curves in our sample. We divide the remaining lines of sight with peculiar extinction into two groups according to two main behaviors: a) the optical/IR or/and UV wavelength region cannot be reproduced by the CCM formula; b) the optical/NIR and UV extinction data are best fit by the CCM law with different values of R v . We present examples of such curves. The study of both types of peculiar cases can help us to learn about the physical processes that affect dust in the interstellar medium, e.g., formation of mantles on the surface of grains, evaporation, growing or shattering

Resistance to extinction, generalization decrement, and conditioned reinforcement.

Science.gov (United States)

Dulaney, Alana E; Bell, Matthew C

2008-06-01

This study investigated generalization decrement during an extinction resistance-to-change test for pigeon key pecking using a two-component multiple schedule with equal variable-interval 3-min schedules and different reinforcer amounts (one component presented 2-s access to reinforcement and the other 8s). After establishing baseline responding, subjects were assigned to one of the two extinction conditions: hopper stimuli (hopper and hopper light were activated but no food was available) or Control (inactive hopper and hopper light). Responding in the 8-s component was more resistant to extinction than responding in the 2-s component, the hopper stimuli group was more resistant to extinction compared to the Control group, and an interaction between amount of reinforcement, extinction condition, and session block was present. This finding supports generalization decrement as a factor that influences resistance to extinction. Hopper-time data (the amount of time subjects spent with their heads in the hopper) were compared to resistance-to-change data in an investigation of the role of conditioned reinforcement on resistance to change.

Psychological and neural mechanisms of experimental extinction: a selective review.

Science.gov (United States)

Delamater, Andrew R; Westbrook, R Frederick

2014-02-01

The present review examines key psychological concepts in the study of experimental extinction and implications these have for an understanding of the underlying neurobiology of extinction learning. We suggest that many of the signature characteristics of extinction learning (spontaneous recovery, renewal, reinstatement, rapid reacquisition) can be accommodated by the standard associative learning theory assumption that extinction results in partial erasure of the original learning together with new inhibitory learning. Moreover, we consider recent behavioral and neural evidence that supports the partial erasure view of extinction, but also note shortcomings in our understanding of extinction circuits as these relate to the negative prediction error concept. Recent work suggests that common prediction error and stimulus-specific prediction error terms both may be required to explain neural plasticity both in acquisition and extinction learning. In addition, we suggest that many issues in the content of extinction learning have not been fully addressed in current research, but that neurobiological approaches should be especially helpful in addressing such issues. These include questions about the nature of extinction learning (excitatory CS-No US, inhibitory CS-US learning, occasion setting processes), especially as this relates to studies of the micro-circuitry of extinction, as well as its representational content (sensory, motivational, response). An additional understudied problem in extinction research is the role played by attention processes and their underlying neural networks, although some research and theory converge on the idea that extinction is accompanied by attention decrements (i.e., habituation-like processes). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fear extinction requires infralimbic cortex projections to the basolateral amygdala.

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Bloodgood, Daniel W; Sugam, Jonathan A; Holmes, Andrew; Kash, Thomas L

2018-03-06

Fear extinction involves the formation of a new memory trace that attenuates fear responses to a conditioned aversive memory, and extinction impairments are implicated in trauma- and stress-related disorders. Previous studies in rodents have found that the infralimbic prefrontal cortex (IL) and its glutamatergic projections to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and basomedial amygdala (BMA) instruct the formation of fear extinction memories. However, it is unclear whether these pathways are exclusively involved in extinction, or whether other major targets of the IL, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) also play a role. To address this outstanding issue, the current study employed a combination of electrophysiological and chemogenetic approaches in mice to interrogate the role of IL-BLA and IL-NAc pathways in extinction. Specifically, we used patch-clamp electrophysiology coupled with retrograde tracing to examine changes in neuronal activity of the IL and prelimbic cortex (PL) projections to both the BLA and NAc following fear extinction. We found that extinction produced a significant increase in the intrinsic excitability of IL-BLA projection neurons, while extinction appeared to reverse fear-induced changes in IL-NAc projection neurons. To establish a causal counterpart to these observations, we then used a pathway-specific Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD) strategy to selectively inhibit PFC-BLA projection neurons during extinction acquisition. Using this approach, we found that DREADD-mediated inhibition of PFC-BLA neurons during extinction acquisition impaired subsequent extinction retrieval. Taken together, our findings provide further evidence for a critical contribution of the IL-BLA neural circuit to fear extinction.

Cortisol modifies extinction learning of recently acquired fear in men

Science.gov (United States)

Hermann, Andrea; Stark, Rudolf; Wolf, Oliver Tobias

2014-01-01

Exposure therapy builds on the mechanism of fear extinction leading to decreased fear responses. How the stress hormone cortisol affects brain regions involved in fear extinction in humans is unknown. For this reason, we tested 32 men randomly assigned to receive either 30 mg hydrocortisone or placebo 45 min before fear extinction. In fear acquisition, a picture of a geometrical figure was either partially paired (conditioned stimulus; CS+) or not paired (CS−) with an electrical stimulation (unconditioned stimulus; UCS). In fear extinction, each CS was presented again, but no UCS occurred. Cortisol increased conditioned skin conductance responses in early and late extinction. In early extinction, higher activation towards the CS− than to the CS+ was found in the amygdala, hippocampus and posterior parahippocampal gyrus. This pattern might be associated with the establishment of a new memory trace. In late extinction, the placebo compared with the cortisol group displayed enhanced CS+/CS− differentiation in the amygdala, medial frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. A change from early deactivation to late activation of the extinction circuit as seen in the placebo group seems to be needed to enhance extinction and to reduce fear. Cortisol appears to interfere with this process thereby impairing extinction of recently acquired conditioned fear. PMID:23945999

The three-quarter power scaling of extinction risk in Late Pleistocene mammals, and a new theory of the size selectivity of extinction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polishchuk, L.

2010-01-01

Questions: What is the pattern of body mass versus extinction risk in the Late Pleistocene extinctions of mammals, both qualitatively and quantitatively? Are there patterns that relate extinction risk to the well-known allometries of body mass with population density or population growth rate?

Elevational distribution and extinction risk in birds.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel L White

Full Text Available Mountainous regions are hotspots of terrestrial biodiversity. Unlike islands, which have been the focus of extensive research on extinction dynamics, fewer studies have examined mountain ranges even though they face increasing threats from human pressures - notably habitat conversion and climate change. Limits to the taxonomic and geographical extent and resolution of previously available information have precluded an explicit assessment of the relative role of elevational distribution in determining extinction risk. We use a new global species-level avian database to quantify the influence of elevational distribution (range, maximum and midpoint on extinction risk in birds at the global scale. We also tested this relationship within biogeographic realms, higher taxonomic levels, and across phylogenetic contrasts. Potential confounding variables (i.e. phylogenetic, distributional, morphological, life history and niche breadth were also tested and controlled for. We show that the three measures of elevational distribution are strong negative predictors of avian extinction risk, with elevational range comparable and complementary to that of geographical range size. Extinction risk was also found to be positively associated with body weight, development and adult survival, but negatively associated with reproduction and niche breadth. The robust and consistent findings from this study demonstrate the importance of elevational distribution as a key driver of variation in extinction dynamics in birds. Our results also highlight elevational distribution as a missing criterion in current schemes for quantifying extinction risk and setting species conservation priorities in birds. Further research is recommended to test for generality across non-avian taxa, which will require an advance in our knowledge of species' current elevational ranges and increased efforts to digitise and centralise such data.

The role of the medial prefrontal cortex in trace fear extinction

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Kwapis, Janine L.; Jarome, Timothy J.

2015-01-01

The extinction of delay fear conditioning relies on a neural circuit that has received much attention and is relatively well defined. Whether this established circuit also supports the extinction of more complex associations, however, is unclear. Trace fear conditioning is a better model of complex relational learning, yet the circuit that supports extinction of this memory has received very little attention. Recent research has indicated that trace fear extinction requires a different neural circuit than delay extinction; trace extinction requires the participation of the retrosplenial cortex, but not the amygdala, as noted in a previous study. Here, we tested the roles of the prelimbic and infralimbic regions of the medial prefrontal cortex in trace and delay fear extinction by blocking NMDA receptors during extinction learning. We found that the prelimbic cortex is necessary for trace, but not for delay fear extinction, whereas the infralimbic cortex is involved in both types of extinction. These results are consistent with the idea that trace fear associations require plasticity in multiple cortical areas for successful extinction. Further, the infralimbic cortex appears to play a role in extinction regardless of whether the animal was initially trained in trace or delay conditioning. Together, our results provide new information about how the neural circuits supporting trace and delay fear extinction differ. PMID:25512576

Accelerated modern human?induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction

OpenAIRE

Ceballos, Gerardo; Ehrlich, Paul R.; Barnosky, Anthony D.; Garc?a, Andr?s; Pringle, Robert M.; Palmer, Todd M.

