Search

This paper addresses the problem of verifying a control system's knowledge about the shape and pose of an electric mining shovel's digging assembly. The need for such verification arises in order to ensure safe autonomous operation. The likelihood of unintended collision is reduced by confirming that the digging assembly occupies the region of space it is thought to occupy. We present two methods for verification. The first computes the probability that regions of key interest have the geometric form expected, subject to an allowed uncertainty, given measured point-cloud data. The second computes a likelihood distribution over a family of possible hypotheses by considering the level of support each range measurement provides to each hypothesis. The ideas presented extend, with appropriate adaptation, to other applications where it is necessary to verify the knowledge that a control system may possess about regions of space that are occupied from instant-to-instant.

Prolonged OR, re-transplantation, and high-volume intraoperative transfusion have been associated with increased risk for IC in adult LT recipients. Antifungal prophylaxis is recommended for adult patients with these risk factors. There are limited data on the incidence of and risk factors for IC in pediatric LT recipients. A retrospective cohort study of all pediatric LT patients at the CHOP between 2000 and 2012 and the CHP between 2004 and 2012 was performed to define the incidence of IC within 30 days of LT. A 3:1 matched case-control study with incidence density sampling was performed. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to explore risk factors associated with IC. Among 397 recipients, the incidence of IC was 2.5%. Bivariate analyses showed that ICU admission prior to transplant, OR > 10 h, intraoperative volume infusion of >300 mL/kg, and broad-spectrum antibiotics were significantly associated with IC. In a multivariate model, only ICU admission remained significantly associated with IC. Antifungal prophylaxis was not significantly protective against IC. The low incidence of IC and lack of an identified protective effect from antifungal prophylaxis suggest that prophylaxis in pediatric LT recipients should not be routinely recommended to prevent IC events in the first 30 days post-transplant.

Population viability analyses provide a quantitative approach that seeks to predict the possible future status of a species of interest under different scenarios and, therefore, can be important components of large-scale species’ conservation programs. We created a model and simulated range-wide population and breeding habitat dynamics for an endangered woodland warbler, the golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia). Habitat-transition probabilities were estimated across the warbler's breeding range by combining National Land Cover Database imagery with multistate modeling. Using these estimates, along with recently published demographic estimates, we examined if the species can remain viable into the future given the current conditions. Lastly, we evaluated if protecting a greater amount of habitat would increase the number of warblers that can be supported in the future by systematically increasing the amount of protected habitat and comparing the estimated terminal carrying capacity at the end of 50 years of simulated habitat change. The estimated habitat-transition probabilities supported the hypothesis that habitat transitions are unidirectional, whereby habitat is more likely to diminish than regenerate. The model results indicated population viability could be achieved under current conditions, depending on dispersal. However, there is considerable uncertainty associated with the population projections due to parametric uncertainty. Model results suggested that increasing the amount of protected lands would have a substantial impact on terminal carrying capacities at the end of a 50-year simulation. Notably, this study identifies the need for collecting the data required to estimate demographic parameters in relation to changes in habitat metrics and population density in multiple regions, and highlights the importance of establishing a common definition of what constitutes protected habitat, what management goals are suitable within those protected areas, and a standard operating procedure to identify areas of priority for habitat conservation efforts. Therefore, we suggest future efforts focus on these aspects of golden-cheeked warbler conservation and ecology.

Практическое клиническое руководство по наблюдению и лечению пациентов с пересаженной почкой предназначено для оказания помощи практикующим врачам, занимающимся лечением взрослых и детей, перенесших трансплантацию почки. Руководство разработано в соответствии с принципами доказательного метода, используемого в медицине. Рекомендации по тактике ведения пациента основаны на систематических обзорах соответствующих клинических исследований. Критический анализ качества доказательств и степени убедительности рекомендаций проведен в соответствии с правилами GRADE (Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation – расчет, разработка и оценка уровней степени убедительности рекомендаций). Содержит рекомендации по иммуносупрессии, мониторингу состояния трансплантата, профилактике и лечению инфекций, сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний, новообразований и других осложнений, которые являются наиболее распространенными среди реципиентов трансплантированной почки, включая гематологические нарушения и поражение костной ткани. Ограниченность имеющихся доказательств, особенно в связи с отсутствием конкретных результатов клинических испытаний, является предметом обсуждения, в соответствии с ними приведены предложения для будущих исследований.

The Article Examines Religious Persecution, In The United States And Abroad, Through The Lens Of An Extreme Result Of Persecution: Martyrdom. It Examines Maximal And Minimal Definitions Of Martyrdom And Recent Claims And Instances Of Martyrdom, Both In United States Law And Political Culture And Against Christian And Other Religious Groups Around The World. The Article Concludes With Some Principles From Which To Discern An Ethic Of Martyrdom And Claims Of Martyrdom, Recommending Especially Attention To The Role Of The Martyr As Witness. KEYWORDS: Religious Persecution, Martyrdom, Law And Religion, Human Rights, Religious Freedom, Ethics, Witness

