387 research outputs found
Community views on renewable energy and global warming
A survey was carried out in Western Australia to determine community attitudes to global warming and proposed mitigation measures. Strong concern was identified, together with some confusion about the origins and effects of global warming. Support was evident for several proposed mitigation measures, although many respondents were uncertain about renewable energy options. The results of the survey point to a need for more education and information on specific aspects of these issues
Energy saving in cities: issues, strategies and options for local governments
UNEP's monograph, "Energy Savings in Cities: Issues, Strategies and Options for Local Governments" provides information to decision-makers in developing countries on how they might reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while saving on energy costs
Ancient Gondwana break-up explains the distribution of the mycoheterotrophic family Corsiaceae (Liliales)
Plant science
Energy relaxation of an excited electron gas in quantum wires: many-body electron LO-phonon coupling
We theoretically study energy relaxation via LO-phonon emission in an excited
one-dimensional electron gas confined in a GaAs quantum wire structure. We find
that the inclusion of phonon renormalization effects in the theory extends the
LO-phonon dominated loss regime down to substantially lower temperatures. We
show that a simple plasmon-pole approximation works well for this problem, and
discuss implications of our results for low temperature electron heating
experiments in quantum wires.Comment: 10 pages, RevTex, 4 figures included. Also available at
http://www-cmg.physics.umd.edu/~lzheng
CO adsorption on neutral iridium clusters
The adsorption of carbon monoxide on neutral iridium clusters in the size
range of n = 3 to 21 atoms is investigated with infrared multiple photon
dissociation spectroscopy. For each cluster size only a single v(CO) band is
present with frequencies in the range between 1962 cm-1 (n = 8) and 1985 cm-1
(n = 18) which can be attributed to an atop binding geometry. This behaviour is
compared to the CO binding geometries on clusters of other group 9 and 10
transition metals as well as to that on extended surfaces. The preference of Ir
for atop binding is rationalized by relativistic effects on the electronic
structure of the later 5d metals
Digital technology and governance in transition: The case of the British Library
Comment on the organizational consequences of the new information and communications technologies (ICTs) is pervaded by a powerful imagery of disaggregation and a tendency for ?virtual? forms of production to be seen as synonymous with the ?end? of bureaucracy. This paper questions the underlying assumptions of the ?virtual organization?, highlighting the historically enduring, diversified character of the bureaucratic form. The paper then presents case study findings on the web-based access to information resources now being provided by the British Library (BL). The case study evidence produces two main findings. First, radically decentralised virtual forms of service delivery are heavily dependent on new forms of capacity-building and information aggregation. Second, digital technology is embedded in an inherently contested and contradictory context of institutional change. Current developments in the management and control of digital rights are consistent with the commodification of the public sphere. However, the evidence also suggests that scholarly access to information resources is being significantly influenced by the ?information society? objectives of the BL and other institutional players within the network of UK research libraries
Early interneuron dysfunction in ALS: Insights from a mutant sod1 zebrafish model
Objective:
To determine, when, how, and which neurons initiate the onset of pathophysiology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using a transgenic mutant sod1 zebrafish model and identify neuroprotective drugs.
Methods:
Proteinopathies such as ALS involve mutant proteins that misfold and activate the heat shock stress response (HSR). The HSR is indicative of neuronal stress, and we used a fluorescent hsp70-DsRed reporter in our transgenic zebrafish to track neuronal stress and to measure functional changes in neurons and muscle over the course of the disease.
Results:
We show that mutant sod1 fish first exhibited the HSR in glycinergic interneurons at 24 hours postfertilization (hpf). By 96 hpf, we observed a significant reduction in spontaneous glycinergic currents induced in spinal motor neurons. The loss of inhibition was followed by increased stress in the motor neurons of symptomatic adults and concurrent morphological changes at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) indicative of denervation. Riluzole, the only approved ALS drug and apomorphine, an NRF2 activator, reduced the observed early neuronal stress response.