2015-01-01

The oft-repeated claim that Earth?s biota is entering a sixth ?mass extinction? depends on clearly demonstrating that current extinction rates are far above the ?background? rates prevailing between the five previous mass extinctions. Earlier estimates of extinction rates have been criticized for using assumptions that might overestimate the severity of the extinction crisis. We assess, using extremely conservative assumptions, whether human activities are causing a mass extinction. First, we...

The atmospheric extinction of light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, Stephen W; Powell, Sean; Carroll, Joshua; Cowley, Michael

2016-01-01

An experiment is described that enables students to understand the properties of atmospheric extinction due to Rayleigh scattering. The experiment requires the use of red, green and blue lasers attached to a travelling microscope or similar device. The laser beams are passed through an artificial atmosphere, made from milky water, at varying depths, before impinging on either a light meter or a photodiode integral to a Picotech Dr. DAQ ADC. A plot of measured spectral intensity verses depth reveals the contribution Rayleigh scattering has to the extinction coefficient. For the experiment with the light meter, the extinction coefficients for red, green and blue light in the milky sample of water were 0.27, 0.36 and 0.47 cm −1 respectively and 0.032, 0.037 and 0.092 cm −1 for the Picotech Dr. DAQ ADC. (paper)

Acute stress impairs the retrieval of extinction memory in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Raio, Candace M.; Brignoni-Perez, Edith; Goldman, Rachel; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Extinction training is a form of inhibitory learning that allows an organism to associate a previously aversive cue with a new, safe outcome. Extinction does not erase a fear association, but instead creates a competing association that may or may not be retrieved when a cue is subsequently encountered. Characterizing the conditions under which extinction learning is expressed is important to enhancing the treatment of anxiety disorders that rely on extinction-based exposure therapy as a primary treatment technique. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which plays an important role in the expression of extinction memory, has been shown to be functionally impaired after stress exposure. Further, recent research in rodents found that exposure to stress led to deficits in extinction retrieval, although this has yet to be tested in humans. To explore how stress might influence extinction retrieval in humans, participants underwent a differential aversive learning paradigm, in which one image was probabilistically paired with an aversive shock while the other image denoted safety. Extinction training directly followed, at which point reinforcement was omitted. A day later, participants returned to the lab and either completed an acute stress manipulation (i.e., cold pressor), or a control task, before undergoing an extinction retrieval test. Skin conductance responses and salivary cortisol concentrations were measured throughout each session as indices of fear arousal and neuroendocrine stress responses, respectively. The efficacy of our stress induction was established by observing significant increases in cortisol for the stress condition only. We examined extinction retrieval by comparing conditioned responses during the last trial of extinction (day 1) with that of the first trial of re-extinction (day 2). Groups did not differ on initial fear acquisition or extinction, however, one day later participants in the stress group (n = 27) demonstrated significantly less

Can Parallelingualism Save Norwegian from Extinction?

Science.gov (United States)

Linn, Andrew R.

2010-01-01

Language extinction is one of the most pressing issues in linguistics today, and the literature is full of discussion about how to combat it. Statements that Norwegian is amongst the languages that are already extinct are merely examples of a widespread tendency in the literature towards erroneous information about Norwegian. Nonetheless, there is…

Endangered Species and Natural Resource Exploitation: Extinction vs. Coexistence

OpenAIRE

Tsur, Yacov; Zemel, Amos

1994-01-01

The threat on the survival of animal species due to intensive use of natural resources is incorporated within resource management models, paying special attention to uncertainty regarding the conditions that lead to extinction. The manner in which the potential benefits forgone due to the species extinction (denoted extinction penalty) induce more conservative exploitation policies is studied in detail. When the extinction penalty is ignored, the optimal policy is to drive the resource stock ...

Nature and Causes of the Immediate Extinction Deficit: A Brief Review

OpenAIRE

Maren, Stephen

2013-01-01

Recent data in both rodents and humans suggests that the timing of extinction trials after conditioning influences the magnitude and duration of extinction. For example, administering extinction trials soon after Pavlovian fear conditioning in rats, mice, and humans results in minimal fear suppression--the so-called immediate extinction deficit. Here I review recent work examining the behavioral and neural substrates of the immediate extinction deficit. I suggest that extinction is most effec...

Effects of sleep on memory for conditioned fear and fear extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Pace-Schott, Edward F.; Germain, Anne; Milad, Mohammed R.

2015-01-01

Learning and memory for extinction of conditioned fear is a basic mammalian mechanism for regulating negative emotion. Sleep promotes both the consolidation of memory and the regulation of emotion. Sleep can influence consolidation and modification of memories associated with both fear and its extinction. After brief overviews of the behavior and neural circuitry associated with fear conditioning, extinction learning and extinction memory in the rodent and human, interactions of sleep with these processes will be examined. Animal and human studies suggest that sleep can serve to consolidate both fear and extinction memory. In humans, sleep also promotes generalization of extinction memory. Time-of-day effects on extinction learning and generalization are also seen. REM may be a sleep stage of particular importance for the consolidation of both fear and extinction memory as evidenced by selective REM deprivation experiments. REM sleep is accompanied by selective activation of the same limbic structures implicated in the learning and memory of fear and extinction. Preliminary evidence also suggests extinction learning can take place during slow wave sleep. Study of low-level processes such as conditioning, extinction and habituation may allow sleep effects on emotional memory to be identified and inform study of sleep’s effects on more complex, emotionally salient declarative memories. Anxiety disorders are marked by impairments of both sleep and extinction memory. Improving sleep quality may ameliorate anxiety disorders by strengthening naturally acquired extinction. Strategically timed sleep may be used to enhance treatment of anxiety by strengthening therapeutic extinction learned via exposure therapy. PMID:25894546

Effects of sleep on memory for conditioned fear and fear extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Pace-Schott, Edward F; Germain, Anne; Milad, Mohammed R

2015-07-01

Learning and memory for extinction of conditioned fear is a basic mammalian mechanism for regulating negative emotion. Sleep promotes both the consolidation of memory and the regulation of emotion. Sleep can influence consolidation and modification of memories associated with both fear and its extinction. After brief overviews of the behavior and neural circuitry associated with fear conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction memory in the rodent and human, interactions of sleep with these processes will be examined. Animal and human studies suggest that sleep can serve to consolidate both fear and extinction memory. In humans, sleep also promotes generalization of extinction memory. Time-of-day effects on extinction learning and generalization are also seen. Rapid eye movement (REM) may be a sleep stage of particular importance for the consolidation of both fear and extinction memory as evidenced by selective REM deprivation experiments. REM sleep is accompanied by selective activation of the same limbic structures implicated in the learning and memory of fear and extinction. Preliminary evidence also suggests extinction learning can take place during slow wave sleep. Study of low-level processes such as conditioning, extinction, and habituation may allow sleep effects on emotional memory to be identified and inform study of sleep's effects on more complex, emotionally salient declarative memories. Anxiety disorders are marked by impairments of both sleep and extinction memory. Improving sleep quality may ameliorate anxiety disorders by strengthening naturally acquired extinction. Strategically timed sleep may be used to enhance treatment of anxiety by strengthening therapeutic extinction learned via exposure therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Nature and causes of the immediate extinction deficit: a brief review.

Science.gov (United States)

Maren, Stephen

2014-09-01

Recent data in both rodents and humans suggests that the timing of extinction trials after conditioning influences the magnitude and duration of extinction. For example, administering extinction trials soon after Pavlovian fear conditioning in rats, mice, and humans results in minimal fear suppression - the so-called immediate extinction deficit. Here I review recent work examining the behavioral and neural substrates of the immediate extinction deficit. I suggest that extinction is most effective at some delay after conditioning, because brain systems involved in encoding and retrieving extinction memories function sub-optimally under stress. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ULTRAVIOLET EXTINCTION AT HIGH GALACTIC LATITUDES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peek, J. E. G.; Schiminovich, David, E-mail: jegpeek@gmail.com [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, New York, NY (United States)

2013-07-01

In order to study the properties and effects of high Galactic latitude dust, we present an analysis of 373,303 galaxies selected from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer All-Sky Survey and Wide-field Infrared Explorer All-Sky Data Release. By examining the variation in aggregate ultraviolet colors and number density of these galaxies, we measure the extinction curve at high latitude. We additionally consider a population of spectroscopically selected galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to measure extinction in the optical. We find that dust at high latitude is neither quantitatively nor qualitatively consistent with standard reddening laws. Extinction in the FUV and NUV is {approx}10% and {approx}35% higher than expected, with significant variation across the sky. We find that no single R{sub V} parameter fits both the optical and ultraviolet extinction at high latitude, and that while both show detectable variation across the sky, these variations are not related. We propose that the overall trends we detect likely stem from an increase in very small silicate grains in the interstellar medium.

