Exclusive Production of Phi Vector Meson During HERA-II

The Hadron Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA) in Germany, which ran from 1992 to 2007, is to date the only high energy electron and proton collider. The ZEUS detector at HERA measured the collisions of 27.5 GeV electrons with 920 GeV protons. Elastic vector meson production was measured during the first phase of HERA (HERA-I) from 1992 to 2000 before HERA was upgraded in 2003 (HERA-II) with increased luminosity. The goal of this project was to analyze data collected during the HERA-II run to identify and quantify the exclusive production of the vector meson. Runs from the ZEUS experiment were taken from 2005, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 136 pb-1 . The meson was detected with masses consistent with their theoretical and previously observed invariant masses and the ∗ cross section was measured in the kinematic range 5 ≤ 2 ≤ 702 . This is the first time the vector meson from HERA-II have been studied. Additional analysis to determine systematic errors is necessary to yield information relevant to physics interests. Given that the next highest priority in nuclear physics is the construction of an electron ion collider, resolving as much information from previous measurements at HERA-II will help to guide the research

14. The Effect of Leaf Species on Insect Oviposition Preference and Colonization

Some insects are known to be common vectors of disease, which is an important public health issue. As such, diverse studies on the ecology of vectors are needed for effective management. Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) is the 2nd most important vector of human diseases, and is a common carrier for dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis viruses. It is commonly found in most areas of the central and eastern U.S., can have oviposition sites that occur close to human settlements (e.g., buckets, tires), and is an invasive species in the U.S. Our study aims to examine the influence of vegetation in deterring insect oviposition in a neighborhood landscaping environment, which is a breeding ground for this insect when standing water is present. This experiment used 18 buckets filled with water in a suburban neighborhood in Ruston, LA as available oviposition sites. Leaf treatments of loblolly pine, post oak, and southern magnolia were added to the buckets. Twice a week in May and June, we collected immature insects, which were preserved, counted and identified. Preliminary results using Poisson regression showed no significant differences in numbers of A. albopictus or other immature insects among leaf litter treatments, though this data set included a very limited time period during the experiment. Continued analyses will be conducted to provide more robust results

Exploring natural resource management tradeoffs in an agricultural landscape - an application of the MOSAIC model.

We describe a landscape scale non-linear discrete choice spatial optimisation model for identifying cost-effective strategies for achieving environmental goals. Spatial heterogeneity and configuration issues such as fencing costs, patch sizes and network linkages are explicitly accounted for and quasi-optimal allocations are determined using simulated annealing. Applications of the model being developed with New South Wales Catchment Management Authorities are discussed. These focus on targeting investments in revegetation to control dryland salinity and erosion and provide biodiversity benefits whilst minimising direct and opportunity costs. We compare our approach with alternate investment approaches.natural resource management, cost effectiveness, land use change, multicriteria, spatial optimisation, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Multi-species Remote Sensing of Vehicle Emissions on Sherman Way in Van Nuys California

As part of the 2010 Van Nuys tunnel study, researchers from the University of Denver measured on-road fuel-specific light-duty vehicle emissions from nearly 13,000 vehicles on Sherman Way (0.4 miles west of the tunnel) in Van Nuys, CA with its multi-species FEAT remote sensor a week ahead of the tunnel measurements. The remote sensing mean gram per kilogram carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) measurements are 8.9% lower, 41%, and 24% higher than the tunnel measurements respectively. The remote sensing CO/NOx and HC/NOx mass ratios are 28% lower and 20% higher than the comparable tunnel ratios. Comparisons with the historical tunnel measurements show large reductions in CO, HC and NOx over the past 23 years, but little change in the HC/NOx mass ratio since 1995. The fleet CO and HC emissions are increasingly dominated by a few gross emitters with more than a third of the total emissions being contributed by less than 1% of the fleet. An example of this is a 1995 vehicle measured 3 times with an average HC emission of 419g/kg fuel (2-stroke snowmobiles average 475g/kg fuel) responsible for 4% of the total HC emissions. The 2008 economic downturn dramatically reduced the number of new vehicles entering the fleet, leading to an age increase (\u3e1 model year) of the Sherman Way fleet which has increased the fleet’s ammonia (NH3) emissions. The mean NH3 levels appear little changed from previous measurements collected in the Van Nuys tunnel in 1993. Comparisons between weekdays and weekend data show few fleet differences although the fraction of light-duty diesel vehicles decreased from the weekday (1.7%) to Saturday (1.2%) and Sunday (0.6%)

Emission Changes Resulting from the San Pedro Bay, California Ports Truck Retirement Program