LEGEND, the Large Enriched Germanium Experiment for Neutrinoless $\beta\beta$ Decay, is a ton-scale experimental program to search for neutrinoless double beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay in the isotope $^{76}$Ge with an unprecedented sensitivity. Building on the success of the low-background $^{76}$Ge-based GERDA and MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiments, the LEGEND collaboration is targeting a signal discovery sensitivity beyond $10^{28}\,$yr on the decay half-life with approximately $10\,\text{t}\cdot\text{yr}$ of exposure. Signal readout electronics in close proximity to the detectors plays a major role in maximizing the experiment's discovery sensitivity by reducing electronic noise and improving pulse shape analysis capabilities for the rejection of backgrounds. However, the proximity also poses unique challenges for the radiopurity of the electronics. Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology allows the implementation of the entire charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) into a single low-mass chip while improving the electronic noise and reducing the power consumption. In this work, we investigated the properties and electronic performance of a commercially available ASIC CSA, the XGLab CUBE preamplifier, together with a p-type point contact high-purity germanium detector. We show that low noise levels and excellent energy resolutions can be obtained with this readout. Moreover, we demonstrate the viability of pulse shape discrimination techniques for reducing background events., Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables

Quench protection is a major issue for high temperature superconductor (HTS) magnets that operate at high current densities with high stored magnetic energy. Quenches do not propagate rapidly in HTS coils and these coils heat up quickly because there isn't enough copper in the conductor. In addition, the conductor critical current and the engineering critical temperature will vary depending on the field orientation within the conductor. This paper points out the difference between current re-distribution within a magnet to keep a magnet from quenching and true quench protection where a portion of a coil has turned normal and the magnet stored energy is being deposited into the growing coil normal region. This paper discusses some magnet quench protection methods for both low temperature superconductor (LTS) and HTS magnets that are in the literature. A number of quench methods that work very well for LTS magnets may not work at all for an HTS magnet. The anisotropy of HTS conductors can be a limiting factor on whether a quench protection method works.

Author(s): Guinn, IS; Arnquist, IJ; Avignone, FT; Barabash, AS; Barton, CJ; Bertrand, FE; Bos, B; Busch, M; Buuck, M; Caldwell, TS; Chan, YD; Christofferson, CD; Chu, PH; Clark, ML; Cuesta, C; Detwiler, JA; Drobizhev, A; Edwins, DW; Efremenko, Y; Ejiri, H; Elliott, SR; Gilliss, T; Giovanetti, GK; Green, MP; Gruszko, J; Guiseppe, VE; Haufe, CR; Hegedus, RJ; Henning, R; Hervas Aguilar, D; Hoppe, EW; Hostiuc, A; Kidd, MF; Kim, I; Kouzes, RT; Lopez, AM; Lopez-Castano, JM; Martin, EL; Martin, RD; Massarczyk, R; Meijer, SJ; Mertens, S; Myslik, J; Oli, TK; Othman, G; Pettus, W; Poon, AWP; Radford, DC; Rager, J; Reine, AL; Rielage, K; Ruof, NW; Stortini, MJ; Tedeschi, D; Varner, RL; Wilkerson, JF; Wiseman, C; Xu, W; Yu, CH; Zhu, BX | Abstract: The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is searching for double-beta decay of 76Ge to excited states (E.S.) in 76Se using a modular array of high purity Germanium detectors. 76Ge can decay into three E.S.s of 76Se. The E.S. decays have a clear event signature consisting of a ββ-decay with the prompt emission of one or two γ-rays, resulting in with high probability in a multi-site event. The granularity of the DEMONSTRATOR detector array enables powerful discrimination of this event signature from backgrounds. Using 21.3 kg-y of isotopic exposure, the DEMONSTRATOR has set world leading limits for each E.S. decay, with 90% CL lower half-life limits in the range of (0.56 2.1) ⋅ 1024 y. In particular, for the 2v transition to the first 0+ E.S. of 76Se, a lower half-life limit of 0.68 ⋅ 1024 at 90% CL was achieved.

Author(s): Gilliss, T; Abgrall, N; Alvis, SI; Arnquist, IJ; Avignone, FT; Barabash, AS; Barton, CJ; Bertrand, FE; Bode, T; Bradley, AW; Brudanin, V; Busch, M; Buuck, M; Caldwell, TS; Chan, YD; Christofferson, CD; Chu, PH; Cuesta, C; Detwiler, JA; Dunagan, C; Efremenko, Y; Ejiri, H; Elliott, SR; Giovanetti, GK; Green, MP; Gruszko, J; Guinn, IS; Guiseppe, VE; Haufe, CR; Hehn, L; Henning, R; Hoppe, EW; Howe, MA; Keeter, KJ; Kidd, MF; Konovalov, SI; Kouzes, RT; Lopez, AM; Martin, RD; Massarczyk, R; Meijer, SJ; Mertens, S; Myslik, J; O'Shaughnessy, C; Othman, G; Pettus, W; Poon, AWP; Radford, DC; Rager, J; Reine, AL; Rielage, K; Robertson, RGH; Ruof, NW; Shanks, B; Shirchenko, M; Suriano, AM; Tedeschi, D; Trimble, JE; Varner, RL; Vasilyev, S; Vetter, K; Vorren, K; White, BR; Wilkerson, JF; Wiseman, C; Xu, W; Yakushev, E; Yu, CH; Yumatov, V; Zhitnikov, I; Zhu, BX | Abstract: The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is a 76Ge-based neutrinoless double-beta decay (0νββ) experiment. Staged at the 4850 ft level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility, the DEMONSTRATOR operates an array of high-purity p-Type point contact Ge detectors deployed within a graded passive shield and an active muon veto system. The present work concerns the two-neutrino double-beta decay mode (2νββ) of 76Ge. For Ge detectors, having superior energy resolution (0.1%), this mode poses negligible background to the 0νββ mode, even for a ton-scale experiment. However, the measurement of the 2νββ mode allows for careful systematics checks of active detector mass, enrichment fraction, and pulse shape discrimination cuts related to both the 0νββ and 2νββ decay modes. A precision measurement of the 2νββ shape also allows searches for spectral distortions, possibly indicative of new physics, including 0νββχ. Work is underway to construct a full experimental background model enabling a Bayesian fit to the measured energy spectrum and extraction of a precise 2νββ spectrum and half-life.