ULTRAVIOLET EXTINCTION AT HIGH GALACTIC LATITUDES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peek, J. E. G.; Schiminovich, David

2013-01-01

In order to study the properties and effects of high Galactic latitude dust, we present an analysis of 373,303 galaxies selected from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer All-Sky Survey and Wide-field Infrared Explorer All-Sky Data Release. By examining the variation in aggregate ultraviolet colors and number density of these galaxies, we measure the extinction curve at high latitude. We additionally consider a population of spectroscopically selected galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to measure extinction in the optical. We find that dust at high latitude is neither quantitatively nor qualitatively consistent with standard reddening laws. Extinction in the FUV and NUV is ∼10% and ∼35% higher than expected, with significant variation across the sky. We find that no single R V parameter fits both the optical and ultraviolet extinction at high latitude, and that while both show detectable variation across the sky, these variations are not related. We propose that the overall trends we detect likely stem from an increase in very small silicate grains in the interstellar medium.

Shell stabilization of super- and hyperheavy nuclei without magic gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bender, M.; Nazarewicz, W.; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN; Warsaw Univ.; Reinhard, P.G.; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN

2001-05-01

Quantum stabilization of superheavy elements is quantified in terms of the shell-correction energy. We compute the shell correction using self-consistent nuclear models: the non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock approach and the relativistic mean-field model, for a number of parametrizations. All the forces applied predict a broad valley of shell stabilization around Z = 120 and N = 172-184. We also predict two broad regions of shell stabilization in hyperheavy elements with N ∼ 258 and N ∼ 308. Due to the large single-particle level density, shell corrections in the superheavy elements differ markedly from those in lighter nuclei. With increasing proton and neutron numbers, the regions of nuclei stabilized by shell effects become poorly localized in particle number, and the familiar pattern of shells separated by magic gaps is basically gone. (orig.)

Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived?

Science.gov (United States)

Barnosky, Anthony D; Matzke, Nicholas; Tomiya, Susumu; Wogan, Guinevere O U; Swartz, Brian; Quental, Tiago B; Marshall, Charles; McGuire, Jenny L; Lindsey, Emily L; Maguire, Kaitlin C; Mersey, Ben; Ferrer, Elizabeth A

2011-03-03

Palaeontologists characterize mass extinctions as times when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short interval, as has happened only five times in the past 540 million years or so. Biologists now suggest that a sixth mass extinction may be under way, given the known species losses over the past few centuries and millennia. Here we review how differences between fossil and modern data and the addition of recently available palaeontological information influence our understanding of the current extinction crisis. Our results confirm that current extinction rates are higher than would be expected from the fossil record, highlighting the need for effective conservation measures.

d-Cycloserine reduces context specificity of sexual extinction learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Brom, Mirte; Laan, Ellen; Everaerd, Walter; Spinhoven, Philip; Trimbos, Baptist; Both, Stephanie

2015-11-01

d-Cycloserine (DCS) enhances extinction processes in animals. Although classical conditioning is hypothesized to play a pivotal role in the aetiology of appetitive motivation problems, no research has been conducted on the effect of DCS on the reduction of context specificity of extinction in human appetitive learning, while facilitation hereof is relevant in the context of treatment of problematic reward-seeking behaviors. Female participants were presented with two conditioned stimuli (CSs) that either predicted (CS+) or did not predict (CS-) a potential sexual reward (unconditioned stimulus (US); genital vibrostimulation). Conditioning took place in context A and extinction in context B. Subjects received DCS (125mg) or placebo directly after the experiment on day 1 in a randomized, double-blind, between-subject fashion (Placebo n=31; DCS n=31). Subsequent testing for CS-evoked conditioned responses (CRs) in both the conditioning (A) and the extinction context (B) took place 24h later on day 2. Drug effects on consolidation were then assessed by comparing the recall of sexual extinction memories between the DCS and the placebo groups. Post learning administration of DCS facilitates sexual extinction memory consolidation and affects extinction's fundamental context specificity, evidenced by reduced conditioned genital and subjective sexual responses, relative to placebo, for presentations of the reward predicting cue 24h later outside the extinction context. DCS makes appetitive extinction memories context-independent and prevents the return of conditioned response. NMDA receptor glycine site agonists may be potential pharmacotherapies for the prevention of relapse of appetitive motivation disorders with a learned component. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extinction of Learned Fear Induces Hippocampal Place Cell Remapping

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Wang, Melissa E.; Yuan, Robin K.; Keinath, Alexander T.; Ramos Álvarez, Manuel M.

2015-01-01

The extinction of learned fear is a hippocampus-dependent process thought to embody new learning rather than erasure of the original fear memory, although it is unknown how these competing contextual memories are represented in the hippocampus. We previously demonstrated that contextual fear conditioning results in hippocampal place cell remapping and long-term stabilization of novel representations. Here we report that extinction learning also induces place cell remapping in C57BL/6 mice. Specifically, we observed cells that preferentially remapped during different stages of learning. While some cells remapped in both fear conditioning and extinction, others responded predominantly during extinction, which may serve to modify previous representations as well as encode new safe associations. Additionally, we found cells that remapped primarily during fear conditioning, which could facilitate reacquisition of the original fear association. Moreover, we also observed cells that were stable throughout learning, which may serve to encode the static aspects of the environment. The short-term remapping observed during extinction was not found in animals that did not undergo fear conditioning, or when extinction was conducted outside of the conditioning context. Finally, conditioning and extinction produced an increase in spike phase locking to the theta and gamma frequencies. However, the degree of remapping seen during conditioning and extinction only correlated with gamma synchronization. Our results suggest that the extinction learning is a complex process that involves both modification of pre-existing memories and formation of new ones, and these traces coexist within the same hippocampal representation. PMID:26085635

Adrenalectomy eliminates the extinction spike in autoshaping with rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, B L; Papini, M R

2001-03-01

Experiment 1, using rats, investigated the effect of adrenalectomy (ADX) on the invigoration of lever-contact performance that occurs in the autoshaping situation after a shift from acquisition to extinction (called the extinction spike). Groups of rats with ADX or sham operations were trained under spaced and massed conditions [average intertrial intervals (ITI) of either 15 or 90 s] for 10 sessions and then shifted to extinction. ADX did not affect acquisition training but it eliminated the extinction spike. Plasma corticosterone levels during acquisition were shown in Experiment 2 to be similar in rats trained under spaced or massed conditions. Adrenal participation in the emotional arousal induced by conditions of surprising nonreward (e.g., extinction) is discussed.

Reconsidering the extinction of ichthyosaurs

OpenAIRE

Fischer, Valentin

2010-01-01

Despite their extreme adaptation to life in open sea, ichthyosaurs were one of the first major groups of post-Triassic marine reptiles to disappear, at the end of Cenomanian, whereas plesiosaurs, mosasaurs and numerous families of marine crocodiles and sea turtles disappeared during the Cretaceous/Paleocene Extinction Event. It has been proposed that unique biological factors drove ichthyosaurs to extinction, namely a break in the food chain at the level of belemnites or a progressive ecologi...

Quantitative analysis of forest fire extinction efficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel E. Castillo-Soto

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Aim of study: Evaluate the economic extinction efficiency of forest fires, based on the study of fire combat undertaken by aerial and terrestrial means. Area of study, materials and methods: Approximately 112,000 hectares in Chile. Records of 5,876 forest fires that occurred between 1998 and 2009 were analyzed. The area further provides a validation sector for results, by incorporating databases for the years 2010 and 2012. The criteria used for measuring extinction efficiency were economic value of forestry resources, Contraction Factor analysis and definition of the extinction costs function. Main results: It is possible to establish a relationship between burnt area, extinction costs and economic losses. The method proposed may be used and adapted to other fire situations, requiring unit costs for aerial and terrestrial operations, economic value of the property to be protected and speed attributes of fire spread in free advance. Research highlights: The determination of extinction efficiency in containment works of forest fires and potential projection of losses, different types of plant fuel and local conditions favoring the spread of fire broaden the admissible ranges of a, φ and Ce considerably.

