Observation of the Baryonic Flavor-Changing Neutral Current Decay Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu-

We report the first observation of the baryonic flavor-changing neutral current decay Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu- with 24 signal events and a statistical significance of 5.8 Gaussian standard deviations. This measurement uses ppbar collisions data sample corresponding to 6.8fb-1 at sqrt{s}=1.96TeV collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider. The total and differential branching ratios for Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu- are measured. We find B(Lambda_b -> Lambda mu+ mu-) = [1.73+-0.42(stat)+-0.55(syst)] x 10^{-6}. We also report the first measurement of the differential branching ratio of B_s -> phi mu+ mu- using 49 signal events. In addition, we report branching ratios for B+ -> K+ mu+ mu-, B0 -> K0 mu+ mu-, and B -> K*(892) mu+ mu- decays.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Different Seed Selection and Conservation Practices for Fresh Market and Dried Chile Farmers in Aguascalientes, Mexico

Different Seed Selection and Conservation Practices for Fresh Market and Dried Chile Farmers in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The process of selecting and saving seed is the most basic and oldest of agricultural practices. In today’s modern and highly capital-intensive agriculture, seeds are often treated like another chemical input. This study sought to examine seed selection and saving practices among chile farmers in Aguascalientes, Mexico, where both industrial and traditional agriculture are practiced. We observed a clear division among farmers who plant chile peppers commercially. Sixty-eight chile pepper farmers were surveyed in order to document seed selection and saving practices. Fifteen respondents (22%) planted chile peppers destined for the fresh market and all utilized purchased commercial seed of F1 hybrid varieties. Fifty-three farmers (78%) planted chiles to be dried and either saved their own or purchased seeds that others had saved and selected. Farmers who saved their own seed sought to maintain an ideotype, rather than directionally select for certain traits, much like Cleveland et al. (2000) chronicled in central Mexican maize farmers. Farmers would benefit from a participatory plant-breeding program in order to maintain productive seed stock for the continued cultivation of dried chile pepper in the state

Combined Tevatron upper limit on gg->H->W+W- and constraints on the Higgs boson mass in fourth-generation fermion models

Report number: FERMILAB-PUB-10-125-EWe combine results from searches by the CDF and D0 collaborations for a standard model Higgs boson (H) in the process gg->H->W+W- in p=pbar collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. With 4.8 fb-1 of integrated luminosity analyzed at CDF and 5.4 fb-1 at D0, the 95% Confidence Level upper limit on \sigma(gg->H) x B(H->W+W-) is 1.75 pb at m_H=120 GeV, 0.38 pb at m_H=165 GeV, and 0.83 pb at m_H=200 GeV. Assuming the presence of a fourth sequential generation of fermions with large masses, we exclude at the 95% Confidence Level a standard-model-like Higgs boson with a mass between 131 and 204 GeV.We combine results from searches by the CDF and D0 collaborations for a standard model Higgs boson (H) in the process gg→H→W+W- in pp̅ collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at √s=1.96  TeV. With 4.8  fb-1 of integrated luminosity analyzed at CDF and 5.4  fb-1 at D0, the 95% confidence level upper limit on σ(gg→H)×B(H→W+W-) is 1.75 pb at mH=120  GeV, 0.38 pb at mH=165  GeV, and 0.83 pb at mH=200  GeV. Assuming the presence of a fourth sequential generation of fermions with large masses, we exclude at the 95% confidence level a standard-model-like Higgs boson with a mass between 131 and 204 GeV.Peer reviewe

