Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Aligning the CMS Muon Chambers with the Muon Alignment System during an Extended Cosmic Ray Run

Peer reviewe

Pathogenicity of migratory endoparasitic nematodes on coffee seedlings (Coffea arabica cv. K7) in Australia

Plant-parasitic nematodes cause significant losses to coffee globally, but to date, there have been no reports of nematodes causing adverse effects to coffee crops in Australia. Four species of migratory endoparasitic nematodes, including Pratylenchus coffeae, Pratylenchus brachyurus, Pratylenchus zeae, and Radopholus similis, were detected in coffee-growing areas of Australia and their molecular data were also deposited in GenBank under accession numbers MN796428, MN718729, MN831891, and MN796426 respectively. A pathogenicity test of these nematode species was performed on seedlings of Coffea arabica cv. K7 under glasshouse conditions. We found that seedlings inoculated with P. coffeae and R. similis (both isolated from banana roots) and P. brachyurus (isolated from coffee roots), were stunted and their root systems were severely damaged. Tap roots and lateral roots of Coffea arabica cv. K7 were destroyed by P. coffeae, whereas P. brachyurus, and R. similis mainly damaged tap roots. Pratylenchus zeae, originally isolated from Saccharum spp., was not pathogenic to Coffea arabica cv. K7. This is the first report of nematode species capable of damaging coffee in Australia and the results demonstrate that nematodes pose a potential threat to coffee production