Phobos results on charged particle multiplicity and pseudorapidity distributions in Au+Au, Cu+Cu, d+Au, and p+p collisions at ultra-relativistic energies

Pseudorapidity distributions of charged particles emitted in $Au+Au$, $Cu+Cu$, $d+Au$, and $p+p$ collisions over a wide energy range have been measured using the PHOBOS detector at RHIC. The centrality dependence of both the charged particle distributions and the multiplicity at midrapidity were measured. Pseudorapidity distributions of charged particles emitted with $|\eta|<5.4$, which account for between 95% and 99% of the total charged-particle emission associated with collision participants, are presented for different collision centralities. Both the midrapidity density, $dN_{ch}/d\eta$, and the total charged-particle multiplicity, $N_{ch}$, are found to factorize into a product of independent functions of collision energy, $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$, and centrality given in terms of the number of nucleons participating in the collision, $N_{part}$. The total charged particle multiplicity, observed in these experiments and those at lower energies, assumes a linear dependence of $(\ln s_{_{NN}})^2$ over the full range of collision energy of $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=2.7-200 GeV.Comment: 25 pages, 29 figures, 8 table

The assessment of the level of knowledge and the use of plant-derived preparations among people reporting to the Rehabilitation Clinic in Lublin

The use of plant-derived compounds in medicine arouses more and more interest. Most plants contain numerous active ingredients that may have therapeutic effects on the human body. For many years, herbs have been used as medicinal agents. However, it is necessary to learn about the chemical content of the plant as well as how they work on the human body. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of preparations containing plant extracts and the assessment of respondents’ knowledge about plant resources with medicinal properties. The study group consisted of people who visited the Rehabilitation Department in Lublin. Respondents voluntarily filled out the questionnaire consisting of 21 questions. 33 persons were examined in total. More than 77% of those who participated in the study have ever applied preparations of plant origin. More than half rated their level of knowledge about medicinal plants as small. Respondents gained knowledge about data on herbs and herbal supplements from several sources. None of the respondents considers preparations containing plant extracts as fully safe for the body and no one would use it without consulting a doctor first. The majority of respondents (over 63%) rated the effectiveness of the plant-derived compounds as good. Over 90% of respondents noticed positive effects of the use of plant supplements. Most respondents did not use compounds of plant origin which might slow down the body’s aging process or improve memory and concentration. However, more than half of the respondents applied preparations containing sedative plant extracts. As seen in the studies and the discussion above, the prevalence of the use of plant-derived compounds among respondents is relatively large. Respondents do not have sufficient knowledge of these substances. Almost all respondents notice the positive impact of plant compounds on the body. There is a need for educational campaigns among society to enrich the knowledge on the use of herbal medicine and its side effects in details

Design concepts for the Cherenkov Telescope Array CTA: An advanced facility for ground-based high-energy gamma-ray astronomy

Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has had a major breakthrough with the impressive results obtained using systems of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Ground-based gamma-ray astronomy has a huge potential in astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology. CTA is an international initiative to build the next generation instrument, with a factor of 5-10 improvement in sensitivity in the 100 GeV-10 TeV range and the extension to energies well below 100 GeV and above 100 TeV. CTA will consist of two arrays (one in the north, one in the south) for full sky coverage and will be operated as open observatory. The design of CTA is based on currently available technology. This document reports on the status and presents the major design concepts of CTA. © 2011 The Author(s)