Integration and Conventional Systems at STAR

At the beginning of the design and construction of the STAR Detector, the collaboration assigned a team of physicists and engineers the responsibility of coordinating the construction of the detector. This group managed the general space assignments for each sub-system and coordinated the assembly and planning for the detector. Furthermore, as this group was the only STAR group with the responsibility of looking at the system as a whole, the collaboration assigned it several tasks that spanned the different sub-detectors. These items included grounding, rack layout, cable distribution, electrical, power and water, and safety systems. This paper describes these systems and their performance.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, Contribution to a NIM Volume Dedicated to the Detectors and the Accelerator at RHI

The BRAN luminosity detectors for the LHC

This paper describes the several phases which led, from the conceptual design, prototyping, construction and tests with beam, to the installation and operation of the BRAN (Beam RAte of Neutrals) relative luminosity monitors for the LHC. The detectors have been operating since 2009 to contribute, optimize and maintain the accelerator performance in the two high luminosity interaction regions (IR), the IR1 (ATLAS) and the IR5 (CMS). The devices are gas ionization chambers installed inside a neutral particle absorber 140 m away from the Interaction Points in IR1 and IR5 and monitor the energy deposited by electromagnetic showers produced by high-energy neutral particles from the collisions. The detectors have the capability to resolve the bunch-by-bunch luminosity at the 40 MHz bunch rate, as well as to survive the extreme level of radiation during the nominal LHC operation. The devices have operated since the early commissioning phase of the accelerator over a broad range of luminosities reaching 1.4*10^34 cm-2 s-1 with a peak pileup of 45 events per bunch crossing. Even though the nominal design luminosity of the LHC has been exceeded, the BRAN is operating well. After describing the multiple applications that the BRAN can be used to monitor the luminosity of the accelerator, we discuss the technical choices that led to its construction and the different tests performed prior to the installation in two IRs of the LHC. Performance simulations are presented together with operational results obtained during p-p operations, including runs at 40 MHz bunch rate, Pb-Pb operations and p-Pb operations.Comment: 22 pages, 32 Figure

COMPARISONS OF TWO SYMMETRIC DENSITY FUNCTION SOLUTIONS OF APHID POPULATION GROWTH MODELS

Aphids are among the world\u27s most devastating crop pests, and their population trajectories in field crops are characterized by rapid boom and bust, under the influence of bottom up (host plant) and top down (natural enemy) forces. Theoretical development in aphid growth trajectory modeling has recently advanced quite significantly, and the logistic and normal probability density functions have been found to provide analytical solutions to mechanistic models of the aphid population growth dynamics. The logistic or hyperbolic secant squared model captures a growth trajectory shaped by negative feedback of the aphid population on itself, due to the accumulation of adverse effect on its host plant and the coupling with natural enemies (bottom up as well as top down effect), while the normal model can be derived on the basis of a relationship between intrinsic growth rate and the host plant phenology. In this paper, we fit both models to a large number of observed aphid population trajectors and explore model properties. It is shown that, despite the diverging mechanistic underpinnings of the model, the generated growth curves, as fitted to the data, are very similar, as are characteristics, such as the height of the peak, the time of the peak and the accumulated area under the curve. Both models are useful workhorses for capturing aphid growth dynamics, but fitting one or either model cannot be used as evidence for the underpinning mechanisms, as different underpinning mechanisms result in similar population dynamics

PREDICTING THE DATE OF FIRST CATCH OF THE CORN EARWORM, HELICOVERPA ZEA, IN CENTRAL U.S.

