Systematic study of the jet fragmentation function for inclusive jet-production in p+p collisions at sqrt{s}=200 GeV in STAR

Jet fragmentation functions measured in e^+e^- and p+\bar{p} experiments are well-described on an inclusive hadron level by QCD-based calculations. Fragmentation is expected to be modified by the presence of a strongly interacting medium, but full theoretical description of this modification must still be developed. It has recently been suggested that particle-identified fragmentation functions may provide additional insight into the processes underlying jet quenching. To assess the applicability of QCD-based fragmentation calculations to RHIC data, and to provide a baseline with which to compare fragmentation function measurements in heavy ion collisions, we present the first measurements of charged hadron and particle-identified fragmentation functions of jets reconstructed via a midpoint-cone algorithm from p+p collisions at 200 GeV in STAR. We study the dependence on jet cone-size and jet-energy, and compare the results to PYTHIA simulations based on the Modified Leading Log Approximation (MLLA).Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, proceedings of Hard Probes 2008 conferenc

Restructuring Failed Financial Firms in Bankruptcy: Selling Lehman\u27s Derivatives Portfolio

Lehman Brothers\u27 failure and bankruptcy deepened the 2008 financial crisis whose negative effect on the United States\u27 economy lasted for several years. Yet, while Congress reformed financial regulation in hopes of avoiding another crisis, bankruptcy rules such as those that governed Lehman\u27s failure, have persisted unchanged. When Lehman failed, it lost considerable further value when its contracting counterparties terminated their financial contracts with Lehman. These broad terminations degraded Lehman\u27s overall value to its creditors beyond the immediate losses that caused its downfall. Lehman\u27s financial portfolio was thought to be running a paper profit of over $20 billion when it filed, and is said to have lost up to$75 billion as a result of the post-filing liquidation by Lehman\u27s counterparties of their deals with Lehman. How such a vast value loss can occur and how bankruptcy can ameliorate the problem are the subjects of this Article

The memory space: Exploring future uses of Web 2.0 and mobile internet through design interventions.

The QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization project aims to address challenges of quantum mechanics instruction through the development of interactive simulations for the learning and teaching of quantum mechanics. In this article, we describe evaluation of simulations focusing on two-level systems developed as part of the Institute of Physics Quantum Physics resources. Simulations are research-based and have been iteratively refined using student feedback in individual observation sessions and in-class trials. We give evidence that these simulations are helping students learn quantum mechanics concepts at both the introductory and advanced undergraduate level, and that students perceive simulations to be beneficial to their learning.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; accepted for publication in the American Journal of Physic

Historical framework to explain long-term coupled human and natural system feedbacks: application to a multiple-ownership forest landscape in the northern Great Lakes region, USA

Current and future human and forest landscape conditions are influenced by the cumulative, unfolding history of social-ecological interactions. Examining past system responses, especially unintended consequences, can reveal valuable insights that promote learning and adaptation in forest policy and management. Temporal couplings are complex, however; they can be difficult to trace, characterize, and explain. We develop a framework that integrates environmental history into analysis of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). Our study demonstrates how historical data and methods can help to explain temporal complexity of long-term CHANS feedbacks. We focus on two sources of temporal complexity: legacy effects and lagged interactions. We apply our framework to a multiple-ownership forest landscape comprising tribal and nonindustrial private forest ownerships in Wisconsin. Our framework features four elements that help investigators better understand complex systems through time: (1) a temporal axis parsed into historical periods (periodization), (2) representation of links between historical periods and system feedbacks, (3) representation of land ownership history, and (4) nested geographical scales of historical analysis. The framework can help to reveal legacy effects and lagged interactions, illuminate turning points and periods in system dynamics, and distil insights from unintended consequences that inform institutional and policy adaptation. We also assess the validity of using land ownership to represent the social component of CHANS models. When treated as a categorical variable and interpreted in historical context, land ownership can validly represent decision-making structure, culture, and knowledge system in spatially explicit social-ecological models

Testing of Large Diameter Fresnel Optics for Space Based Observations of Extensive Air Showers

The JEM-EUSO mission will detect extensive air showers produced by extreme energy cosmic rays. It operates from the ISS looking down on Earth's night time atmosphere to detect the nitrogen fluorescence and Cherenkov produce by the charged particles in the EAS. The JEM-EUSO science objectives require a large field of view, sensitivity to energies below 50 EeV, and must fit within available ISS resources. The JEM-EUSO optic module uses three large diameter, thin plastic lenses with Fresnel surfaces to meet the instrument requirements. A bread-board model of the optic has been manufactured and has undergone preliminary tests. We report the results of optical performance tests and evaluate the present capability to manufacture these optical elements

Activation of K-RAS by co-mutation of codons 19 and 20 is transforming.

