Animal proxies to characterize the strontium biosphere in the northeastern Nile Delta

Strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) isotope analysis is a potent tool for reconstructing the residential mobility of humans and animals in the past but is reliant on knowledge of strontium isotope variation within the expanded physical environment. This paper aims to contribute to the isoscape in the northeastern Nile Delta with faunal samples from the site of Tell el-Dab‘a (Avaris), believed to be the capital of the so-called Hyksos kings. Mapping the available ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios from Egypt and the Sudan highlights major research gaps outside the Nile region. e current corpus of knowledge also shows that the Nile River region yields a homogenous range of isotopic values (median and IQR 0.7076 0.0003). Strontium isotope ratios from human dental enamel, which record childhood residence, will provide evidence of non-locals from outside the Nile area with confidence but these values suggest that identifying movement along the Nile River in the past will be difficult without the use of supplementary evidence (e.g. oxygen stable isotope analysis). We present ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of archaeologically-derived faunal bone samples (n=6) from the site of Tell el-Dab‘a (Avaris) in the northeastern Nile Delta. e ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios fit within the expectations of the wider Nile values (mean 0.70769 0.00003) and serve as the first archaeologically-derived values reported for this area of Egypt

The Atlantic Ocean at the last glacial maximum: 1. Objective mapping of the GLAMAP sea-surface conditions

Recent efforts of the German paleoceanographic community have resulted in a unique data set of reconstructed sea-surface temperature for the Atlantic Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum, plus estimates for the extents of glacial sea ice. Unlike prior attempts, the contributing research groups based their data on a common definition of the Last Glacial Maximum chronozone and used the same modern reference data for calibrating the different transfer techniques. Furthermore, the number of processed sediment cores was vastly increased. Thus the new data is a significant advance not only with respect to quality, but also to quantity. We integrate these new data and provide monthly data sets of global sea-surface temperature and ice cover, objectively interpolated onto a regular 1°x1° grid, suitable for forcing or validating numerical ocean and atmosphere models. This set is compared to an existing subjective interpolation of the same base data, in part by employing an ocean circulation model. For the latter purpose, we reconstruct sea surface salinity from the new temperature data and the available oxygen isotope measurements

Observation of the Dynamic Beta Effect at CESR with CLEO

Using the silicon strip detector of the CLEO experiment operating at the Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring (CESR), we have observed that the horizontal size of the luminous region decreases in the presence of the beam-beam interaction from what is expected without the beam-beam interaction. The dependence on the bunch current agrees with the prediction of the dynamic beta effect. This is the first direct observation of the effect.Comment: 9 page uuencoded postscript file, postscritp file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Determination of the Michel Parameters and the tau Neutrino Helicity in tau Decay

Using the CLEO II detector at the $e^+e^-$ storage ring CESR, we have determined the Michel parameters $\rho$, $\xi$, and $\delta$ in $\tau^\mp \to l^\mp\nu\bar{\nu}$ decay as well as the tau neutrino helicity parameter $h_{\nu_\tau}$ in $\tau^\mp \to \pi^\mp\pi^0\nu$ decay. From a data sample of $3.02\times 10^6$ tau pairs produced at $\sqrt{s}=10.6 GeV$, using events of the topology $e^+e^- \to \tau^+\tau^- \to (l^\pm\nu\bar{\nu}) (\pi^\mp\pi^0\nu)$ and $e^+e^- \to \tau^+\tau^- \to (\pi^\pm\pi^0\bar{\nu}) (\pi^\mp\pi^0\nu)$, and the determined sign of $h_{\nu_\tau}$, the combined result of the three samples is: $\rho = 0.747\pm 0.010\pm 0.006$, $\xi = 1.007\pm 0.040\pm 0.015$, $\xi\delta = 0.745\pm 0.026\pm 0.009$, and $h_{\nu_\tau} = -0.995\pm 0.010\pm 0.003$. The results are in agreement with the Standard Model V-A interaction.Comment: 18 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Averages of b-hadron properties at the end of 2006

This article reports the world averages for measurements on b-hadron properties obtained by the Heavy Flavor Averaging Group (HFAG) using the available results at the end of 2006. In the averaging, the input parameters used in the various analyses are adjusted (rescaled) to common values, and all known correlations are taken into account. The averages include lifetimes, neutral meson mixing parameters, parameters of semileptonic decays, branching fractions of B decays to final states with open charm, charmonium and no charm, and measurements related to CP asymmetries.This article reports the world averages for measurements on b-hadron properties obtained by the Heavy Flavor Averaging Group (HFAG) using the available results at the end of 2006. In the averaging, the input parameters used in the various analyses are adjusted (rescaled) to common values, and all known correlations are taken into account. The averages include lifetimes, neutral meson mixing parameters, parameters of semileptonic decays, branching fractions of B decays to final states with open charm, charmonium and no charm, and measurements related to CP asymmetries