This paper develops predictive (or correlative) models for the date of first catch of the com earworm, Helicoverpa zea, as a basis for identifying biotic and abiotic factors that influence dispersal and migration. Data described in Goodenough et al. (1988, J. Econ. Entomol.) on the catch of H. zea gathered at over 150 sites predominantly in the central U.S. from 1983 to 1986 are analyzed. The dependent variables, Y1 and Y2, are date of first meaningful catch and date when cumulative catch exceeds 5, respectively; the independent variables are latitude, longitude and elevation of the site. Outstanding among the findings are the following : 1) There is no statistical evidence based on all the data that the slopes of the simple linear regression models of Y2 on latitude differ among the four years. The common slope estimate is 8.11 days/degree, the intercepts differ by as many as 16 days, and the combined model has r2 = 0.69. 2) There is no statistical evidence based on the data in the central U.S. that the partial slopes of the multiple regression models of Y2 on latitude and longitude differ among the four years. The common partial slope estimates are 7.36 and -1.27 days/degree, the intercepts differ by as many as 17 days, and the combined model has R 2= 0.69. Second order terms are not significant . 3) An exploratory analysis using GIS mapping software suggests that elevation is also a significant predictor variable. The suggestion is confirmed in multiple regression models for both Y1 and Y22= 0.71 and 0.72 respectively. The intercepts differ by as many as 20 and 17 days, respectively, over the four years . These results imply that the time of fi!\u27st appearance at any location in the central U.S. could be predicted once the date of first appearance in South Texas is ascertained. They also demonstrate the utility of analyzing residuals using GIS mapping software. Research is in progress to investigate other possible predictor variables including soil moisture, soil temperature and precipitation

Dielectron Cross Section Measurements in Nucleus-Nucleus Reactions at 1.0 A GeV

We present measured dielectron production cross sections for Ca+Ca, C+C, He+Ca, and d+Ca reactions at 1.0 A GeV. Statistical uncertainties and systematic effects are smaller than in previous DLS nucleus-nucleus data. For pair mass < 0.35 GeV/c2 : 1) the Ca+Ca cross section is larger than the previous DLS measurement and current model results, 2) the mass spectra suggest large contributions from pi0 and eta Dalitz decays, and 3) dsigma/dM is proportional to ApAt. For M > 0.5 GeV/c2 the Ca+Ca to C+C cross section ratio is significantly larger than the ratio of ApAt values.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters. Further analysis information will be posted on our web pages -- http://macdls.lbl.gov Figure 1 has been redrawn to make more legible. Text modified to support redrawn figur

Effects of miRNA-15 and miRNA-16 expression replacement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia : implication for therapy

This work was supported by: Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC) Grant 5 x mille n.9980, (to M.F., F.M. A. N., P.T. and M.N.) ; AIRC I.G. n. 14326 (to M.F.), n.10136 and 16722 (A.N.), n.15426 (to F.F.). AIRC and Fondazione CaRiCal co-financed Multi Unit Regional Grant 2014 n.16695 (to F.M.). Italian Ministry of Health 5x1000 funds (to S.Z. and F.F). A.G R. was supported by Associazione Italiana contro le Leucemie-Linfomi-Mielomi (AIL) Cosenza - Fondazione Amelia Scorza (FAS). S.M. C.M., M.C., L.E., S.B. were supported by AIRC.Peer reviewedPostprin

Inclusive Dielectron Cross Sections in p+p and p+d Interactions at Beam Energies from 1.04 to 4.88 GeV

Measurements of dielectron production in p+p and p+d collisions with beam kinetic energies from 1.04 to 4.88 GeV are presented. The differential cross section is presented as a function of invariant pair mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity. The shapes of the mass spectra and their evolution with beam energy provide information about the relative importance of the various dielectron production mechanisms in this energy regime. The p+d to p+p ratio of the dielectron yield is also presented as a function of invariant pair mass, transverse momentum, and rapidity. The shapes of the transverse momentum and rapidity spectra from the p+d and p+p systems are found to be similar to one another for each of the beam energies studied. The beam energy dependence of the integrated cross sections is also presented.Comment: 15 pages and 16 figure

Dilepton Production at SPS-energy Heavy Ion Collisions

The production of dileptons is studied within a hadronic transport model. We investigate the sensitivity of the dilepton spectra to the initial configuration of the hadronic phase in a ultrarelativistic heavy ion collision. Possible in medium correction due to the modifications of pions and the pion form factor in a hadronic gas are discussed.Comment: Dedicated to Gerry Brown in honor of the 32nd celebration of his 39th birthday. 31 pages Latex including 13 eps-figures, uses psfig.sty and epsf.st