Spectroscopy of very heavy nuclei with a view to study super-heavy nuclei; Spectroscopie de noyaux tres lourds en vue de l'etude des noyaux super-lourds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khalfallah, F

2007-08-15

Within the recent years, the spectroscopic study of single particle orbitals of very heavy elements (VHE) has become possible with the development of increasingly efficient experimental setups. This allows us, through nuclear deformation, to access with these deformed nuclei to orbitals situated around the Fermi level in the spherical superheavy elements (SHE) and learn more about the nuclear structure of these nuclei. The aim of this work is the spectroscopic studies of heavy and very heavy elements. Because of the experimental difficulties associated with the fusion reactions in the VHE region, a detailed optimization studies is essential. Simulation of energy loss and angular straggling of these nuclei due to the interaction in the target and to neutron's evaporation was carried out and allowed us to optimize the angular acceptance of the separators according to the target thickness. An extensive survey and exploration in the VHE region was also conducted on the basis of cross section's systematics in the literature and simulations carried out using the statistical code Hivap. In this framework, the possible extension of the range of validity of a set of Hivap parameters was investigated. This work has enabled us to prepare a list of experiments of interest for the production of very heavy nuclei. In this thesis, our work was concentrated on the spectroscopy of the nuclei No{sup 256} et Rf{sup 256} for which two experimental proposals were accepted. The octupole deformations predicted in the actinides region is studied in another part of this thesis, a part witch is dedicated to the gamma spectroscopy of Pa{sup 223}. The data from a new experiment carried out using the Jurogam-Ritu-Great setup are analysed and compared to previous results. They confirm the octupole deformed shape in this nucleus. (author)

Late Pleistocene and Holocene mammal extinctions on continental Africa

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Faith, J. Tyler

2014-01-01

Understanding the cause of late Quaternary mammal extinctions is the subject of intense debate spanning the fields of archeology and paleontology. In the global context, the losses on continental Africa have received little attention and are poorly understood. This study aims to inspire new discussion of African extinctions through a review of the extinct species and the chronology and possible causes of those extinctions. There are at least 24 large mammal (> 5 kg) species known to have disappeared from continental Africa during the late Pleistocene or Holocene, indicating a much greater taxonomic breadth than previously recognized. Among the better sampled taxa, these losses are restricted to the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene, between 13,000 and 6000 yrs ago. The African extinctions preferentially affected species that are grazers or prefer grasslands. Where good terrestrial paleoenvironmental records are present, extinctions are associated with changes in the availability, productivity, or structure of grassland habitats, suggesting that environmental changes played a decisive role in the losses. In the broader evolutionary context, these extinctions represent recent examples of selective taxonomic winnowing characterized by the loss of grassland specialists and the establishment of large mammal communities composed of more ecologically flexible taxa over the last million years. There is little reason to believe that humans played an important role in African extinctions.

Defining the period of moa extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, A.

2000-01-01

Few aspects of New Zealand's prehistory have engaged scientific and public attention so consistently as two interlinked questions of moa extinction; when did moas become extinct and why? Answers offered over the last 160 years have run the gamut from chronological antiquity by evolutionary senescence, to within the 19th century Maori and European disturbance. (author)

Genetic disruptions of Drosophila Pavlovian learning leave extinction learning intact.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, H; Dubnau, J

2010-03-01

Individuals who experience traumatic events may develop persistent posttraumatic stress disorder. Patients with this disorder are commonly treated with exposure therapy, which has had limited long-term success. In experimental neurobiology, fear extinction is a model for exposure therapy. In this behavioral paradigm, animals are repeatedly exposed in a safe environment to the fearful stimulus, which leads to greatly reduced fear. Studying animal models of extinction already has lead to better therapeutic strategies and development of new candidate drugs. Lack of a powerful genetic model of extinction, however, has limited progress in identifying underlying molecular and genetic factors. In this study, we established a robust behavioral paradigm to study the short-term effect (acquisition) of extinction in Drosophila melanogaster. We focused on the extinction of olfactory aversive 1-day memory with a task that has been the main workhorse for genetics of memory in flies. Using this paradigm, we show that extinction can inhibit each of two genetically distinct forms of consolidated memory. We then used a series of single-gene mutants with known impact on associative learning to examine the effects on extinction. We find that extinction is intact in each of these mutants, suggesting that extinction learning relies on different molecular mechanisms than does Pavlovian learning.

VLT/X-shooter GRBs: Individual extinction curves of star-forming regions★

Science.gov (United States)

Zafar, T.; Watson, D.; Møller, P.; Selsing, J.; Fynbo, J. PU; Schady, P.; Wiersema, K.; Levan, A. J.; Heintz, K. E.; Postigo, A. de Ugarte; D'Elia, V.; Jakobsson, P.; Bolmer, J.; Japelj, J.; Covino, S.; Gomboc, A.; Cano, Z.

2018-05-01

The extinction profiles in Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglow spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are usually described by the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)-type extinction curve. In different empirical extinction laws, the total-to-selective extinction, RV, is an important quantity because of its relation to dust grain sizes and compositions. We here analyse a sample of 17 GRBs (0.34a single or broken power-law together with a parametric extinction law is used to model the individual SEDs. We find 10 cases with significant dust, where the derived extinction, AV, ranges from 0.1-1.0 mag. In four of those, the inferred extinction curves are consistent with the SMC curve. The GRB individual extinction curves have a flat RV distribution with an optimal weighted combined value of RV = 2.61 ± 0.08 (for seven broad coverage cases). The `average GRB extinction curve' is similar to, but slightly steeper than the typical SMC, and consistent with the SMC Bar extinction curve at ˜95% confidence level. The resultant steeper extinction curves imply populations of small grains, where large dust grains may be destroyed due to GRB activity. Another possibility could be that young age and/or lower metallicities of GRBs environments are responsible for the steeper curves.

Neural signals of vicarious extinction learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Golkar, Armita; Haaker, Jan; Selbing, Ida; Olsson, Andreas

2016-10-01

Social transmission of both threat and safety is ubiquitous, but little is known about the neural circuitry underlying vicarious safety learning. This is surprising given that these processes are critical to flexibly adapt to a changeable environment. To address how the expression of previously learned fears can be modified by the transmission of social information, two conditioned stimuli (CS + s) were paired with shock and the third was not. During extinction, we held constant the amount of direct, non-reinforced, exposure to the CSs (i.e. direct extinction), and critically varied whether another individual-acting as a demonstrator-experienced safety (CS + vic safety) or aversive reinforcement (CS + vic reinf). During extinction, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) responses to the CS + vic reinf increased but decreased to the CS + vic safety This pattern of vmPFC activity was reversed during a subsequent fear reinstatement test, suggesting a temporal shift in the involvement of the vmPFC. Moreover, only the CS + vic reinf association recovered. Our data suggest that vicarious extinction prevents the return of conditioned fear responses, and that this efficacy is reflected by diminished vmPFC involvement during extinction learning. The present findings may have important implications for understanding how social information influences the persistence of fear memories in individuals suffering from emotional disorders. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Prefrontal single-unit firing associated with deficient extinction in mice

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Fitzgerald, Paul J; Whittle, Nigel; Flynn, Shaun M; Graybeal, Carolyn; Pinard, Courtney; Gunduz-Cinar, Ozge; Kravitz, Alexxai; Singewald, Nicolas; Holmes, Andrew

2014-01-01

The neural circuitry mediating fear extinction has been increasingly well studied and delineated. The rodent infralimbic subregion (IL) of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has been found to promote extinction, whereas the prelimbic cortex (PL) demonstrates an opposing, pro-fear, function. Studies employing in vivo electrophysiological recordings have observed that while increased IL single-unit firing and bursting predicts robust extinction retrieval, increased PL firing can correlate with sustained fear and poor extinction. These relationships between single-unit firing and extinction do not hold under all experimental conditions, however. In the current study, we further investigated the relationship between vmPFC and PL single-unit firing and extinction using inbred mouse models of intact (C57BL/6J, B6) and deficient (129S1/SvImJ, S1) extinction strains. Simultaneous single-unit recordings were made in the PL and vmPFC (encompassing IL) as B6 and S1 mice performed extinction training and retrieval. Impaired extinction retrieval in S1 mice was associated with elevated PL single-unit firing, as compared to firing in extinguishing B6 mice, consistent with the hypothesized pro-fear contribution of PL. Analysis of local field potentials also revealed significantly higher gamma power in the PL of Sthan B6 mice during extinction training and retrieval. In the vmPFC, impaired extinction in S1 mice was also associated with exaggerated single-unit firing, relative to B6 mice. This is in apparent contradiction to evidence that IL activity promotes extinction, but could reflect a (failed) compensatory effort by the vmPFC to mitigate fear-promoting activity in other regions, such as the PL or amygdala. In support of this hypothesis, augmenting IL activity via direct infusion of the GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin rescued impaired extinction retrieval in S1 mice. Chronic fluoxetine treatment produced modest reductions in fear during extinction retrieval and

Role of the hippocampus in contextual modulation of fear extinction

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lingzhi Kong; Xihong Wu; Liang Li

2008-01-01

Fear extinction is an important form of emotional learning, and affects neural plasticity. Cue fear extinction is a classical form of inhibitory learning that can be used as an exposure-based treatment for phobia, because the long-term extinction memory produced during cue fear extinction can limit the over-expression of fear. The expression of this inhibitory memory partly depends on the context in which the extinction learning occurs. Studies such as transient inhibition, electrophysiology and brain imaging have proved that the hippocampus - an important structure in the limbic system - facilitates memory retrieval by contextual cues.Mediation of the hippocampus-medial prefrontal lobe circuit may be the neurobiological basis of this process.This article has reviewed the role of the hippocampus in the learning and retrieval of fear extinction.Contextual modulation of fear extinction may rely on a neural network consisting of the hippocampus, the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.