Author(s): Elliott, SR; Abgrall, N; Arnquist, IJ; Avignone, FT; Barabash, AS; Bertrand, FE; Bradley, AW; Brudanin, V; Busch, M; Buuck, M; Caldwell, TS; Chan, YD; Christofferson, CD; Chu, PH; Cuesta, C; Detwiler, JA; Dunagan, C; Efremenko, Y; Ejiri, H; Fullmer, A; Galindo-Uribarri, A; Gilliss, T; Giovanetti, GK; Green, MP; Gruszko, J; Guinn, IS; Guiseppe, VE; Henning, R; Hoppe, EW; Howe, MA; Jasinski, BR; Keeter, KJ; Kidd, MF; Konovalov, SI; Kouzes, RT; Leon, J; Lopez, AM; Macmullin, J; Martin, RD; Massarczyk, R; Meijer, SJ; Mertens, S; Orrell, JL; O'Shaughnessy, C; Poon, AWP; Radford, DC; Rager, J; Rielage, K; Robertson, RGH; Romero-Romero, E; Shanks, B; Shirchenko, M; Suriano, AM; Tedeschi, D; Trimble, JE; Varner, RL; Vasilyev, S; Vetter, K; Vorren, K; White, BR; Wilkerson, JF; Wiseman, C; Xu, W; Yakushev, E; Yu, CH; Yumatov, V; Zhitnikov, I | Abstract: Neutrinoless double-beta decay searches seek to determine the nature of neutrinos, the existence of a lepton violating process, and the effective Majorana neutrino mass. The Majorana Collaboration is assembling an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76Ge. The Majorana Demonstrator is composed of 44.8 kg (29.7 kg enriched in 76Ge) of Ge detectors in total, split between two modules contained in a low background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. The initial goals of the Demonstrator are to establish the required background and scalability of a Ge-based, next-generation, tonne-scale experiment. Following a commissioning run that began in 2015, the first detector module started physics data production in early 2016. We will discuss initial results of the Module 1 commissioning and first physics run, as well as the status and potential physics reach of the full Majorana Demonstrator experiment. The collaboration plans to complete the assembly of the second detector module by mid-2016 to begin full data production with the entire array.

Author(s): Haufe, CR; Reine, AL; Abgrall, N; Alvis, SI; Arnquist, IJ; Avignone, FT; Barabash, AS; Barton, CJ; Bertrand, FE; Bode, T; Bradley, AW; Brudanin, V; Busch, M; Buuck, M; Caldwell, TS; Chan, YD; Christofferson, CD; Chu, PH; Cuesta, C; Detwiler, JA; Dunagan, C; Efremenko, Y; Ejiri, H; Elliott, SR; Gilliss, T; Giovanetti, GK; Green, MP; Gruszko, J; Guinn, IS; Guiseppe, VE; Hehn, L; Henning, R; Hoppe, EW; Howe, MA; Keeter, KJ; Kidd, MF; Konovalov, SI; Kouzes, RT; Lopez, AM; Martin, RD; Massarczyk, R; Meijer, SJ; Mertens, S; Myslik, J; O'Shaughnessy, C; Othman, G; Pettus, W; Poon, AWP; Radford, DC; Rager, J; Rielage, K; Robertson, RGH; Ruof, NW; Shanks, B; Shirchenko, M; Suriano, AM; Tedeschi, D; Trimble, JE; Varner, RL; Vasilyev, S; Vetter, K; Vorren, K; White, BR; Wilkerson, JF; Wiseman, C; Xu, W; Yakushev, E; Yu, CH; Yumatov, V; Zhitnikov, I; Zhu, BX | Abstract: The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an experiment constructed to search for neutrinoless double-beta decays in germanium-76 and to demonstrate the feasibility to deploy a ton-scale experiment in a phased and modular fashion. It consists of two modular arrays of natural and 76Ge-enriched germanium p-Type point contact detectors totaling 44.1 kg, located at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. The DEMONSTRATOR uses custom high voltage cables to bias the detectors, as well as custom signal cables and connectors to read out the charge deposited at each detectors point contact. These low-mass cables and connectors must meet stringent radiopurity requirements while being subjected to thermal and mechanical stress. A number of issues have been identified with the currently installed cables and connectors. An improved set of cables and connectors for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR are being developed with the aim of increasing their overall reliability and connectivity. We will discuss some of the issues encountered with the current cables and connectors as well as our improved designs and their initial performance.