Fault Tolerant Network Constructors

In this work, we consider adversarial crash faults of nodes in the network constructors model $[$Michail and Spirakis, 2016$]$. We first show that, without further assumptions, the class of graph languages that can be (stably) constructed under crash faults is non-empty but small. In particular, if an unbounded number of crash faults may occur, we prove that (i) the only constructible graph language is that of spanning cliques and (ii) a strong impossibility result holds even if the size of the graphs that the protocol outputs in populations of size $n$ need only grow with $n$ (the remaining nodes being waste). When there is a finite upper bound $f$ on the number of faults, we show that it is impossible to construct any non-hereditary graph language. On the positive side, by relaxing our requirements we prove that: (i) permitting linear waste enables to construct on $n/(2f)-f$ nodes, any graph language that is constructible in the fault-free case, (ii) partial constructibility (i.e. not having to generate all graphs in the language) allows the construction of a large class of graph languages. We then extend the original model with a minimal form of fault notifications. Our main result here is a fault-tolerant universal constructor: We develop a fault-tolerant protocol for spanning line and use it to simulate a linear-space Turing Machine $M$. This allows a fault-tolerant construction of any graph accepted by $M$ in linear space, with waste $min\{n/2+f(n),\; n\}$, where $f(n)$ is the number of faults in the execution. We then prove that increasing the permissible waste to $min\{2n/3+f(n),\; n\}$ allows the construction of graphs accepted by an $O(n^2)$-space Turing Machine, which is asymptotically the maximum simulation space that we can hope for in this model. Finally, we show that logarithmic local memories can be exploited for a no-waste fault-tolerant simulation of any such protocol

Patrolling on Dynamic Ring Networks

We study the problem of patrolling the nodes of a network collaboratively by a team of mobile agents, such that each node of the network is visited by at least one agent once in every $I(n)$ time units, with the objective of minimizing the idle time $I(n)$. While patrolling has been studied previously for static networks, we investigate the problem on dynamic networks with a fixed set of nodes, but dynamic edges. In particular, we consider 1-interval-connected ring networks and provide various patrolling algorithms for such networks, for $k=2$ or $k>2$ agents. We also show almost matching lower bounds that hold even for the best starting configurations. Thus, our algorithms achieve close to optimal idle time. Further, we show a clear separation in terms of idle time, for agents that have prior knowledge of the dynamic networks compared to agents that do not have such knowledge. This paper provides the first known results for collaborative patrolling on dynamic graphs

Fast Approximate Counting and Leader Election in Populations

We study the problems of leader election and population size counting for population protocols: networks of finite-state anonymous agents that interact randomly under a uniform random scheduler. We show a protocol for leader election that terminates in $O(\log_m(n) \cdot \log_2 n)$ parallel time, where $m$ is a parameter, using $O(\max\{m,\log n\})$ states. By adjusting the parameter $m$ between a constant and $n$, we obtain a single leader election protocol whose time and space can be smoothly traded off between $O(\log^2 n)$ to $O(\log n)$ time and $O(\log n)$ to $O(n)$ states. Finally, we give a protocol which provides an upper bound $\hat{n}$ of the size $n$ of the population, where $\hat{n}$ is at most $n^a$ for some $a>1$. This protocol assumes the existence of a unique leader in the population and stabilizes in $\Theta{(\log{n})}$ parallel time, using constant number of states in every node, except the unique leader which is required to use $\Theta{(\log^2{n})}$ states

Pushing Lines Helps: Efficient Universal Centralised Transformations for Programmable Matter

In this paper, we study a discrete system of entities residing on a two-dimensional square grid. Each entity is modelled as a node occupying a distinct cell of the grid. The set of all $n$ nodes forms initially a connected shape $A$. Entities are equipped with a linear-strength pushing mechanism that can push a whole line of entities, from 1 to $n$, in parallel in a single time-step. A target connected shape $B$ is also provided and the goal is to \emph{transform} $A$ into $B$ via a sequence of line movements. Existing models based on local movement of individual nodes, such as rotating or sliding a single node, can be shown to be special cases of the present model, therefore their (inefficient, $\Theta(n^2)$) \emph{universal transformations} carry over. Our main goal is to investigate whether the parallelism inherent in this new type of movement can be exploited for efficient, i.e., sub-quadratic worst-case, transformations. As a first step towards this, we restrict attention solely to centralised transformations and leave the distributed case as a direction for future research. Our results are positive. By focusing on the apparently hard instance of transforming a diagonal $A$ into a straight line $B$, we first obtain transformations of time $O(n\sqrt{n})$ without and with preserving the connectivity of the shape throughout the transformation. Then, we further improve by providing two $O(n\log n)$-time transformations for this problem. By building upon these ideas, we first manage to develop an $O(n\sqrt{n})$-time universal transformation. Our main result is then an $O(n \log n)$-time universal transformation. We leave as an interesting open problem a suspected $\Omega(n\log n)$-time lower bound.Comment: 40 pages, 27 figure