Comparison of Nucleon Form Factors from Lattice QCD Against the Light Front Cloudy Bag Model and Extrapolation to the Physical Mass Regime

We explore the possibility of extrapolating state of the art lattice QCD calculations of nucleon form factors to the physical regime. We find that the lattice results can be reproduced using the Light Front Cloudy Bag Model by letting its parameters be analytic functions of the quark mass. We then use the model to extend the lattice calculations to large values of Q^{2} of interest to current and planned experiments. These functions are also used to define extrapolations to the physical value of the pion mass, thereby allowing us to study how the predicted zero in G_{E}(Q^{2})/G_{M}(Q^{2}) varies as a function of quark mass.Comment: 31 pages, 22 figure

Swine Feed Efficiency: Influence of Temperature

Pig performance, including feed efficiency, is maximized when animals are kept within their thermoneutral zone. When describing the environmental conditions that the animal is raised in, it is important to realize that there are several factors influencing pig comfort. “Effective” environmental temperature is a better measure than “air” temperature, as it takes into account relative humidity, air movement (velocity), flooring type and condition, insulation of the building, evaporative cooling, and huddling of pigs. Pigs of different size and age have different thermoneutral comfort zones, as younger, smaller pigs have higher temperature requirements and have a smaller tolerance for temperature changes (Figure 1). As pigs grow, their thermoneutral zone expands and they are able to tolerate a much wider range of temperature before growth rate and feed efficiency are affected

The Radius of the Proton: Size Does Matter

The measurement by Pohl et al. [1] of the 2S_1/2^F=1 to 2P_3/2^F=2 transition in muonic hydrogen and the subsequent analysis has led to a conclusion that the rms charge radius of the proton differs from the accepted (CODATA [2]) value by approximately 4%, leading to a 4.9 s.d. discrepancy. We investigate the muonic hydrogen spectrum relevant to this transition using bound-state QED with Dirac wave-functions and comment on the extent to which the perturbation-theory analysis which leads to the above conclusion can be confirmed.Comment: Delayed arXiv submission. To appear in 'Proceedings of T(R)OPICALQCD 2010' (September 26 - October 1, 2010). 7 pages, 1 figure. Superseded by arXiv:1104.297

Army ants algorithm for rare event sampling of delocalized nonadiabatic transitions by trajectory surface hopping and the estimation of sampling errors by the bootstrap method

The most widely used algorithm for Monte Carlo sampling of electronic transitions in trajectory surface hopping (TSH) calculations is the so-called anteater algorithm, which is inefficient for sampling low-probability nonadiabatic events. We present a new sampling scheme (called the army ants algorithm) for carrying out TSH calculations that is applicable to systems with any strength of coupling. The army ants algorithm is a form of rare event sampling whose efficiency is controlled by an input parameter. By choosing a suitable value of the input parameter the army ants algorithm can be reduced to the anteater algorithm (which is efficient for strongly coupled cases), and by optimizing the parameter the army ants algorithm may be efficiently applied to systems with low-probability events. To demonstrate the efficiency of the army ants algorithm, we performed atom–diatom scattering calculations on a model system involving weakly coupled electronic states. Fully converged quantum mechanical calculations were performed, and the probabilities for nonadiabatic reaction and nonreactive deexcitation (quenching) were found to be on the order of 10^–8. For such low-probability events the anteater sampling scheme requires a large number of trajectories (~10^10) to obtain good statistics and converged semiclassical results. In contrast by using the new army ants algorithm converged results were obtained by running 10^5 trajectories. Furthermore, the results were found to be in excellent agreement with the quantum mechanical results. Sampling errors were estimated using the bootstrap method, which is validated for use with the army ants algorithm

The Changing Financial Structure of the U.S. Farm Sector

Agricultural Finance,

Bias Analysis in Entropy Estimation

We consider the problem of finite sample corrections for entropy estimation. New estimates of the Shannon entropy are proposed and their systematic error (the bias) is computed analytically. We find that our results cover correction formulas of current entropy estimates recently discussed in literature. The trade-off between bias reduction and the increase of the corresponding statistical error is analyzed.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Effects of Feeding Iowa-Grown Field Pea on Finishing Pig Performance

Field peas(Pisum sativum L.) are a valuable and versatile nutrient source for a range of livestock species in several regions of the world. Interest in growing field peas as a feedstuff for livestock is increasing in the upper Midwest. Peas are a relatively new crop in Iowa where corn and soybean meal are the primary ingredients of swine diets. The growing season,seed characteristics, and other agronomic factors influence the nutrient content of peas. Hence, it is important to understand the nutrient levels of locally grown peas before incorporating them in swine diets

Precise Determination of Electroweak Parameters in Neutrino-Nucleon Scattering

A systematic error in the extraction of $\sin^2 \theta_W$ from nuclear deep inelastic scattering of neutrinos and antineutrinos arises from higher-twist effects arising from nuclear shadowing. We explain that these effects cause a correction to the results of the recently reported significant deviation from the Standard Model that is potentially as large as the deviation claimed, and of a sign that cannot be determined without an extremely careful study of the data set used to model the input parton distribution functions.Comment: 3pages, 0 figures, version to be published by IJMP