Elliptic Curves over Real Quadratic Fields are Modular

We prove that all elliptic curves defined over real quadratic fields are modular.Comment: 38 pages. Magma scripts available as ancillary files with this arXiv versio

Eta-Helium Quasi-Bound States

The cross section and tensor analysing power t_20 of the d\vec{d}->eta 4He reaction have been measured at six c.m. momenta, 10 < p(eta) < 90 MeV/c. The threshold value of t_20 is consistent with 1/\sqrt{2}, which follows from parity conservation and Bose symmetry. The much slower momentum variation observed for the reaction amplitude, as compared to that for the analogous pd->eta 3He case, suggests strongly the existence of a quasi-bound state in the eta-4He system and optical model fits indicate that this probably also the case for eta-3He.Comment: LaTeX, uses elsart.sty, 10 pages, 3 Postscript figures, Submitted to Physics Letters

Cloud type comparisons of AIRS, CloudSat, and CALIPSO cloud height and amount

The precision of the two-layer cloud height fields derived from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is explored and quantified for a five-day set of observations. Coincident profiles of vertical cloud structure by CloudSat, a 94 GHz profiling radar, and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), are compared to AIRS for a wide range of cloud types. Bias and variability in cloud height differences are shown to have dependence on cloud type, height, and amount, as well as whether CloudSat or CALIPSO is used as the comparison standard. The CloudSat-AIRS biases and variability range from &amp;minus;4.3 to 0.5&amp;plusmn;1.2&amp;ndash;3.6 km for all cloud types. Likewise, the CALIPSO-AIRS biases range from 0.6&amp;ndash;3.0&amp;plusmn;1.2&amp;ndash;3.6 km (&amp;minus;5.8 to &amp;minus;0.2&amp;plusmn;0.5&amp;ndash;2.7 km) for clouds &amp;ge;7 km (&amp;lt;7 km). The upper layer of AIRS has the greatest sensitivity to Altocumulus, Altostratus, Cirrus, Cumulonimbus, and Nimbostratus, whereas the lower layer has the greatest sensitivity to Cumulus and Stratocumulus. Although the bias and variability generally decrease with increasing cloud amount, the ability of AIRS to constrain cloud occurrence, height, and amount is demonstrated across all cloud types for many geophysical conditions. In particular, skill is demonstrated for thin Cirrus, as well as some Cumulus and Stratocumulus, cloud types infrared sounders typically struggle to quantify. Furthermore, some improvements in the AIRS Version 5 operational retrieval algorithm are demonstrated. However, limitations in AIRS cloud retrievals are also revealed, including the existence of spurious Cirrus near the tropopause and low cloud layers within Cumulonimbus and Nimbostratus clouds. Likely causes of spurious clouds are identified and the potential for further improvement is discussed

Competitiveness and communication for effective inoculation byRhizobium, Bradyrhizobium and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi

After a short summary on the ecology and rhizosphere biology of symbiotic bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhiza fungi and their application as microbial inocula, results on competitiveness and communication are summarized. Stress factors such as high temperature, low soil pH, aluminium concentrations and phytoalexins produced by the host plants were studied withRhizobium leguminosarum bv.phaseoli andRhizobium tropici onPhaseolus beans. Quantitative data for competitiveness were obtained by usinggus + (glucoronidase) labelled strains, which produce blue-coloured nodules. ForPhaseolus-nodulating rhizobia, a group specific DNA probe was also developed, which did not hybridize with more than 20 other common soil and rhizosphere bacteria. Results from several laboratories contributing to knowledge of signal exchange and communication in theRhizobium/Bradyrhizobium legume system are summarized in a new scheme, including also defense reactions at the early stages of legume nodule initiation. Stimulating effects of flavonoids on germination and growth of VA mycorrhiza fungi were also found. A constitutive antifungal compound in pea roots, -isoxazolinonyl-alanine, was characterized

Water Vapor Measurements by Howard University Raman Lidar during the WAVES 2006 Campaign

