The Mariner Jupiter/Saturn photopolarimeter experiment

Observations of Saturn's rings by the Mariner Jupiter/Saturn photopolarimeter are studied. From these observations attempts were made to: (1) determine the size, shape, albedo, distribution, and orientation of particles in the rings, (2) measure geometric and optical thickness of the rings, and (3) determine the effect of Saturn's satellites on dynamics of ring particles. Special attention was given to stellar and solar occulation measurements, surface brightness photometry, and phase angle dependence of intensity and polarization

OAO-2 observations of the zodiacal light

Photometric measurements of the night sky brightness have been obtained at twelve wavelengths between 1000 A and 4300 A from above the earth's atmosphere. A preliminary analysis of the data reveals a component of the sky brightness with ecliptic symmetry and an intensity distribution similar to that of the zodiacal light. The ultraviolet spectrum of the zodiacal light can be closely approximated with a two component model in which one component has an albedo proportional to the wavelength lambda and the other component has a scattering efficiency proportional to lambda to lbe minus 19 power

Observing Ultra High Energy Cosmic Particles from Space: SEUSO, the Super Extreme Universe Space Observatory Mission

The experimental search for ultra high energy cosmic messengers, from $E\sim 10^{19}$ eV to beyond $E\sim 10^{20}$ eV, at the very end of the known energy spectrum, constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to explore a largely unknown aspect of our universe. Key scientific goals are the identification of the sources of ultra high energy particles, the measurement of their spectra and the study of galactic and local intergalactic magnetic fields. Ultra high energy particles might, also, carry evidence of unknown physics or of exotic particles relics of the early universe. To meet this challenge a significant increase in the integrated exposure is required. This implies a new class of experiments with larger acceptances and good understanding of the systematic uncertainties. Space based observatories can reach the instantaneous aperture and the integrated exposure necessary to systematically explore the ultra high energy universe. In this paper, after briefly summarising the science case of the mission, we describe the scientific goals and requirements of the SEUSO concept. We then introduce the SEUSO observational approach and describe the main instrument and mission features. We conclude discussing the expected performance of the mission

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to innate immune response against Salmonella in nursery pigs

The objective of this study was to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in innate immune response genes with Salmonella shedding in nursery pigs. One hundred and sixty eight pigs on seven farrow-to- finish farms and one farrow-feeder operation were included in the study. On each farm, 21 pigs were selected from seven sows at weaning. Fecal samples were collected from selected pigs and cultured for Salmonella, and the isolates were serotyped. DNA was extracted from liver samples and used to genotype pigs for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 21 different innate immune response genes. In total, 15 (9.3%) pigs tested positive for Salmonella; the isolates from six pigs from four different litters on one farm were serotyped as Salmonella Infantis and from nine pigs from six different litters on another farm as Salmonella Worthington. SNP analysis showed an association of Salmonella shedding with a SNP in the genes encoding mannan-binding lectin (MBL)-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2) and Toll-like receptor-1 (TLR-1) (P \u3c 0.05). These findings suggest that Salmonella shedding in pigs is controlled by genetic elements and these genetic variants could possibly be used to breed pigs that are more resistant to Salmonella colonization and Salmonella shedding

Some thoughts on the monitoring and preservation of waterlogged archaeological sites in eastern England

This study reviews five hydrological monitoring projects used on archeological sites in the waterlogged landscapes of fenland East Anglia and east Yorkshire in England. The project design, recorded variables, and implications of each are discussed. In particular, the importance of understanding the landscape context is paramount, and retrieving an appropriate dataset over a sufficiently lengthy period of time to obtain reliable results and predictability. Some of the lessons learnt and outstanding problems are explored. As former wetlands are fast disappearing around the world through dewatering and a host of wider development threats such as urbanization and gravel extraction, the low intrusion suite of methods described here for measuring the degree and certainty of organic preservation is doubly important for establishing the viability of preservation in situ schemes for waterlogged archeological sites. This is crucial to get right, as wetland archeological records are an irreplaceable resource which offer extraordinarily full and diverse datasets of human lifeways which are all too often either poorly preserved or erroneously interpreted because of the skewed datasets recovered from dryland sites.English Heritage, Huntings Technical Services (for Over), ARC (Central) Ltd. (for Etton), Hanson Building Products and SLR Consulting Ltd. (for Must Farm), the Society of Antiquaries and Fenland Archaeological Trust (for Etton), Cambridge Archaeological Unit (for Over and Must Farm), the McBurney Laboratory and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge (for Over and Must Farm), the Department of Archaeology, University of York and the European Research Council (for Star Carr), and the Meteorological Office (for Etton and Over

Probing RS scenarios of flavour at LHC via leptonic channels

We study a purely leptonic signature of the Randall-Sundrum scenario with Standard Model fields in the bulk at LHC: the contribution from the exchange of Kaluza-Klein (KK) excitations of gauge bosons to the clear Drell-Yan reaction. We show that this contribution is detectable (even with the low luminosities of the LHC initial regime) for KK masses around the TeV scale and for sufficiently large lepton couplings to KK gauge bosons. Such large couplings can be compatible with ElectroWeak precision data on the Zff coupling in the framework of the custodial O(3) symmetry recently proposed, for specific configurations of lepton localizations (along the extra dimension). These configurations can simultaneously reproduce the correct lepton masses, while generating acceptably small Flavour Changing Neutral Current (FCNC) effects. This LHC phenomenological analysis is realistic in the sense that it is based on fermion localizations which reproduce all the quark/lepton masses plus mixing angles and respect FCNC constraints in both the hadron and lepton sectors.Comment: 15 pages, 6 Figures, Latex fil

Constraining Spin-One Color-Octet Resonances Using CDF and ATLAS Data

In this paper, we study the production of spin-one color-octet resonances (colorons) at hadron colliders in a model independent way. We use dijets data measured by CDF (at \sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV and L=1.13$1/pb) and ATLAS (at \sqrt{s}=7$ TeV and L=315 1/nb) collaborations at the Tevatron and the LHC respetively to impose limits on the coupling of colorons to fermions. We show that CDF data still produce the more stringent limits on the coloron coupling constant.Comment: Version accepted for publication in EPJC. Two paragraphs expanded and new references adde

New Higgs Production Mechanism in Composite Higgs Models

Composite Higgs models are only now starting to be probed at the Large Hadron Collider by Higgs searches. We point out that new resonances, abundant in these models, can mediate new production mechanisms for the composite Higgs. The new channels involve the exchange of a massive color octet and single production of new fermion resonances with subsequent decays into the Higgs and a Standard Model quark. The sizable cross section and very distinctive kinematics allow for a very clean extraction of the signal over the background with high statistical significance. Heavy gluon masses up to 2.8 TeV can be probed with data collected during 2012 and up to 5 TeV after the energy upgrade to $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV.Comment: 27 pages, 22 figures. V2: typos corrected, matches published versio