We present optical high-speed photometry of three millisecond pulsars with low-mass (< 0.3M⊙) white dwarf companions, bringing the total number of such systemswith follow-up time-series photometry to five. We confirm the detection of pulsations in one system, the white dwarf companion to PSR J1738+0333, and show that the pulsation frequencies and amplitudes are variable over many months. A full asteroseismic analysis for this star is underconstrained, but the mode periods we observe are consistent with expectations for an M⁎ = 0.16-0.19 M⊙ white dwarf, as suggested from spectroscopy. We also present the empirical boundaries of the instability strip for low-mass white dwarfs based on the full sample of white dwarfs, and discuss the distinction between pulsating low-mass white dwarfs and subdwarf A/F stars., Instituto de Astrofísica de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas

Dielectric cavities support record low mode volumes by incorporating subwavelength features into photonic crystal unit cells., The ability to highly localize light with strong electric field enhancement is critical for enabling higher-efficiency solar cells, light sources, and modulators. While deep-subwavelength modes can be realized with plasmonic resonators, large losses in these metal structures preclude most practical applications. We developed an alternative approach to achieving subwavelength localization of the electric and displacement fields that is not accompanied by inhibitive losses. We experimentally demonstrate a dielectric bowtie photonic crystal structure that supports mode volumes commensurate with plasmonic elements and quality factors that reveal ultralow losses. Our approach opens the door to the extremely strong light-matter interaction regime with, simultaneously incorporating both an ultralow mode volume and an ultrahigh quality factor, that had remained elusive in optical resonators.

The Majorana Demonstrator is an ultralow-background experiment searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in ^{76}Ge. The heavily shielded array of germanium detectors, placed nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, also allows searches for new exotic physics. Free, relativistic, lightly ionizing particles with an electrical charge less than e are forbidden by the standard model but predicted by some of its extensions. If such particles exist, they might be detected in the Majorana Demonstrator by searching for multiple-detector events with individual-detector energy depositions down to 1 keV. This search is background-free, and no candidate events have been found in 285 days of data taking. New direct-detection limits are set for the flux of lightly ionizing particles for charges as low as e/1000.

The Majorana Demonstrator is an ultralow-background experiment searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in [superscript 76]Ge. The heavily shielded array of germanium detectors, placed nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, also allows searches for new exotic physics. Free, relativistic, lightly ionizing particles with an electrical charge less than e are forbidden by the standard model but predicted by some of its extensions. If such particles exist, they might be detected in the Majorana Demonstrator by searching for multiple-detector events with individual-detector energy depositions down to 1 keV. This search is background-free, and no candidate events have been found in 285 days of data taking. New direct-detection limits are set for the flux of lightly ionizing particles for charges as low as e/1000., National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant MRI-0923142), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant PHY-1003399), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant PHY-1102292), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant PHY1206314), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant PHY-1614611), Los Alamos National Laboratory. Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (U.S.). Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant 15-02- 02919), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (SAPIN-2017-00023), Canada Foundation for Innovation

We present a portable optical spectrometer for fugitive emissions monitoring of methane (CH4). The sensor operation is based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS), using a 5 cm open path design, and targets the 2ν3 R(4) CH4 transition at 6057.1 cm-1 (1651 nm) to avoid cross-talk with common interfering atmospheric constituents. Sensitivity analysis indicates a normalized precision of 2.0 ppmv·Hz-1/2, corresponding to a noise-equivalent absorbance (NEA) of 4.4×10-6 Hz-1/2 and minimum detectible absorption (MDA) coefficient of αmin = 8.8×10-7 cm-1·Hz-1/2. Our TDLAS sensor is deployed at the Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center (METEC) at Colorado State University (CSU) for initial demonstration of single-sensor based source localization and quantification of CH4 fugitive emissions. The TDLAS sensor is concurrently deployed with a customized chemi-resistive metal-oxide (MOX) sensor for accuracy benchmarking, demonstrating good visual correlation of the concentration time-series. Initial angle-ofarrival (AOA) results will be shown, and development towards source magnitude estimation will be described.

RbFe^{2+}Fe^{3+}F_{6} is an example of a charge ordered antiferromagnet where iron sites, with differing valences, are structurally separated into two interpenetrating sublattices. The low temperature magnetically ordered Fe^{2+} (S=2) and Fe^{3+} (S=5/2) moments form a noncollinear orthogonal structure with the Fe^{3+} site displaying a reduced static ordered moment. Neutron spectroscopy on single crystals finds two distinct spin wave branches with a dominant coupling along the Fe^{3+} chain axis (b axis). High resolution spectroscopic measurements find an intense energy and momentum broadened magnetic band of scattering bracketing a momentum-energy region where two magnon processes are kinematically allowed. These anharmonic excitations are enhanced in this noncollinear magnet owing to the orthogonal spin arrangement.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an experiment constructed to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in $^{76}$Ge and to demonstrate the feasibility to deploy a large-scale experiment in a phased and modular fashion. It consists of two modules of natural and $^{76}$Ge-enriched germanium detectors totalling 44.1 kg, operating at the 4850' level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. Commissioning of the experiment began in June 2015, followed by data production with the full detector array in August 2016. The ultra-low background and record energy resolution achieved by the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR enable a sensitive neutrinoless double-beta decay search, as well as additional searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. I will discuss the design elements that enable these searches, along with the latest results, focusing on the neutrinoless double-beta decay search. I will also discuss the current status and the future plans of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, as well as the plans for a future tonne-scale $^{76}$Ge experiment., 4 pages. Proceedings of The 39th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP2018), 4-11 July, 2018, Seoul, Korea. Submitted to Proceedings of Science

