Design of the Highly Uniform Magnetic Field and Spin-Transport Magnetic Field Coils for the Los Alamos National Lab Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment

Charge-Parity (CP) violation is one of Sakharov\u27s three conditions which serve as guidelines for the generation of a matter-antimatter asymmetry in the early universe. The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics contains sources of CP violation which can be used to predict the baryon asymmetry. The observed baryon asymmetry is not predicted from SM calculations, meaning there must be additional sources of CP violation beyond the Standard Model (BSM) to generate the asymmetry. Permanent electric dipole moments (EDMs), which are inherently parity- and time reversal- violating, present a promising avenue for the discovery of new sources of CP violation to resolve this outstanding problem. The SM prediction for the neutron EDM, for example, is multiple orders of magnitude smaller than the sensitivity achieved by modern neutron EDM experiments \cite{sm_nedm_estimate}. The measurement of a non-zero neutron electric dipole moment larger than the SM prediction would be a sure sign of BSM CP violation. A experiment searching for the neutron EDM at Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) has been constructed with the goal of improving the current neutron EDM upper limit $d_n \u3c 1.8 \times 10^{-26} \; e \cdot$cm (90\% CL) \cite{ILL-nEDM-2020} by approximately one order of magnitude. The work presented in this thesis has been performed in support of the LANL-nEDM experimental effort. Precise magnetic field control is required to reach the desired measurement sensitivity, specifically a highly uniform $B_0$ holding magnetic field. A multiple-split solenoid with an octagonal cross section was designed and fabricated to meet the gradient specification $\langle | \partial B_z / \partial z | \rangle \u3c 0.3$ nT/m and address engineering challenges related to assembly and magnetometry. Efficient transport of neutron polarization from the polarizing magnet to the storage cells is also essential to accomplish the sensitivity goal. A series of modified, self-shielding cos $\theta$ coils have been designed to maximize polarization as neutrons propagate through penetrations in the magnetically shielded room. The spin-transport coils, in conjunction with the simultaneous spin analyzers, will provide a polarization product $\alpha \u3e 0.8$. The series of coils interfaces with the $B_0$ coil in a pseudo-continuous manner such that the fringe fields do not cause depolarization of the neutrons and do not generate non-uniformities in the storage cell volumes

Social-Ecological Resilience in the Viking-Age to Early-Medieval Faroe Islands

This dissertation aims to evaluate the development and maintenance of social-ecological resilience during the settlement-period (ca. 9th through 11th centuries CE) in the Faroe Islands. In particular, the core objectives include the identification of the key social and natural variables involved, the examination of how these variables contributed to overall resilience, and the investigation of the initiation of the Faroese domestic economy. This research focuses primarily on an analysis of the 9th through 13th century archaeofaunal assemblage from the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti, located on the island of Sandoy. This analysis represents the first detailed study of the Faroese settlement-period domestic economy. In addition to the Undir Junkarinsfløtti archaeofaunal data, the research presented here draws from a wide range of archaeological, paleoenvironmental, and documentary evidence. These Faroese data are compared with contemporaneous datasets from elsewhere in the North Atlantic, including Iceland, Greenland, the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland, and western coastal Norway. Interpretation of this evidence is informed by a theoretical approach rooted in historical ecology, with an emphasis on the dynamic and dialectic nature of human-environment interactions, particularly as these relate to social-ecological resilience. This study suggests that the overall resilience of the Faroese social-ecological system can largely be attributed not only to the maintenance of a broad-based domestic economy that was heavily subsidized by the sustained exploitation of robust natural resources, but also to the development of a collaborative, community-based approach to resource management and use. In particular, these factors contributed to robustness against food shortfalls. The available evidence suggests that this resilient economic regime was initiated by a culturally-hybridized, Hiberno-Norse population

Any is Too Many: Impaired Driving in Santa Cruz County

Too many people operate vehicles under the influence in Santa Cruz County (SCC) because of recidivism. DUIs cost dearly in human and financial terms. Financial difficulties and stigma pose barriers to providing DUI services. Community Prevention Partners (CPP) resides under the Public Health umbrella of SCC’s Health Services Agency. This Capstone Project represents an integrated effort to increase CPP’s DUI secondary prevention efforts through its Alcohol Initiative workgroup. Through the Alcohol Initiative, CPP administers the DUI Resource Center (DUIRC), a community space to support DUI offenders around completion of their sentencing components. This project proposes to decrease the recidivism of DUI offenders through promotion of services offered at the DUIRC. Bi-lingual printed and digital promotional materials were created and disseminated to DUI related businesses and institutions throughout Santa Cruz County and through social media. The earliest numbers indicated a 41% increase in DUIRC contacts overall from June - November 2020 and that 23% of the contacts in October and November 2020 were a direct result of Capstone promotion, with a possibility that 51% of the Oct/Nov contacts were auxiliary capstone outreach related referrals through word of mouth, google searches, and outside referrals. Many opportunities for data analysis presented themselves during the capstone process. This project recommends further exploration of arrestee demographics and DUIRC client information and perhaps an expansion of the services available at the DUIRC into a hub for primary AND secondary DUI prevention

Countering phishing attacks by automated responses

This disclosure describes techniques to automatically respond to phishing attacks received via communication channels such as email, chat, SMS, etc. A large number of automated responses require the attacker to differentiate between automated responses and human responses which can require substantial effort. In this manner, the described techniques actively disincentivize phishing attacks by causing an increase in the cost for an attacker to conduct such attacks

School Counselor Perceptions of a Comprehensive School Counseling Model and Implications for Practice

The study examined school counselor perceptions of the American School Counseling Association’s Comprehensive School Counseling Program (CSCP) on academic outcomes (betterreported grades and better-standardized scores) of middle school students with a focus on recommendations for the tasks and responsibilities of school counselors. The study was qualitative and used a phenomenological approach through semi-structured face-to-face interviews to provide inquiry into school counselors’ perceptions of an effective school counseling program

Expression of Endothelial Protein C Receptor in Prostate Cancer

Endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) is expressed in the serum of patients with prostate cancer and in a prostate cancer cell line, PC-3. EPCR is normally expressed by endothelial cells in the blood vessel, where it functions as a co-receptor in the anti-coagulant protein C system. The localization and function of EPCR on endothelial cells is well-documented. Our previous studies have shown that the receptor EPCR interacts with thrombomodulin (TM) on endothelial cells. TM is also expressed by prostate tumor cells in vivo and in vitro, where it regulates proliferation and invasion by these prostate tumor cells. The concentration of TM in patients with prostate cancer is elevated compared to controls. Since EPCR and TM are co-receptors, our goal was to determine the concentration of EPCR in patients with prostate cancer compared to normal controls, and to localize EPCR in PC-3 cells. ELISAs on serum samples from patients with prostate cancer indicated that EPCR concentrations were statistically elevated (82.5 ng/mL to 892.5 ng/mL) compared to control patients (102 ng/mL ± 0.002) (p £ 0.05). Western blotting of cell media and cell lysates from PC-3 cells demonstrated that EPCR is expressed by the prostate cancer epithelial cells. These data provide additional evidence that the anticoagulant protein C system, specifically, EPCR and TM, are involved in prostate cancer progression