Improving renal phenotype and evolving extra-renal features of 17q12 deletion encompassing the HNF1B gene

BACKGROUND

HNF1B deletion/intragenic mutations are the most commonly identified genetic cause of congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) suggested by fetal ultrasound findings such as: parenchymal hyperechogenicity, overt cystic changes or gross morphological urinary system (UT) abnormalities. The postnatal evolution of these 17q12 deletions encompassing the HNF1B gene-associated findings has not been assessed in depth.

METHODS

In this observational study, we present postnatal follow-up findings in 5 of 6 cases (one pregnancy was terminated on parental request) of fetal-onset cystic/hyperechogenic kidneys eventually diagnosed with 17q12 microdeletion encompassing the HNF1B gene between 2009 and 2017.

RESULTS

Complete normalization of kidney parenchymal abnormalities and of depressed neonatal renal function was observed in 4/5 and 5/5 patients within 2-4.9 years and 1.5-8 months, respectively. All 5 patients had preserved normal renal function at 3-11 years of follow-up. The evolving later-onset renal features included: hypomagnesemia, hyperuricemia, urinary tract infection (UTI), and bilateral grade 3-4 vesicoureteral reflux and bladder diverticula in 3, 3, 2, and 1 patient, respectively. HNF1B gene deletion-associated extra-renal manifestations with delayed presentation were global developmental delay/autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), rolandic-type seizures, overweight, and borderline fasting hyperglycemia observed in 1-2 patients each. Family history was positive for small-size or asymptomatic cystic kidneys with normal function, diabetes mellitus, seizures, and mental/psychiatric problems in 3/6 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Fetal-onset HNF1B deletion-associated kidneys' parenchymal abnormalities confirmed postnatally with initially depressed renal function might undergo complete resolution within several years and few months, respectively. However, later-onset urinary tract, metabolic, and neurodevelopmental features of this mutation might appear over years. Therefore, genetic molecular evaluation/diagnosis and continuous follow-up for evolving features are mandatory in affected children.

[DISTENDED FETAL BLADDER]

Distended fetal bladder, also known as fetal megacystis, usually points to lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) which is most commonly caused by posterior urethral valves (PUV) in the male fetus. We present a short case-series of fetal megacystis without oligohydramnion where primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was the leading aetiology. These cases also displayed a high rate of kidney dysplasia with early-onset renal dysfunction. By contrast, late-onset diagnosis of isolated megacystis, i.e without significant renal parenchymal or upper urinary tract abnormalities, had a surprisingly benign postnatal course with spontaneous resolution after birth. Our case series also display the associated risk for extra-renal malformations and specifically neuro-cognitive developmental abnormalities which should be sought on genetic and imaging evaluation.

Alternating Finite Automata with Limited Universal Branching

We consider measures that limit universal parallelism in computations of an alternating finite automaton (AFA). Maximum pared tree width counts the largest number of universal branches in any computation and acceptance width counts the number of universal branches in the best accepting computation, i.e., in the accepting computation with least universal parallelism. We give algorithms to decide whether the maximum pared tree width or the acceptance width of an AFA are bounded by an integer k. For a constant k the algorithm for maximum pared tree width operates in polynomial time. An AFA with m states and acceptance width k can be converted to an NFA with \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$(m+1)^k$$\end{document} states. We consider corresponding lower bounds for the transformation. The tree width of an AFA counts the number of all (existential and universal) branches of the computation. We give upper and lower bounds for converting an AFA of bounded tree width to a DFA.

Limited Two-Way Deterministic Finite Automata with Advice

External assistance in the form of strings called advice is given to an automaton in order to make it a non-uniform model of computation. Automata with advice are then examined to better understand the limitations imposed by uniformity, which is a typical property shared by all feasible computational models. The main contribution of this paper is to introduce and investigate an extension of the model introduced by Küçük et al. [6]. The model is called circular deterministic finite automaton with advice tape (cdfat). In this model the input head is allowed to pass over input multiple times. The number of allowed passes over the input, which is typically a function of input length, is considered as a resource besides the advice amount. The results proved for the model include a hierarchy for cdfat with real-time heads, simulation of 1w/1w cdfat by 1w/rt cdfat, lower bounds of resources provided to a cdfat in order to make it powerful enough to recognize any language, utilizable advice limit regardless of the allowed pass limit, a relation between utilizable pass limit and advice limit, and some closure properties.