A global synthesis of plant extinction rates in urban areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahs, Amy K; McDonnell, Mark J; McCarthy, Michael A; Vesk, Peter A; Corlett, Richard T; Norton, Briony A; Clemants, Steven E; Duncan, Richard P; Thompson, Ken; Schwartz, Mark W; Williams, Nicholas S G

2009-11-01

Plant extinctions from urban areas are a growing threat to biodiversity worldwide. To minimize this threat, it is critical to understand what factors are influencing plant extinction rates. We compiled plant extinction rate data for 22 cities around the world. Two-thirds of the variation in plant extinction rates was explained by a combination of the city's historical development and the current proportion of native vegetation, with the former explaining the greatest variability. As a single variable, the amount of native vegetation remaining also influenced extinction rates, particularly in cities > 200 years old. Our study demonstrates that the legacies of landscape transformations by agrarian and urban development last for hundreds of years, and modern cities potentially carry a large extinction debt. This finding highlights the importance of preserving native vegetation in urban areas and the need for mitigation to minimize potential plant extinctions in the future.

A model for the Holocene extinction of the mammal megafauna in Ecuador

Science.gov (United States)

Ficcarelli, G.; Coltorti, M.; Moreno-Espinosa, M.; Pieruccini, P. L.; Rook, L.; Torre, D.

2003-03-01

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary research in the Ecuadorian coastal regions, with particular emphasis on the Santa Elena Peninsula. The new evidence, together with previous data gathered on the Ecuadorian cordillera during the last 12 years, allows us to formulate a model that accounts for most of the mammal megafauna extinction at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. After the illustration of geomorphological and paleontological evidences of the area of the Santa Elena Peninsula (and other sites), and of a summary of the paleoclimatic data, the main results and conclusions of this work are: (1) Late Pleistocene mammal assemblages survived in the Ecuadorian coast until the Early Holocene sea level rise; (2) Prior to the extinction of most of the megafauna elements (mastodons, ground sloths, equids, sabre-tooth felids), the mammal communities at Santa Elena Peninsula comprise elements with differing habitat requirements, attesting conditions of high biological pressure; (3) At the El Cautivo site (Santa Elena Peninsula), we have discovered Holocene sediments containing the first known occurrences in Ecuador of lithic artifacts that are associated with mammal megafauna remains; (4) During the last 10,000 years, the coastal region of Ecuador underwent significant changes in vegetation cover. At the Pleistocene/Holocene transition the climate changed from very arid conditions to humid conditions. Our data indicates that the megafauna definitively abandoned the Cordillera areas around 12,000 yr BP due to t he increasing aridity, and subsequently migrated to coastal areas where ecological conditions still were suitable, Santa Elena Peninsula and mainly Amazonian areas being typical. We conclude that the unusual high faunal concentrations and the change to dense vegetation cover (due to a rapid increase in precipitation in the lower Holocene) at 8000-6000 yr BP, caused the final collapse and extinction of most elements of the mammal megafauna

Measurement of the first ionization potential of lawrencium, element 103.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, T K; Asai, M; Borschevsky, A; Stora, T; Sato, N; Kaneya, Y; Tsukada, K; Düllmann, Ch E; Eberhardt, K; Eliav, E; Ichikawa, S; Kaldor, U; Kratz, J V; Miyashita, S; Nagame, Y; Ooe, K; Osa, A; Renisch, D; Runke, J; Schädel, M; Thörle-Pospiech, P; Toyoshima, A; Trautmann, N

2015-04-09

The chemical properties of an element are primarily governed by the configuration of electrons in the valence shell. Relativistic effects influence the electronic structure of heavy elements in the sixth row of the periodic table, and these effects increase dramatically in the seventh row--including the actinides--even affecting ground-state configurations. Atomic s and p1/2 orbitals are stabilized by relativistic effects, whereas p3/2, d and f orbitals are destabilized, so that ground-state configurations of heavy elements may differ from those of lighter elements in the same group. The first ionization potential (IP1) is a measure of the energy required to remove one valence electron from a neutral atom, and is an atomic property that reflects the outermost electronic configuration. Precise and accurate experimental determination of IP1 gives information on the binding energy of valence electrons, and also, therefore, on the degree of relativistic stabilization. However, such measurements are hampered by the difficulty in obtaining the heaviest elements on scales of more than one atom at a time. Here we report that the experimentally obtained IP1 of the heaviest actinide, lawrencium (Lr, atomic number 103), is 4.96(+0.08)(-0.07) electronvolts. The IP1 of Lr was measured with (256)Lr (half-life 27 seconds) using an efficient surface ion-source and a radioisotope detection system coupled to a mass separator. The measured IP1 is in excellent agreement with the value of 4.963(15) electronvolts predicted here by state-of-the-art relativistic calculations. The present work provides a reliable benchmark for theoretical calculations and also opens the way for IP1 measurements of superheavy elements (that is, transactinides) on an atom-at-a-time scale.

An unconditioned stimulus retrieval extinction procedure to prevent the return of fear memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianfeng; Zhao, Liyan; Xue, Yanxue; Shi, Jie; Suo, Lin; Luo, Yixiao; Chai, Baisheng; Yang, Chang; Fang, Qin; Zhang, Yan; Bao, Yanping; Pickens, Charles L; Lu, Lin

2014-12-01

Conditioned fear memories can be updated by extinction during reconsolidation, and this effect is specific to the reactivated conditioned stimulus (CS). However, a traumatic event can be associated with several cues, and each cue can potentially trigger recollection of the event. We introduced a technique to target all diverse cues associated with an aversive event that causes fear. In human experiments, 161 subjects underwent modified fear conditioning, in which they were exposed to an unconditioned stimulus (US) or unreinforced CS to reactivate the memory and then underwent extinction, spontaneous recovery, and reinstatement. In animal experiments, 343 rats underwent contextual fear conditioning under a similar protocol as that used in the human experiments. We also explored the molecular alterations after US reactivation in rats. Presentation of a lower intensity US before extinction disrupted the associations between the different CS and reactivated US in both humans and rats. This effect persisted for at least 6 months in humans and was selective to the reactivated US. This procedure was also effective for remote memories in both humans and rats. Compared with the CS, the US induced stronger endocytosis of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid glutamate receptors 1 and 2 and stronger activation of protein kinase A, p70S6 kinase, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein in the dorsal hippocampus in rats. These findings demonstrate that a modified US retrieval extinction strategy may have a potential impact on therapeutic approaches to prevent the return of fear. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Post-Learning Sleep Transiently Boosts Context Specific Operant Extinction Memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marion Inostroza

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Operant extinction is learning to supress a previously rewarded behavior. It is known to be strongly associated with the specific context in which it was acquired, which limits the therapeutic use of operant extinction in behavioral treatments, e.g., of addiction. We examined whether sleep influences contextual memory of operant extinction over time, using two different recall tests (Recent and Remote. Rats were trained in an operant conditioning task (lever press in context A, then underwent extinction training in context B, followed by a 3-h retention period that contained either spontaneous morning sleep, morning sleep deprivation, or spontaneous evening wakefulness. A recall test was performed either immediately after the 3-h experimental retention period (Recent recall or after 48 h (Remote, in the extinction context B and in a novel context C. The two main findings were: (i at the Recent recall test, sleep in comparison with sleep deprivation and spontaneous wakefulness enhanced extinction memory but, only in the extinction context B; (ii at the Remote recall, extinction performance after sleep was enhanced in both contexts B and C to an extent comparable to levels at Recent recall in context B. Interestingly, extinction performance at Remote recall was also improved in the sleep deprivation groups in both contexts, with no difference to performance in the sleep group. Our results suggest that 3 h of post-learning sleep transiently facilitate the context specificity of operant extinction at a Recent recall. However, the improvement and contextual generalization of operant extinction memory observed in the long-term, i.e., after 48 h, does not require immediate post-learning sleep.

Extinction and dust properties in a clumpy medium

OpenAIRE

Scicluna, P.; Siebenmorgen, R.

2015-01-01

(abridged) The dust content of the universe is primarily explored via its interaction with stellar photons, producing interstellar extinction. However, owing to the physical extension of the observing beam, observations may detect scattered photons, resulting in a change in the observed (or effective) extinction, depending on the spatial distribution of the dust and the resolution of the instrument. We investigate the influence of clumpy dust distributions on effective extinction toward embed...

