Are Antiprotons Forever?

Up to one million antiprotons from a single LEAR spill have been captured in a large Penning trap. Surprisingly, when the antiprotons are cooled to energies significantly below 1 eV, the annihilation rate falls below background. Thus, very long storage times for antiprotons have been demonstrated in the trap, even at the compromised vacuum conditions imposed by the experimental set up. The significance for future ultra-low energy experiments, including portable antiproton traps, is discussed.Comment: 12 pages, latex; 4 figures, uufiled. Slightly expanded discussion of expected energy dependence of annihilation cross section and rate, and of estimates of trap pressure, plus minor text improvement

Ionization of hydrogen and hydrogenic ions by antiprotons

Presented here is a description of the ionization of hydrogen and hydrogenic ions by antiproton-impact, based on very large scale numerical solutions of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in three spatial dimensions and on analysis of the topology of the electronic eigenenergy surfaces in the plane of complex internuclear distance. Comparison is made with other theories and very recent measurements.Comment: RevTex document, 11 pages, 4 Postscript figures are available from the authors, in press Phys. Rev. Let

Close-coupling approach to antiproton-impact ionisation of H2 with analytical spherical averaging

Integrated cross section for single ionisation of molecular hydrogen by antiproton impact has been calculated in a wide range of impact energies from 1 keV up to 2 MeV using a close-coupling approach. For the first time all possible orientations of the molecular target have been accounted for using an ab initio analytical spherical averaging technique. Obtained results are in good agreement with experiment

In situ estimation of indigestible compounds contents in cattle feed and feces using bags made from different textiles

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate estimates of concentration of indigestible dry matter (iDM), indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) and indigestible acid detergent fiber (iADF) in samples of cattle feed and feces processed at different particle sizes (1-, 2-, and 3-mm) using bags made from nylon (50 μm), F57 (Ankom®), and non-woven textile (NWT - 100 g/m²) in a in situ evaluation procedure. Eight samples of concentrates, seven samples of forages and two samples of cattle feces were used. The samples were put in the bags according to a ratio of 20 mg of dry matter/cm² of surface by using three bags of each textile for each size of particle, totaling 405 bags, which were submitted to ruminal incubation for 264 hours. The contents of indigestible compounds in the samples were evaluated sequentially. Blank bags were used for microscopic evaluation of textile physical integrity and for evaluation of the physical resistance. The presence of contaminants caused high variability of results of iDM, indicating that its using as internal marker should not be recommended. By using the textiles F57 and NWT, similar estimates for contents of iNDF and iADF were obtained whereas by using nylon (50 μm), the concentration of iNDF was underestimated, possibly because of loss of particles due to its porosity. Nylon presented loss of resistance in all analytical stages, expanding its probality of rupture, especially after extraction with acid detergent. For in situ evaluation of indigestible compounds, it is suggested grinding samples in 2-mm screen sieves.Objetivou-se avaliar as estimativas de concentração de matéria seca (MSi), fibra em detergente neutro (FDNi) e fibra em detergente ácido (FDAi) indigestíveis em amostras de alimentos e fezes bovinas processadas em diferentes tamanhos de partículas (1, 2 e 3 mm) utilizando-se sacos confeccionados com os tecidos nylon (50 μm), F57 (Ankom®) e tecido não-tecido (TNT - 100 g/m²) em procedimento de avaliação in situ. Foram utilizadas oito amostras de alimentos concentrados, sete de alimentos volumosos e duas de fezes bovinas. O material foi acondicionado nos sacos numa relação de 20 mg de matéria seca/cm² de superfície utilizando-se três sacos de cada tecido para cada tamanho de partícula, totalizando 405 sacos, que foram submetidos a incubação ruminal durante 264 horas. Os teores dos compostos indigestíveis nas amostras foram avaliados sequencialmente. Sacos em branco foram utilizados para avaliação microscópica da integridade física dos tecidos e para avaliação da resistência à tração. A presença de contaminantes causou alta variabilidade dos resultados de MSi, o que indica comprometimento de sua aplicação como indicador interno. Utilizando os tecidos F57 e TNT obtiveram-se estimativas similares para os teores de FDNi e FDAi, enquanto com o tecido nylon (50 μm) a concentração de FDNi foi subestimada, possivelmente em decorrência da perda de partículas devido à sua porosidade. O nylon apresentou perda de resistência em todas as etapas analíticas, o que amplia sua probabilidade de ruptura, principalmente após extração com detergente ácido. Para procedimentos in situ de avaliação de compostos indigestíveis, sugere-se a moagem de amostras em peneiras com porosidade de 2 mm