The K-RAS oncogene is widely mutated in human cancers. Activating mutations in K-RAS give rise to constitutive signalling through the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways promoting increased cell division, reduced apoptosis and transformation. The majority of activating mutations in K-RAS are located in codons 12 and 13. In a human colorectal cancer we identified a novel K-RAS co-mutation that altered codons 19 and 20 resulting in transitions at both codons (L19F/T20A) in the same allele. Using focus forming transformation assays in vitro , we showed that co-mutation of L19F/T20A in K-RAS demonstrated intermediate transforming ability that was greater than that of individual L19F and T20A mutants, but less than that of G12D and G12V K-RAS mutants. This demonstrated the synergistic effects of co-mutation of codons 19 and 20 and illustrated that co-mutation of these codons is functionally significant.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

The Reliability of the Anaerobic Power Dummy Throw Test in High School Wrestlers: A Pilot Study

AP (anaerobic power) output is an important physical characteristic that is required to succeed in sports such as wrestling. The Wingate test is considered the Gold Standard for assessing AP but is not specific to the sport of wrestling. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of a novel field test known as the LWAPT (Lopez wrestling anaerobic power test) for the assessment of AP. The participants were male high school wrestlers (n = 10, age: 17.0 ± 0.8 yrs, mass: 70.9 ± 10.2 kgs). The participants met on one occasion in order to complete the testing protocol. The protocol initiated with the participants completing a 10-15 minute dynamic WU (warm-up) that included three practice dummy throw attempts (dummy mass = 31.75 kgs). Following the dynamic WU (≈ 5 minutes), the participants performed two trials of the LWAPT. In order to perform the LWAPT, wrestlers stood behind the wrestling dummy in a squat position with legs bent at 45-90 degrees. Next the wrestlers wrapped their arms around the waist of the dummy and on the signal “go” the wrestlers quickly exploded up, lifting the dummy by getting triple extension with the ankles, knees and hips as one would in a power clean. After the wrestler was fully extended, he turned in midair in order to drive the dummy onto its stomach on the ground, where the wrestler was on top of the back of the dummy (a common position after an opponent has been thrown). The participant then repositioned the dummy to the original position to execute another throw. The participants completed as many dummy throws as possible during the one minute trials. The LWAPT trials were separated by 15 minutes. The trial scores were 15.6 ± 2.5 and 17.2 ± 1.5 throws respectively. The interclass and intraclass reliability coefficients were r = 0.84 and ICC = 0.80. The standard error of the measure was SEm = 1.0 throws with 90% confidence limits of UL: 1.7, LL: 0.7. The mean difference between trials was 1.6 ± 1.4 throws (90% confidence limits of UL: 2.4, LL: 0.8). Bland-Altman plots suggested agreement between trials with no evidence of heteroscedasticity. The LWAPT exhibits moderate to high reliability as an assessment of AP. The inclusion of additional dummy throw trials to the assessment protocol may enhance the degree of reliability of the dummy throw test as a measure of AP

Mouse models of colorectal cancer as preclinical models.

In this review, we discuss the application of mouse models to the identification and pre-clinical validation of novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer, and to the search for early disease biomarkers. Large-scale genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of colorectal carcinomas has led to the identification of many candidate genes whose direct contribution to tumourigenesis is yet to be defined; we discuss the utility of cross-species comparative 'omics-based approaches to this problem. We highlight recent progress in modelling late-stage disease using mice, and discuss ways in which mouse models could better recapitulate the complexity of human cancers to tackle the problem of therapeutic resistance and recurrence after surgical resection.REM, SJAB, MJA and DJA are funded by Cancer Research UK.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bies.20150003