Dynamics of Population on the Verge of Extinction

OpenAIRE

Oborny, B.; Meszena, G.; Szabo, G.

2005-01-01

Theoretical considerations suggest that extinction in dispersal-limited populations is necessarily a threshold-like process that is analogous to a critical phase transition in physics. We use this analogy to find robust, common features in the dynamics of extinctions, and suggest early warning signals which may indicate that a population is endangered. As the critical threshold of extinction is approached, the population spontaneously fragments into discrete subpopulations and, consequently, ...

Deficient fear extinction memory in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Wicking, Manon; Steiger, Frauke; Nees, Frauke; Diener, Slawomira J; Grimm, Oliver; Ruttorf, Michaela; Schad, Lothar R; Winkelmann, Tobias; Wirtz, Gustav; Flor, Herta

2016-12-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might be maintained by deficient extinction memory. We used a cued fear conditioning design with extinction and a post-extinction phase to provoke the return of fear and examined the role of the interplay of amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal regions. We compared 18 PTSD patients with two healthy control groups: 18 trauma-exposed subjects without PTSD (nonPTSD) and 18 healthy controls (HC) without trauma experience. They underwent a three-day ABC-conditioning procedure in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Two geometric shapes that served as conditioned stimuli (CS) were presented in the context of virtual reality scenes. Electric painful stimuli were delivered after one of the two shapes (CS+) during acquisition (in context A), while the other (CS-) was never paired with pain. Extinction was performed in context B and extinction memory was tested in a novel context C. The PTSD patients showed significantly higher differential skin conductance responses than the non-PTSD and HC and higher differential amygdala and hippocampus activity than the HC in context C. In addition, elevated arousal to the CS+ during extinction and to the CS- throughout the experiment was present in the PTSD patients but self-reported differential valence or contingency were not different. During extinction recall, differential amygdala activity correlated positively with the intensity of numbing and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity correlated positively with behavioral avoidance. PTSD patients show heightened return of fear in neural and peripheral measures. In addition, self-reported arousal was high to both danger (CS+) and safety (CS-) cues. These results suggest that a deficient maintenance of extinction and a failure to identify safety signals might contribute to PTSD symptoms, whereas non-PTSD subjects seem to show normal responses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of D-cycloserine on the extinction of appetitive operant learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Vurbic, Drina; Gold, Benjamin; Bouton, Mark E

2011-08-01

Four experiments with rat subjects examined whether D-cycloserine (DCS), a partial NMDA agonist, facilitates the extinction of operant lever-pressing reinforced by food. Previous research has demonstrated that DCS facilitates extinction learning with methods that involve Pavlovian extinction. In the current experiments, operant conditioning occurred in Context A, extinction in Context B, and then testing occurred in both the extinction and conditioning contexts. Experiments 1A and 1B tested the effects of three doses of DCS (5, 15, and 30 mg/kg) on the extinction of lever pressing trained as a free operant. Experiment 2 examined their effects when extinction of the free operant was conducted in the presence of nonresponse-contingent deliveries of the reinforcer (that theoretically reduced the role of generalization decrement in suppressing responding). Experiment 3 examined their effects on extinction of a discriminated operant, that is, one that had been reinforced in the presence of a discriminative stimulus, but not in its absence. A strong ABA renewal effect was observed in all four experiments during testing. However, despite the use of DCS doses and a drug administration procedure that facilitates the extinction of Pavlovian learning, there was no evidence in any experiment that DCS facilitated operant extinction learning assessed in either the extinction or the conditioning context. DCS may primarily facilitate learning processes that underlie Pavlovian, rather than purely operant, extinction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Recovery effects after extinction in the Morris swimming pool navigation task.

Science.gov (United States)

Prados, José; Manteiga, Raúl D; Sansa, Joan

2003-08-01

In three experiments in which rats were used as subjects, we developed an extinction procedure using a Morris pool. The animals were trained to find a hidden platform located at a fixed position and were then given extinction trials in which the platform was removed from the pool. When training and extinction were carried out in the same context and time was allowed to elapse between extinction and test, spontaneous recovery of learning was observed. On the other hand, those rats that received extinction in a context different from the one used for training failed to show spontaneous recovery of learning when tested in the extinction context after an interval of 96 h. However, they did show renewal of spatial learning when tested in the training context. These results show that extinction in the spatial domain behaves like extinction in standard conditioning preparations.

Aging accelerates memory extinction and impairs memory restoration in Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Nannan; Guo, Aike; Li, Yan

2015-05-15

Age-related memory impairment (AMI) is a phenomenon observed from invertebrates to human. Memory extinction is proposed to be an active inhibitory modification of memory, however, whether extinction is affected in aging animals remains to be elucidated. Employing a modified paradigm for studying memory extinction in fruit flies, we found that only the stable, but not the labile memory component was suppressed by extinction, thus effectively resulting in higher memory loss in aging flies. Strikingly, young flies were able to fully restore the stable memory component 3 h post extinction, while aging flies failed to do so. In conclusion, our findings reveal that both accelerated extinction and impaired restoration contribute to memory impairment in aging animals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Size distribution of interstellar particles. III. Peculiar extinctions and normal infrared extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathis, J.S.; Wallenhorst, S.G.

1981-01-01

The effect of changing the upper and lower size limits of a distribution of bare graphite and silicate particles with n(a)αa/sup -q/ is investigated. Mathis, Rumpl, and Nordsieck showed that the normal extinction is matched very well by having the small-size cutoff, a/sub -/, roughly-equal0.005 or 0.01 μm, and the large size a/sub +/, about 0.25 μm, and q = 3.5 for both substances. We consider the progressively peculiar extinctions exhibited by the well-observed stars, sigma Sco, rho Oph, and theta 1 Ori C, with values of R/sub v/[equivalentA/sub v//E(B--V)] of 3.4, 4.4, and 5.5 compared to the normal 3.1. Two (sigma Sco, rho Oph) are in a neutral dense cloud; theta 1 Ori C is in the Orion Nebula. We find that sigma Sco has a normal graphite distribution but has had its small silicate particles removed, so that a/sub -/(sil)roughly-equal0.04 μm if q = 3.5, or q(sil) = 2.6 if the size limits are fixed. However, the upper size limit on silicates remains normal. In rho Oph, the graphite is still normal, but both a/sub -/(sil) and a/sub +/(sil) are increased, to about 0.04 μm and 0.4 or 0.5 μm, respectively, if q = 3.5, or q(sil)roughly-equal1.3 if the size limits are fixed. In theta 1 Ori, the small limit on graphite has increased to about 0.04 μm, or q(gra)roughly-equal3, while the silicates are about like those in rho Oph. The calculated lambda2175 bump is broader than the observed, but normal foreground extinction probably contributes appreciably to the observed bump. The absolute amount of extinction per H atom for rho Oph is not explained. The column density of H is so large that systematic effects might be present. Very large graphite particles (a>3 μm) are required to ''hide'' the graphite without overly affecting the visual extinction, but a normal (small) graphite size distribution is required by the lambda2175 bump. We feel that it is unlikely that such a bimodal distribution exists

Spatially Synchronous Extinction of Species under External Forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Amritkar, R. E.; Rangarajan, Govindan

2006-06-01

More than 99% of the species that ever existed on the surface of the Earth are now extinct and their extinction on a global scale has been a puzzle. One may think that a species under an external threat may survive in some isolated locations leading to the revival of the species. Using a general model we show that, under a common external forcing, the species with a quadratic saturation term first undergoes spatial synchronization and then extinction. The effect can be observed even when the external forcing acts only on some locations provided the dynamics contains a synchronizing term. Absence of the quadratic saturation term can help the species to avoid extinction.

The ultraviolet interstellar extinction curve in the Pleiades

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Witt, A. N.; Bohlin, R. C.; Stecher, T. P.

1981-01-01

The wavelength dependence of ultraviolet extinction in the Pleiades dust clouds has been determined from IUE observations of HD 23512, the brightest heavily reddened member of the Pleiades cluster. There is evidence for an anomalously weak absorption bump at 2200 A, followed by an extinction rise in the far ultraviolet with an essentially normal slope. A relatively weak absorption band at 2200 A and a weak diffuse absorption band at 4430 A seem to be common characteristics of dust present in dense clouds. Evidence is presented which suggests that the extinction characteristics found for HD 23512 are typical for a class of extinction curves observed in several cases in the Galaxy and in the LMC.

Interstellar extinction in the Small Magellanic Cloud

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandy, K.; McLachlan, A.; Thompson, G.I.; Morgan, D.H.; Willis, A.J.; Wilson, R.; Gondhalekar, P.M.; Houziaux, L.

