Overview and Recent Results from BRAHMS

The BRAHMS experiment was designed to measure and characterize in particular the properties of rapidity dependence of particle production in heavy ion collisions. The data-taking is now over, results of several years of analysis have been published and demonstrates several important features of the rapidity dependence, not envisioned from the start of the RHIC program. The bulk properties of the system formed at high rapidity resemble that of systems at lower energies at mid-rapidity when referenced via the baryo-chemical potential. New physics in AA are essentially observed at mid-rapidity including the demonstration that high-\pT suppression is a final state effect. Another key result is that in d+A collisions at forward rapidities where the very low-x region of the nucleus was probed, a strong suppression of pion production was observed consistent with the picture of gluon saturation. The latest results examines the centrality and rapidity dependence of nuclear stopping, the particle production of pions, collective expansion vs. rapidity, and the baryon enhancement at intermediate values of \pT .Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures - To appear in the conference proceedings for Quark Matter 2009, March 30 - April 4, Knoxville, Tennessee Fixed typos and minor text issues as per organizers review reques

Dynamics of Particle Production in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions

Saturation models for particle production in relativistic nuclear collisions are discussed. In particular, I show that the predictions from the high density QCD for the qualitative shape of $dN/dy$ are very sensitive to the form of the unintegrated gluon distribution.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings for Quark Matter 200

The many roads to psychosis: recent advances in understanding risk and mechanisms.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness which frequently leads to substantial lifelong disability. The past five years have seen major progress in our understanding of the complex genetic architecture of this disorder. Two major barriers to understanding the core biological processes that underlie schizophrenia and developing better interventions are (1) the absence of etiologically defined biomarkers and (2) the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of the disorder. Here, we review recent advances that have led to changes in our understanding of risk factors and mechanisms involved in the development of schizophrenia. In particular, mechanistic and clinically oriented approaches have now converged on a focus on disruptions in early neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity as being critical for both understanding trajectories and intervening to change them. Translating these new findings into treatments that substantively change the lives of patients is the next major challenge for the field

Non-degree Recital: Ruth Bearden, flute and piccolo

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Minor in Music. Ms. Bearden studies flute with Cecilia Price.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2140/thumbnail.jp

On positivity and roots in operator algebras

In earlier papers the second author and Charles Read have introduced and studied a new notion of positivity for operator algebras, with an eye to extending certain C*-algebraic results and theories to more general algebras. The present paper consists of complements to some facts in the just mentioned papers, concerning this notion of positivity. For example we prove a result on the numerical range of products of the roots of commuting operators with numerical range in a sector.Comment: 11 pages, to appear Integral Equations Operator Theor

Neutral Kaon System in Dense Matter and Heavy-Ion Collisions

Above a critical matter density the propagating modes of the neutral kaon system are essentially eigenstates of strangeness, but below it they are almost complete eigenstates of CP. We estimate the real and imaginary parts of the energies of these modes and their mixing at all densities up to nuclear matter density $2\times 10^{14}$ g/cm$^3$. In a heavy ion collision the strong interactions create eigenstates of strangeness, and these propagate adiabatically until the density has fallen to the critical value, whereupon the system undergoes a sudden transition to (near) eigenstates of CP. We estimate the critical density to be 20 g/cm$^3$, and that this density will be reached about $2\times 10^5$ fm/c after the end of the collision.Comment: 9 page

Research note: Measuring cultural values - The case of residents' attitudes to the Saltaire Festival

This research note discusses the findings and methodological issues arising from a cultural values survey of residents, particularly in relation to civic pride. In addition to offering insights to the particular case - the Saltaire Festival in the north of England - it provides an approach that might be used elsewhere