How to Prove that a Language Is Regular or Star-Free?

This survey article presents some standard and less standard methods used to prove that a language is regular or star-free.

The Power of Programs over Monoids in J

The model of programs over (finite) monoids, introduced by Barrington and Thérien, gives an interesting way to characterise the circuit complexity class and its subclasses and showcases deep connections with algebraic automata theory. In this article, we investigate the computational power of programs over monoids in , a small variety of finite aperiodic monoids. First, we give a fine hierarchy within the class of languages recognised by programs over monoids from , based on the length of programs but also some parametrisation of . Second, and most importantly, we make progress in understanding what regular languages can be recognised by programs over monoids in . We show that those programs actually can recognise all languages from a class of restricted dot-depth one languages, using a non-trivial trick, and conjecture that this class suffices to characterise the regular languages recognised by programs over monoids in .

Geometrically Closed Positive Varieties of Star-Free Languages

A recently introduced operation of geometrical closure on formal languages is investigated. It is proved that the geometrical closure of a language from the positive variety \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathcal {V}_{3/2}$$\end{document}, the level 3/2 of the Straubing-Thérien hierarchy of star-free languages, always falls into the variety \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathcal {R}_{LT}$$\end{document}, which is a new variety consisting of specific R-trivial languages. As a consequence, each class of regular languages lying between \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathcal {R}_{LT}$$\end{document} and \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\mathcal {V}_{3/2}$$\end{document} is geometrically closed.

On the Weisfeiler-Leman Dimension of Fractional Packing

The k-dimensional Weisfeiler-Leman procedure (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$k\text {-}\mathrm {WL}$$\end{document}) has proven to be immensely fruitful in the algorithmic study of Graph Isomorphism. More generally, it is of fundamental importance in understanding and exploiting symmetries in graphs in various settings. Two graphs are \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$k\text {-}\mathrm {WL} $$\end{document}-equivalent if dimention k does not suffice to distinguish them. \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$1\text {-}\mathrm {WL}$$\end{document}-equivalence is known as fractional isomorphism of graphs, and the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$k\text {-}\mathrm {WL} $$\end{document}-equivalence relation becomes finer as k increases.

We investigate to what extent standard graph parameters are preserved by \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$k\text {-}\mathrm {WL} $$\end{document}-equivalence, focusing on fractional graph packing numbers. The integral packing numbers are typically NP-hard to compute, and we discuss applicability of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$k\text {-}\mathrm {WL} $$\end{document}-invariance for estimating the integrality gap of the LP relaxation provided by their fractional counterparts.

Approaching Arithmetic Theories with Finite-State Automata

The automata-theoretic approach provides an elegant method for deciding linear arithmetic theories. This approach has recently been instrumental for settling long-standing open problems about the complexity of deciding the existential fragments of Büchi arithmetic and linear arithmetic over p-adic fields. In this article, which accompanies an invited talk, we give a high-level exposition of the NP upper bound for existential Büchi arithmetic, obtain some derived results, and further discuss some open problems.

Recompression: Technique for Word Equations and Compressed Data

In this talk I will present the recompression technique on the running example of word equations. In word equation problem we are given an equation \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$u = v$$\end{document}, where both u and v are words of letters and variables, and ask for a substitution of variables by words that equalizes the sides of the equation. The recompression technique is based on employing simple compression rules (replacement of two letters ab by a new letter c, replacement of maximal repetitions of a by a new letter), and modifying the equations (replacing a variable X by bX or Xa) so that those operations are sound and complete. The simple analysis focuses on the size of the instance and not on the combinatorial properties of words that are used. The recompression-based algorithm for word equations runs in nondeterministic linear space.

