Cooperative Restoration Programs in Critical Habitats in the Upper South Carolina Coastal Region

2008 S.C. Water Resources Conference - Addressing Water Challenges Facing the State and Regio

Second NASA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM): Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS) Technology Tool Box (TTB)

The Advanced Technology Lifecycle Analysis System (ATLAS), a spreadsheet analysis tool suite, applies parametric equations for sizing and lifecycle cost estimation. Performance, operation, and programmatic data used by the equations come from a Technology Tool Box (TTB) database. In this second TTB Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM), technologists, system model developers, and architecture analysts discussed methods for modeling technology decisions in spreadsheet models, identified specific technology parameters, and defined detailed development requirements. This Conference Publication captures the consensus of the discussions and provides narrative explanations of the tool suite, the database, and applications of ATLAS within NASA s changing environment

Top A_FB at the Tevatron vs. charge asymmetry at the LHC in chiral U(1) flavor models with flavored Higgs doublets

We consider the top forward-backward (FB) asymmetry at the Tevatron and top charge asymmetry at the LHC within chiral U(1)^\prime models with flavor-dependent U(1)^\prime charges and flavored Higgs fields, which were introduced in the ref. [65]. The models could enhance not only the top forward-backward asymmetry at Tevatron, but also the top charge asymmetry at LHC, without too large same-sign top pair production rates. We identify parameter spaces for the U(1)^\prime gauge boson and (pseudo)scalar Higgs bosons where all the experimental data could be accommodated, including the case with about 125 GeV Higgs boson, as suggested recently by ATLAS and CMS.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, figures and discussion adde

Noether Symmetry Approach in "Cosmic Triad" Vector Field Scenario

To realize the accelerations in the early and late periods of our universe, we need to specify potentials for the dominant fields. In this paper, by using the Noether symmetry approach, we try to find suitable potentials in the "cosmic triad" vector field scenario. Because the equation of state parameter of dark energy has been constrained in the range of $-1.21\leq \omega\leq -0.89$ by observations, we derive the Noether conditions for the vector field in quintessence, phantom and quintom models, respectively. In the first two cases, constant potential solutions have been obtained. What is more, a fast decaying point-like solution with power-law potential is also found for the vector field in quintessence model. For the quintom case, we find an interesting constraint $\tilde{C}V_{p}'=-CV_{q}'$ on the field potentials, where $C$ and $\tilde{C}$ are constants related to the Noether symmetry.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, accepted by Classical and Quantum Gravity

Sampling Effort and Uncertainty in Leaf Litterfall Mass and Nutrient Flux in Northern Hardwood Forests

Designs for litterfall sampling can be improved by understanding the sources of uncertainty in litterfall mass and nutrient concentration. We compared the coefficient of variation of leaf litterfall mass and nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium) at different spatial scales and across years for six northern hardwood species from 23 stands in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, USA. Stands with steeper slopes (P = 0.01), higher elevations (P = 0.05), and more westerly aspect (P = 0.002) had higher interannual variation in litter mass, probably due to a litter trap design that allowed litter to blow into traps in windy years. The spatial variation of nutrient concentrations varied more across stands than within stands for all elements (P \u3c 0.001). Phosphorus was the most spatially variable of all nutrients across stands (P \u3c 0.001). Litter nutrient concentrations varied less from year to year than litter mass, but the magnitude of difference depended on the element and tree species. We compared the relative importance of variation in mass vs. concentration to estimates of nutrient flux by simulating different sampling intensities of one while holding the other constant. In this dataset, interannual variability of leaf litter mass contributed more to uncertainty in litterfall flux calculations than interannual variation in nutrient concentrations. Optimal sampling schemes will depend on the elements of interest and local factors affecting spatial and temporal variability

Top quark forward-backward asymmetry in R-parity violating supersymmetry

The interaction of bottom squark-mediated top quark pair production, occurring in the R-parity violating minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), is proposed as an explanation of the anomalously large $t\bar{t}$ forward-backward asymmetry (FBA) observed at the Tevatron. We find that this model can give a good fit to top quark data, both the inclusive and invariant mass-dependent asymmetries, while remaining consistent (at the 2-$\sigma$ level) with the total and differential production cross-sections. The scenario is challenged by strong constraints from atomic parity violation (APV), but we point out an extra diagram for the effective down quark-Z vertex, involving the same coupling constant as required for the FBA, which tends to weaken the APV constraint, and which can nullify it for reasonable values of the top squark masses and mixing angle. Large contributions to flavor-changing neutral currents can be avoided if only the third generation of sparticles is light.Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures. v3: included LHC top production cross section data; model still consistent at 2 sigma leve

A Critical Review of Anti‐Bullying Programs in North American Elementary Schools

BACKGROUNDBullying behavior is a concern among school‐aged youth and anti‐bullying programs have been implemented in schools throughout North America. Most anti‐bullying programs are delivered to adolescent youth because antisocial‐aggressive behaviors are typically associated with this developmental stage. This paper is a review of empirically evaluated school‐based bullying prevention and intervention programs in North American elementary schools.METHODSWe conducted a systematic, critical review of bullying prevention programming. Data were analyzed to determine the study method, intervention components, measurement of bullying, aggression, or peer victimization, outcomes measured, and results.RESULTSOur review resulted in the identification of 10 interventions aimed at youth in grades K‐6 enrolled in North American elementary schools. Effective intervention strategies targeted a variety of bullying behaviors using diverse mechanisms and included a school—and community‐wide approach. Direct outcomes of the reviewed evaluations were centered on bullying, aggression, and victimization. Indirect outcomes of review evaluations included strategies for bystanders, school achievement, perceived school safety, and knowledge or attitudes about bullying.CONCLUSIONSRecommendations for promising practices in effective bullying intervention programming are offered. The review concludes with suggestions for supporting school health staff and in‐service teachers drawn from the body of research, and offers direction for future study.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151360/1/josh12814_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151360/2/josh12814.pd

Rare B decays and Tevatron top-pair asymmetry

The recent Tevatron result on the top quark forward-backward asymmetry, which deviates from its standard model prediction by 3.4$\sigma$, has prompted many authors to build new models to account for this anomaly. Among the various proposals, we find that those mechanisms which produce $t\bar t$ via $t$- or $u$-channel can have a strong correlation to the rare B decays. We demonstrate this link by studying a model with a new charged gauge boson, $W'$. In terms of the current measurements on $B\to \pi K$ decays, we conclude that the branching ratio for $B^-\to \pi^- \bar K^0$ is affected most by the new effects. Furthermore, using the world average branching ratio for the exclusive B decays at $2\sigma$ level, we discuss the allowed values for the new parameters. Finally, we point out that the influence of the new physics effects on the direct CP asymmetry in B decays is insignificant.Comment: 15 page, 6 figures, typos corrected and references added, final version to appear journa