The Majorana Collaboration is operating an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-β decay in ^{76}Ge. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in ^{76}Ge) split between two modules contained in a low background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. Here we present results from data taken during construction, commissioning, and the start of full operations. We achieve unprecedented energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Q_{ββ} and a very low background with no observed candidate events in 9.95 kg yr of enriched Ge exposure, resulting in a lower limit on the half-life of 1.9×10^{25} yr (90% C.L.). This result constrains the effective Majorana neutrino mass to below 240-520 meV, depending on the matrix elements used. In our experimental configuration with the lowest background, the background is 4.0_{-2.5}^{+3.1} counts/(FWHM t yr).

Eosinophils have been postulated to play a protective role against infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), increase the severity of allergic asthma during respiratory viral infection, and drive vaccine-enhanced disease. To address these questions in the cotton rat model of RSV infection, we characterized cotton rat eosinophils by electron microscopy as well as by bronchoalveolar lavage and histology of lung sections. Using these methods, we demonstrated that eosinophils comprise approximately half of all cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from cotton rats. The function of these cells was comparable to that of eosinophils of other species. Ex vivo, eosinophils stimulated with calcium ionophores secreted eosinophil peroxidase. In vivo, treatment with house dust mite antigen increased eosinophil numbers in lung. Infection with Staphylococcus aureus lead to a marked increase in neutrophils without an increase in eosinophils, and eosinophil numbers were not influenced by infection with influenza virus or measles virus. Similarly, infection with RSV did not result in an increase in eosinophils. Lastly, RSV infection did not increase eosinophil recruitment into the lung after challenge with house dust mite antigen, but it did increase eosinophil recruitment into the lungs of cotton rats previously immunized with formalin-inactivated RSV vaccine, thus contributing to vaccine-enhanced disease.

The Majorana Collaboration is operating an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-β decay in ^{76}Ge. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in ^{76}Ge) split between two modules contained in a low background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. Here we present results from data taken during construction, commissioning, and the start of full operations. We achieve unprecedented energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Q_{ββ} and a very low background with no observed candidate events in 9.95 kg yr of enriched Ge exposure, resulting in a lower limit on the half-life of 1.9×10^{25} yr (90% C.L.). This result constrains the effective Majorana neutrino mass to below 240-520 meV, depending on the matrix elements used. In our experimental configuration with the lowest background, the background is 4.0_{-2.5}^{+3.1} counts/(FWHM t yr).

We present a new fringe mitigation method based on Fourier decomposition of background optical fringe patterns. Application to a silicon photonic on-chip sensor show order of magnitude improved concentration retrieval stability.

AM CVn-type systems are ultra-compact, hydrogen-deficient accreting binaries with degenerate or semi-degenerate donors. The evolutionary history of these systems can be explored by constraining the properties of their donor stars. We present high-speed photometry of Gaia14aae, an AM CVn with a binary period of 49.7 minutes and the first AM CVn in which the central white dwarf is fully eclipsed by the donor star. Modelling of the lightcurves of this system allows for the most precise measurement to date of the donor mass of an AM CVn, and relies only on geometric and well-tested physical assumptions. We find a mass ratio $q = M_2/M_1 = 0.0287 \pm 0.0020$ and masses $M_1 = 0.87 \pm 0.02 M_\odot$ and $M_2 = 0.0250 \pm 0.0013 M_\odot$. We compare these properties to the three proposed channels for AM CVn formation. Our measured donor mass and radius do not fit with the contraction that is predicted for AM CVn donors descended from white dwarfs or helium stars at long orbital periods. The donor properties we measure fall in a region of parameter space in which systems evolved from hydrogen-dominated cataclysmic variables are expected, but such systems should show spectroscopic hydrogen, which is not seen in Gaia14aae. The evolutionary history of this system is therefore not clear. We consider a helium-burning star or an evolved cataclysmic variable to be the most likely progenitors, but both models require additional processes and/or fine-tuning to fit the data. Additionally, we calculate an updated ephemeris which corrects for an anomalous time measurement in the previously published ephemeris., 18 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication by MNRAS

The Majorana Collaboration is using an array of high-purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76Ge. Searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay are understood to be the only viable experimental method for testing the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Observation of this decay would imply violation of lepton number, that neutrinos are Majorana in nature, and provide information on the neutrino mass. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of p-type point-contact Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in 76Ge) surrounded by a low-background shield system. The experiment achieved a high efficiency of converting raw Ge material to detectors and an unprecedented detector energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Q$_{\beta\beta}$. The Majorana collaboration began taking physics data in 2016. This paper summarizes key construction aspects of the Demonstrator and shows preliminary results from initial data., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Proceeding for the "16th International Symposium on Capture Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy and Related Topics (CGS16)", 18-22 September 2017

We present line-scanned methane absorption spectroscopy at 1656.5 nm using a multi-section hybrid III-V silicon external-cavity laser. The laser demonstrates > 2 nm tunability and single-mode operation with SMSR > 50 dB for high-resolution spectroscopy.