Interpretation:
The earliest event in the pathophysiology of ALS in the mutant sod1 zebrafish model involves neuronal stress in inhibitory interneurons, resulting from mutant Sod1 expression. This is followed by a reduction in inhibitory input to motor neurons. The loss of inhibitory input may contribute to the later development of neuronal stress in motor neurons and concurrent inability to maintain the NMJ. Riluzole, the approved drug for use in ALS, modulates neuronal stress in interneurons, indicating a novel mechanism of riluzole action
Study of the q^2-Dependence of B --> pi ell nu and B --> rho(omega)ell nu Decay and Extraction of |V_ub|
We report on determinations of |Vub| resulting from studies of the branching
fraction and q^2 distributions in exclusive semileptonic B decays that proceed
via the b->u transition. Our data set consists of the 9.7x10^6 BBbar meson
pairs collected at the Y(4S) resonance with the CLEO II detector. We measure
B(B0 -> pi- l+ nu) = (1.33 +- 0.18 +- 0.11 +- 0.01 +- 0.07)x10^{-4} and B(B0 ->
rho- l+ nu) = (2.17 +- 0.34 +0.47/-0.54 +- 0.41 +- 0.01)x10^{-4}, where the
errors are statistical, experimental systematic, systematic due to residual
form-factor uncertainties in the signal, and systematic due to residual
form-factor uncertainties in the cross-feed modes, respectively. We also find
B(B+ -> eta l+ nu) = (0.84 +- 0.31 +- 0.16 +- 0.09)x10^{-4}, consistent with
what is expected from the B -> pi l nu mode and quark model symmetries. We
extract |Vub| using Light-Cone Sum Rules (LCSR) for 0<= q^2<16 GeV^2 and
Lattice QCD (LQCD) for 16 GeV^2 <= q^2 < q^2_max. Combining both intervals
yields |Vub| = (3.24 +- 0.22 +- 0.13 +0.55/-0.39 +- 0.09)x10^{-3}$ for pi l nu,
and |Vub| = (3.00 +- 0.21 +0.29/-0.35 +0.49/-0.38 +-0.28)x10^{-3} for rho l nu,
where the errors are statistical, experimental systematic, theoretical, and
signal form-factor shape, respectively. Our combined value from both decay
modes is |Vub| = (3.17 +- 0.17 +0.16/-0.17 +0.53/-0.39 +-0.03)x10^{-3}.Comment: 45 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR
Search for CP Violation in D^0--> K_S^0 pi^+pi^-
We report on a search for CP violation in the decay of D0 and D0B to Kshort
pi+pi-. The data come from an integrated luminosity of 9.0 1/fb of e+e-
collisions at sqrt(s) ~ 10 GeV recorded with the CLEO II.V detector. The
resonance substructure of this decay is well described by ten quasi-two-body
decay channels (K*-pi+, K*0(1430)-pi+, K*2(1430)-pi+, K*(1680)-pi+, Kshort rho,
Kshort omega, Kshort f0(980), Kshort f2(1270), Kshort f0(1370), and the ``wrong
sign'' K*+ pi-) plus a small non-resonant component. We observe no evidence for
CP violation in the amplitudes and phases that describe the decay D0 to K_S^0
pi+pi-.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, also available at
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/, submitted to PR
Measurement of Lepton Momentum Moments in the Decay bar{B} \to X \ell \bar{\nu} and Determination of Heavy Quark Expansion Parameters and |V_cb|
We measure the primary lepton momentum spectrum in B-bar to X l nu decays,
for p_l > 1.5 GeV/c in the B rest frame. From this, we calculate various
moments of the spectrum. In particular, we find R_0 = [int(E_l>1.7)
(dGam/dE_sl)*dE_l] / [int(E_l>1.5) (dGam/dE_sl)*dE_l] = 0.6187 +/- 0.0014_stat
+/- 0.0016_sys and R_1 = [int(E_l>1.5) E_l(dGam/dE_sl)*dE_l] / [int(E_l>1.5)
(dGam/dE_sl)*dE_l] = (1.7810 +/- 0.0007_stat +/- 0.0009_sys) GeV. We use these
moments to determine non-perturbative parameters governing the semileptonic
width. In particular, we extract the Heavy Quark Expansion parameters
Lambda-bar = (0.39 +/- 0.03_stat +/- 0.06_sys +/- 0.12_th) GeV and lambda_1 =
(-0.25 +/- 0.02_stat +/- 0.05_sys +/- 0.14_th) GeV^2. The theoretical
constraints used are evaluated through order 1/M_B^3 in the non-perturbative
expansion and beta_0*alpha__s^2 in the perturbative expansion. We use these
parameters to extract |V_cb| from the world average of the semileptonic width
and find |V_cb| = (40.8 +/- 0.5_Gam-sl +/- 0.4_(lambda_1,Lambda-bar)-exp +/-
0.9_th) x 10^-3. In addition, we extract the short range b-quark mass m_b^1S =
(4.82 +/- 0.07_exp +/- 0.11_th) GeV/c^2. Finally, we discuss the implications
of our measurements for the theoretical understanding of inclusive semileptonic
processes.Comment: 21 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR
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