272 research outputs found
The Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison: Data and modeling protocols for Phase 1 (v1.0)
We present protocols and input data for Phase 1 of the Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison, a project of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP). The project includes global simulations of yields, phenologies, and many land-surface fluxes using 12–15 modeling groups for many crops, climate forcing data sets, and scenarios over the historical period from 1948 to 2012. The primary outcomes of the project include (1) a detailed comparison of the major differences and similarities among global models commonly used for large-scale climate impact assessment, (2) an evaluation of model and ensemble hindcasting skill, (3) quantification of key uncertainties from climate input data, model choice, and other sources, and (4) a multi-model analysis of the agricultural impacts of large-scale climate extremes from the historical record
Neutrino Detection With CLEAN
This article describes CLEAN, an approach to the detection of low-energy
solar neutrinos and neutrinos released from supernovae. The CLEAN concept is
based on the detection of elastic scattering events (neutrino-electron
scattering and neutrino-nuclear scattering) in liquified noble gases such as
liquid helium, liquid neon, and liquid xenon, all of which scintillate brightly
in the ultraviolet. Key to the CLEAN technique is the use of a thin film of
wavelength-shifting fluor to convert the ultraviolet scintillation light to the
visible. This allows the same liquid to be used as both a passive shielding
medium and an active self-shielding detector, allowing lower intrinsic
radioactive backgrounds at low energies. Liquid neon is a particularly
promising medium for CLEAN. Because liquid neon has a high scintillation yield,
has no long-lived radioactive isotopes, and can be easily purified by use of
cold traps, it is an ideal medium for the detection of rare nuclear events. In
addition, neon is inexpensive, dense, and transparent to its own scintillation
light, making it practical for use in a large self-shielding apparatus. Monte
Carlo simulations of gamma ray backgrounds have been performed assuming liquid
neon as both shielding and detection medium. Gamma ray events occur with high
probability in the outer parts of the detector. In contrast, neutrino
scattering events occur uniformly throughout the detector. We discriminate
background gamma ray events from events of interest based on a spatial Maximum
Likelihood method estimate of event location. Background estimates for CLEAN
are presented, as well as an evaluation of the sensitivity of the detector for
neutrinos. Given these simulations, the physics potential of the CLEAN
approach is evaluated.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Astroparticle Physic
Signatures of Thermal Dilepton Radiation at RHIC
The properties of thermal dilepton production from heavy-ion collisions in
the RHIC energy regime are evaluated for invariant masses ranging from 0.5 to 3
GeV. Using an expanding thermal fireball to model the evolution through both
quark-gluon and hadronic phases various features of the spectra are addressed.
In the low-mass region, due to an expected large background, the focus is on
possible medium modifications of the narrow resonance structures from
and mesons, whereas in the intermediate-mass region the old idea of
identifying QGP radiation is reiterated including effects of chemical
under-saturation in the early stages of central Au+Au collisions.Comment: 17 pages ReVTeX including 16 figure
Astroparticle Physics with a Customized Low-Background Broad Energy Germanium Detector
The MAJORANA Collaboration is building the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a 60 kg
array of high purity germanium detectors housed in an ultra-low background
shield at the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead, SD. The MAJORANA
DEMONSTRATOR will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge while
demonstrating the feasibility of a tonne-scale experiment. It may also carry
out a dark matter search in the 1-10 GeV/c^2 mass range. We have found that
customized Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors produced by Canberra have
several desirable features for a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment,
including low electronic noise, excellent pulse shape analysis capabilities,
and simple fabrication. We have deployed a customized BEGe, the MAJORANA
Low-Background BEGe at Kimballton (MALBEK), in a low-background cryostat and
shield at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility in Virginia. This paper
will focus on the detector characteristics and measurements that can be
performed with such a radiation detector in a low-background environment.Comment: Submitted to NIMA Proceedings, SORMA XII. 9 pages, 4 figure
Fast Neutron Detection with 6Li-loaded Liquid Scintillator
We report on the development of a fast neutron detector using a liquid
scintillator doped with enriched Li-6. The lithium was introduced in the form
of an aqueous LiCl micro-emulsion with a di-isopropylnaphthalene-based liquid
scintillator. A Li-6 concentration of 0.15 % by weight was obtained. A 125 mL
glass cell was filled with the scintillator and irradiated with fission-source
neutrons. Fast neutrons may produce recoil protons in the scintillator, and
those neutrons that thermalize within the detector volume can be captured on
the Li-6. The energy of the neutron may be determined by the light output from
recoiling protons, and the capture of the delayed thermal neutron reduces
background events. In this paper, we discuss the development of this 6Li-loaded
liquid scintillator, demonstrate the operation of it in a detector, and compare
its efficiency and capture lifetime with Monte Carlo simulations. Data from a
