1 Construction of a 12 ” Cyclotron

Our chapter proposes to design and construct a 12 ” cyclotron. The design and construction process will be split over multiple semesters to offset costs and allow more students the opportunity to participate. The final product will be a fixture of our physics department for future undergraduate research, education, and outreach. 3 Statement of the Activity: Background and Relation to the Clemson SPS Chapter Objectives: The cyclotron was one of the major workhorses of atomic physics in the mid-twentieth century and is still used in medicine due to its high ion energy relative to its size. Because of the spherical path it accelerates ions along, a 9 ” cyclotron can obtain maximum ion energies of 184 keV or more and a 12 ” can reach 800 keV [1]. Furthermore, a very barebones 6 ” cyclotron was able to be built from scratch for under $1000 using hand-made or second-hand components [2], showing that such an undertaking is possible on a limited budget. The Clemson University physics department has a strong departmental background in atmospheric physics, astrophysics, and quantum physics but fewer opportunities in particle or accelerator physics. As such, the Clemson University chapter of the Society of Physics Student

Resource Procurement and Inter-regional Connections in pre-contact Taranaki, New Zealand: new evidence from geochemical analysis of obsidian

Early Polynesian colonists in New Zealand were quick to identify key economic resources. One such resource – obsidian – was transported widely during the early settlement phase of New Zealand. Here, we present the results of portable X-ray fluorescence analysis of obsidian artefacts from five early settlement sites and two later sites in Taranaki on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Our research suggests obsidian from six source areas was present in Taranaki sites, with the majority of material coming from Mayor Island and the nearby Coromandel Peninsula. Low rates of cortical material suggest a down-the-line procurement process, although this result is made equivocal by evidence of relatively expedient use of obsidian in the early period. Finally, the marked variation between Taranaki sites and contemporary sites further north appears consistent with the development of regionally specific procurement strategies very early in pre-contact New Zealand

Examining the sensitivity of the terrestrial carbon cycle to the expression of El Niño

The El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences the global climate and the variability in the terrestrial carbon cycle on interannual timescales. Two different expressions of El Niño have recently been identified: (i) central Pacific (CP) and (ii) eastern Pacific (EP). Both types of El Niño are characterised by above-average sea surface temperature anomalies at the respective locations. Studies exploring the impact of these expressions of El Niño on the carbon cycle have identified changes in the amplitude of the concentration of interannual atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) variability following increased tropical near-surface air temperature and decreased precipitation. We employ the dynamic global vegetation model LPJ-GUESS (Lund-Potsdam-Jena General Ecosystem Simulator) within a synthetic experimental framework to examine the sensitivity and potential long-term impacts of these two expressions of El Niño on the terrestrial carbon cycle. We manipulated the occurrence of CP and EP events in two climate reanalysis datasets during the latter half of the 20th and early 21st century by replacing all EP with CP and separately all CP with EP El Niño events. We found that the different expressions of El Niño affect interannual variability in the terrestrial carbon cycle. However, the effect on longer timescales was small for both climate reanalysis datasets. We conclude that capturing any future trends in the relative frequency of CP and EP El Niño events may not be critical for robust simulations of the terrestrial carbon cycle

Do CMIP6 Climate Models Simulate Global or Regional Compound Events Skillfully?

Compound events have the potential to cause high socioeconomic and environmental losses. We examine the ability of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) models to capture two bivariate compound events: the co-occurrence of heavy rain and strong wind, and heat waves and meteorological drought. We evaluate the models over North America, Europe, Eurasia, and Australia using observations and reanalysis data set spanning 1980-2014. Some of the CMIP6 models capture the return periods of both bivariate compound events over North America, Europe, and Eurasia surprisingly well but perform less well over Australia. For heavy rain and strong wind, this poor performance was particularly clear in northern Australia which suggests limits in simulating tropical and extratropical cyclones, local convection, and mesoscale convective systems. We did not find higher model resolution improved performance in any region. Overall, our results show some CMIP6 models can be used to examine compound events, particularly over North America, Europe, and Eurasia. Plain Language Summary Compound events, such as the co-occurrence of heavy rain and strong wind or heat waves and drought, can have major economic, social, and environmental consequences. We therefore ask the question whether the new generation of climate models represented by the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) can simulate the occurrence of these important events. We found that some of the CMIP6 models do simulate these compound events surprisingly well over North America, Europe, and Eurasia. Unfortunately, they perform less well over Australia which is likely associated with the problem of simulating extratropical cyclones, local convection, and mesoscale convective systems. Our results suggest that some CMIP6 models can be used to examine these two compound events particularly over North America, Europe, and Eurasia. Key Points . Some CMIP6 models reproduce observed return periods of co-occurring rain and wind extremes and co-occurring heat waves and droughts well CMIP6 models simulate these compound events over North America, Europe, or Eurasia with similar levels of skill CMIP6 models simulate these compound events over Australia with lower skill than the other regions analyzedThe research was funded by the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Climate Extremes (CE170100023) and was support-ed in part by the New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

The CM-Path Biobanking Sample Quality Improvement Tool : A Guide for Improving the Quality of Tissue Collections for Biomedical Research and Clinical Trials in Cancer

Funding: The NCRI's CM-Path initiative was established in 2016 with the aim of re-invigorating academic pathology. It is funded as a collaborative venture between ten of the NCRI partner organisations: Bloodwise, Breast Cancer Now, Cancer Research UK, the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland), the Department of Health and Social Care (England), Health and Care Research Wales, Health and Social Care (Northern Ireland), the Medical Research Council, Prostate Cancer UK and Tenovus Cancer Care. These organisations did not participate in study design; collection, analysis and interpretation of data; writing the report or the decision to submit the paper for publication. Acknowledgments Thanks to the following for assisting in the scoping exercise: Joanna Baxter, Cambridge Blood and Stem Cell Bank; Chris Birkett, Human Tissue Authority; Tim Brend, Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank, University of Leeds; Brian Clark, Novo Nordisk; Emma Lawrence, UKCRC Tissue Directory and Coordination Centre; Alex MacLellan, CRUK Tissue Group, Edinburgh; Balwir Matharoo-Ball, Nottingham Health Sciences Biobank; Bill Mathieson, NHS Grampian Biorepository; Gita Mistry Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group Tissue Bank; Will Navaie, Health Research Authority; Rob Oliver, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust; Kathleen Potter, Cancer Sciences Tissue Bank, University of Southampton; Doris Rassl, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Jane Steele, Human Biomaterials Resource Centre, University of Birmingham; Sarah Yeats, WISH Lab, University of Southampton. Special thanks Anne Carter for her tireless work with CCB and to staff at the following biobanks who piloted the Sample Quality Improvement Tool: Greater Glasgow & Clyde Biorepository, Leeds Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank, Leeds Multidisciplinary Research Tissue Bank and Southampton Tissue Bank.Peer reviewedPostprin