Further Search for the Two-Photon Production of the Glueball Candidate fJ(2220)f_{J}(2220)

The CLEOII detector at the Cornell e+ e- storage ring CESR has been used to search for the two-photon production of the $f_J(2220)$ decaying into pi+ pi-. No evidence for a signal is found in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.77/fb and a 95% CL upper limit on $\Gamma_{two-photon} * BR{pi+ pi-}$ of 2.5 eV is set. If this result is combined with the BES Collaboration's measurement of $f_J(2220) -> pi+ pi-$ in radiative $J/\psi$ decay, a 95% CL lower limit on the stickiness of the $f_J(2220)$ of 73 is obtained. If the recent CLEO result for \Gamma_{two-photon} * BR{\K_S K_S} is combined with the present result, the stickiness of the $f_J(2220)$ is found to be larger than 102 at the 95% CL. These results for the stickiness (the ratio of the probabilities for two-gluon coupling and two-photon coupling) provide further support for a substantial neutral parton content in the $f_J(2220)$.Comment: 8 pages, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Measurement of the Bˉ→Dℓνˉ\bar{B}\to D\ell\bar{\nu} Partila Width and Form Factor Parameters

We have studied the decay $\bar{B} \to D\ell\bar{\nu}$, where $\ell=e or \mu$. From a fit to the differential decay rate $d\Gamma/dw$ we measure the rate normalization ${\cal F}_D(1)|V_{cb}|$ and form factor slope $\hat{\rho}^2_D$, and, using measured values of $\tau_B$, find $\Gamma(\bar{B} \to D\ell\bar{\nu}) = (12.0 \pm 0.9 \pm 2.1) ns^{-1}$. The resulting branching fractions are ${\cal B}(\bar{B}^0 \to D^+\ell^-\bar{\nu})=(1.87 \pm 0.15 \pm 0.32)$ and ${\cal B}(B^- \to D^0\ell^-\bar{\nu})=(1.94 \pm 0.15 \pm 0.34)$. The form factor parameters are in agreement with those measured in $\bar{B} \to D^*\ell\bar{\nu}$ decays, as predicted by heavy quark effective theory.Comment: 11 pages, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

A Measurement of the Decay Asymmetry Parameters in \Xi_{c}^{0}\to \X^{-}\pi^{+}

Using the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring we have measured the $\Xi_c^{0}$ decay asymmetry parameter in the decay $\Xi_c^{0} \to \Xi^{-} \pi^+$. We find $\alpha_{\Xi_c^{0}} \alpha_{\Xi} = 0.26 \pm 0.18{(stat)}^{+0.05}_{-0.04}{(syst)}$, using the world average value of $\alpha_{\Xi} = -0.456 \pm 0.014$ we obtain $\alpha_{\Xi_c^{0}} = -0.56 \pm 0.39{(stat)}^{+0.10}_{-0.09}{(syst)}$. The physically allowed range of a decay asymmetry parameter is $-1<\alpha<+1$. Our result prefers a negative value: $\alpha_{\Xi_c^{0}}$ is $<0.1$ at the 90% CL. The central value occupies the middle of the theoretically expected range but is not yet precise enough to choose between models.Comment: 10 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Study of Charmless Hadronic B Meson Decays to Pseudoscalar-Vector Final States

We report results of searches for charmless hadronic B meson decays to pseudoscalar(pi^+-,K^+-,Pi^0 or Ks^0)-vector(Rho, K* or Omega) final states. Using 9.7 million BBbar pairs collected with the CLEO detector, we report first observation of B^- --> Pi^-Rho^0, B^0 --> Pi^+-Rho^-+ and B^- --> Pi^-Omega, which are expected to be dominated by hadronic b --> u transitions. The measured branching fractions are (10.4+3.3-3.4+-2.1)x10^-6, (27.6+8.4-7.4+-4.2)x10^-6 and (11.3+3.3-2.9+-1.4)x10^-6, respectively. Branching fraction upper limits are set for all the other decay modes investigated.Comment: 10 pages postscript, also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN