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The decay of the 21.47-MeV stretched resonance in $^{13}$C, arising from p3/2→d5/2 nucleon excitation coupled to maximum spin, was investigated in a (p,p′) experiment at 135 MeV proton bombarding energy, performed at the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB) at IFJ PAN in Krakow. First experimental information on the proton and neutron decay branches from this state was obtained by using coincidence measurement of protons inelastically scattered on a $^{13}$C target and γ rays from daughter nuclei, namely, $^{12}$B (proton decay) and $^{12}$C (neutron decay). The main branches lead to the Jπ=2+, first-excited state at 0.953 MeV in $^{12}$B, and to the Jπ=1+, T=1 level at 15.110 MeV in $^{12}$C. The results were compared with predictions from the Gamow Shell Model (GSM), which was used to describe the stretched resonance in terms of its energy, width, electromagnetic transition strengths and decay pattern. A very good agreement was obtained between the measured and calculated properties of the 21.47-MeV stretched resonance in $^{13}$C, demonstrating the high-quality and precision of the GSM wave function calculations, which include coupling to the resonant and non-resonant particle continuum.

Submarine groundwater discharge is increasingly recognized as an important component of the oceanic geochemical budget, but knowledge of the distribution of this phenomenon is limited. To date, reports of meteoric inputs to marine sediments are typically limited to shallow shelf and coastal environments, whereas contributions of freshwater along deeper sections of tectonically active margins have generally been attributed to silicate diagenesis, mineral dehydration, or methane hydrate dissociation. Here, using geochemical fingerprinting of pore water data from Site J1003 recovered from the Chilean Margin during D/V JOIDES Resolution Expedition 379 T, we show that substantial offshore freshening reflects deep and focused contributions of meteorically modified geothermal groundwater, which is likely sourced from a reservoir ~2.8 km deep in the Aysén region of Patagonia and infiltrated marine sediments during or shortly after the last glacial period. Emplacement of fossil groundwaters reflects an apparently ubiquitous phenomenon in margin sediments globally, but our results now identify an unappreciated locus of deep submarine groundwater discharge along active margins with potential implications for coastal biogeochemical processes and tectonic instability.

A new measurement of γ decay from the states above the neutron threshold in Pb208 has been performed at Cyclotron Centre Bronowice in Kraków, Poland. The main goal of the experiment was to observe the γ decay to the ground state from the isoscalar giant quadrupole resonance (ISGQR). To this day, the only published observation of this phenomenon dates back to the late 1980s, where γ decay to the ground state branching ratio was reported. At variance with the existing measurement using inelastic scattering of O17, here proton inelastic scattering is employed. In particular, data were obtained for Pb208(p,p′γ) at 85 MeV beam energy, where γ rays were measured for proton scattering angles 8.9∘, 10.7∘, 12.5∘, and 14.3∘. By applying a similar analysis method as in the previous experiment, the branching ratio of ISGQR gamma decay to the ground state was extracted from the data.

Sediment cores recently collected from the Chilean Margin during D/V JOIDES Resolution Expedition 379T (JR100) document variability in shipboard-generated records of the green/blue (G/B) ratio. These changes show a strong coherence with benthic foraminiferal δ18O, Antarctic ice core records, and sediment lithology (e.g., higher diatom abundances in greener sediment intervals), suggesting a climate-related control on the G/B. Here, we test the utility of G/B as a proxy for diatom productivity at Sites J1002 and J1007 by calibrating G/B to measured biogenic opal. Strong exponential correlations between measured opal% and the G/B were found at both sites. We use the empirical regressions to generate high-resolution records of opal contents (opal%) on the Chilean Margin. Higher productivity tends to result in more reducing sedimentary conditions. Redox-sensitive sedimentary U/Th generally co-varies with the reconstructed opal% at both sites, supporting the association between sediment color, sedimentary U/Th, and productivity. Lastly, we calculated opal mass accumulation rate (MAR) at Site J1007 over the last ∼150,000 years. The G/B-derived opal MAR record from Site J1007 largely tracks existing records derived from traditional wet-alkaline digestion from the south and eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) Ocean, with a common opal flux peak at ∼50 ka suggesting that increased diatom productivity in the EEP was likely driven by enhanced nutrient supply from the Southern Ocean rather than dust inputs as previously suggested. Collectively, our results identify the G/B ratio as a useful tool with the potential to generate reliable, high-resolution paleoceanographic records that circumvent the traditionally laborious methodology. publishedVersion

