High Rapidity Physics with the BRAHMS Experiment

We report the study of the nuclear modification factor R_{AuAu} as function of pT and pseudo-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at top RHIC energy. We find this quantity almost independent of pseudo-rapidity. We use the pbar/pi- ratio as a probe of the parton density and the degree of thermalization of the medium formed by the collision. The pbar/pi- ratio has a clear rapidity dependence. The combination of these two measurements suggests that the pseudo-rapidity dependence of the R_{AuAu results from the competing effects of energy loss in a dense and opaque medium and the modifications of the wave function of the high energy beams in the initial state.Comment: 5 pages, four figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 9th Conference on the Intersections of Particle and Nuclear Physics (CIPANP 2006), Puerto Rico, 30 May - 3 June 200

MuLan: Towards a 1ppm muon lifetime measurement

The MuLan experiment will measure the lifetime of the positive muon to 1ppm. Within the Standard Model framework, this will permit a determination of the Fermi Constant to 0.5ppm. I present an update on our progress and achievements to date.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, contribution to the proceedings of CIPANP 2006 (May 30-June 3, 2006), Rio Grande, Puerto Ric

Charged Particle Production at High Rapidity in p+p Collisions at RHIC

This report describes the recent analysis of identified charged particle production at high rapidity performed on data collected from p+p collisions at RHIC (sqrt{s}=200 GeV). The extracted invariant cross-sections compare well to NLO pQCD calculations. However, a puzzling high yield of protons at high rapidity and p_T has been found.Comment: 5 pages, four figures. The labels of the x-axis in figure 1 have been correcte

The mass of the b-quark from lattice NRQCD and lattice perturbation theory

We present a determination of the b-quark mass accurate through O(\alpha_s^2) in perturbation theory and including partial contributions at O(\alpha_s^3). Nonperturbative input comes from the calculation of the Upsilon and B_s energies in lattice QCD including the effect of u, d and s sea quarks. We use an improved NRQCD action for the b-quark. This is combined with the heavy quark energy shift in NRQCD determined using a mixed approach of high-beta simulation and automated lattice perturbation theory. Comparison with experiment enables the quark mass to be extracted: in the MS bar scheme we find m_b(m_b) = 4.166(43) GeV.Comment: v2 - corrected some typos and an error in the summary plo

Switchgrass storage effects on the recovery of carbohydrates after liquid hot water pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis

Perennial grasses that would be used for bioenergy and bioproducts production will need to be stored for various periods of time to ensure a continual feedstock supply to a bioprocessing facility. The effects of storage practices on grass composition and the response of grasses to subsequent bioprocesses such as pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis needs to be understood to develop the most efficient storage protocols. This study examined the effect of outdoor storage of round switchgrass bales on composition before and after liquid hot water pretreatment (LHW) and enzymatic hydrolysis. This study also examined the effect of washing LHW pretreated biomass prior to enzymatic hydrolysis. It was determined that switchgrass composition after baling was stable. As expected, glucan and lignin contents increased after LHW due to decreases in xylan and galactan. Washing biomass prior to enzymatic hydrolysis reduced saccharification, especially in samples from the interior of the bale, by at least 5%

Υ and Υ′ leptonic widths, abμ, and mb from full lattice QCD

We determine the decay rate to leptons of the ground-state ϒ meson and its first radial excitation in lattice QCD for the first time. We use radiatively improved nonrelativistic QCD for the b quarks and include u, d, s and c quarks in the sea with u=d masses down to their physical values. We find Γðϒ → eþe−Þ ¼ 1.19ð11Þ keV and Γðϒ0 → eþe−Þ ¼ 0.69ð9Þ keV, both in good agreement with experimental results. The decay constants we obtain are included in a summary plot of meson decay constants from lattice QCD given in the Conclusions. We also test time moments of the vector current-current correlator against values determined from the b-quark contribution to σðeþe− → hadronsÞ and calculate the b-quark piece of the hadronic vacuum polarization contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, ab μ ¼ 0.271ð37Þ × 10−10. Finally we determine the b-quark mass, obtaining in the MS scheme, ¯ m¯ bðm¯ b; nf ¼ 5Þ ¼ 4.196ð23Þ GeV, the most accurate result from lattice QCD to date

