Hadronization properties of b quarks compared to light quarks in e+e- -> q qbar from 183 to 200 GeV

The DELPHI detector at LEP has collected 54 pb^{-1} of data at a centre-of-mass energy around 183 GeV during 1997, 158 pb^{-1} around 189 GeV during 1998, and 187 pb^{-1} between 192 and 200 GeV during 1999. These data were used to measure the average charged particle multiplicity in e+e- -> b bbar events, _{bb}, and the difference delta_{bl} between _{bb} and the multiplicity, _{ll}, in generic light quark (u,d,s) events: delta_{bl}(183 GeV) = 4.55 +/- 1.31 (stat) +/- 0.73 (syst) delta_{bl}(189 GeV) = 4.43 +/- 0.85 (stat) +/- 0.61 (syst) delta_{bl}(200 GeV) = 3.39 +/- 0.89 (stat) +/- 1.01 (syst). This result is consistent with QCD predictions, while it is inconsistent with calculations assuming that the multiplicity accompanying the decay of a heavy quark is independent of the mass of the quark itself.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Comparative palatability among eggs of mass-spawning corals

The eggs and larvae of mass-spawning reef corals are seasonally abundant and highly nutritious and are therefore a potentially important food source for planktivorous fishes. While there arc several reports of fish feeding on coral propagules, it is not known whether propagules of different coral species are equally palatable. Here we report that the planktivorous fish Pomacentrus moluccensis readily consumed, and did not distinguish between, food pellets made from eggs of Acropora millepora and A. humilis. In contrast, pellets made from eggs of Pachyseris speciosa were often tasted but then rejected. Pomacemrus moluccensis consistently selected pellets made from eggs of the Acropora species over pellets made from eggs of P. speciosa. These preliminary findings suggest that not all coral propagules are equally palatable. Consequently rates of larval mortality resulting from fish predation may vary greatly among different coral species

Differential impacts of public health insurance expansions at the local level

Health insurance, Labor markets, Unemployment, Medicaid, SCHIP, I1, H7,