Cost-effectiveness analysis of a FOBT-based colorectal screening programme

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Multi-electron SEFs for nuclear reactions involved in advanced stages of stellar evolution

Multi-electron screening effects encountered in laboratory astrophysical reactions are investigated by considering the reactants Thomas-Fermi atoms. By means of that model, previous studies are extended to derive the corresponding screening enhancement factor (SEF), so that it takes into account ionization, thermal, exchange and relativistic effects. The present study, by imposing a very satisfactory constraint on the possible values of the screening energies and the respective SEFs, corrects the current (and the future) experimental values of the astrophysical factors associated with nuclear reactions involved in advanced stages of stellar evolution.Comment: 13 RevTex pages+6 ps figures; Accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics

Screening of Nuclear Reactions in the Sun and Solar Neutrinos

We quantitatively determine the effect and the uncertainty on solar neutrino production arising from the screening process. We present predictions for the solar neutrino fluxes and signals obtained with different screening models available in the literature and by using our stellar evolution code. We explain these numerical results in terms of simple laws relating the screening factors with the neutrino fluxes. Futhermore we explore a wider range of models for screening, obtained from the Mitler model by introducing and varying two phenomenological parameters, taking into account effects not included in the Mitler prescription. Screening implies, with respect to a no-screening case, a central temperat reduction of 0.5%, a 2% (8%) increase of Beryllium (Boron)-neutrino flux and a 2% (12%) increase of the Gallium (Chlorine) signal. We also find that uncertainties due to the screening effect ar at the level of 1% for the predicted Beryllium-neutrino flux and Gallium signal, not exceeding 3% for the Boron-neutrino flux and the Chlorine signal.Comment: postscript file 11 pages + 4 figures compressed and uuencoded we have replaced the previous paper with a uuencoded file (the text is the same) for any problem please write to [email protected]

Abstract basins of attraction

Abstract basins appear naturally in different areas of several complex variables. In this survey we want to describe three different topics in which they play an important role, leading to interesting open problems

Observation of Long-Lived Muonic Hydrogen in the 2S State

The kinetic energy distribution of ground state muonic hydrogen atoms mu-p(1S) is determined from time-of-flight spectra measured at 4, 16, and 64 hPa H2 room-temperature gas. A 0.9 keV-component is discovered and attributed to radiationless deexcitation of long-lived mu-p(2S) atoms in collisions with H2 molecules. The analysis reveals a relative population of about 1%, and a pressure-dependent lifetime (e.g. (30.4 +21.4 -9.7) ns at 64 hPa) of the long-lived mu-p(2S) population, equivalent to a 2S-quench rate in mu-p(2S) + H2 collisions of (4.4 +2.1 -1.8) 10^11 s^-1 at liquid hydrogen density.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Differential cross sections for muonic atom scattering from hydrogenic molecules

The differential cross sections for low-energy muonic hydrogen atom scattering from hydrogenic molecules are directly expressed by the corresponding amplitudes for muonic atom scattering from hydrogen-isotope nuclei. The energy and angular dependence of these three-body amplitudes is thus taken naturally into account in scattering from molecules, without involving any pseudopotentials. Effects of the internal motion of nuclei inside the target molecules are included for every initial rotational-vibrational state. These effects are very significant as the considered three-body amplitudes often vary strongly within the energy interval $\lesssim{}0.1$ eV. The differential cross sections, calculated using the presented method, have been successfully used for planning and interpreting many experiments in low-energy muon physics. Studies of $\mu^{-}$ nuclear capture in $p\mu$ and the measurement of the Lamb shift in $p\mu$ atoms created in H$_2$ gaseous targets are recent examples.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Atomic effects in astrophysical nuclear reactions

Two models are presented for the description of the electron screening effects that appear in laboratory nuclear reactions at astrophysical energies. The two-electron screening energy of the first model agrees very well with the recent LUNA experimental result for the break-up reaction $He3(He3,2p)He^{4}$, which so far defies all available theoretical models. Moreover, multi-electron effects that enhance laboratory reactions of the CNO cycle and other advanced nuclear burning stages, are also studied by means of the Thomas-Fermi model, deriving analytical formulae that establish a lower and upper limit for the associated screening energy. The results of the second model, which show a very satisfactory compatibility with the adiabatic approximation ones, are expected to be particularly useful in future experiments for a more accurate determination of the CNO astrophysical factors.Comment: 14 RevTex pages + 2 ps (revised) figures. Phys.Rev.C (in production

On the realization of Symmetries in Quantum Mechanics

The aim of this paper is to give a simple, geometric proof of Wigner's theorem on the realization of symmetries in quantum mechanics that clarifies its relation to projective geometry. Although several proofs exist already, it seems that the relevance of Wigner's theorem is not fully appreciated in general. It is Wigner's theorem which allows the use of linear realizations of symmetries and therefore guarantees that, in the end, quantum theory stays a linear theory. In the present paper, we take a strictly geometrical point of view in order to prove this theorem. It becomes apparent that Wigner's theorem is nothing else but a corollary of the fundamental theorem of projective geometry. In this sense, the proof presented here is simple, transparent and therefore accessible even to elementary treatments in quantum mechanics.Comment: 8 page

Two-Loop Effects and Current Status of the 4He+ Lamb Shift

We report on recent progress in the treatment of two-loop binding corrections to the Lamb shift, with a special emphasis on S and P states. We use these and other results in order to infer an updated theoretical value of the Lamb shift in 4He+.Comment: 11 pages, nrc1 style; paper presented at PSAS (2006), Venic

Muonic hydrogen cascade time and lifetime of the short-lived 2S2S state

Metastable ${2S}$ muonic-hydrogen atoms undergo collisional ${2S}$-quenching, with rates which depend strongly on whether the $\mu p$ kinetic energy is above or below the ${2S}\to {2P}$ energy threshold. Above threshold, collisional ${2S} \to {2P}$ excitation followed by fast radiative ${2P} \to {1S}$ deexcitation is allowed. The corresponding short-lived $\mu p ({2S})$ component was measured at 0.6 hPa $\mathrm{H}_2$ room temperature gas pressure, with lifetime $\tau_{2S}^\mathrm{short} = 165 ^{+38}_{-29}$ ns (i.e., $\lambda_{2S}^\mathrm{quench} = 7.9 ^{+1.8}_{-1.6} \times 10^{12} \mathrm{s}^{-1}$ at liquid-hydrogen density) and population $\epsilon_{2S}^\mathrm{short} = 1.70^{+0.80}_{-0.56}$ % (per $\mu p$ atom). In addition, a value of the $\mu p$ cascade time, $T_\mathrm{cas}^{\mu p} = (37\pm5)$ ns, was found.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure