None

None

None

None

The oxidative evolution (“aging”) of organic species in the atmosphere is thought to have a major influence on the composition and properties of organic particulate matter, but remains poorly understood, particularly for the most oxidized fraction of the aerosol. Here we measure the kinetics and products of the heterogeneous oxidation of highly oxidized organic aerosol, with an aim of better constraining such atmospheric aging processes. Submicron particles composed of model oxidized organics—1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (C{sub 8}H{sub 10}O{sub 8}), citric acid (C{sub 6}H{sub 8}O{sub 7}), tartaric acid (C{sub 4}H{sub 6}O{sub 6}), and Suwannee River fulvic acid—were oxidized by gas-phase OH in a flow reactor, and the masses and elemental composition of the particles were monitored as a function of OH exposure. In contrast to our previous studies of less-oxidized model systems (squalane, erythritol, and levoglucosan), particle mass did not decrease significantly with heterogeneous oxidation. Carbon content of the aerosol always decreased somewhat, but this mass loss was approximately balanced by an increase in oxygen content. The estimated reactive uptake coefficients of the reactions range from 0.37 to 0.51 and indicate that such transformations occur at rates corresponding to 1-2 weeks in the atmosphere, suggesting their importance in the atmospheric lifecycle of organic …

We search for evidence of a light Higgs boson (A{sup 0}) in the radiative decays of the narrow {Upsilon}(3S) resonance: {Upsilon}(3S) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}, where A{sup 0} {yields} invisible or A{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}. Such an object appears in extensions of the Standard Model, where a light CP-odd Higgs boson naturally couples strongly to b-quarks. We find no evidence for such processes in a sample of 122 x 106 {Upsilon}(3S) decays collected by the BABAR collaboration at the PEP-II B-factory, and set 90% C.L. upper limits on the product of the branching fractions {Beta}({Upsilon}(3S) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}) x {Beta}(A{sup 0} {yields} invisible) at (0.7-31) x 10{sup -6} in the mass range mA{sup 0} {le} 7.8 GeV, and on the product {Beta}({Upsilon}(3S) {yields} {gamma}A{sup 0}) x {Beta}(A{sup 0} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) at (0.25-5.2) x 10{sup -6} in the mass range 0.212 {le} mA{sup 0} {le} 9.3GeV. We also set a limit on the dimuon branching fraction of the recently discovered {eta}{sub b} meson {Beta}({eta}{sub b} {yields} {mu}{sup +}{mu}{sup -}) < 0.8% at 90% C.L. The results are preliminary.

Chronic cocaine use has been associated with structural deficits in brain regions having dopamine receptive neurons. However, the concomitant use of other drugs and common genetic variability in monoamine regulation present additional structural variability. We therefore examined variations in gray matter volume (GMV) as a function of lifetime drug use and the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) genotype in cocaine use disorders (CUD) and healthy controls.

The formation and strength of dislocations in the hexagonal closed packed material beryllium are studied through dislocation junctions and the critical stress required to break them. Dislocation dynamics calculations (using the code ParaDiS) of junction maps are compared to an analytical line tension approximation in order to validate our model. Results show that the two models agree very well. Also the critical shear stress necessary to break 30{sup o} - 30{sup o} and 30{sup o} - 90{sup o} dislocation junctions is computed numerically. Yield surfaces are mapped out for these junctions to describe their stability regions as function of resolved shear stresses on the glide planes. The example of two non-coplanar binary dislocation junctions with slip planes [2-1-10] (01-10) and [-12-10] (0001) corresponding to a prismatic and basal slip respectively is chosen to verify and validate our implementation.

We present a collection of signatures for physics beyond the standard model that need to be explored at the LHC. The signatures are organized according to the experimental objects that appear in the final state, and in particular the number of high p{sub T} leptons. Our report, which includes brief experimental and theoretical reviews as well as original results, summarizes the activities of the 'New Physics' working group for the 'Physics at TeV Colliders' workshop (Les Houches, France, 11-29 June, 2007).

Susceptibility of high strength low alloy steel to localized corrosion was studied in 6.7 M CaCl{sub 2} for oil and natural gas drilling applications. Results of the immersion and electrochemical experiments showed that the steel is susceptible to pitting corrosion. Optical microscopy investigations of the polished samples revealed that 10% of the surface area was occupied by defects in the form of pits. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and wavelength dispersive X-ray (WDX) chemical analyses revealed higher concentrations of Mn and S compared to the metal matrix in defected areas. These areas served as the sites for development of corrosion pits during both immersion and electrochemical experiments. The fatigue results of the corroded samples indicate that if the pit was the most significant defect, the fatigue crack initiated and propagated at this site.

Contemporary physics faces three great riddles that lie at the intersection of quantum theory, particle physics and cosmology. They are: (1) The expansion of the universe is accelerating - an extra factor of two appears in the size; (2) Zero-point fluctuations do not gravitate - a matter of 120 orders of magnitude; and (3) The 'True' quantum vacuum state does not gravitate. The latter two are explicitly problems related to the interpretation and the physical role and relation of the quantum vacuum with and in general relativity. Their resolution may require a major advance in our formulation and understanding of a common unified approach to quantum physics and gravity. To achieve this goal we must develop an experimental basis and much of the discussion we present is devoted to this task. In the following, we examine the observations and the theory contributing to the current framework comprising these riddles. We consider an interpretation of the first riddle within the context of the universe's quantum vacuum state, and propose an experimental concept to probe the vacuum state of the universe.

None

None

This article is a short biography of journalist Becky Diaz, based on an oral history discussing her education and career.

This article is a short biography of journalist Bobbie Wygant, based on an oral history discussing her education and career.

This article discusses the efficacy of mental and physical (MAP) training in improving symptoms of depression and rumination in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD).

This article reports a novel mixed-mode coupled displacive-diffusional transformation resulting in homogeneously distributed intra-granular B2 precipitates within the fcc matrix.

This review summarizes the characteristics, evidences and development of CSCs, as well as implications and challenges for cancer treatment. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are universally recognized as the most effective anti-cancer therapies. Recent studies have showed that cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small subpopulation of tumor cells, can generate bulk populations of nontumorigenic cancer cell progeny through the self-renewal and differentiation processes.

Article presenting a systematic parametrization protocol for the Self-Consistent Continuum Solvation (SCCS) model resulting in optimized parameters for 67 non-aqueous solvents. The parametrization is based on a collection of ≈6000 experimentally measured partition coefficients, which were collected in the Solv@TUM database presented here. The accuracy of the optimized SCCS model is comparable to the well-known universal continuum solvation model (SMx) family of methods, while relying on only a single fit parameter and thereby largely reducing statistical noise.