The approach turned out to be quite robust and can be applied to various generalized, simplified and related problems, in particular, to problems in the area of grammar compressed words. I will comment on some of those applications.

Input Strictly Local Tree Transducers

We generalize the class of input strictly local string functions (Chandlee et al. 2014) to tree functions. We show they are characterized by a subclass of frontier-to-root, deterministic, linear tree transducers. We motivate this class from the study of natural language as it provides a way to distinguish local syntactic processes from non-local ones. We give examples illustrating this kind of analysis.

Expressiveness and Conciseness of Timed Automata for the Verification of Stochastic Models

Timed Automata are a well-known formalism for specifying timed behaviours. In this paper we are concerned with Timed Automata for the specification of timed behaviour of Continuous Time Markov Chains (CTMC), as used in the stochastic temporal logic CSL\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{\!\text {TA}}$$\end{document}. A timed path formula of CSL\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{\!\text {TA}}$$\end{document} is specified by a Deterministic Timed Automaton (DTA) that features two kinds of transitions: synchronizing transitions (triggered by CTMC transitions) and autonomous transitions (triggered when a clock reaches a given threshold). Other definitions of CSL\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$^{\!\text {TA}}$$\end{document} are based on DTAs that do not include autonomous transitions. This raises the natural question: do autonomous transitions enhance expressiveness and/or conciseness of DTAs? We prove that this is the case and we provide a syntactical characterization of DTAs for which autonomous transitions do not add expressive power, but allow one to define exponentially more concise DTAs.

The effect of gestational diabetes mellitus on human milk macronutrients content

OBJECTIVE

To test the null hypothesis that human milk (HM) macronutrients (fat, lactose, protein) and caloric content in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is similar to that of women without GDM.

STUDY DESIGN

Sixty-two lactating mothers (31 GDM, 31 no-GDM) were studied after confirmation by 100-g oral glucose tolerance test. Each mother contributed three manually expressed HM samples (within 72 h after labor (colostrum), after 7 days (transitional) and at 14 days (mature)). Analysis was done by infrared transmission spectroscopy.

RESULTS

Non-GDM and GDM groups did not differ by maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, height, diet, pregnancy weight gain, gestational age, and infant birth weight. Macronutrients content in colostrum and transitional milk did not differ between groups. Fat and energy contents in mature HM were higher in non-GDM samples than in GDM samples (p = 0.07 and p < 0.02, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Fat and energy content of mature HM obtained from mothers with GDM is lower compared to that of mature HM from mothers without GDM.

Mass Measurement of 56Sc Reveals a Small A = 56 Odd-Even Mass Staggering, Implying a Cooler Accreted Neutron Star Crust

We present the mass excesses of (52-57)Sc, obtained from recent time-of-flight nuclear mass measurements at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. The masses of 56Sc and 57Sc were determined for the first time with atomic mass excesses of -24.85(59)((-54)(+0))  MeV and -21.0(1.3)  MeV, respectively, where the asymmetric uncertainty for 56Sc was included due to possible contamination from a long-lived isomer. The 56Sc mass indicates a small odd-even mass staggering in the A = 56 mass chain towards the neutron drip line, significantly deviating from trends predicted by the global FRDM mass model and favoring trends predicted by the UNEDF0 and UNEDF1 density functional calculations. Together with new shell-model calculations of the electron-capture strength function of 56Sc, our results strongly reduce uncertainties in model calculations of the heating and cooling at the 56Ti electron-capture layer in the outer crust of accreting neutron stars. We find that, in contrast to previous studies, neither strong neutrino cooling nor strong heating occurs in this layer. We conclude that Urca cooling in the outer crusts of accreting neutron stars that exhibit superbursts or high temperature steady-state burning, which are predicted to be rich in A≈56 nuclei, is considerably weaker than predicted. Urca cooling must instead be dominated by electron capture on the small amounts of adjacent odd-A nuclei contained in the superburst and high temperature steady-state burning ashes. This may explain the absence of strong crust Urca cooling inferred from the observed cooling light curve of the transiently accreting x-ray source MAXI J0556-332.