boron-loaded plastic scintillator were acquired for comparison. We also present
a pulse-shape discrimination method for differentiating between electronic and
nuclear recoil events based on the Matusita distance between a normalized
observed waveform and nuclear and electronic recoil template waveforms. The
details of the measurements are discussed along with specifics of the data
analysis and its comparison with the Monte Carlo simulation
Temporal, spatial, and structural patterns of adult trembling aspen and white spruce mortality in Quebec's boreal forest
Temporal, spatial, and structural patterns of adult trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) mortality were studied in intact 150-year-old stands in the southwestern boreal forest of Quebec. For both species, mortality decreases (number of dead trees/total number of trees) with distance from the lake edge until 100-150 m, from which point it slightly increases. Strong peaks in mortality were found for 40- to 60-year-old aspen mainly between 1974 and 1992. Such mortality in relatively young aspen is likely related to competition for light from the dominant canopy trees. Also, the recruitment of this young aspen cohort is presumably the result of a stand breakup that occurred when the initial aspen-dominated stand was between 90 and 110 years old. For spruce, strong peaks in mortality were found in 110- to 150-year-old trees and they occurred mainly after 1980. No clear explanation could be found for these peaks, but we suggest that they may be related to senescence or weakening of the trees following the last spruce budworm outbreak. Suppressed and codominant aspen had a much higher mortality ratio than spruce in the same height class, while more surprisingly, no difference in mortality rate was found between dominant trees of the two species. Most spruce trees were found as standing dead, which leads us to reject the hypothesis that windthrow is an important cause of mortality for spruce in our forests
Assessing agricultural risks of climate change in the 21st century in a global gridded crop model intercomparison
Here we present the results from an intercomparison of multiple global gridded crop models (GGCMs) within the framework of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project and the Inter-Sectoral Impacts Model Intercomparison Project. Results indicate strong negative effects of climate change, especially at higher levels of warming and at low latitudes; models that include explicit nitrogen stress project more severe impacts. Across seven GGCMs, five global climate models, and four representative concentration pathways, model agreement on direction of yield changes is found in many major agricultural regions at both low and high latitudes; however, reducing uncertainty in sign of response in mid-latitude regions remains a challenge. Uncertainties related to the representation of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and high temperature effects demonstrated here show that further research is urgently needed to better understand effects of climate change on agricultural production and to devise targeted adaptation strategies
Determinants of Depressive Symptoms at 1 Year Following ICU Discharge in Survivors of $ 7 Days of Mechanical Ventilation : Results From the RECOVER Program, a Secondary Analysis of a Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study
Abstract : Background: Moderate to severe depressive symptoms occur in up to one-third of patients at 1 year following ICU discharge, negatively affecting patient outcomes. This study evaluated patient and caregiver factors associated with the development of these symptoms. Methods: This study used the Rehabilitation and Recovery in Patients after Critical Illness and Their Family Caregivers (RECOVER) Program (Phase 1) cohort of 391 patients from 10 medical/surgical university-affiliated ICUs across Canada. We determined the association between patient depressive symptoms (captured by using the Beck Depression Inventory II [BDI-II]), patient characteristics (age, sex, socioeconomic status, Charlson score, and ICU length of stay [LOS]), functional independence measure (FIM) motor subscale score, and caregiver characteristics (Caregiver Assistance Scale and Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale) by using linear mixed models at time points 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: BDI-II data were available for 246 patients. Median age at ICU admission was 56 years (interquartile range, 45-65 years), 143 (58%) were male, and median ICU LOS was 19 days (interquartile range, 13-32 days). During the 12-month follow-up, 67 of 246 (27.2%) patients had a BDI-II score ≥ 20, indicating moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Mixed models showed worse depressive symptoms in patients with lower FIM motor subscale scores (1.1 BDI-II points per 10 FIM points), lower income status (by 3.7 BDI-II points; P = .007), and incomplete secondary education (by 3.8 BDI-II points; P = .009); a curvilinear relation with age (P = .001) was also reported, with highest BDI-II at ages 45 to 50 years. No associations were found between patient BDI-II and comorbidities (P = .92), sex (P = .25), ICU LOS (P = .51), or caregiver variables (Caregiver Assistance Scale [P = .28] and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [P = .74]). Conclusions: Increased functional dependence, lower income, and lower education are associated with increased severity of post-ICU depressive symptoms, whereas age has a curvilinear relation with symptom severity. Knowledge of risk factors may inform surveillance and targeted mental health follow-up. Early mobilization and rehabilitation aiming to improve function may serve to modify mood disorders
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