New methods for B meson decay constants and form factors from lattice NRQCD

We determine the normalisation of scalar and pseudoscalar current operators made from non-relativistic $b$ quarks and Highly Improved Staggered light quarks in lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) through $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s)$ and $\Lambda_{\text{QCD}}/m_b$. We use matrix elements of these operators to extract $B$ meson decay constants and form factors, then compare to those obtained using the standard vector and axial-vector operators. This provides a test of systematic errors in the lattice QCD determination of the $B$ meson decay constants and form factors. We provide a new value for the $B$ and $B_s$ meson decay constants from lattice QCD calculations on ensembles that include $u$, $d$, $s$ and $c$ quarks in the sea and those which have the $u/d$ quark mass going down to its physical value. Our results are $f_B=0.196(6)$ GeV, $f_{B_s}=0.236(7)$ GeV and $f_{B_s}/f_B =1.207(7)$, agreeing well with earlier results using the temporal axial current. By combining with these previous results, we provide updated values of $f_B=0.190(4)$ GeV, $f_{B_s}=0.229(5)$ GeV and $f_{B_s}/f_B = 1.206(5)$.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure

Read, Retrieve, Connect and Use: An Intervention Strategy for Science and Scientific Literacy

American students underachieve on local, state, national, and international assessments of science. Student performance on standardized assessments has driven numerous educational reforms including No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top with a resulting increased focus on student achievement. Local districts and schools struggle with how to improve student achievement in order to meet the requirements of state and federal legislation. International and national government officials extol1 the value of science in driving the economic prosperity of a nation adding increased pressure to improve science scores in the United States. Moreover, to be effective decision-makers personally and within a democracy, citizens must be scientifically literate. Read, Retrieve, Connect and Use (RRCU) is an instructional strategy that combined state biology content standards, with the new Common Core Standards for Literacy in Science through evidenced-based literacy strategies recommended by the National Reading Panel. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of an intervention, RRCU to improve science content knowledge and literacy skills in Biology and Language Arts. The findings identified reading skill, as measured by FCAT Reading as predictive of Biology test scores indicating a close relationship between reading comprehension and the ability to learn and be assessed on science content knowledge. The data did not indicate RRCU was an effective means of improving student science content knowledge or literacy skills. However, teachers responded positively to the strategy as a means to reinforce content knowledge and support literacy skills. Future recommendations include improving the study design and expanding the use of the strategy to middle school to build a foundation of effective literacy skills students can use to cope with the depth and complexity of science content at the high school level

Alien Registration- Monahan, Fred T. (Sanford, York County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/2619/thumbnail.jp

Law’s power to safeguard global health: a Lancet–O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University Commission on Global Health and the Law

The law-–global, national, and subnational–-plays a vital, yet often underappreciated, role in safeguarding and promoting the public’s health. In this article, we launch the Lancet-O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University Commission on Global Health and the Law. Commissioners from around the world will explore the critical opportunities and challenges of using law as a tool, while evaluating the evidence base for legal interventions. The Commission aims to define and systematically describe the current landscape of law that affects global health and safety. Commissioners were chosen from disciplines that range from health, policy, and law to economics and governance. The Commission aims to present a compelling argument as to why law should be viewed as a major determinant of health and safety and how the law can be used in a powerful and innovative way to address the global burdens of injury and disease. Above all, the Commission will pursue justice, finding innovative ways to narrow existing and unconscionable health inequalitie

Legal Preparedness and Ebola Vaccines

On Dec 9, 2014, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell issued a declaration under the US Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to provide immunity from legal claims in the USA related to manufacturing, testing, development, distribution, and administration of three candidate Ebola vaccines except in instances of willful misconduct. Although progress in combating Ebola in west Africa has shifted public attention away from vaccine development and deployment, we should not forget that the management of legal liabilities related to vaccines has been an important subject of discussion between national governments, international organizations, vaccine manufacturers, and other parties who have been engaged in the worldwide response to the Ebola outbreak during the past year