Agrochemical-free, direct-sowing culture of a paddy with non-woven fabric mulch - Timing of puddling and leveling and basal fertilizer application

In direct-sowing rice culture using cloth mulch, puddling and leveling (P & L) is usually done 2 days before the mulching (sowing). However, the mulching is very difficult, due to the muddy condition of the soil. Comparative studies were made to observe the effects of the timing of P & L, that is, P & L 10 days before mulching (P10) vs. P & L 2 days before the mulching (P2), on the operator's physical stress, the rice growth, and grain yield. Basal fertilizer was applied 2 days before the mulching in the P2 treatment (P2-B2), and topdressing was applied at 29 days before heading in all treatments. For the P10 treatment, timing of the basal fertilization was set at 14 (P10-B14) or 3 (P10-B3) days before the mulching. Results revealed that the timing of basal fertilization had no significant effect on the growth and grain yield between P10-B14 and P10-B3 treatments. The operator's physical stress was very low due to higher soil hardness in the P10-B14 treatment ; however the grain yield was 12% lower than that of the P2-B2 treatment due to lower percentage of ripened grain. Because of the lower inorganic nitrogen of the soil, the growth of leaf area was suppressed and dry matter production was lower in the P10-B14 treatment, which resulted in lower percentage of ripened grain. To increase the grain yield of the P10-B14 treatment, future research is needed to consider the application amount and timing of topdressing, and also to reduce the gap between P & L time and mulching

Analysis of High-Speed Rail Implementation Alternatives in the Northeast Corridor: the Role of Institutional and Technological Flexibility

In this paper, an engineering systems framework using the CLIOS Process, scenario analysis, and flexibility analysis is used to study the implementation of a high-speed rail corridor in the Northeast Corridor of the United States. Given the tremendous uncertainty that characterizes high-speed rail projects, the implementation of the alternatives proposed, which are very similar to other commonly accepted ways to implement high-speed rail in the corridor, are analyzed under different scenarios. The results motivate incorporation of flexibility into the alternatives to allow decision makers to adapt as situations evolve. While designing-in this flexibility has a cost, it may facilitate the implementation of the alternatives by enabling adaptation to uncertain outcomes, thereby improving performance

NEC FUTURE Tier I Scoping Process: Public Comment

Utilizing its special expertise, the Regional Transportation Planning and High Speed Rail Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sought to provide input via public comment to the NEC FUTURE Tier I scoping process. Earlier in 2012, we completed a comprehensive look at the complexities and challenges associated with mobility in the NEC. This submittal is based on a report prepared for and funded by the Institute for Transportation Policy Studies (ITPS) in Tokyo, Japan, entitled Transportation in the Northeast Corridor of the U.S.: A Multimodal and Intermodal Conceptual Framework. We applied novel combinations of system analysis methods to seek new insights for planning in this corridor. With the lessons learned from this account, we seek to provide input to the NEC FUTURE scoping process, and enrich the NEC FUTURE Tier I EIS study. We recognize that the Purpose and Need and a comprehensive and carefully articulated range of alternatives are of utmost importance for the EIS process, and we are focusing our comments in these two areas. With our lessons learned, we hope to offer insights useful in formulating and refining the project’s Purpose and Need, and as well in defining the alternatives to be considered

NEC FUTURE Preliminary Alternatives Report: Public Comment

The United States Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is currently in the early stages of a planning process to define a 30-year passenger rail investment plan for the Northeast Corridor (NEC), between Boston and Washington, D.C. In the Spring of 2013, NEC FUTURE (the name of the planning process), released a Preliminary Alternatives Report, containing 15 possible alternatives for passenger rail infrastructure investment. This working paper contains a memo from the Regional Transportation Planning and High Speed Rail Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) responding to the Preliminary Alternatives Report, as well as following up on the group's previous public comments to NEC FUTURE (ESD-WP-2012-27 NEC FUTURE Tier I Scoping Process: Public Comment). The memo focuses on the group's reactions in three areas: “goals and objectives, and evaluation of the alternatives,” “planning under uncertainty and flexible alternatives,” and “institutional assumptions.” These comments also build on the knowledge gained from report prepared for and funded by the Institute for Transportation Policy Studies (ITPS) in Tokyo, Japan, entitled Transportation in the Northeast Corridor of the U.S.: A Multimodal and Intermodal Conceptual Framework

