Suppressing lepton flavor violation in a soft-wall extra dimension

A soft-wall warped extra dimension allows one to relax the tight constraints imposed by electroweak data in conventional Randall-Sundrum models. We investigate a setup, where the lepton flavor structure of the standard model is realized by split fermion locations. Bulk fermions with general locations are not analytically tractable in a soft-wall background, so we follow a numerical approach to perform the Kaluza-Klein reduction. Lepton flavor violation is induced by the exchange of Kaluza-Klein gauge bosons. We find that rates for processes such as muon-electron conversion are significantly reduced compared to hard-wall models, allowing for a Kaluza-Klein scale as low as 2 TeV. Accommodating small neutrino masses forces one to introduce a large hierarchy of scales into the model, making pressing the question of a suitable stabilization mechanism

ASERL Spring 2011 Membership Meeting Update: Best Practices for Resource Sharing

: A working group of ASERL librarians designed a survey to assess resource sharing issues and identify best practices. The results will assist ASERL in identifying programming and project areas to support resource sharing. The survey will also produce ILL and resource sharing benchmarks useful for future planning and assessment. The survey inquires into fundamental resource sharing outputs, networks, and technologies. To measure current best practices, the survey also incorporates Rethinking Resource Sharing STARS A Checklist Interlibrary Loan Assessment, devised by ALA/RUSA/STARS

Hydraulic Fracturing in Poland: A Regulatory Analysis

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is a process by which water and other materials are injected into a geologic formation at a high pressure. This process “induces fractures in the formation that stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil, thus increasing the volume of gas or oil that can be recovered from coalbeds, shales, and tight sands . . . .” Hydraulic fracturing has been used for nearly 70 years and has enabled energy companies to recover oil and natural gas resources previously thought to be unrecoverable. In the past several years, hydraulic fracturing has induced an increasing number of serious environmental, political, and social concerns. As a result, several countries have restricted hydraulic fracturing practices or even banned their use altogether. Poland, however, is not one of those countries—Polish leaders are seeking to rapidly develop hydraulic fracturing operations within their country. Additionally, Poland may have the largest shale gas reserves in Europe. As a result, Poland has become a very attractive destination for energy companies looking to expand their fracking operations

Valuing conservation benefits of an offshore marine protected area

Increasing anthropogenic pressure in the offshore marine environment highlights the need for improved management and conservation of offshore ecosystems. This study scrutinises the applicability of a discrete choice experiment to value the expected benefits arising from the conservation of an offshore sandbank in UK waters. The valuation scenario refers to the UK part of the Dogger Bank, in the southern North Sea, and is based on real-world management options for fisheries, wind farms and marine protection currently under discussion for the site. It is assessed to what extent the general public perceive and value conservation benefits arising from an offshore marine protected area. The survey reveals support for marine conservation measures despite the general public's limited prior knowledge of current marine planning. Results further show significant values for an increase in species diversity, the protection of certain charismatic species and a restriction in the spread of invasive species across the site. Implications for policy and management with respect to commercial fishing, wind farm construction and nature conservation are discussed

Hydrogen-Related Conversion Processes of Ge-Related Point Defects in Silica Triggered by UV Laser Irradiation

The conversion processes of Ge-related point defects triggered in amorphous SiO2 by 4.7eV laser exposure were investigated. Our study has focused on the interplay between the (=Ge•-H) H(II) center and the twofold coordinated Ge defect (=Ge••). The former is generated in the post-irradiation stage, while the latter decays both during and after exposure. The post-irradiation decay kinetics of =Ge•• is isolated and found to be anti-correlated to the growth of H(II), at least at short times. From this finding it is suggested that both processes are due to trapping of radiolytic H0 at the diamagnetic defect site. Furthermore, the anti-correlated behavior is preserved also under repeated irradiation: light at 4.7eV destroys the already formed H(II) centers and restore their precursors =Ge••. This process leads to repeatability of the post-irradiation kinetics of the two species after multiple laser exposures. A comprehensive scheme of chemical reactions explaining the observed post-irradiation processes is proposed and tested against experimental data.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Black Students\u27 Perspectives on Academic Success

This thesis investigates the academic achievement of Black high school students. It employs a theoretical framework of social constructivism grounded in anti-racism to conduct five case studies of achieving black Canadian high school students to examine how these students managed to achieve in the midst of a system that predicts their failure. I asked three questions: (1) What factors do achieving black Canadian high school students identify as being helpful to their academic achievement? (2) How do these students perceive their racial identities? (3) What is the significance of these students’ racial identity at school? I found that these students identified their own hard work and their parents’ support as the main contributors to their academic achievement. Each student conceptualized his or her racial or cultural identity differently, but none identified with an Afrocentric identity. Most students expressed a desire to see more visible minority representation in the curriculum and to receive more support for black students in the school community. The results of this study offer educators insight into the areas where they can partner with black students, their families, and their communities to inspire academic success for all