\Delta S=2 and \Delta C=2 bag parameters in the SM and beyond from Nf=2+1+1 twisted-mass LQCD

We present unquenched lattice QCD results for the matrix elements of four-fermion operators relevant to the description of the neutral K and D mixing in the Standard Model and its extensions. We have employed simulations with Nf = 2 + 1 + 1 dynamical sea quarks at three values of the lattice spacings in the interval 0.06 - 0.09 fm and pseudoscalar meson masses in the range 210 - 450 MeV. Our results are extrapolated to the continuum limit and to the physical pion mass. Renormalization constants have been determined non-perturbatively in the RI-MOM scheme. In particular, for the Kaon bag-parameter, which is relevant for the \overline{K}^0-K^0 mixing in the Standard Model, we obtain B_K^{RGI} = 0.717(24).Comment: Added comments to error budget discussion; fig.19 corrected. Version to appear in PR

Inter-pregnancy interval and risk of recurrent pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Women with a history of pre-eclampsia have a higher risk of developing pre-eclampsia in subsequentpregnancies. However, the role of the inter-pregnancy interval on this association is unclear.Objective: To explore the effect of inter-pregnancy interval on the risk of recurrent pre-eclampsia or eclampia.Search strategy: MEDLINE, EMBASE and LILACS were searched (inception to July 2015).Selection criteria: Cohort studies assessing the risk of recurrent pre-eclampsia in the immediate subsequentpregnancy according to different birth intervals.Data collection and analysis: Two reviewers independently performed screening, data extraction, methodologicaland quality assessment.Meta-analysis of adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95 % confidence intervals (CI) was used to measure the associationbetween various interval lengths and recurrent pre-eclampsia or eclampsia.Main results: We identified 1769 articles and finally included four studies with a total of 77,561 women. The meta-analysisof two studies showed that compared to inter-pregnancy intervals of 2?4 years, the aOR for recurrent pre-eclampsia was 1.01 [95 % CI 0.95 to 1.07, I2 0 %] with intervals of less than 2 years and 1.10 [95 % CI 1.02 to 1.19, I2 0 %] with intervals longerthan 4 years.Conclusion: Compared to inter-pregnancy intervals of 2 to 4 years, shorter intervals are not associated with an increasedrisk of recurrent pre-eclampsia but longer intervals appear to increase the risk. The results of this review should beinterpreted with caution as included studies are observational and thus subject to possible confounding factors.Keywords: Recurrence, Pre-eclampsia, Eclampsia, Inter-pregnancy interval, Birth interval, Meta-analysis, Systematic review,Birth spacing, Hypertensive disorders of pregnancyFil: Cormick, Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Betran, Ana Pilar. World Health Organization; SuizaFil: Ciapponi, Agustín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Hall, David R.. Stellenbosch University; Sudáfrica. Tygerberg Hospital; SudáfricaFil: Hofmyer, G. Justus. University of the Witwatersrand; Sudáfrica. University of Fort Hare; Sudáfrica. Walter Sisulu University; Sudáfric

Contribution to fusion research from IAEA coordinated research projects and joint experiments

The paper presents objectives and activities of IAEA Coordinated Research Projects 'Conceptual development of steady-state compact fusion neutron sources' and 'Utilisation of a network of small magnetic confinement fusion devices for mainstream fusion research'. The background and main projects of the CRP on FNS are described in detail, as this is a new activity at IAEA. Recent activities of the second CRP, which continues activities of previous CRPs, are overviewed

Pseudo-critical clusterization in nuclear multifragmentation

In this contribution we show that the biggest fragment charge distribution in central collisions of Xe+Sn leading to multifragmentation is an admixture of two asymptotic distributions observed for the lowest and highest bombarding energies. The evolution of the relative weights of the two components with bombarding energy is shown to be analogous to that observed as a function of time for the largest cluster produced in irreversible aggregation for a finite system. We infer that the size distribution of the largest fragment in nuclear multifragmentation is also characteristic of the time scale of the process, which is largely determined by the onset of radial expansion in this energy range.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Contribution to conference proceedings of the 25th International Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC 2013