1982-01-01

IUE observations of three considerably reddened stars located near the core of the Small Magellanic Cloud and of two comparison stars which are also SMC members are presented. This region contains a considerable amount of dust. The UV spectrum of one of the reddened stars (BBB 338) shows the lambda 2200 feature characteristic of the Galactic extinction curve. This absorption feature is not obvious in the UV spectra of the other two reddened stars. Due to lack of a suitable comparison star it has not been possible to measure the UV extinction of BBB 338. The extinction curves derived for the other two reddened SMC members differ from the mean Galactic law in that they exhibit very weak or absent lambda 2200 and much higher values of far-UV extinction. These differences are greater than have been found for stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, confirming earlier observations by others. (author)

Extinction and renewal of cue-elicited reward-seeking.

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Bezzina, Louise; Lee, Jessica C; Lovibond, Peter F; Colagiuri, Ben

2016-12-01

Reward cues can contribute to overconsumption of food and drugs and can relapse. The failure of exposure therapies to reduce overconsumption and relapse is generally attributed to the context-specificity of extinction. However, no previous study has examined whether cue-elicited reward-seeking (as opposed to cue-reactivity) is sensitive to context renewal. We tested this possibility in 160 healthy volunteers using a Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) design involving voluntary responding for a high value natural reward (chocolate). One reward cue underwent Pavlovian extinction in the same (Group AAA) or different context (Group ABA) to all other phases. This cue was compared with a second non-extinguished reward cue and an unpaired control cue. There was a significant overall PIT effect with both reward cues eliciting reward-seeking on test relative to the unpaired cue. Pavlovian extinction substantially reduced this effect, with the extinguished reward cue eliciting less reward-seeking than the non-extinguished reward cue. Most interestingly, extinction of cue-elicited reward-seeking was sensitive to renewal, with extinction less effective for reducing PIT when conducted in a different context. These findings have important implications for extinction-based interventions for reducing maladaptive reward-seeking in practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Slower Reacquisition after Partial Extinction in Human Contingency Learning

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Morís, Joaquín; Barberia, Itxaso; Vadillo, Miguel A.; Andrades, Ainhoa; López, Francisco J.

2017-01-01

Extinction is a very relevant learning phenomenon from a theoretical and applied point of view. One of its most relevant features is that relapse phenomena often take place once the extinction training has been completed. Accordingly, as extinction-based therapies constitute the most widespread empirically validated treatment of anxiety disorders,…

Associative learning versus fear habituation as predictors of long-term extinction retention.

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Brown, Lily A; LeBeau, Richard T; Chat, Ka Yi; Craske, Michelle G

2017-06-01

Violation of unconditioned stimulus (US) expectancy during extinction training may enhance associative learning and result in improved long-term extinction retention compared to within-session habituation. This experiment examines variation in US expectancy (i.e., expectancy violation) as a predictor of long-term extinction retention. It also examines within-session habituation of fear-potentiated startle (electromyography, EMG) and fear of conditioned stimuli (CS) throughout extinction training as predictors of extinction retention. Participants (n = 63) underwent fear conditioning, extinction and retention and provided continuous ratings of US expectancy and EMG, as well as CS fear ratings before and after each phase. Variation in US expectancy throughout extinction and habituation of EMG and fear was entered into a regression as predictors of retention and reinstatement of levels of expectancy and fear. Greater variation in US expectancy throughout extinction training was significantly predictive of enhanced extinction performance measured at retention test, although not after reinstatement test. Slope of EMG and CS fear during extinction did not predict retention of extinction. Within-session habituation of EMG and self-reported fear is not sufficient for long-term retention of extinction learning, and models emphasizing expectation violation may result in enhanced outcomes.

Compound stimulus extinction reduces spontaneous recovery in humans

OpenAIRE

Coelho, Cesar A.O.; Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Fear-related behaviors are prone to relapse following extinction. We tested in humans a compound extinction design (“deepened extinction”) shown in animal studies to reduce post-extinction fear recovery. Adult subjects underwent fear conditioning to a visual and an auditory conditioned stimulus (CSA and CSB, respectively) separately paired with an electric shock. The target CS (CSA) was extinguished alone followed by compound presentations of the extinguished CSA and nonextinguished CSB. Reco...

Medial prefrontal cortex activation facilitates re-extinction of fear in rats

OpenAIRE

Chang, Chun-hui; Maren, Stephen

2011-01-01

It has been suggested that reduced infralimbic (IL) cortical activity contributes to impairments of fear extinction. We therefore explored whether pharmacological activation of the IL would facilitate extinction under conditions it normally fails (i.e., immediate extinction). Rats received auditory fear conditioning 1 h before extinction training. Immediately prior to extinction, rats received microinfusions into the IL of the GABAA receptor antagonist, picrotoxin, or the NMDA receptor partia...

Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Alters the Nature of Extinction

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Graham, Bronwyn M.; Richardson, Rick

2011-01-01

These experiments examined the effects of the NMDA-receptor (NMDAr) antagonist MK801 on reacquisition and re-extinction of a conditioned fear that had been previously extinguished before injection of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) or vehicle. Recent findings have shown that relearning and re-extinction, unlike initial learning and extinction,…

Accelerated modern human-induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction.

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Ceballos, Gerardo; Ehrlich, Paul R; Barnosky, Anthony D; García, Andrés; Pringle, Robert M; Palmer, Todd M

2015-06-01

The oft-repeated claim that Earth's biota is entering a sixth "mass extinction" depends on clearly demonstrating that current extinction rates are far above the "background" rates prevailing between the five previous mass extinctions. Earlier estimates of extinction rates have been criticized for using assumptions that might overestimate the severity of the extinction crisis. We assess, using extremely conservative assumptions, whether human activities are causing a mass extinction. First, we use a recent estimate of a background rate of 2 mammal extinctions per 10,000 species per 100 years (that is, 2 E/MSY), which is twice as high as widely used previous estimates. We then compare this rate with the current rate of mammal and vertebrate extinctions. The latter is conservatively low because listing a species as extinct requires meeting stringent criteria. Even under our assumptions, which would tend to minimize evidence of an incipient mass extinction, the average rate of vertebrate species loss over the last century is up to 100 times higher than the background rate. Under the 2 E/MSY background rate, the number of species that have gone extinct in the last century would have taken, depending on the vertebrate taxon, between 800 and 10,000 years to disappear. These estimates reveal an exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity over the last few centuries, indicating that a sixth mass extinction is already under way. Averting a dramatic decay of biodiversity and the subsequent loss of ecosystem services is still possible through intensified conservation efforts, but that window of opportunity is rapidly closing.

Nuclear structure effects in quasifission – understanding the formation of the heaviest elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hinde D. J.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Quasifission is an important process suppressing the fusion of two heavy nuclei in reactions used to create superheavy elements. Quasifission results in rapid separation of the dinuclear system initially formed at contact. Achieving reliable a priori prediction of quasifission probabilities is a very diffcult problem. Through measurements with projectiles from C to Ni, the Australian National University’s Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility and CUBE spectrometer have been used to map out mass-angle distributions (MAD - the fission mass-ratio as a function of centre-of-mass angle. These provide information on quasifission dynamics in the least modeldependent way. Average quasifission time-scales have been extracted, and compared with TDHF calculations of the collisions, with good agreement being found. With the baseline information from the survey of experimental MAD, strong influences of the nuclear structure of the projectile and target nuclei can be clearly determined.

Relationship of extinction to perceptual thresholds for single stimuli.

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Meador, K J; Ray, P G; Day, L J; Loring, D W

2001-04-24

To demonstrate the effects of target stimulus intensity on extinction to double simultaneous stimuli. Attentional deficits contribute to extinction in patients with brain lesions, but extinction (i.e., masking) can also be produced in healthy subjects. The relationship of extinction to perceptual thresholds for single stimuli remains uncertain. Brief electrical pulses were applied simultaneously to the left and right index fingers of 16 healthy volunteers (8 young and 8 elderly adults) and 4 patients with right brain stroke (RBS). The stimulus to be perceived (i.e., target stimulus) was given at the lowest perceptual threshold to perceive any single stimulus (i.e., Minimal) and at the threshold to perceive 100% of single stimuli. The mask stimulus (i.e., stimulus given to block the target) was applied to the contralateral hand at intensities just below discomfort. Extinction was less for target stimuli at 100% than Minimal threshold for healthy subjects. Extinction of left targets was greater in patients with RBS than elderly control subjects. Left targets were extinguished less than right in healthy subjects. In contrast, the majority of left targets were extinguished in patients with RBS even when right mask intensity was reduced below right 100% threshold for single stimuli. RBS patients had less extinction for right targets despite having greater left mask - threshold difference than control subjects. In patients with RBS, right "targets" at 100% threshold extinguished left "masks" (20%) almost as frequently as left masks extinguished right targets (32%). Subtle changes in target intensity affect extinction in healthy adults. Asymmetries in mask and target intensities (relative to single-stimulus perceptual thresholds) affect extinction in RBS patients less for left targets but more for right targets as compared with control subjects.