Constraint of the astrophysical ^{26g}Al(p,γ)^{27}Si destruction rate at stellar temperatures

The Galactic 1.809-MeV γ-ray signature from the β decay of ^{26g}Al is a dominant target of γ-ray astronomy, of which a significant component is understood to originate from massive stars. The ^{26g}Al(p,γ)^{27}Si reaction is a major destruction pathway for ^{26g}Al at stellar temperatures, but the reaction rate is poorly constrained due to uncertainties in the strengths of low-lying resonances in ^{27}Si. The ^{26g}Al(d,p)^{27}Al reaction has been employed in inverse kinematics to determine the spectroscopic factors, and hence resonance strengths, of proton resonances in ^{27}Si via mirror symmetry. The strength of the 127-keV resonance is found to be a factor of 4 higher than the previously adopted upper limit, and the upper limit for the 68-keV resonance has been reduced by an order of magnitude, considerably constraining the ^{26g}Al destruction rate at stellar temperatures.

Mass measurements demonstrate a strong N=28 shell gap in argon

We present results from recent time-of-flight nuclear mass measurements at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. We report the first mass measurements of ^{48}Ar and ^{49}Ar and find atomic mass excesses of -22.28(31)  MeV and -17.8(1.1)  MeV, respectively. These masses provide strong evidence for the closed shell nature of neutron number N=28 in argon, which is therefore the lowest even-Z element exhibiting the N=28 closed shell. The resulting trend in binding-energy differences, which probes the strength of the N=28 shell, compares favorably with shell-model calculations in the sd-pf shell using SDPF-U and SDPF-MU Hamiltonians.

Double-magic nature of 132Sn and 208Pb through lifetime and cross-section measurements

Single-neutron states in (133)Sn and (209)Pb, which are analogous to single-electron states outside of closed atomic shells in alkali metals, were populated by the ((9)Be, (8)Be) one-neutron transfer reaction in inverse kinematics using particle-γ coincidence spectroscopy. In addition, the s(1/2) single-neutron hole-state candidate in (131)Sn was populated by ((9)Be, (10)Be). Doubly closed-shell (132)Sn (radioactive) and (208)Pb (stable) beams were used at sub-Coulomb barrier energies of 3 MeV per nucleon. Level energies, γ-ray transitions, absolute cross sections, spectroscopic factors, asymptotic normalization coefficients, and excited-state lifetimes are reported and compared with shell-model expectations. The results include a new transition and precise level energy for the 3p(1/2) candidate in (133)Sn, new absolute cross sections for the 1h(9/2) candidate in (133)Sn and 3s(1/2) candidate in (131)Sn, and new lifetimes for excited states in (133)Sn and (209)Pb. This is the first report on excited-state lifetimes of (133)Sn, which allow for a unique test of the nuclear shell model and (132)Sn double-shell closure.

Neutron single particle structure in 131Sn and direct neutron capture cross sections

Recent calculations suggest that the rate of neutron capture by (130)Sn has a significant impact on late-time nucleosynthesis in the r process. Direct capture into low-lying bound states is expected to be significant in neutron capture near the N=82 closed shell, so r-process reaction rates may be strongly impacted by the properties of neutron single particle states in this region. In order to investigate these properties, the (d,p) reaction has been studied in inverse kinematics using a 630 MeV beam of (130)Sn (4.8 MeV/u) and a (CD(2))(n) target. An array of Si strip detectors, including the Silicon Detector Array and an early implementation of the Oak Ridge Rutgers University Barrel Array, was used to detect reaction products. Results for the (130)Sn(d, p)(131)Sn reaction are found to be very similar to those from the previously reported (132)Sn(d, p)(133)Sn reaction. Direct-semidirect (n,γ) cross section calculations, based for the first time on experimental data, are presented. The uncertainties in these cross sections are thus reduced by orders of magnitude from previous estimates.