International audience; A recent extension of the Doppler-shift attenuation method to measure short lifetimes of states populated in low-energy binary reactions is applied to the case of 17N. The reliability of the technique is confirmed by measuring the lifetime of the 5515 keV 3/2− state, which is depopulated by two different γ rays. The method is used to measure the lifetime of the 5170 keV (9/2+) state in the same nucleus. Comparisons with large-scale shell-model predictions are given as well.

OBJECTIVES: Cone photoreceptor transplantation is a potential treatment for macular diseases. The optimal conditions for cone transplantation are poorly understood, partly because of the scarcity of cones in donor mice. To facilitate allogeneic cone photoreceptor transplantation studies in mice, we aimed to create and characterize a donor mouse model containing a cone-rich retina with a cone-specific enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter. METHODS: We generated OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) mice by crossing NRL(−/−) and OPN1LW-EGFP mice. We characterized the anatomical phenotype of OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) mice using multimodal confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) imaging, immunohistology, and transmission electron microscopy. We evaluated retinal function using electroretinogram (ERG), including 465 and 525 nm chromatic stimuli. Retinal sheets and cell suspensions from OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) mice were transplanted subretinally into immunodeficient Rd1 mice. RESULTS: OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) retinas were enriched with OPN1LW-EGFP(+) and S-opsin(+) cone photoreceptors in a dorsal-ventral distribution gradient. Cone photoreceptors co-expressing OPNL1W-EGFP and S-opsin significantly increased in OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) compared to OPN1LW-EGFP mice. Temporal dynamics of rosette formation in the OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) were similar as the NRL(−/−) with peak formation at P15. Rosettes formed preferentially in the ventral retina. The outer retina in P35 OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) was thinner than NRL(−/−) controls. The OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) ERG response amplitudes to 465 nm stimulation were similar to, but to 535 nm stimulation were lower than, NRL(−/−) controls. Three months after transplantation, the suspension grafts showed greater macroscopic degradation than sheet grafts. Retinal sheet grafts from OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) mice showed greater S-opsin+ cone survival than suspension grafts from the same strain. CONCLUSIONS: OPN1LW-EGFP/NRL(−/−) retinae were enriched with S-opsin(+) photoreceptors. Sustained expression of EGFP facilitated the longitudinal tracking of transplanted donor cells. Transplantation of cone-rich retinal grafts harvested prior to peak rosette formation survived and differentiated into cone photoreceptor subtypes. Photoreceptor sheet transplantation may promote greater macroscopic graft integrity and S-opsin(+) cone survival than cell suspension transplantation, although the mechanism underlying this observation is unclear at present. This novel cone-rich reporter mouse strain may be useful to study the influence of graft structure on cone survival.

To test the predictive power of ab initio nuclear structure theory, the lifetime of the second 2+ state in neutron-rich O20,τ(22+)=150-30+80fs, and an estimate for the lifetime of the second 2+ state in C16 have been obtained for the first time. The results were achieved via a novel Monte Carlo technique that allowed us to measure nuclear state lifetimes in the tens-to-hundreds of femtoseconds range by analyzing the Doppler-shifted γ-transition line shapes of products of low-energy transfer and deep-inelastic processes in the reaction O18(7.0MeV/u)+Ta181. The requested sensitivity could only be reached owing to the excellent performances of the Advanced γ-Tracking Array AGATA, coupled to the PARIS scintillator array and to the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer. The experimental lifetimes agree with predictions of ab initio calculations using two-and three-nucleon interactions, obtained with the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group for O20 and with the no-core shell model for C16. The present measurement shows the power of electromagnetic observables, determined with high-precision γ spectroscopy, to assess the quality of first-principles nuclear structure calculations, complementing common benchmarks based on nuclear energies. The proposed experimental approach will be essential for short lifetime measurements in unexplored regions of the nuclear chart, including r-process nuclei, when intense beams, produced by Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) techniques, become available.