Opposite effects of fear conditioning and extinction on dendritic spine remodelling.

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Lai, Cora Sau Wan; Franke, Thomas F; Gan, Wen-Biao

2012-02-19

It is generally believed that fear extinction is a form of new learning that inhibits rather than erases previously acquired fear memories. Although this view has gained much support from behavioural and electrophysiological studies, the hypothesis that extinction causes the partial erasure of fear memories remains viable. Using transcranial two-photon microscopy, we investigated how neural circuits are modified by fear learning and extinction by examining the formation and elimination of postsynaptic dendritic spines of layer-V pyramidal neurons in the mouse frontal association cortex. Here we show that fear conditioning by pairing an auditory cue with a footshock increases the rate of spine elimination. By contrast, fear extinction by repeated presentation of the same auditory cue without a footshock increases the rate of spine formation. The degrees of spine remodelling induced by fear conditioning and extinction strongly correlate with the expression and extinction of conditioned fear responses, respectively. Notably, spine elimination and formation induced by fear conditioning and extinction occur on the same dendritic branches in a cue- and location-specific manner: cue-specific extinction causes formation of dendritic spines within a distance of two micrometres from spines that were eliminated after fear conditioning. Furthermore, reconditioning preferentially induces elimination of dendritic spines that were formed after extinction. Thus, within vastly complex neuronal networks, fear conditioning, extinction and reconditioning lead to opposing changes at the level of individual synapses. These findings also suggest that fear memory traces are partially erased after extinction.

Ultraviolet extinction properties of grains in the interstellar medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seab, C.G.

1982-01-01

The IUE satellite has been used to derive UV extinction curves for 58 stars, ranging in spectral type from 06 the A5, and with E(B-V) reddenings from 0.09 to 1.59 mag. The average reddening is 0.63 mag. Anomalous extinction curves were particularly sought in the project. The most striking discovery was the near absence of the 2175 Angstrom extinction feature from the line of sight towards HD 29647 in the Taurus dark cloud. The collection of data has been analyzed in several ways. Patterns are sought in the collection as a whole, in homogeneous subsets of the data, and in relation to diffuse band strengths. Apart from some well-known correlations, only a few weak relationships are found, including a quasi-relationship between the 2175 Angstrom bump and the 4430 Angstrom diffuse band that persists after the basic E(B-V) dependencies have been removed. A search for diffuse bands in the UV was done by stacking 48 of the extinction curves to reduce the noise. The stacked curve showed no evidence of new diffuse bands. To help interpret the anomalous extinction curves, a theoretical simulation of grain processing in interstellar shocks was undertaken. Shock processing was found to cause strong 2175 angstorm bumps and high far UV extinction. Comparison to extinction curves associated with supernova remnants confirms the predictions of strong 2175 Angstrom bumps, and partially confirms the prediction of high far UV extinction. The implications of all of these results are considered for the two most prominent grain models

Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activation Facilitates Re-Extinction of Fear in Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Chun-hui; Maren, Stephen

2011-01-01

It has been suggested that reduced infralimbic (IL) cortical activity contributes to impairments of fear extinction. We therefore explored whether pharmacological activation of the IL would facilitate extinction under conditions it normally fails (i.e., immediate extinction). Rats received auditory fear conditioning 1 h before extinction training.…

Galactic dust and extinction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyngaa, G.

1979-01-01

The ratio R between visual extinction and colour excess, is slightly larger than 3 and does not vary much throughout our part of the Galaxy. The distribution of dust in the galactic plane shows, on the large scale, a gradient with higher colour excesses towards l=50 0 than towards l=230 0 . On the smaller scale, much of the dust responsible for extinction is situated in clouds which tend to group together. The correlation between positions of interstellar dust clouds and positions of spiral tracers seems rather poor in our Galaxy. However, concentrated dark clouds as well as extended regions of dust show an inclined distribution similar to the Gould belt of bright stars. (Auth.)

The fossil record of evolution: Analysis of extinction

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Raup, D. M.

1986-01-01

There is increasing evidence that events in space have had direct effects on Earth history and on the history of life on Earth. Nowhere is this more evident than in mass extinction. The biosphere has undergone repeated devastation caused by relatively short-lived environmental stress, with species kill rates up to 80 and 95%. For five of the mass extinctions, geochemical or other evidence was reported suggesting large body impact as the cause of the environmental stress producing the extinctions. It was argued on statistical ground that the major extinction events are uniformly periodic in geological time. If it is true that large body impact is a principal cause of mass extinctions and if the periodicity is real, than a cosmic driving mechanism is inescapable. Paleontological data sets were developed which detail the ranges in geological time of about 4,000 families and 25,000 genera of fossil marine organisms. Analyses to date have concentrated on the most recent 250 million years. Associated with these studies are analyses of other aspects of Earth history which may have signatures indicative of extraterrestrial effects.

Body Size Preference of Marine Animals in Relation to Extinction Selectivity

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Sriram, A.; Idgunji, S.; Heim, N. A.; Payne, J.

2014-12-01

Our project encompasses an extremely specific aspect in relation to the five mass extinctions in geologic history. We asked ourselves whether larger or smaller body sizes would be better suited for surviving a mass extinction. To conduct research for our project, we used the body sizes of 17,172 marine animal genera as our primary data. These animals include echinoderms, arthropods, chordates, mollusks, and brachiopods. These creatures are perfect model organisms in terms of finding data on them because they have an excellent fossil record, and are well documented. We focused on the mean body size of these animals before and after each of the five mass extinctions (end-Ordovician, Late Devonian, end-Permian, end-Triassic, and end-Cretaceous). Our hypothesis was that the average biovolume of animals increased after each of the extinctions, with the mean size being greater after than it was before. Our size data is from the Ellis & Messina Catalogue of Ostracoda and the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology. We obtained stratigraphic range data The Treatise and Sepkoski (2002). In our analyses, we compared the mean size of the different animal genera before and after each extinction event. We further partitioned size change across mass extinction boundaries into three categories: the surviving genera, the extinct genera, and the newly originating genera that came about after the extinction. According to our analyses, the mean sizes did not change significantly from the genera living during the stages before the extinctions and after the extinctions. From our results, we can assume that there were not enough major increases in the overall volume of the organisms to warrant a definite conclusion that extinctions lead to larger body sizes. Further support for our findings came from the T-tests in our R code. Only the Cretaceous period showed true evidence for size changing because of the extinction; in this case, the mean size decreased. T-tests for the Cretaceous

Ecological selectivity of the emerging mass extinction in the oceans.

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Payne, Jonathan L; Bush, Andrew M; Heim, Noel A; Knope, Matthew L; McCauley, Douglas J

2016-09-16

To better predict the ecological and evolutionary effects of the emerging biodiversity crisis in the modern oceans, we compared the association between extinction threat and ecological traits in modern marine animals to associations observed during past extinction events using a database of 2497 marine vertebrate and mollusc genera. We find that extinction threat in the modern oceans is strongly associated with large body size, whereas past extinction events were either nonselective or preferentially removed smaller-bodied taxa. Pelagic animals were victimized more than benthic animals during previous mass extinctions but are not preferentially threatened in the modern ocean. The differential importance of large-bodied animals to ecosystem function portends greater future ecological disruption than that caused by similar levels of taxonomic loss in past mass extinction events. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Fish extinctions alter nutrient recycling in tropical freshwaters.

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McIntyre, Peter B; Jones, Laura E; Flecker, Alexander S; Vanni, Michael J

2007-03-13

There is increasing evidence that species extinctions jeopardize the functioning of ecosystems. Overfishing and other human influences are reducing the diversity and abundance of fish worldwide, but the ecosystem-level consequences of these changes have not been assessed quantitatively. Recycling of nutrients is one important ecosystem process that is directly influenced by fish. Fish species vary widely in the rates at which they excrete nitrogen and phosphorus; thus, altering fish communities could affect nutrient recycling. Here, we use extensive field data on nutrient recycling rates and population sizes of fish species in a Neotropical river and Lake Tanganyika, Africa, to evaluate the effects of simulated extinctions on nutrient recycling. In both of these species-rich ecosystems, recycling was dominated by relatively few species, but contributions of individual species differed between nitrogen and phosphorus. Alternative extinction scenarios produced widely divergent patterns. Loss of the species targeted by fishermen led to faster declines in nutrient recycling than extinctions in order of rarity, body size, or trophic position. However, when surviving species were allowed to increase after extinctions, these compensatory responses had strong moderating effects even after losing many species. Our results underscore the complexity of predicting the consequences of extinctions from species-rich animal communities. Nevertheless, the importance of exploited species in nutrient recycling suggests that overfishing could have particularly detrimental effects on ecosystem functioning.