We report the discovery of the ultracompact hot subdwarf (sdOB) binary OW J074106.0-294811.0 with an orbital period of P$_{\rm orb}=44.66279\pm1.16\times10^{-4}$ min, making it the most compact hot subdwarf binary known. Spectroscopic observations using the VLT, Gemini and Keck telescopes revealed a He-sdOB primary with an intermediate helium abundance, T$_{\rm eff}=39 400\pm500$ K and log(g)=$5.74\pm0.09$. High signal-to-noise ratio lightcurves show strong ellipsoidal modulation resulting in a derived sdOB mass $M_{\rm sdOB}=0.23\pm0.12$ M$_\odot$ with a WD companion ($M_{\rm WD}=0.72\pm0.17$ M$_\odot$). The mass ratio was found to be $q = M_{\rm sdOB}/M_{\rm WD}=0.32\pm0.10$. The derived mass for the He-sdOB is inconsistent with the canonical mass for hot sbudwarfs of $\approx0.47$ M$_\odot$. To put constraints on the structure and evolutionary history of the sdOB star we compared the derived T$_{\rm eff}$, log(g) and sdOB mass to evolutionary tracks of helium stars and helium white dwarfs calculated with Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics (MESA). We find that the best fitting model is a helium white dwarf with a mass of $0.320$ M$_\odot$, which left the common envelope ${\approx}1.1$ Myr ago, is consistent with the observations. As a helium white dwarf with a massive white dwarf companion the object will reach contact in 17.6 Myr at an orbital period of 5 min. Depending on the spin-orbit synchronization timescale the object will either merge to form an R CrB star or end up as a stably accreting AM CVn-type system with a helium white dwarf donor., Accepted for publication in ApJ, 13 pages, 7 figures

The Majorana Demonstrator is an array of point-contact Ge detectors fabricated from Ge isotopically enriched to 88% in 76 Ge to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. The processing of Ge for germanium detectors is a well-known technology. However, because of the high cost of Ge enriched in 76 Ge special procedures were required to maximize the yield of detector mass and to minimize exposure to cosmic rays. These procedures include careful accounting for the material; shielding it to reduce cosmogenic generation of radioactive isotopes; and development of special reprocessing techniques for contaminated solid germanium, shavings, grindings, acid etchant and cutting fluids from detector fabrication. Processing procedures were developed that resulted in a total yield in detector mass of 70%. However, none of the acid-etch solution and only 50% of the cutting fluids from detector fabrication were reprocessed. Had they been processed, the projections for the recovery yield would be between 80% and 85%. Maximizing yield is critical to justify a possible future ton-scale experiment. A process for recovery of germanium from the acid-etch solution was developed with yield of about 90%. All material was shielded or stored underground whenever possible to minimize the formation of 68 Ge by cosmic rays, which contributes background in the double-beta decay region of interest and cannot be removed by zone refinement and crystal growth. Formation of 68 Ge was reduced by a significant factor over that in natural abundance detectors not protected from cosmic rays.

Over the past few decades, female circumcision has mainly been considered an African problem. However, recent studies confirm that non-African females have also undergone this harmful practice. The prevalence of female circumcision outside Africa broadens our understanding of the scope and the reasons behind this practice. This broader concept challenges us to put the legal approach to female circumcision under critical scrutiny. Especially, since many non-African girls are circumcised on religious grounds and in a less intensive manner than, or in the same way as boys. This raises the question whether incision and piercing that modify female genitalia less significantly than male circumcision, could be accepted as exemptions in law, like male circumcision and cosmetic surgery. To address the criticism of "double standards" in this context, this essay develops a normative framework of liberal rights and analyses how circumcisions affect the security, vulnerability and status of people. This liberal perspective rejects convincingly exemptions for female circumcision and accepts male circumcision conditionally and temporarily. This essay develops two pragmatic arguments that explain the "double standards" regime. These arguments reject exemptions for female circumcision and accept male circumcision as an exemption in law.

This study investigates associations between the combined physical activity environment and obesity and explores any sub-group effects by individual-level socioeconomic status.In a large cross-sectional cohort ( n = 22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study, body mass index was calculated using self-reported height and weight and obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30. The physical activity environment was split into 'unfavourable physical activity', 'moderately favourable physical activity' and 'favourable physical activity' environments. This was based on the count of parks and physical activity facilities within a 2 km radial buffer centred on home addresses. A favourable physical activity environment was defined as having ≥1 physical activity facility and ≥1 park, unfavourable as having no physical activity facility and park and any other combinations defined as moderately favourable. Logistic regression (odds ratios) identified associations with obesity.Relative to 'unfavourable physical activity environments', individuals within favourable physical activity environments were less likely to be obese (odds ratio = 0.90; 95% confidence interval = 0.82-0.97), and there was no effect for moderately favourable environment. Furthermore, once stratified by education level, this relationship was only present for those of higher education.Our findings provide novel UK evidence and is one of the first papers internationally that highlights the importance of considering the interplay of individual-level socioeconomic factors when investigating associations between the physical activity environment and obesity.

