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

Temperature as a potent driver of regional forest drought stress and tree mortality

As the climate changes, drought may reduce tree productivity and survival across many forest ecosystems; however, the relative influence of specific climate parameters on forest decline is poorly understood. We derive a forest drought-stress index (FDSI) for the southwestern United States using a comprehensive tree-ring data set representing AD 1000–2007. The FDSI is approximately equally influenced by the warm-season vapour-pressure deficit (largely controlled by temperature) and cold-season precipitation, together explaining 82% of the FDSI variability. Correspondence between the FDSI and measures of forest productivity, mortality, bark-beetle outbreak and wildfire validate the FDSI as a holistic forest-vigour indicator. If the vapour-pressure deficit continues increasing as projected by climate models, the mean forest drought-stress by the 2050s will exceed that of the most severe droughts in the past 1,000 years. Collectively, the results foreshadow twenty-first-century changes in forest structures and compositions, with transition of forests in the southwestern United States, and perhaps water-limited forests globally, towards distributions unfamiliar to modern civilization

Phylogenomics and the evolution of hemipteroid insects.

Hemipteroid insects (Paraneoptera), with over 10% of all known insect diversity, are a major component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Previous phylogenetic analyses have not consistently resolved the relationships among major hemipteroid lineages. We provide maximum likelihood-based phylogenomic analyses of a taxonomically comprehensive dataset comprising sequences of 2,395 single-copy, protein-coding genes for 193 samples of hemipteroid insects and outgroups. These analyses yield a well-supported phylogeny for hemipteroid insects. Monophyly of each of the three hemipteroid orders (Psocodea, Thysanoptera, and Hemiptera) is strongly supported, as are most relationships among suborders and families. Thysanoptera (thrips) is strongly supported as sister to Hemiptera. However, as in a recent large-scale analysis sampling all insect orders, trees from our data matrices support Psocodea (bark lice and parasitic lice) as the sister group to the holometabolous insects (those with complete metamorphosis). In contrast, four-cluster likelihood mapping of these data does not support this result. A molecular dating analysis using 23 fossil calibration points suggests hemipteroid insects began diversifying before the Carboniferous, over 365 million years ago. We also explore implications for understanding the timing of diversification, the evolution of morphological traits, and the evolution of mitochondrial genome organization. These results provide a phylogenetic framework for future studies of the group

Open science, but correctly! Interacting with new forms of openness in research and society

We discuss two questions in this panel: Why do those new forms of research openness lead to controversial reactions in the public? How can we better communicate open research practices to the public

Open science, but correctly! Interacting with new forms of openness in research and society

We discuss two questions in this panel: Why do those new forms of research openness lead to controversial reactions in the public? How can we better communicate open research practices to the public

Open Science, but Correctly! Lessons from the Heinsberg Study

A review of the events surrounding the Heinsberg Study in Germany and the lessons learned for open science practices and communications

Open Science, aber richtig! Was wir aus der Heinsberg-Studie lernen können

In Zeiten von Corona wird der Ruf nach Zugang zu akademischem Wissen, öffentlich zugänglichen Daten und Studien und einer transparenten Kommunikation immer lauter – kurzum, ‘Open Science’ ist Teil der öffentlichen Debatte geworden. Gleichzeitig werden genau diese Open Science-Praktiken in der Öffentlichkeit vielfach kritisiert bzw. aus dem Kontext gerissen dargestellt. Wir wollen daher anhand der laufenden Debatten im Spannungsfeld zwischen einer Öffnung der Wissenschaft und einem autoritäten- und faktenbasierten Krisenmanagement den Herausforderungen von guter Open Science-Praxis nachgehen, und die Kritik aber auch die positiven Möglichkeiten für ein neues Wissenschaftsverständnis in den Fokus rücken. //// A review of the events surrounding the Heinsberg Study in Germany and the lessons learned for open science practices and communications. An English version of the paper exists here: https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/axy84/, doi: 10.31222/osf.io/axy84.</p

Open Science, but Correctly! Lessons from the Heinsberg Study

A review of the events surrounding the Heinsberg Study in Germany and the lessons learned for open science practices and communications.</p

Open Science, aber richtig! Was wir aus der Heinsberg-Studie lernen können

In Zeiten von Corona wird der Ruf nach Zugang zu akademischem Wissen, öffentlich zugänglichen Daten und Studien und einer transparenten Kommunikation immer lauter – kurzum, ‘Open Science’ ist Teil der öffentlichen Debatte geworden. Gleichzeitig werden genau diese Open Science-Praktiken in der Öffentlichkeit vielfach kritisiert bzw. aus dem Kontext gerissen dargestellt. Wir wollen daher anhand der laufenden Debatten im Spannungsfeld zwischen einer Öffnung der Wissenschaft und einem autoritäten- und faktenbasierten Krisenmanagement den Herausforderungen von guter Open Science-Praxis nachgehen, und die Kritik aber auch die positiven Möglichkeiten für ein neues Wissenschaftsverständnis in den Fokus rücken. //// A review of the events surrounding the Heinsberg Study in Germany and the lessons learned for open science practices and communications. An English version of the paper exists here: https://osf.io/preprints/metaarxiv/axy84/, doi: 10.31222/osf.io/axy84