Extraction of Neutrino Flux with the Low ν\nu Method at MiniBooNE Energies

We describe the application of the `low-$\nu$' method to the extraction of the neutrino flux at MiniBooNE energies. As an example, we extract the relative energy dependence of the flux from published MiniBooNE quasielastic scattering cross sections with $\nu < 0.2$ GeV and $\nu < 0.1$ GeV (here $\nu$ is the energy transfer to the target). We find that the flux extracted from the `low-$\nu$' cross sections is consistent with the nominal flux used by MiniBooNE. We fit the MiniBooNE cross sections over the entire kinematic range to various parametrizations of the axial form factor. We find that if the overall normalization of the fit is allowed to float within the normalization errors, the extracted values of the axial vector mass are independent of the flux. Within the Fermi gas model, the $Q^2$ distribution of the MiniBooNE data is described by a standard dipole form factor with $M_A=1.41\pm0.04$ GeV. If nuclear transverse enhancement in the vector form factors is accounted for, the data are best fit with a modified dipole form factor with $M_A=1.10\pm 0.03$ GeV.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, (presented by A. Bodek at CIPANP 2012, St. Petersburg, FL, June 2012, and at NuFact 2012, Williamsburg, VA, July 2012

Free trade in Euro-Mediterranean agriculture :an economic perspective of Turkey

PhD ThesisIt is a standard result of economic theory that free trade maximises global efficiency in a distortion-free world. Over the last two decades countries have made great efforts to liberalise their trade in order to facilitate economic growth through integration in the global economy. Turkey is one of these countries whose international trade plays a significant role in her economic development. Over time, trade increasingly links countries in the Mediterranean region and the trade policy debate is dominated by the regional trade negotiations between the European Union and the ‘Mediterranean Partner Countries’ (MPCs), known as the Union for the Mediterranean. Agriculture is a crucial sector in this region. Unlike manufactured goods, agricultural products have often been only partially integrated into regional trade agreements, due to the high level of protection afforded to them. Agriculture in Turkey holds the promise of making a major contribution to Turkish economic development, with the agricultural trade balance being significantly positive. Turkey is a large and important country in the region and a potential full member of the European Union. This research explores the determining factors of Turkish agricultural export flows to the Euro-Mediterranean countries. The thesis employs the most recent econometric methods in estimating a gravity model and the analysis uses panel data covering the period 1969-2010 for 30 Euro-Mediterranean countries. In addition to performing traditional linear methods, panel unit root and cointegration tests are conducted to examine the likely long run relationship between determining factors and agricultural export flows. The results demonstrate that, as expected, Turkish agricultural exports are positively influenced by economic size and negatively affected by geographical distance. The results also indicate that Turkish agricultural exports to the Euro-Mediterranean countries are positively associated with being a member of a free trade agreement, although this is statistically insignificant. The main inference of the findings is that they do not support the notion that free trade agreements between Turkey and the Euro- Mediterranean countries boost the agricultural exports of Turkey. Comparing the results between the standard panel data estimator and panel cointegration estimators show that there is little difference between them.Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Educatio

Organisation and dynamics of a polymeric surfactant at the air-water interface

Polyethylene(oxide) (PEO) is an intriguing polymer, it is water-soluble but exhibits surface-active properties. When capped hydrophobically at one end by a fluorocarbon group, a novel polymeric surfactant is generated. This has been synthesised by combining anionic polymerisation and an end-capping reaction using isophorone diisocyanate. Three molecular weight polymers were generated, for each of which a hydrogenous and a deuterated version were required, hi aqueous solution, these polymeric surfactants formed surface excess layers at the air-water interface and their surface organisation and dynamic behaviour has been investigated. Surface tension data was obtained using a digital tensiometer and the surface tension isotherm is dependent on both solution concentration and polymer molecular weight. Using neutron reflectometry, the organisation of such adsorbed polymer films at the air-water interface has been obtained over a range of solution concentrations for each polymer molecular weight. Neutron reflectometry data was analysed by both optical matrix and kinematic approximation methods. Both analyses yield the same description, i.e. a two-layer organisation is observed at the air-water interface for all three molecular weight polymers. The PEO layer thickness and the surface organisation are found to be dependent on both solution concentration and molecular weight. The PEO chains are totally immersed in the subphase and strongly anchored at the surface via the fluorocarbon end group. The dynamic behaviour of each PEO adsorbed surface excess at the air-water interface has been studied using surface quasi-elastic light scattering. A resonance between the capillary and dilational waves is observed and the maximum in damping is independent on surface organisation but is molecular weight and solution concentration dependent. The viscoelastic behaviour of the dilational modulus can be described using a simple Maxwell fluid model, from which a relaxation time has been obtained assuming a single relaxational process

Regional Economic Growth; Socio-Economic Disparities among Counties

State level economy has always been relying on its major metropolitan area’s economic success. So, such metropolitan agglomerations have been considered the only agents that can foster the state’s economic standing as if other economic places do (or may) not have significant contribution to the regional economy. In contrast, as some major cities enhance their economic well-being and agglomerate in specialized sector, the rest of the region lose their economic grounds or stay constant by widening the economic gap among cities. Therefore, an institutional approach can help to establish new regional arrangements to substitute all economic places to coordinate each other and succeed the economic growth as part of state government by reducing the disparities. In this sense, this study builds upon the inquiry that seeks the impacts of some economic disparities among economic places (counties) on the performances of state level regional economy

Selection of an Appropriate a\u3csub\u3emax\u3c/sub\u3e for Liquefaction Analyses from One-Dimensional Site Response Analyses