The MAJORANA Collaboration is searching for the neutrinoless double-beta decay of the nucleus Ge-76. The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is an array of germanium detectors deployed with the aim of implementing background reduction techniques suitable for a tonne scale Ge-76-based search (the LEGEND collaboration). In the DEMONSTRATOR, germanium detectors operate in an ultra-pure vacuum cryostat at 80 K. One special challenge of an ultra-pure environment is to develop reliable cables, connectors, and electronics that do not significantly contribute to the radioactive background of the experiment. This paper highlights the experimental requirements and how these requirements were met for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, including plans to upgrade the wiring for higher reliability in the summer of 2018. Also described are requirements for LEGEND R&D efforts underway to meet these additional requirements., Proceedings of LRT 2017

We present simulation and experimental results on a silicon photonic strictly nonblocking $4\times 4$ electrooptic Mach–Zehnder-based switch fabric. We propose a simulation framework based on the transfer matrix approach that enables calculating the transmission spectra of any type of multistage interconnect switch network. The model is used to analyze the spectral characteristics of the switch fabric. We also show experimental results on a fabric designed and fabricated in IBM's 90-nm photonics-enabled CMOS process. The fabric monolithically integrates the CMOS logic, the switch drivers, and all the photonics. We fully characterized all the transmittances of the switch and demonstrate onchip insertion loss between 1.5 and 3 dB and a crosstalk less than –25 dB for all the signal paths.

We present the design, fabrication, and measurement results of low-insertion-loss and low-crosstalk broadband $2\times 2$ Mach–Zehnder switches for nanosecond-scale optical data routing applications. We propose a simulation framework to calculate the spectral characteristics of switches and use it to design two switches: one based on directional couplers, the other using two-section directional couplers for broader bandwidth. We show that driving the switch in a push–pull manner enables to reduce insertion loss and optical crosstalk at the expense of the optical bandwidth. We achieve a good correlation between simulations and devices fabricated in IBM's 90-nm photonics-enabled CMOS process. We demonstrate a push–pull drive switch with insertion loss of $\sim$ 1 dB and an optical crosstalk smaller than $-$ 23 dB over a 45-nm optical bandwidth in the O-band. We further achieve a transition time of $\sim$ 4 ns with an average phase shifter consumption of 1 mW and a heater efficiency of $\sim$ 25 mW $/\pi$ .

Measurements of live-captured adult and hatch-year Reddish Egrets (Egretta rufescens) from Texas (n = 29 and 25, respectively) and Florida (n = 7 and 3, respectively) are reported. Mass, tarsus length, and culmen length were used to compare sexes and ages of Reddish Egrets. Adult males (n = 17) were significantly larger than adult females (n = 19) in all parameters, and hatch-year Reddish Egrets were significantly smaller than adults in all parameters. Additionally, considerably larger measurements were recorded on average than those previously available for Reddish Egrets. These measurements provide updated information on the morphometry of Reddish Egrets that will be useful in understanding life history strategies and for planning future studies.

Understanding natal dispersal patterns of animals is critical to development of effective species conservation plans, as it ensures that population management takes place at appropriate scales. The reddish egret Egretta rufescens is a threatened waterbird species lacking documentation on many aspects of its ecology, including movement behaviors at all life stages. We attached satellite transmitters to 25 juvenile reddish egrets on their natal colonies and observed their dispersal patterns and subsequent movements over a period of 115 wk (May 2010-August 2012). Birds exhibited the greatest movement rates in the remainder of the first breeding season (through July 2010, ~10 to 13 wk of age, 11.07 km d �1 ) and steadily decreased in the post-breeding period (4.87 km d �1 ) and winter (1.96 km d �1 ) of their first year. Movements of 1 to 2.5 km d �1 char- acterized the remainder of the tracking period, suggesting that surviving birds were able to estab- lish local territories. Of the 25 tagged birds, 8 (32%) survived throughout the observation period, based on transmitter failure rates, with losses increasing each winter. The majority of birds remained on the Texas/ Mexico coast of the Gulf of Mexico, indicating that the population is largely resident and therefore vulnerable to coastal habitat alterations in the region. Due to a com- bination of infrequent long- distance migration, specialized behaviors, and apparent limited gene flow, habitat maintenance should be of primary importance for management of this rare species. This is among the first published studies of heron movement ecology using telemetry, and should be followed by further tracking with developing technologies to characterize high-resolution movements and habitat associations.

We present a 16-Gb/s transmitter composed of a stacked voltage-mode CMOS driver and periodic-loaded reverse biased pn junction Mach–Zehnder modulator. The transmitter shows 9-dB extinction ratio and 10.3-pJ/bit power consumption and operates with 1.3 μm light. Penalties as low as 0.5 dB were seen as compared to a 25-Gb/s LiNbO3 transmitter with both a monolithic metal–semiconductor–metal receiver and a reference receiver at 16-Gb/s operation. We also present an analytic expression for relative transmitter penalty (RTP), which allows one to quickly assess the system impact of design parameters such as peak-to-peak modulator drive voltage, modulator figure of merit, and transmitter extinction ratio to determine the circumstances under which a stacked CMOS cascode driver is desirable.

