Loop corrections to Delta N_eff in large volume models

In large volume models reheating is driven by the decays of the volume modulus to the visible sector, while the decays to its axion partners result in dark radiation. In this article we discuss the impact of loop corrections on the only model-independent visible decay channel: the decay into Higgs pairs via a Giudice-Masiero term. Including such radiative effects leads to a more precise determination of the relative fraction of dark radiation, since by contrast all loop corrections to the volume axion decay mode are Planck suppressed. Assuming an MSSM spectrum and that the Giudice-Masiero coupling is fixed at the string scale by a shift symmetry in the Higgs sector, we arrive at a prediction for the effective number of neutrinos. The result turns out to be too large to be consistent with data, highly disfavouring the minimal model.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures; v2: Version to appear in JHEP. Expanded introduction to clarify arguments, assumptions and applicability of results; added reference

Assessing Landscape Constraints on Species Abundance: Does the Neighborhood Limit Species Response to Local Habitat Conservation Programs?

Landscapes in agricultural systems continue to undergo significant change, and the loss of biodiversity is an ever-increasing threat. Although habitat restoration is beneficial, management actions do not always result in the desired outcome. Managers must understand why management actions fail; yet, past studies have focused on assessing habitat attributes at a single spatial scale, and often fail to consider the importance of ecological mechanisms that act across spatial scales. We located survey sites across southern Nebraska, USA and conducted point counts to estimate Ring-necked Pheasant abundance, an economically important species to the region, while simultaneously quantifying landscape effects using a geographic information system. To identify suitable areas for allocating limited management resources, we assessed land cover relationships to our counts using a Bayesian binomial-Poisson hierarchical model to construct predictive Species Distribution Models of relative abundance. Our results indicated that landscape scale land cover variables severely constrained or, alternatively, facilitated the positive effects of local land management for Ring-necked Pheasants

Water Equity and Security in Detroit's Water and Sewer District

Ensuring access to drinking water and wastewater service is a nationwide policy challenge. Across the United States access is increasingly insecure for many people and places. In this report we comply with scholarship and legal precedent that defines access to include access to residential in-home service, quality service that serves environmental and personal health,and affordable service.Water security is a term in this report used to describe the presence of structural, systemic, and institutional arrangements that ensure everyone has consistent access to drinking water and wastewater services. Water insecurity looks different in the humid east than in the arid west, different in the Midwest from the South, different between urban, suburban, or rural.However different water insecurity problems look at the local level, they are the result of similar institutional, systemic, and structural problems. This is a study of the what persistent water insecurity looks like in the service area of Detroit's drinking and wastewater system (DWSD) and specific places within that system, notably Detroit

Human iPSC-Derived Cerebellar Neurons from a Patient with Ataxia-Telangiectasia Reveal Disrupted Gene Regulatory Networks

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare genetic disorder caused by loss of function of the ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated kinase and is characterized by a predisposition to cancer, pulmonary disease, immune deficiency and progressive degeneration of the cerebellum. As animal models do not faithfully recapitulate the neurological aspects, it remains unclear whether cerebellar degeneration is a neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative phenotype. To address the necessity for a human model, we first assessed a previously published protocol for the ability to generate cerebellar neuronal cells, finding it gave rise to a population of precursors highly enriched for markers of the early hindbrain such as EN1 and GBX2, and later more mature cerebellar markers including PTF1α, MATH1, HOXB4, ZIC3, PAX6, and TUJ1. RNA sequencing was used to classify differentiated cerebellar neurons generated from integration-free A-T and control induced pluripotent stem cells. Comparison of RNA sequencing data with datasets from the Allen Brain Atlas reveals in vitro-derived cerebellar neurons are transcriptionally similar to discrete regions of the human cerebellum, and most closely resemble the cerebellum at 22 weeks post-conception. We show that patient-derived cerebellar neurons exhibit disrupted gene regulatory networks associated with synaptic vesicle dynamics and oxidative stress, offering the first molecular insights into early cerebellar pathogenesis of ataxia-telangiectasia

Constraints on Axion-like Particles from X-Ray Observations of NGC1275

Axion-like particles (ALPs) can induce localized oscillatory modulations in the spectra of photon sources passing through astrophysical magnetic fields. Ultra-deep Chandra observations of the Perseus cluster contain over $5\times {10}^{5}$ counts from the active galactic nucleus (AGN) of the central cluster galaxy NGC1275 and represent a data set of extraordinary quality for ALP searches. We use this data set to search for X-ray spectral irregularities from the AGN. The absence of irregularities at the ${ \mathcal O }(30 \% )$ level allows us to place leading constraints on the ALP-photon mixing parameter {g}_{a\gamma \gamma }\lesssim 1.4\mbox{--}4.0\times {10}^{-12}\,{\mathrm{GeV}}^{-1} for ${m}_{a}\lesssim {10}^{-12}\,\mathrm{eV}$, depending on assumptions on the magnetic field realization along the line of sight.European Research Counci

Revisiting our review of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT): meta‐analytical results still point to no efficacy in increasing the use of substance use disorder services

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152618/1/add13146.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152618/2/add13146_am.pd

Specialty substance use disorder services following brief alcohol intervention: a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background and aimsBrief alcohol interventions in medical settings are efficacious in improving self‐reported alcohol consumption among those with low‐severity alcohol problems. Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment initiatives presume that brief interventions are efficacious in linking patients to higher levels of care, but pertinent evidence has not been evaluated. We estimated main and subgroup effects of brief alcohol interventions, regardless of their inclusion of a referral‐specific component, in increasing the utilization of alcohol‐related care.MethodsA systematic review of English language papers published in electronic databases to 2013. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of brief alcohol interventions in general health‐care settings with adult and adolescent samples. We excluded studies that lacked alcohol services utilization data. Extractions of study characteristics and outcomes were standardized and conducted independently. The primary outcome was post‐treatment alcohol services utilization assessed by self‐report or administrative data, which we compared across intervention and control groups.ResultsThirteen RCTs met inclusion criteria and nine were meta‐analyzed (n = 993 and n = 937 intervention and control group participants, respectively). In our main analyses the pooled risk ratio (RR) was = 1.08, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92–1.28. Five studies compared referral‐specific interventions with a control condition without such interventions (pooled RR = 1.08, 95% CI = 0.81–1.43). Other subgroup analyses of studies with common characteristics (e.g. age, setting, severity, risk of bias) yielded non‐statistically significant results.ConclusionsThere is a lack of evidence that brief alcohol interventions have any efficacy for increasing the receipt of alcohol‐related services.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112279/1/add12950.pd