This paper is an attempt to clarify a possible confusion regarding which maximum ground acceleration (amax) should be used when performing a site-specific liquefaction analysis. Usually, one-dimensional free-field site response analysis is performed to estimate amax at the foundation elevation and the strain-compatible soil parameters within the soil profile. From the soil-structure interaction (SSI) analysis perspective, this calculation is repeated for the best-estimate, lower-bound, and upper-bound soil profiles. For this, the shear moduli are adjusted using a coefficient of variation (cv) to account for the spatial variation in the soil properties and the uncertainties in SSI calculations. The procedure is explained in ASCE 4-98. On the other hand, establishing a design amax is open to interpretation in current guidelines and procedures that discuss the liquefaction analysis. The simplified cyclic stress ratio (CSR) procedure is an empirical method that uses a depth dependent stress reduction factor (rd). In the CSR procedure, amax corresponds to the magnitude of an earthquake that is assumed to occur at the site. The question is, should the amax from the one-dimensional response analysis using the best estimate (or representative) soil profile be used in liquefaction analysis? Or, should the average or possibly the least favorable amax be used? If the least favorable amax is used, then the corresponding soil profile should also be used in liquefaction analyses. Historically, rd values are based on studies done using different earthquake time histories and average soil profiles. In this study, a small scale parametric study is conducted to show that the average amax from the one-dimensional response analyses with best estimate soil profile is appropriate to use in simplified liquefaction analyses

Regional Economic Growth; Socio-Economic Disparities among Counties

State level economy has always been relying on its major metropolitan area’s economic success. So, such metropolitan agglomerations have been considered the only agents that can foster the state’s economic standing as if other economic places do (or may) not have significant contribution to the regional economy. In contrast, as some major cities enhance their economic well-being and agglomerate in specialized sector, the rest of the region lose their economic grounds or stay constant by widening the economic gap among cities. Therefore, an institutional approach can help to establish new regional arrangements to substitute all economic places to coordinate each other and succeed the economic growth as part of state government by reducing the disparities. In this sense, this study builds upon the inquiry that seeks the impacts of some economic disparities among economic places (counties) on the performances of state level regional economy

Surgical Principles for Spinal and Paraspinal Neurofibromas

Neurofibromas are the most prevalent seen tumor in the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) disease. Spinal neurofibromas, which are the major diagnostic criteria of disease, are seen in approximately 60% of the patients with NF1. They constitute 23% of all of the spinal tumors. While the spinal neurofibromas most frequently show a location in thoracic region, it is followed by their predilection in cervical and lumbar regions, respectively. The spinal neurofibromas located in the sacral region are quite rarely observed and show an asymptomatic course until reaching to the big sizes. Of these spinal neurofibromas, 72% were with intradural extramedullary, 14% with extradural, and 13% with intradural and extradural “dumbbell formation.” Only 1% of the spinal neurofibromas are intramedullary located. The total taking of the single solitary neurofibroma surgically is relatively easier. But, the difficulties can be encountered in taking these tumors surgically since they are characterized by the multiple tumors in the plexiform neurofibromas, especially accompanying to the NF1. In this chapter, the surgical difficulties encountered in the region in which the tumor is localized and different surgical approaches are developed in the course of time in order to exceed these difficulties are described

The Innovation Paradox: Concept Space Expansion with Diminishing Originality and the Promise of Creative AI

Innovation, typically spurred by reusing, recombining, and synthesizing existing concepts, is expected to result in an exponential growth of the concept space over time. However, our statistical analysis of TechNet, which is a comprehensive technology semantic network encompassing over four million concepts derived from patent texts, reveals a linear rather than exponential expansion of the overall technological concept space. Moreover, there is a notable decline in the originality of newly created concepts. These trends can be attributed to the constraints of human cognitive abilities to innovate beyond an ever-growing space of prior art, among other factors. Integrating creative artificial intelligence into the innovation process holds the potential to overcome these limitations and alter the observed trends in the future.Comment: submitted to Design Scienc

Turkish housing policies : a case study on mass housing provision in the last decade.

Most industrial countries face with some form of housing problems. As a result, each state has adopted a variety of housing policies. Policy methods of government authorities in meeting the housing gap and addressing the low income families\u27 housing needs differ from one country to another. In Turkey, the housing policies have not been effective to respond the housing needs of low- and middle-income families until the recent decades. Turkish Mass Housing Administration (TOKI), which was established in 1984, accelerated its mass housing provision in recent years. Through law amendments and administrative reforms in 2003 and 2004, TOKi as a central government organization became the main actor in the housing sector in Turkey. The rapid increase of its mass housing production in the last decade has attracted the attention of many urban scholars, professional real estate organizations, and other non-profit organizations in terms of whether such mass housing provision changes the urban life in a better way and fills the housing gap without any negative externalities. Thus, this study builds upon the recent practices of Mass Housing Administration (TOKI) and aims to reveal its nature by investigating the determinants and possible outcomes of recent mass housing production. Proliferation of mass housing projects in the last ten years received some criticism by scholars and the civil organizations. Particularly, the methods being used in the housing provision are questioned in most housing studies in Turkey as they bring not only significant amount of housing supply but also some negative implications to the Turkish society. Based on discussion in the literature, it is hypothesized that population increase, political support, available public lands, and tenancy rates are the determining factors; net migration increase, real estate company shutdowns, more land use for housing, and more political support to the administration are the possible outcomes of mass housing provision by TOKI The findings of this study indicate that the mass housing provision of the past decade is a positive function of political gains, metropolitan areas, and the destruction of recent major earthquakes. Also, TOKI\u27s housing provision seems to have impacted the real estate sector in a negative way while it helped the ruling party to increase its political support in the last five years