Evaluation of neutral detergent fiber contents in forages, concentrates and cattle feces ground at different particle sizes and using bags made from different textiles

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of particles sizes on contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) by using nylon bags F57 (Ankom®) and non-woven textile (NWT 100 g/m²). In the first experiment, to check contents of NDF obtained with each one of the textilles, quantitative filter paper (purified cellulose) was used as analytical standard. The material was processed in a 1 or 2 mm and put in the bags in a ratio of 20 mg of dry matter/cm² of surface. The analyses were performed in a fiber analyser (Ankom220) and using a heat-stable a-amylase. No effects of particles sizes were found. In the second experiment, it was used samples of forage (signal grass hay, sugar cane, coastcross hay, corn straw, corn silage, and elephant grass at 50 and 250 days of growing after cutting), concentrate feeds (sorghum grain, gluten meal, citrus pulp, cottonseed meal, soybean meal, wheat bran, corn grain, whole soybean, and soybean hulls), and feces of cattle of animals fed diets containing 15 or 50% of concentrate. The samples were prepared, put in bags, and analyzed as described in the previous experiment. In both experiments, the smallest contents of NDF were found by using nylon bags, indicating loss of particles through the bag porosity. It is suggested grind of samples by using 1-mm screen sieve, which provides efficient extraction of cell content by the action of neutral detergent and a greater specific surface by the action of the heat-stable a-amylase enzyme. The use of particles ground at 2-mm overestimates NDF contents.Foram realizados dois experimentos objetivando-se avaliar a influência do tamanho das partículas sobre os teores de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) utilizando-se sacos de náilon, F57 (Ankom®) e tecido-não-tecido (TNT 100 g/m²). No primeiro experimento, com o intuito de aferir os teores de FDN obtidos com cada um dos tecidos, utilizou-se papel-filtro quantitativo (celulose purificada) como padrão analítico. O material foi processado em 1 e 2 mm e acondicionado nos sacos seguindo-se a relação de 20 mg de matéria seca/cm² de superfície. Utilizou-se aparelho analisador de fibras (Ankom220), empregando-se a-amilase termoestável. Não foram verificados efeitos do tamanho de partículas. Contudo, perdas de partículas significativas foram verificadas com o uso do náilon. No segundo experimento foram utilizadas amostras de forragem (feno de capim-braquiária, cana-de-açúcar, feno de coastcross, palha de milho, silagem de milho e capim-elefante cortado aos 50 dias e 250 dias de rebrotação), alimentos concentrados (sorgo grão, glúten de milho, polpa cítrica, farelo de algodão, farelo de soja, farelo de trigo, milho grão, soja grão e casca de soja) e fezes bovinas oriundas de animais alimentados com dietas contendo 15 e 50% de concentrado. As amostras foram preparadas, acondicionadas e analisadas como descrito no experimento anterior. Os menores teores de FDN foram encontrados com o uso de sacos de náilon, o que indica perda de partículas pela porosidade do saco. Recomenda-se a moagem de amostras em peneiras de porosidade 1 mm, o que propicia a extração eficiente do conteúdo celular pela ação do detergente neutro e maior superfície específica para ação da a-amilase termoestável. O uso de partículas processadas a 2 mm conduz à superestimação dos teores de FDN