International audience; High-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy of N18 is performed with the Advanced GAmma Tracking Array, following deep-inelastic processes induced by an O18 beam on a Ta181 target. Six states are newly identified, which together with the three known excitations exhaust all negative-parity excited states expected in N18 below the neutron threshold. Spin and parities are proposed for all located states on the basis of decay branchings and comparison with large-scale shell-model calculations performed in the p-sd space, with the YSOX interaction. Of particular interest is the location of the 01− and 12− excitations, which provide strong constrains for cross-shell p-sd matrix elements based on realistic interactions and help to simultaneously reproduce the ground and first-excited states in N16 and N18, for the first time. Understanding the N18 structure may also have significant impact on neutron-capture cross-section calculations in r-process modeling including light neutron-rich nuclei.

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To test the predictive power of ab initio nuclear structure theory, the lifetime of the second 2+ state in neutron-rich O20,τ(22+)=150−30+80fs, and an estimate for the lifetime of the second 2+ state in C16 have been obtained for the first time. The results were achieved via a novel Monte Carlo technique that allowed us to measure nuclear state lifetimes in the tens-to-hundreds of femtoseconds range by analyzing the Doppler-shifted γ-transition line shapes of products of low-energy transfer and deep-inelastic processes in the reaction O18(7.0MeV/u)+Ta181. The requested sensitivity could only be reached owing to the excellent performances of the Advanced γ-Tracking Array AGATA, coupled to the PARIS scintillator array and to the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer. The experimental lifetimes agree with predictions of ab initio calculations using two- and three-nucleon interactions, obtained with the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group for O20 and with the no-core shell model for C16. The present measurement shows the power of electromagnetic observables, determined with high-precision γ spectroscopy, to assess the quality of first-principles nuclear structure calculations, complementing common benchmarks based on nuclear energies. The proposed experimental approach will be essential for short lifetime measurements in unexplored regions of the nuclear chart, including r-process nuclei, when intense beams, produced by Isotope Separation On-Line (ISOL) techniques, become available. To test the predictive power of ab initio nuclear structure theory, the lifetime of the second 2+ state in neutron-rich 20O, tau(2+_2 ) = 150(+80-30) fs, and an estimate for the lifetime of the second 2+ state in 16C have been obtained, for the first time. The results were achieved via a novel Monte Carlo technique that allowed us to measure nuclear state lifetimes in the tens-to-hundreds femtoseconds range, by analyzing the Doppler-shifted gamma-transition line shapes of products of low-energy transfer and deep-inelastic processes in the reaction 18O (7.0 MeV/u) + 181Ta. The requested sensitivity could only be reached owing to the excellent performances of the AGATA gamma-tracking array, coupled to the PARIS scintillator array and to the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer. The experimental lifetimes agree with predictions of ab initio calculations using two- and three-nucleon interactions, obtained with the valence-space in-medium similarity renormalization group for 20O, and with the no-core shell model for 16C. The present measurement shows the power of electromagnetic observables, determined with high-precision gamma spectroscopy, to assess the quality of first-principles nuclear structure calculations, complementing common benchmarks based on nuclear energies. The proposed experimental approach will be essential for short lifetimes measurements in unexplored regions of the nuclear chart, including r-process nuclei, when intense ISOL-type beams become available.

PurposeShort-term improvements in retinal anatomy are known to occur in preclinical models of photoreceptor transplantation. However, correlative changes over the long term are poorly understood. We aimed to develop a quantifiable imaging biomarker grading scheme, using non-invasive multimodal confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) imaging, to enable serial evaluation of photoreceptor transplantation over the long term.MethodsYellow-green fluorescent microspheres were transplanted into the vitreous cavity and/or subretinal space of C57/BL6J mice. Photoreceptor cell suspensions or sheets from rhodopsin-green fluorescent protein mice were transplanted subretinally, into either NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J or C3H/HeJ-Pde6brd1 mice. Multimodal cSLO imaging was performed serially for up to three months after transplantation. Imaging biomarkers were scored, and a grade was defined for each eye by integrating the scores. Image grades were correlated with immunohistochemistry (IHC) data.ResultsMultimodal imaging enabled the extraction of quantitative imaging biomarkers including graft size, GFP intensity, graft length, on-target graft placement, intra-graft lamination, hemorrhage, retinal atrophy, and peri-retinal proliferation. Migration of transplanted material was observed. Changes in biomarker scores and grades were detected in 13/16 and 7/16 eyes, respectively. A high correlation was found between image grades and IHC parameters.ConclusionsSerial evaluation of multiple imaging biomarkers, when integrated into a per-eye grading scheme, enabled comprehensive tracking of longitudinal changes in photoreceptor cell grafts over time. The application of systematic multimodal in vivo imaging could be useful in increasing the efficiency of preclinical retinal cell transplantation studies in rodents and other animal models.

Purpose Short-term improvements in retinal anatomy are known to occur in preclinical models of photoreceptor transplantation. However, correlative changes over the long term are poorly understood. We aimed to develop a quantifiable imaging biomarker grading scheme, using noninvasive multimodal confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO) imaging, to enable serial evaluation of photoreceptor transplantation over the long term. Methods Photoreceptor cell suspensions or sheets from rhodopsin-green fluorescent protein mice were transplanted subretinally, into either NOD.CB17-Prkdcscid/J or C3H/HeJ-Pde6brd1 mice. Multimodal cSLO imaging was performed serially for up to three months after transplantation. Imaging biomarkers were scored, and a grade was defined for each eye by integrating the scores. Image grades were correlated with immunohistochemistry (IHC) data. Results Multimodal imaging enabled the extraction of quantitative imaging biomarkers including graft size, GFP intensity, graft length, on-target graft placement, intra-graft lamination, hemorrhage, retinal atrophy, and periretinal proliferation. Migration of transplanted material was observed. Changes in biomarker scores and grades were detected in 14/16 and 7/16 eyes, respectively. A high correlation was found between image grades and IHC parameters. Conclusions Serial evaluation of multiple imaging biomarkers, when integrated into a per-eye grading scheme, enabled comprehensive tracking of longitudinal changes in photoreceptor cell grafts over time. The application of systematic multimodal in vivo imaging could be useful in increasing the efficiency of preclinical retinal cell transplantation studies in rodents and other animal models. Translational relevance By allowing longitudinal evaluation of the same animal over time, and providing quantifiable biomarkers, non-invasive multimodal imaging improves the efficiency of retinal transplantation studies in animal models. Such assays will facilitate the development of cell therapy for retinal diseases.

Background: The nuclear shape is a macroscopic feature of an atomic nucleus that is sensitive to the underlying nuclear structure in terms of collectivity and the interaction between nucleons. Therefore, the evolution of nuclear shapes has attracted many theoretical and experimental nuclear structure studies. The structure of the A≈ 70 , N≈ Z nuclei, lying far from the stability line, is interesting because a particularly strong proton-neutron correlation may occur here due to the occupation of the same orbits by nucleons of both types. In this region, different particle configurations drive a nucleus towards various deformed shapes: prolate, oblate, octupole, or nonaxial. These nuclear shapes change rapidly with nucleon number and also with angular momentum. This is reflected by a presence of different structures (bands) of excited states which exhibit a broad range of lifetimes. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to determine lifetimes of some high-spin excited states in 69 As and 66 Ge nuclei to examine the shape evolution in these neutron-deficient nuclei. Methods: Lifetimes of high-spin states in 69 As and 66 Ge have been measured by using the Doppler-shift attenuation technique with the GASP and recoil filter detector setup at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The nuclei of interest were produced in the 32 S ( 95 MeV ) + 0.8 mg / cm 2 40 Ca fusion-evaporation reaction. The strongest reaction channels 3p and α 2 p led to the 69 As and 66 Ge final nuclei, respectively. Using γ − γ -recoil coincidences we were able to determine very short lifetimes (in the femtosecond range) in the residual nuclei of interest. Results: In 69 As , the extracted lifetimes are τ = 72 ( − 32 , +45 ) fs for the 33 / 2 + state at 7897 keV and τ < 85 fs for the 37 / 2 + state at 9820 keV. For the 66 Ge case, the lifetime of the 11 − state at 7130 keV is τ = 122 ( ± 41 ) fs. Lifetimes in 69 As and 66 Ge reported in this paper have been measured for the first time in the present experiment. Conclusions: The results are discussed in the terms of deformation and shape evolution in 69 As and 66 Ge . The quadrupole moments deduced from the measured lifetimes were compared with the cranked Woods-Saxon-Strutinsky calculations by means of the total Routhian surface method. It turns out that Band 3 in 69 As shows an oblate-prolate shape transition, and above spin 33 / 2 + it corresponds to a prolate collective structure with β 2 ≈ 0.27 and γ ≈ 20 ∘ . In turn, in 66 Ge the negative-parity band built on the 7− state at 4205 keV corresponds to a triaxial shape with β 2 = 0.33 and γ = 31 ∘ . Analysis of the transitional quadrupole moments derived from the experimental and theoretical ones points to a significant change of deformation in the 69 As and 66 Ge nuclei with increasing rotational frequency.

