Momentum Resolution Improvement Technique for Silicon Tracking Detectors using dE/dx

A technique for improving the momentum resolution for low momentum charged particles in few layer silicon based trackers is presented. The particle momenta are determined from the measured Landau dE/dx distribution and the Bethe-Bloch formula in the 1/beta^2 region. It is shown that a factor of two improvement of the momentum determination is achieved as compared to standard track fitting methods. This improvement is important in large scale heavy ion experiments which cover the low transverse momentum spectra using stand-alone silicon tracking devices with a few planes like the ones used in STAR at RHIC and ALICE at LHC.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in NIM A 40956 (ref. number

House dust mite trapping kit

Examination of dust collected from the homes of asthmatic patients showed there were significant numbers of house dust mites (HDM). The allergens generated from HDM are considered to be among the risk factors for asthma development. HDM can be identified in mattresses, carpets, quilts and pillows. HDM are about 0.2 x 0.3 mm in size, so they are only clearly visible under microscopic magnification. Therefore, it is important to develop a trapping kit to capture and stain them. We devised a trapping kit that is comprised of an adhesive pad and a staining agent. The adhesive pad is made of cotton cloth and is coated with glue, which can attract and trap HDM to prevent them from further spreading. The staining agent contains nanogold-coupled monoclone antibodies, which can react with HDM through binding with group 2 allergens on the body surface of HDM. After staining, both Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Tp) become visible to the naked eye.Our study showed that the HDM trapping pad can attract and trap HDM. The stainingagent makes them visible so they can be counted. This kit can help us to identify the predominant HDM infestation area in the household environment. By identifying the infestation area, we can reduce HDM exposure and prevent the development of allergic disease

The cathodic reduction of bromate ions on mercury in neutral and basic solutions

The reduction of BrO⁻₃ was studied in neutral and basic solutions on a stationary Hg surface under activation controlled conditions. Coulombic efficiency studies showed that BrO⁻₃; was reduced to Br⁻ with high efficiencies. The polarization measurements lead to a proposed reaction scheme which is consistent with the experimental observations --Abstract, page 1

Analysis of elastic thermal stresses by station-function collocation methods

An approximate method for the solution of thermal stress problems is presented. The method makes use of polynomial approximations to reduce the partial differential equation to a system of linear algebraic equations or a set of first-order ordinary differential equations. This results in satisfying the differential equation at a finite number of stations. The boundary conditions are satisfied identically. Two examples of the method, presented in detail, indicate that the solutions of the biharmonic equation for the stress function and the Fourier equation for the temperature distribution have good accuracy with a minimum of labor. A generalized method is derived for solving two-dimensional thermal-stress problems --Abstract, page ii

The China Factor in Taiwan’s Media

To investigate how the Chinese government extends its influence to manipulate extra-jurisdictional media, this case study investigates Taiwan’s experience. It suggests that as Taiwanese media companies become embedded in the Chinese capital, advertising, and circulation markets, the Chinese authorities increase their ability to co-opt them with various economic incentives and threats, leading to self-censorship and biased news in favour of China. Using process tracing as the principal method, and archives, interviews, and secondary literature as principal data sources, the study supports the transferability of the “commercialisation of censorship” beyond China. Liberal states around China must design institutions protecting the media from inappropriate intervention by both domestic and foreign political and economic forces