High-pt Particle Production at PHENIX

It has been established that "hard probes", observables involving high-momentum transfer, provide useful tools for studying the hot, dense medium created in nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC. The nuclear modification factor, azimuthal correlations, direct photon production, as well as the dependence of the nuclear modificaton factor on centrality and angle with respect to the reaction plane are critical for understanding the early dynamics of such heavy-ion collisions. We will review recent results from PHENIX for particle production at high-pT and discuss their implications.Comment: Proceedings from the Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics, 30 May - 3 June 200

PHENIX and the Reaction Plane: Recent Results

During the past several years, experiments at RHIC have established that a dense partonic medium is produced in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV. Subsequently, a primary goal of analysis has been to understand and characterize the dynamics underlying this new form of matter. Among the many probes available, the measurements with respect to the reaction plane has proven to be crucial to our understanding of a wide range of topics, from the hydrodynamics of the initial expansion of the collision region to high-pt jet quenching phenomena. Few tools have the ability to shed light on such a wide variety of observables as the reacion plane. In this article, we discuss recent PHENIX measurements with respect to the reaction plane, and the implications for understanding the underlying physics of RHIC collisions.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figures, Submitted for proceedings to the Winter Workshop on Nuclear Dynamics 2010, Ocho Rios, Jamaic

Cycles of construing in radicalization and deradicalization: a study of Salafist Muslims.

© Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.This article explores radicalization and deradicalization by considering the experiences of six young Tunisian people who had become Salafist Muslims. Their responses to narrative interviews and repertory grid technique are considered from a personal construct perspective, revealing processes of construing and reconstruing, as well as relevant aspects of the structure and content of their construct systems. In two cases, their journeys involved not only radicalization but self-deradicalization, and their experiences are drawn on to consider implications for deradicalization.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Globalization: Its Effects

A global culture is now increasingly emerging.  The process of globalization is facilitated by technology.  This technology comes from but one place – education.  The primary way to accept (or fight it) globalization is through knowledge.  Education is the main way to facilitate interaction and increase the quality of life for people everywhere

Achieving precise mechanical control in intrinsically noisy systems

How can precise control be realized in intrinsically noisy systems? Here, we develop a general theoretical framework that provides a way of achieving precise control in signal-dependent noisy environments. When the control signal has Poisson or supra-Poisson noise, precise control is not possible. If, however, the control signal has sub-Poisson noise, then precise control is possible. For this case, the precise control solution is not a function, but a rapidly varying random process that must be averaged with respect to a governing probability density functional. Our theoretical approach is applied to the control of straight-trajectory arm movement. Sub-Poisson noise in the control signal is shown to be capable of leading to precise control. Intriguingly, the control signal for this system has a natural counterpart, namely the bursting pulses of neurons-trains of Dirac-delta functions-in biological systems to achieve precise control performance

Lactate and Immunosuppression in Sepsis

Serum lactate levels are traditionally interpreted as a marker of tissue hypoxia and often used clinically as an indicator of severity and outcome of sepsis/septic shock. Interestingly, recent studies involving the effects of tumor-derived lactate suggest that lactate itself may have an immunosuppressive effect in its local environment. This finding adds to the recent advances in immunometabolism that shed light on the importance of metabolism and metabolic intermediates in the regulation of innate immune and inflammatory responses in sepsis. In this article, we summarize recent studies, showing that the activation of immune cells requires aerobic glycolytic metabolism and that lactate produced by aerobic glycolysis may play an immunosuppressive role in sepsis

A Lie algebra variation on a theorem of Wedderburn

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28978/1/0000005.pd

Upper extremity transplantation in non-human primates: an orthotopic model for translational research

Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) offers unparalleled restoration of function and form following devastating musculoskeletal and soft tissue injury. However, the potential adverse effects of life-long immunosuppression remain a significant cause for concern. Therefore, while the surgical techniques necessary for VCA have developed rapidly, the immunological aspects of these procedures and the potential functional significance of immunological processes on vascularized composite allografts remain areas in which further research is required. The functional complexity of these procedures, combined with the preclinical nature of many of the research questions, necessitates the use of large animal models to most effectively address some of the outstanding hypotheses. Cynomolgus macaques are among the premier large animal models for immunological research. This manuscript describes development of an orthotopic model of upper extremity transplantation in cynomolgus macaques. Following study of the anatomy to determine feasibility, in vivo proof of concept was achieved by autologous amputation and replantation in two animals, following which a preliminary series of four allotransplants was performed. The anatomy encountered and techniques required for successful transplantation are closely comparable to those in clinical upper extremity transplantation. This is a technically challenging model, but offers a rigorous pre-clinical platform for translational research in transplant immunology, and is suitable for detailed study of the impact of immunologic processes on functional outcomes following VCA

Wandering Woodpeckers: Foray Behavior in a Social Bird

In many cooperatively breeding taxa, nonbreeding subordinates, or helpers, use extra-territorial forays to discover dispersal opportunities. Such forays are considered energetically costly and foraying birds face aggression from conspecific members of the territories they visit. In contrast, breeders in cooperatively breeding taxa are expected to foray seldomly. We used novel tracking technologies to follow 62 acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), a cooperatively breeding bird, to study extra-territorial foray behavior. Both helpers and breeders engaged in extra-territorial forays routinely and often several times per day. Helpers forayed earlier in the day and invested more time when foraying to high-quality territories. Unexpectedly, breeders forayed as often and as far as helpers. Breeders from high-quality territories forayed closer to their home territories than breeders from low-quality territories, reflecting a potential trade-off between foraying and territory defense. Such a routine pattern of extra-territorial forays in both helpers and breeders suggests that the motives behind forays differ by sex and social status and involve more than simply searching for dispersal opportunities