453 research outputs found
Beam Loss Monitors for Heavy Ion Operation
The performance of the LHC as a heavy-ion collider is expected to be limited by a variety of beam loss mechanisms that are non-existent, or substantially different, in the case of protons. Among these are ultra-peripheral interactions of the colliding beams and the collimation inefficiency. Loss patterns are different and require additional installations of beam loss monitors. Further, the relation between energy deposition in superconducting magnet coils and the loss monitor signals has to be reassessed for heavy ions in order to determine the thresholds for dumping beams
Monitoring heavy-ion beam losses in the LHC
The LHC beam loss monitor (BLM) system, primarily designed for proton operation, will survey particle losses and dump the beam if the loss rate exceeds a threshold expected to induce magnet quenches. Simulations of beam losses in the full magnet geometry allow us to compare the response of the BLMs to ion and proton losses and establish preliminary loss thresholds for quenches. Further simulations of beam losses caused by collimation and electromagnetic interactions peculiar to heavy ion collisions determine the positions of extra BLMs needed for ion operation in the LHC
Measurements of heavy ion beam losses from collimation
The collimation efficiency for Pb ion beams in the LHC is predicted to be
lower than requirements. Nuclear fragmentation and electromagnetic dissociation
in the primary collimators create fragments with a wide range of Z/A ratios,
which are not intercepted by the secondary collimators but lost where the
dispersion has grown sufficiently large. In this article we present
measurements and simulations of loss patterns generated by a prototype LHC
collimator in the CERN SPS. Measurements were performed at two different
energies and angles of the collimator. We also compare with proton loss maps
and find a qualitative difference between Pb ions and protons, with the maximum
loss rate observed at different places in the ring. This behavior was predicted
by simulations and provides a valuable benchmark of our understanding of ion
beam losses caused by collimation.Comment: 12 pages, 20 figure
Accurate Coordinates and 2MASS Cross-IDs for (Almost) All Gliese Catalog Stars
We provide precise J2000, epoch 2000 coordinates and cross-identifications to
sources in the 2MASS point source catalog for nearly all stars in the Gliese,
Gliese and Jahreiss, and Woolley catalogs of nearby stars. The only Gliese
objects where we were not successful are two Gliese sources that are actually
QSOs, two proposed companions to brighter stars which we believe do not exist,
four stars included in one of the catalogs but identified there as only optical
companions, one probable plate flaw, and two stars which simply remain
un-recovered. For the 4251 recovered stars, 2693 have coordinates based on
Hipparcos positions, 1549 have coordinates based on 2MASS data, and 9 have
positions from other astrometric sources. All positions have been calculated at
epoch 2000 using proper motions from the literature, which are also given here.Comment: accepted to PASP, Full version of Table 1 available electronicall
Ion and proton loss paterns at the SPS and LHC
The collimation system of the LHC, primarily designed for proton operation, must function safely also with 208Pb82+ions. However, the particle-matter interaction in a collimator is different for heavy ions and protons. Heavy ions are subject to nuclear fragmentation, which creates a spectrum of secondary particles exiting the collimators with a Z/A ratio different from the nominal beam. These particles could be lost in a superconducting magnet and the induced heating might cause a quench. The program ICOSIM has previously been used to simulate these losses in the LHC. In this article, we present a benchmark of ICOSIM, using measured proton and ion loss maps in the SPS, and find a good qualitative agreement. We also make a quantitative comparison where the showers of the lost particles are simulated with the FLUKA code in the full magnet geometry. Here a discrepancy of a factor 3.8 is found. Estimation of expected uncertainties continues
Associations of maternal urinary arsenic concentrations during pregnancy with childhood cognitive abilities: The HOME study
Arsenic exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk for intellectual deficits in children, but limited data exist from prospective epidemiologic studies, particularly at low arsenic exposure levels. We investigated the association between prenatal maternal urinary arsenic concentrations and childhood cognitive abilities in the Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment (HOME) Study. We used anion exchange chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection to measure arsenic species content in pregnant women’s urine. The summation of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) refers to ΣAs. We assessed children’s cognitive function (n = 260) longitudinally at
1-, 2-, and 3-years using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, at 5 years using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, and at 8 years using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. We observed a modest decrease in mental development index and full-scale intelligence quotient at ages 3 and 5 years with each
doubling of ΣAs with estimated score (ß) differences and 95% confidence interval (CI) of -1.8 from - 4.1 to 0.5 and - 2.5 from - 5.1 to 0.0, respectively. This trend was stronger and reached statistical significance among children whose mothers had lower iAs methylation capacity and low urinary arsenobetaine concentrations. Our findings suggest that arsenic exposure levels relevant to the general US population may affect children’s
cognitive abilities
Association of Pyrethroid Pesticide Exposure With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Children
Background
Pyrethroid pesticides cause abnormalities in the dopamine system and produce an ADHD phenotype in animal models, with effects accentuated in males versus females. However, data regarding behavioral effects of pyrethroid exposure in children is limited. We examined the association between pyrethroid pesticide exposure and ADHD in a nationally representative sample of US children, and tested whether this association differs by sex.
Methods
Data are from 8–15 year old participants (N = 687) in the 2001–2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Exposure was assessed using concurrent urinary levels of the pyrethroid metabolite 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA). ADHD was defined by either meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition criteria on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) or caregiver report of a prior diagnosis. ADHD symptom counts were determined via the DISC. Multivariable logistic regression examined the link between pyrethroid exposure and ADHD, and poisson regression investigated the link between exposure and ADHD symptom counts.
Results
Children with urinary 3-PBA above the limit of detection (LOD) were twice as likely to have ADHD compared with those below the LOD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.42; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.06, 5.57). Hyperactive-impulsive symptoms increased by 50 % for every 10-fold increase in 3-PBA levels (adjusted count ratio 1.50; 95 % CI 1.03, 2.19); effects on inattention were not significant. We observed possible sex-specific effects: pyrethroid biomarkers were associated with increased odds of an ADHD diagnosis and number of ADHD symptoms for boys but not girls.
Conclusions
We found an association between increasing pyrethroid pesticide exposure and ADHD which may be stronger for hyperactive-impulsive symptoms compared to inattention and in boys compared to girls. Given the growing use of pyrethroid pesticides, these results may be of considerable public health import
Constraining R-parity violating couplings from B --> PP decays using QCD improved factorization method
We investigate the role of R-parity violating interaction in the non-leptonic
decays of B mesons into two light mesons B --> PP. The decay amplitudes are
calculated using the QCD improved factorization method. Using the combined data
on B decays from BaBar, Belle and CLEO, we obtain strong constraints on the
various products of R-parity violating couplings. Many of these new constraints
are stronger than the existing bounds.Comment: 19 pages including two eps figure
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