Background: The nuclear shape is a macroscopic feature of an atomic nucleus that is sensitive to the underlying nuclear structure in terms of collectivity and the interaction between nucleons. Therefore, the evolution of nuclear shapes has attracted many theoretical and experimental nuclear structure studies. The structure of the A≈70, N≈Z nuclei, lying far from the stability line, is interesting because a particularly strong proton-neutron correlation may occur here due to the occupation of the same orbits by nucleons of both types. In this region, different particle configurations drive a nucleus towards various deformed shapes: prolate, oblate, octupole, or nonaxial. These nuclear shapes change rapidly with nucleon number and also with angular momentum. This is reflected by a presence of different structures (bands) of excited states which exhibit a broad range of lifetimes. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to determine lifetimes of some high-spin excited states in As69 and Ge66 nuclei to examine the shape evolution in these neutron-deficient nuclei. Methods: Lifetimes of high-spin states in As69 and Ge66 have been measured by using the Doppler-shift attenuation technique with the GASP and recoil filter detector setup at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The nuclei of interest were produced in the S32(95MeV)+0.8mg/cm2 Ca40 fusion-evaporation reaction. The strongest reaction channels 3p and α2p led to the As69 and Ge66 final nuclei, respectively. Using γ-γ-recoil coincidences we were able to determine very short lifetimes (in the femtosecond range) in the residual nuclei of interest. Results: In As69, the extracted lifetimes are τ=72 (-32, +45) fs for the 33/2+ state at 7897 keV and τ

Aydın, Sezgin ( Aksaray, Yazar ), Background: The nuclear shape is a macroscopic feature of an atomic nucleus that is sensitive to the underlying nuclear structure in terms of collectivity and the interaction between nucleons. Therefore, the evolution of nuclear shapes has attracted many theoretical and experimental nuclear structure studies. The structure of the A≈70, N≈Z nuclei, lying far from the stability line, is interesting because a particularly strong proton-neutron correlation may occur here due to the occupation of the same orbits by nucleons of both types. In this region, different particle configurations drive a nucleus towards various deformed shapes: prolate, oblate, octupole, or nonaxial. These nuclear shapes change rapidly with nucleon number and also with angular momentum. This is reflected by a presence of different structures (bands) of excited states which exhibit a broad range of lifetimes. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to determine lifetimes of some high-spin excited states in As69 and Ge66 nuclei to examine the shape evolution in these neutron-deficient nuclei. Methods: Lifetimes of high-spin states in As69 and Ge66 have been measured by using the Doppler-shift attenuation technique with the GASP and recoil filter detector setup at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. The nuclei of interest were produced in the S32(95MeV)+0.8mg/cm2 Ca40 fusion-evaporation reaction. The strongest reaction channels 3p and α2p led to the As69 and Ge66 final nuclei, respectively. Using γ-γ-recoil coincidences we were able to determine very short lifetimes (in the femtosecond range) in the residual nuclei of interest. Results: In As69, the extracted lifetimes are τ=72 (-32, +45) fs for the 33/2+ state at 7897 keV and τ