Multiple muon measurements with MACRO

The MACRO experiment at Gran Sasso provides means for detailed studies of multiple coincident penetrating cosmic ray muons. In this paper we concentrate on the studies of the ultrahigh energy primary cosmic ray composition using muon bundle multiplicities, muon pair lateral and angular separation distributions.Othe

A Simple Method for Measuring Deep Convection

The glass-pipe technology used for RAFOS floats is applied to the monitoring of convection in deep mixed layers. The velocity of a vertical current is estimated from the relationship between the drag force exerted on a float by the vertical current and the buoyancy force induced by the float\u27s resultant displacement from hydrostatic equilibrium. Tests conducted in the winters of 1990 and 1991 in the 18°C waters of the northwestern Sargasso Sea reveal definite convective events. Vertical velocities of both upwelling and downwelling plumes are estimated to approach maxima nearing 0.05 m s−1, with durations of up to 2 h. One float that crossed the Gulf Stream and entered the Newfoundland Basin showed evidence of very active vertical currents in the near-surface waters with maximum velocities greater than 0.09 m s−1

A Conceptual Enterprise Framework for Managing Scientific Data Stewardship

Scientific data stewardship is an important part of long-term preservation and the use/reuse of digital research data. It is critical for ensuring trustworthiness of data, products, and services, which is important for decision-making. Recent U.S. federal government directives and scientific organization guidelines have levied specific requirements, increasing the need for a more formal approach to ensuring that stewardship activities support compliance verification and reporting. However, many science data centers lack an integrated, systematic, and holistic framework to support such efforts. The current business- and process-oriented stewardship frameworks are too costly and lengthy for most data centers to implement. They often do not explicitly address the federal stewardship requirements and/or the uniqueness of geospatial data. This work proposes a data-centric conceptual enterprise framework for managing stewardship activities, based on the philosophy behind the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, a proven industrial concept. This framework, which includes the application of maturity assessment models, allows for quantitative evaluation of how organizations manage their stewardship activities and supports informed decision-making for continual improvement towards full compliance with federal, agency, and user requirements

A Regional Initiative to Reduce Skin Infections amongst Aboriginal Children Living in Remote Communities of the Northern Territory, Australia

Skin infections are endemic in many in remote Australian Aboriginal communities and have been linked to very high rates of chronic heart and kidney disease in this population. We report the results of a regional collaboration that aimed to reduce skin infections amongst children aged less than 15 years in five remote communities. The program included annual mass scabies treatment days offered to all residents and routine screening/follow-up of children. Trained community workers helped conduct over 6000 skin assessments on 2329 children over a three year period. Of every 100 children seen at the commencement of the study, 47 were found to have skin sores and many had multiple sores. We demonstrate a reduction both in the number of children with skin sores and in the severity of those sores. On average, of every 100 children seen per month, there were 14 fewer children with skin sores and seven fewer children with multiple sores. Overall improvement in treatment uptake was a critical factor. We found no discernible impact against scabies. While the burden of skin infections remains unacceptably high, we believe the results presented here are a good news story for local action to address a serious public health problem

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Historical position of the North Atlantic Current

The path of the North Atlantic Current (NAC) within the Newfoundland Basin is determined from the historical hydrographic database (1910-1988). Horizontal probability distributions for dynamical and property front locations on specific volume anomaly surfaces are derived from an analysis of all available hydrographic stations in the basin. These probability distributions indicate where the fronts were most likely to have been observed in the past; they are observed to exhibit a pattern of stationary meanders, with troughs located over the southeast Newfoundland Rise, over the Newfoundland Seamounts, and to the east of the Flemish Cap. The width of the NAC\u27s envelope varies from \u3c150 km near the Mann Eddy (42°N, 44°W) to \u3e300 km over the southeast Newfoundland Rise. Temporal subsamples of the historical data indicate that the path and meander patterns are persistent features for all seasons and for the four decades between 1950 and 1990

Isopycnal RAFOS floats as roving hydrographers in the North Atlantic Current region

The properties measured by isopycnal floats can be compiled to provide hydrographic information about the sampled surfaces. The height and temperature of two specific volume anomaly surfaces reported by 84 RAFOS floats deployed in the North Atlantic Current (NAC) region are compared here with the climatological hydrographic database. The mean pathway of the NAC and other prominent features of the region are similar in float-derived and climatological surfaces. The most striking difference between floats and climatology, an extended trough in the NAC path at 44° N in the float-derived surface, reflects the sampling time scales. The baroclinic transport of the NAC estimated from RAFOS floats using the observed climatological relationship between the potential energy anomaly and the height of the specific volume anomaly surfaces was 42 Sv at 42°N and 24 Sv at 47°N, in reasonable agreement with climatological estimates

Cool Aid? Health, Wellbeing and Place in the Work of Bono and U2

Through a discussion of the sounds and statements of Bono and U2, this paper explores the ways in which music can work in particular spatial contexts, contributing towards both personal and population-wide health and wellbeing. We engage critically with the idea of celebrity diplomacy, and look beyond this notion to suggest ways in which the production, circulation and consumption of music warrants greater attention within the unfolding domain of health geography. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd