Measurement of the CKM angle alpha with the B-factories

B-meson decays involving b->u transitions are sensitive to the Unitarity Triangle angle alpha (or phi_2). The B-factories at SLAC and KEK have made significant progress toward the measurement of alpha in recent years. This paper summarizes the results of the B-factories' constraints on alpha.Comment: Submitted to Modern Physics Letters

The rural landscape of neopalatial Kythera: A GIS perspective

Intensive archaeological survey on the island of Kythera (Greece) has revealed, in unprecedented detail, a landscape of dispersed rural settlements dating to the mid-2nd millennium BC. This paper deploys a series of GIS and spatial analysis techniques to illuminate the way this landscape was structured, in terms of social organization, agriculture and island demography. Discussion begins by quantifying site numbers, size and hierarchy. It then examines patterns of settlement dispersal, highlighting the subsistence strategies probably underpinning such a landscape. Emphasis is placed on reconstructing where possible the dynamics of colonization and the motivations behind site location. A final section proposes population figures for the island and considers a range of site-level interactions

Rare hadronic B decays

Rare hadronic B-meson decays allow us to study CP violation. The class of B decays final states containing two vector mesons provides a rich set of angular correlation observables to study. This article reviews some of the recent experimental results from the BaBar and Belle collaborations.Comment: International Conference on Flavor Physics, Chung-Li, Taiwan, 3rd-8th October 200

Matching flow characteristics of standard shutoff valves eliminates need for custom fabricated valves

Standard high pressure valves are used in low pressure fluid system testing when a substantial system pressure increase is required. The flow-vs-valve stroke is matched with that of the valves being replaced. Some correction to the plug contour may be necessary