Retrieval of water vapor mixing ratio using the Howard University Raman Lidar is presented with emphasis on three aspects: i) performance of the lidar against collocated radiosondes and Raman lidar, ii) investigation of the atmospheric state variables when poor agreement between lidar and radiosondes values occurred and iii) a comparison with satellite-based measurements. The measurements were acquired during the Water Vapor Validation Experiment Sondes/Satellites 2006 field campaign. Ensemble averaging of water vapor mixing ratio data from ten night-time comparisons with Vaisala RS92 radiosondes shows on average an agreement within 10 % up to approx. 8 km. A similar analysis of lidar-to-lidar data of over 700 profiles revealed an agreement to within 20 % over the first 7 km (10 % below 4 km). A grid analysis, defined in the temperature - relative humidity space, was developed to characterize the lidar - radiosonde agreement and quantitatively localizes regions of strong and weak correlations as a function of altitude, temperature or relative humidity. Three main regions of weak correlation emerge: i) regions of low relative humidity and low temperature, ii) moderate relative humidity at low temperatures and iii) low relative humidity at moderate temperatures. Comparison of Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder and Tropospheric Emission Sounder satellites retrievals of moisture with that of Howard University Raman Lidar showed a general agreement in the trend but the formers miss a lot of the details in atmospheric structure due to their low resolution. A relative difference of about 20 % is usually found between lidar and satellites measurements

SimSchool: An Opportunity for Using Serious Gaming for Training Teachers in Rural Areas

This article examines the use of simSchool as a training tool for educators working with students with special needs in rural districts. SimSchool is a game which emulates a classroom utilizing a virtual environment. The theory supporting simSchool is explored and current research associated with simSchool is reviewed. The issues surrounding retaining quality special educators in rural districts are discussed. The potential for using simSchool for working with rural special education teachers is explored

Stiff monatomic gold wires with a spinning zigzag geometry

Using first principles density functional calculations, gold monatomic wires are found to exhibit a zigzag shape which remains under tension, becoming linear just before breaking. At room temperature they are found to spin, what explains the extremely long apparent interatomic distances shown by electron microscopy.The zigzag structure is stable if the tension is relieved, the wire holding its chainlike shape even as a free-standing cluster. This unexpected metallic-wire stiffness stems from the transverse quantization in the wire, as shown in a simple free electron model.Comment: 4 pages, latex, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Generally Deformed Oscillator, Isospectral Oscillator System and Hermitian Phase Operator

The generally deformed oscillator (GDO) and its multiphoton realization as well as the coherent and squeezed vacuum states are studied. We discuss, in particular, the GDO depending on a complex parameter q (therefore we call it q-GDO) together with the finite dimensional cyclic representations. As a realistic physical system of GDO the isospectral oscillator system is studied and it is found that its coherent and squeezed vacuum states are closely related to those of the oscillator. It is pointed out that starting from the q-GDO with q root of unity one can define the hermitian phase operators in quantum optics consistently and algebraically. The new creation and annihilation operators of the Pegg-Barnett type phase operator theory are defined by using the cyclic representations and these operators degenerate to those of the ordinary oscillator in the classical limit q->1.Comment: 21 pages, latex, no figure

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory: Instrumentation and Online Systems

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is a cubic-kilometer-scale high-energy neutrino detector built into the ice at the South Pole. Construction of IceCube, the largest neutrino detector built to date, was completed in 2011 and enabled the discovery of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. We describe here the design, production, and calibration of the IceCube digital optical module (DOM), the cable systems, computing hardware, and our methodology for drilling and deployment. We also describe the online triggering and data filtering systems that select candidate neutrino and cosmic ray events for analysis. Due to a rigorous pre-deployment protocol, 98.4% of the DOMs in the deep ice are operating and collecting data. IceCube routinely achieves a detector uptime of 99% by emphasizing software stability and monitoring. Detector operations have been stable since construction was completed, and the detector is expected to operate at least until the end of the next decade.Comment: 83 pages, 50 figures; updated with minor changes from journal review and proofin