Halo nucleus 11Be: a spectroscopic study via neutron transfer

The best examples of halo nuclei, exotic systems with a diffuse nuclear cloud surrounding a tightly bound core, are found in the light, neutron-rich region, where the halo neutrons experience only weak binding and a weak, or no, potential barrier. Modern direct-reaction measurement techniques provide powerful probes of the structure of exotic nuclei. Despite more than four decades of these studies on the benchmark one-neutron halo nucleus 11Be, the spectroscopic factors for the two bound states remain poorly constrained. In the present work, the 10Be(d,​p) reaction has been used in inverse kinematics at four beam energies to study the structure of 11Be. The spectroscopic factors extracted using the adiabatic model were found to be consistent across the four measurements and were largely insensitive to the optical potential used. The extracted spectroscopic factor for a neutron in an nℓj=2s(1/2) state coupled to the ground state of 10Be is 0.71(5). For the first excited state at 0.32 MeV, a spectroscopic factor of 0.62(4) is found for the halo neutron in a 1p(1/2) state.

Near-barrier fusion of Sn + Ni and Te + Ni systems: examining the correlation between nucleon transfer and fusion enhancement

The fusion excitation functions for radioactive (132)Sn + (58)Ni and stable (130)Te + (58,64)Ni were measured at energies near the Coulomb barrier. The coupling of transfer channels in heavy-ion fusion was examined through a comparison of Sn + Ni and Te + Ni systems, which have large variations in the number of positive Q-value nucleon transfer channels. In contrast with previous experimental comparisons, where increased sub-barrier fusion cross sections were observed in systems with positive Q-value neutron transfer channels, the reduced excitation functions were equivalent for the different Sn + Ni and Te + Ni systems. The present results suggest a dramatically different influence of positive Q-value transfer channels on the fusion process for the Sn + Ni and Te + Ni systems.

Time-of-flight mass measurements for nuclear processes in neutron star crusts

We present results from time-of-flight nuclear mass measurements at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory that are relevant for neutron star crust models. The masses of 16 neutron-rich nuclei in the scandium-nickel range were determined simultaneously, with the masses of (61)V, (63)Cr, (66)Mn, and (74)Ni measured for the first time with mass excesses of -30.510(890) MeV, -35.280(650) MeV, -36.900(790) MeV, and -49.210(990) MeV, respectively. With these results the locations of the dominant electron capture heat sources in the outer crust of accreting neutron stars that exhibit super bursts are now experimentally constrained. We find the experimental Q value for the (66)Fe→(66)Mn electron capture to be 2.1 MeV (2.6σ) smaller than predicted, resulting in the transition occurring significantly closer to the neutron star surface.

Ground-state proton decay of 69Br and implications for the 68Se astrophysical rapid proton-capture process waiting point

We report on the first direct measurement of the proton separation energy for the proton-unbound nucleus (69)Br. Bypassing the (68)Se waiting point in the rp process is directly related to the 2p-capture rate through (69)Br, which depends exponentially on the proton separation energy. We find a proton separation energy for (69)Br of Sp((69)Br )= -785(-40)(+34) keV; this is less bound compared to previous predictions which have relied on uncertain theoretical calculations. The influence of the extracted proton separation energy on the rp process occurring in type I x-ray bursts is examined within the context of a one-zone burst model.

Neutron-proton asymmetry dependence of spectroscopic factors in ar isotopes

Spectroscopic factors have been extracted for proton-rich 34Ar and neutron-rich 46Ar using the (p, d) neutron transfer reaction. The experimental results show little reduction of the ground state neutron spectroscopic factor of the proton-rich nucleus 34Ar compared to that of 46Ar. The results suggest that correlations, which generally reduce such spectroscopic factors, do not depend strongly on the neutron-proton asymmetry of the nucleus in this isotopic region as was reported in knockout reactions. The present results are consistent with results from systematic studies of transfer reactions but inconsistent with the trends observed in knockout reaction measurements.

