Scalar Representations and Minimal Flavor Violation

We discuss the representations that new scalar degrees of freedom (beyond those in the minimal standard model) can have if they couple to quarks in a way that is consistent with minimal flavor violation. If the new scalars are singlets under the flavor group then they must be color singlets or color octets. In this paper we discuss the allowed representations and renormalizable couplings when the new scalars also transform under the flavor group. We find that color \bar{3} and 6 representations are also allowed. We focus on the cases where the new scalars can have renormalizable Yukawa couplings to the quarks without factors of the quark Yukawa matrices. The renormalizable couplings in the models we introduce automatically conserve baryon number.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures V2: Lepton MFV protection of baryon number discusse

The Ethics of Amos in Light of Its Ancient Near Eastern Context

The book of Amos, in a fashion almost preternaturally relevant to contemporary conditions, discusses issues of war and welfare. Amos condemns several foreign nations for various war crimes and then turns to Israel, excoriating it for its mistreatment of the poor. Specifically he indicts the wealthy for enacting policies that created new poor while preventing the old poor from regaining their rightful positions in society. Israel’s elite used economic and judicial methods to enrich themselves at the expense of the vast majority of the population. As a result, Amos predicts the destruction of Israel just as he predicted the destruction of the foreign nations. The nature of Amos’ prophecy as well as the crimes with which he indicted Israel may potentially create some consternation to members of modern society. Amos provides no standard by which the nations were judged. Further, the punishments he announces seem suspiciously similar to the actions for which the nations were first condemned. Nor do all of the crimes for which Israel was condemned seem to have any basis in Hebrew law. Yet Amos announces that Israel will share in the punishment of the foreign nations. It is my thesis that the book of Amos can be best understood when read in the light of its ancient Near Eastern context. Three basic Near Eastern concepts help provide clarity: an understanding of international customary law; ancient customary treatment of the poor; and the concept of retributive punishment. Finally, retributive punishment, especially as subsumed under the concept of virtuous vengeance, is applied to the book

Environmental contaminants, parasitism, and neoplasia in white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay, USA

White perch are an abundant demersal fish species in freshwater and oligohaline habitats of the Chesapeake Bay. An avoidance of salinity \u3e 12-15 ppt generally restricts the distribution and movements of fish to within tributaries in the mid to lower Bay, which over time has resulted in the formation of at least three separate stocks in Chesapeake Bay. Sub-populations of white perch that are partially isolated may serve as sentinels of the conditions or stressors in the tributaries in which they reside. Fish are exposed to a variety of environmental contaminants and other anthropogenic stressors that can vary in magnitude based on regional differences in land-use patterns. Health studies of white perch conducted in the 1980s and 1990s revealed a variety of hepatic lesions, including two reports of liver neoplasms, which suggested a sensitivity to degraded habitat or pollution. However, surveys to determine prevalences and potential etiologies of tumors were not determined and the health of white perch in Chesapeake Bay was not investigated again until the studies reported herein. Recent health investigations has revealed associations between neoplasms (cholangiocarcinomas) and bile duct parasites (coccidian and myxozoan) that were not previously described from white perch. These findings raised questions concerning the potential roles of contaminants and parasitism in liver tumor induction in this species. To address knowledge gaps associated with the prevalence and etiology of tumors in white perch, an assessment of environmental contaminants, biomarkers of exposure, biliary parasites, and liver histopathology was required. This study was conducted in two tributaries of the Bay: the Choptank River, an eastern shore tributary with extensive watershed agriculture, and the Severn River, a western shore tributary with extensive development. This dissertation addresses: 1) descriptions and taxonomic placement of the coccidian and myxozoan parasites; 2) measurement of waterborne concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides, and brominated diphenyl ethers; 3) detection of biliary metabolites as a biomarker of exposures to PAHs; 4) a histopathological description of parasitic infections, neoplasms and other lesions in the liver of fish; 5) an assessment of the biological and anthropogenic risk factors for neoplasia; and 6) an assessment of splenic and hepatic macrophage aggregates as an alternate biomarker of contaminant exposure