Recent US EPA emissions regulations have resulted in lower emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen from heavy-duty diesel trucks. To accelerate fleet turnover the State of California in 2008 along with the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (San Pedro Bay Ports) in 2006 passed regulations establishing timelines forcing the retirement of older diesel trucks. On-road emissions measurements of heavy-duty diesel trucks were collected over a three-year period, beginning in 2008, at a Port of Los Angeles location and an inland weigh station on the Riverside freeway (CA SR91). At the Port location the mean fleet age decreased from 12.7 years in April of 2008 to 2.5 years in May of 2010 with significant reductions in carbon monoxide (30%), oxides of nitrogen (48%) and infrared opacity (a measure of particulate matter, 54%). We also observed a twenty-fold increase in ammonia emissions as a result of new, stoichiometrically combusted, liquefied natural gas powered trucks. These results compare with changes at our inland site where the average ages were 7.9 years in April of 2008 and 8.3 years in April of 2010, with only small reductions in oxides of nitrogen (10%) being statistically significant. Both locations have experienced significant increases in nitrogen dioxide emissions from new trucks equipped with diesel particle filters; raising the mean nitrogen dioxide to oxides of nitrogen ratios from less than 10% to more than 30% at the Riverside freeway location

Formation and evolution of metallocene single-molecule circuits with direct gold-π links

Single-molecule circuits with group 8 metallocenes are formed without additional linker groups in scanning tunneling microscope-based break junction (STMBJ) measurements at cryogenic and room-temperature conditions with gold (Au) electrodes. We investigate the nature of this direct gold-π binding motif and its effect on molecular conductance and persistence characteristics during junction evolution. The measurement technique under cryogenic conditions tracks molecular plateaus through the full cycle of extension and compression. Analysis reveals that junction persistence when the metal electrodes are pushed together correlates with whether electrodes are locally sharp or blunt, suggesting distinct scenarios for metallocene junction formation and evolution. The top and bottom surfaces of the “barrel”-shaped metallocenes present the electron-rich π system of cyclopentadienyl rings, which interacts with the gold electrodes in two distinct ways. An undercoordinated gold atom on a sharp tip forms a donor–acceptor bond to a specific carbon atom in the ring. However, a small, flat patch on a dull tip can bind more strongly to the ring as a whole through van der Waals interactions. Density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations of model electrode structures provide an atomic-scale picture of these scenarios, demonstrating the role of these bonding motifs during junction evolution and showing that the conductance is relatively independent of tip atomic-scale structure. The nonspecific interaction of the cyclopentadienyl rings with the electrodes enables extended conductance plateaus, a mechanism distinct from that identified for the more commonly studied, rod-shaped organic molecular wires.FA9550-19-1-0224 - Department of Defense/AFOSRAccepted manuscrip

Suicidal Thought in the Adolescent: Exploring the Relationship Between Known Risk Factors and the Presence of Suicidal Thought

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88113/1/j.1744-6171.2011.00310.x.pd

Evaluation of the Reproductive and Developmental Risks of Caffeine

A risk analysis of in utero caffeine exposure is presented utilizing epidemiological studies and animal studies dealing with congenital malformation, pregnancy loss, and weight reduction. These effects are of interest to teratologists, because animal studies are useful in their evaluation. Many of the epidemiology studies did not evaluate the impact of the “pregnancy signal,” which identifies healthy pregnancies and permits investigators to identify subjects with low pregnancy risks. The spontaneous abortion epidemiology studies were inconsistent and the majority did not consider the confounding introduced by not considering the pregnancy signal. The animal studies do not support the concept that caffeine is an abortafacient for the wide range of human caffeine exposures. Almost all the congenital malformation epidemiology studies were negative. Animal pharmacokinetic studies indicate that the teratogenic plasma level of caffeine has to reach or exceed 60 µg/ml, which is not attainable from ingesting large amounts of caffeine in foods and beverages. No epidemiological study described the “caffeine teratogenic syndrome.” Six of the 17 recent epidemiology studies dealing with the risk of caffeine and fetal weight reduction were negative. Seven of the positive studies had growth reductions that were clinically insignificant and none of the studies cited the animal literature. Analysis of caffeine's reproductive toxicity considers reproducibility and plausibility of clinical, epidemiological, and animal data. Moderate or even high amounts of beverages and foods containing caffeine do not increase the risks of congenital malformations, miscarriage or growth retardation. Pharmacokinetic studies markedly improve the ability to perform the risk analyses. Birth Defects Res (Part B) 92:152–187, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Development and Notch Signaling Requirements of the Zebrafish Choroid Plexus

The choroid plexus (CP) is an epithelial and vascular structure in the ventricular system of the brain that is a critical part of the blood-brain barrier. The CP has two primary functions, 1) to produce and regulate components of the cerebral spinal fluid, and 2) to inhibit entry into the brain of exogenous substances. Despite its importance in neurobiology, little is known about how this structure forms.Here we show that the transposon-mediated enhancer trap zebrafish line Et(Mn16) expresses green fluorescent protein within a population of cells that migrate toward the midline and coalesce to form the definitive CP. We further demonstrate the development of the integral vascular network of the definitive CP. Utilizing pharmacologic pan-notch inhibition and specific morpholino-mediated knockdown, we demonstrate a requirement for Notch signaling in choroid plexus development. We identify three Notch signaling pathway members as mediating this effect, notch1b, deltaA, and deltaD.This work is the first to identify the zebrafish choroid plexus and to characterize its epithelial and vasculature integration. This study, in the context of other comparative anatomical studies, strongly indicates a conserved mechanism for development of the CP. Finally, we characterize a requirement for Notch signaling in the developing CP. This establishes the zebrafish CP as an important new system for the determination of key signaling pathways in the formation of this essential component of the vertebrate brain