Production of Single W Bosons at LEP

We report on the observation of single W boson production in a data sample collected by the L3 detector at LEP2. The signal consists of large missing energy final states with a single energetic lepton or two hadronic jets. The cross-section is measured to be $0.61^{+0.43}_{-0.33} \pm 0.05 \; \rm{pb}$ at the centre of mass energy \sqrt{s}=172 \GeV{}, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. From this measurement the following limits on the anomalous $\gamma$WW gauge couplings are derived at 95\% CL: $\rm -3.6 \Delta \kappa_\gamma 1.5$ and $\rm -3.6 \lambda_\gamma 3.6$

Measurement of the Average Lifetime of b-Hadrons in Z Decays

We present a measurement of the average b-hadron lifetime ${\rm \tau_b}$ at the $\mathrm{e^+e^-} \,$ collider LEP. Using hadronic Z decays collected in the period from 1991 to 1994, two independent analyses have been performed. In the first one, the b-decay position is reconstructed as a secondary vertex of hadronic b-decay particles. The second analysis is an updated measurement of ${\rm \tau_b}$ using the impact parameter of leptons with high momentum and high transverse momentum. The combined result is \begin{center} ${\rm \tau_b= [ 1549 \pm 9 \, (stat) \, \pm 15 \, (syst) ] \; fs \,}$ . \end{center} In addition, we measure the average charged b-decay multiplicity ${\rm \langle n_{\rm b}} \rangle$ and the normalized average b-energy ${\rm \langle x_E \rangle_{\rm b}}$ at LEP to be \begin{center} ${\rm \langle n_{\rm b} \rangle = 4.90 \pm 0.04 \ (stat) \pm 0.11 \, (syst)}$ , \end{center} \begin{center} ${\rm \langle x_E \rangle_{\rm b} = 0.709 \pm 0.004 \, (stat + syst).}$ \end{center

Alignment of the CMS silicon tracker during commissioning with cosmic rays

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published version of the Paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPThe CMS silicon tracker, consisting of 1440 silicon pixel and 15 148 silicon strip detector modules, has been aligned using more than three million cosmic ray charged particles, with additional information from optical surveys. The positions of the modules were determined with respect to cosmic ray trajectories to an average precision of 3–4 microns RMS in the barrel and 3–14 microns RMS in the endcap in the most sensitive coordinate. The results have been validated by several studies, including laser beam cross-checks, track fit self-consistency, track residuals in overlapping module regions, and track parameter resolution, and are compared with predictions obtained from simulation. Correlated systematic effects have been investigated. The track parameter resolutions obtained with this alignment are close to the design performance.This work is supported by FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTDS (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)

Commissioning and performance of the CMS pixel tracker with cosmic ray muons

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published verion of the Paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPThe pixel detector of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment consists of three barrel layers and two disks for each endcap. The detector was installed in summer 2008, commissioned with charge injections, and operated in the 3.8 T magnetic field during cosmic ray data taking. This paper reports on the first running experience and presents results on the pixel tracker performance, which are found to be in line with the design specifications of this detector. The transverse impact parameter resolution measured in a sample of high momentum muons is 18 microns.This work is supported by FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTDS (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)

Performance of the CMS drift-tube chamber local trigger with cosmic rays

The performance of the Local Trigger based on the drift-tube system of the CMS experiment has been studied using muons from cosmic ray events collected during the commissioning of the detector in 2008. The properties of the system are extensively tested and compared with the simulation. The effect of the random arrival time of the cosmic rays on the trigger performance is reported, and the results are compared with the design expectations for proton-proton collisions and with previous measurements obtained with muon beams

Performance of the CMS Level-1 trigger during commissioning with cosmic ray muons and LHC beams

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPThe CMS Level-1 trigger was used to select cosmic ray muons and LHC beam events during data-taking runs in 2008, and to estimate the level of detector noise. This paper describes the trigger components used, the algorithms that were executed, and the trigger synchronisation. Using data from extended cosmic ray runs, the muon, electron/photon, and jet triggers have been validated, and their performance evaluated. Efficiencies were found to be high, resolutions were found to be good, and rates as expected.This work is supported by FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTDS (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)