Large beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities in the 78Ni region

The beta-delayed neutron branching ratios (P{betan}) for nuclei near doubly magic 78Ni have been directly measured using a new method combining high-resolution mass separation, reacceleration, and digital beta-gamma spectroscopy of 238U fission products. The P{betan} values for the very neutron-rich isotopes ;{76-78}Cu and 83Ga were found to be much higher than previously reported and predicted. Revised calculations of the betan process, accounting for new mass measurements and an inversion of the pi2p{3/2} and pi1f{5/2} orbitals, are in better agreement with these new experimental results.

Enhanced fusion-evaporation cross sections in neutron-rich 132Sn on 64Ni

Evaporation residue cross sections have been measured with neutron-rich radioactive 132Sn beams on 64Ni in the vicinity of the Coulomb barrier. The average beam intensity was 2 x 10(4) particles per second and the smallest cross section measured was less than 5 mb. Large sub-barrier fusion enhancement was observed. Coupled-channel calculations taking into account inelastic excitation significantly underpredict the measured cross sections below the barrier. The presence of several neutron transfer channels with large positive Q values suggests that multinucleon transfer may play an important role in enhancing the fusion of 132Sn and 64Ni.

Trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome: a new surgical approach for concomitant treatment

A new approach for the concomitant surgical treatment of trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome through the same incision is described. The technique was used in 25 patients (20 women, five men; mean age, 56 years). At a mean follow-up of 27 months, there was complete disappearance of the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in 20 of the 25 patients, incomplete but substantial relief in four patients, and no improvement in one patient. One patient had scar tenderness and another had a superficial wound infection. The surgical technique is simple, safe and cost-effective as it avoids separate operations for both pathologies. The procedure is not suitable for severe carpal tunnel syndrome or when direct visualization of the median nerve and the carpal tunnel is necessary.

Nuclear fusion in collapsing bubbles-is it there? An attempt to repeat the observation of nuclear emissions from sonoluminescence

We have repeated the experiment of Taleyarkhan et al. [Science 295, 1868 (2002)]] in an attempt to detect the emission of neutrons from d-d fusion during bubble collapse in deuterated acetone. Using the same cavitation apparatus, a more sophisticated data acquisition system, and a larger scintillator detector, we find no evidence for 2.5-MeV neutron emission correlated with sonoluminescence form collapsing bubbles. Any neutron emission that might occur is at least 4 orders of magnitude too small to explain the tritium production reported in Taleyarkhan et al. as being due to d-d fusion. We show that proper allowance for random coincidence rates in such experiments requires the simultaneous measurement of the count rates in the individual detectors.

Coulomb excitation of radioactive 132,134,136Te beams and the low B(E2) of 136Te

The B(E2;0(+)-->2+) values for the first 2+ excited states of neutron-rich 132,134,136Te have been measured using Coulomb excitation of radioactive ion beams. The B(E2) values obtained for 132,134Te are in excellent agreement with expectations based on the systematics of heavy stable Te isotopes, while that for 136Te is unexpectedly small. These results are discussed in terms of proton-neutron configuration mixing and shell-model calculations using realistic effective interactions.

Decay of a Resonance in 18Ne by the Simultaneous Emission of Two Protons

Radioactive ion beams of 17F were used to study several resonance states in 18Ne. Clear evidence for simultaneous two-proton emission from the 6.15 MeV state (Jpi = 1(-)) in 18Ne has been observed with the reaction 17F+1H. Because of limited angular coverage, the data did not differentiate between the two possible mechanisms of simultaneous decay, diproton (2He) emission or direct three-body decay. The two-proton partial width was found to be 21+/-3 eV assuming 2He emission and 57+/-6 eV assuming three-body decay. The total width of the 1(-) state was measured to be 50+/-5 keV. Several additional resonances that decay by single proton emission were also studied.