Article discussing the theory of essence, based on the physics of electromagnetism and quantum mechanics, which solves the problem of interaction resulting from Descartes's dualistic conception of human nature. The theory is empirically based in phenomena consistently reported by near-death experiencers.

Silicalite-1, a pure silica zeolite, was deposited on a tubular, asymmetric, {gamma}-alumina support. Single gas permeation experiments with N{sub 2}, CH{sub 4}, and CO{sub 2} were carried out on the membrane. Separation experiments for N{sub 2}/CH{sub 4} mixtures were also conducted. Single-gas permeation of H{sub 2} and separation of H{sub 2}/SF{sub 6} mixture were also carried out with the membrane. Composite membranes of silicalite and Ni-SAPO-34 were also fabricated, but no CO{sub 2}/H{sub 2} selectivity was found. It is proposed to use these membranes for methanol synthesis and separation, and for separating H{sub 2} from gasification products for use as fuel cell fuel, etc.

The SLD upgrade CCD vertex detector (VXD3) is described. Its 307 million pixels are assembled from 96 3.2 Mpixel CCDs of 13 cm{sup 2} each. The system has evolved from the pioneering CCD vertex detector VXD2, which has operated in SLD since 1992. The CCDs of VXD3 are mounted on beryllium ladders in three cylinders, providing three space point measurements along each track of about 5 microns resolution in all three co-ordinates. Significant improvements are achieved with VXD3 in impact parameter resolution (about a factor of two) and acceptance ({approximately}20%) through optimized geometry and reduced material. New readout electronics have been developed for this system.

The authors have measured production fractions and spectra for {pi}{sup {+-}}, K{sup {+-}} and p, and production spectra for K{sup 0} and {Lambda}{sup 0} in both hadronic Z{sup 0} decays and a Z{sup 0} {yields} light quark (uds) subset at SLD. The SLD Cherenkov Ring Imaging Detector was used to identify charged hadrons. The CCD vertex detector was used to select the enriched uds sample. For the global sample, the results are consistent with previous experiments. The authors observe a clear flavor dependence in production spectra, but only a small effect in hadron fractions and {xi} = ln(1/x{sub p}) peak positions.