Body size has significant impacts on fundamental processes of locomotion, including the operational frequency of skeletal muscle contraction, which declines systematically with increasing size. Although this shift in operation frequency and contractile kinetics is well documented in the literature, the mechanisms responsible for these changes are still incompletely understood. One important factor is that the mechanical properties of the musculoskeletal system possess resonant properties that favor higher frequencies in small animals. Another significant element is the physiological properties of the skeletal muscles, which may be tuned for faster contractions in smaller animals. These two components are interrelated, but precisely how muscle physiology and musculoskeletal mechanics interact to shape patterns of locomotion is complex. Ghost crabs Ocypode quadrata present an interesting model to study these processes because they are proficient runners that exhibit systematic changes in stride frequency as they grow. In the current study, we focused on anatomical changes that might occur with allometric growth in ghost crabs to test the hypothesis that changes in mechanical parameters contribute to the slowing of stride frequency. We paired basic anatomical measurements with kinematic analyses of crabs running at top speeds on a treadmill and experimentally weighted crabs to determine if the relative mass of larger crabs affects running frequency. We found that biologically relevant mechanics of the leg joints do not change with growth, as mechanical advantage and muscle fiber length relative to joint moment arm were unaffected by body size. Loading crabs had similar effects on stride frequency in both large and small animals alike. In contrast, muscle shortening velocity, estimated directly from angular velocity of the leg joints, decreased significantly with increasing body size. These data suggest that fundamental changes to the contractile properties of skeletal muscles during growth are primarily responsible for the changes in stride frequency observed in ghost crabs.

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing a system containing 40kg of HPGe detectors to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a future tonne-scale experiment capable of probing the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region. To realize this, a major goal of the Majorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. This goal is pursued through a combination of a significant reduction of radioactive impurities in construction materials with analytical methods for background rejection, for example using powerful pulse shape analysis techniques profiting from the p-type point contact HPGe detectors technology. The effectiveness of these methods is assessed using simulations of the different background components whose purity levels are constrained from radioassay measurements.

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR will search for the neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ(0ν)) of the isotope 76Ge with a mixed array of enriched and natural germanium detectors. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale germanium-based ββ(0ν)-decay searches, a major goal of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest (ROI) around the 2039-keV Q-value of the 76Ge ββ(0ν)-decay. Such a requirement on the background level significantly constrains the design of the readout electronics, which is further driven by noise and energy resolution performances. We present here the low-noise low- background front-end electronics developed for the low-capacitance p-type point contact (P-PC) germanium detectors of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR. This resistive-feedback front-end, specifically designed to have low mass, is fabricated on a radioassayed fused-silica substrate where the feedback resistor consists of a sputtered thin film of high purity amorphous germanium and the feedback capacitor is based on the capacitance between gold conductive traces.

High purity germanium (HPGe) crystals will be used for the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, where they serve as both the source and the detector for neutrinoless double beta decay. It is crucial for the experiment to understand the performance of the HPGe crystals. A variety of crystal properties are being investigated, including basic properties such as energy resolution, efficiency, uniformity, capacitance, leakage current and crystal axis orientation, as well as more sophisticated properties, e.g. pulse shapes and dead layer and transition layer distributions. In this paper, we will present our measurements that characterize the HPGe crystals. We will also discuss our simulation package for the detector characterization setup, and show that additional information can be extracted from data-simulation comparisons., Comment: To appear in the Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics, TAUP 2013 (F. Avignone & W. Haxton, editors, Physics Procedia, Elsevier)

A survey was conducted from November 2009 to April 2010 to determine how importers of pork define 7 predetermined quality cat- egories (food safety, customer service, eating quality, product specification, packaging, visual characteristics, and production history) and to estimate willingness- to-pay (WTP) and establish best-worst (B/W) scaling (rank) for the 7 quality categories. Interviews were conducted in Hong Kong/China (n = 83), Japan (n = 48), Mexico (n = 70) and Russia (n = 54) with import- ers of U.S. pork or those who had purchased U.S. pork from distributors in the last 3 yr. Interviews used dynamic routing software and were structured such that economic factors for purchase were addressed first, allowing all responses to focus on quality. Questions about WTP and B/W were asked and then each respondent was asked to define what each qual- ity category meant to them. Generalized linear mixed models were used to analyze frequency data. Over 70% of interviewees in Hong Kong/China, Japan, and Mexico responded that purchase price was influential in deciding whether or not to purchase imported pork. This number was lower in Russia, where respondents stated tariff rates were also important, indicating mar- ket access was a larger issue in Russia. Food safety was the most important quality category (price was not included as a part of quality) for imported pork followed by specifications. Respondents indicated some form of government inspection was how they defined food safety, whereas product size, weight, and subcutaneous fat were all included in the defini- tion of specifications. Interviewees were more likely to pay premiums for customer service and less likely to pay premiums for packaging (P < 0.05). The pre- miums that were willing to be paid for guarantees of quality for imported pork variety meats were numeri- cally lower than for whole muscle cuts or processed products. A guarantee associated with food safety of processed pork products was found to be the quality attribute for which importers would be willing to pay the highest premium. Production history was found to be the least important quality attribute for importers of all types of U.S. pork, except those in Japan. Exporters could increase profitability if a guarantee of customer service was made. Price, tariffs, and exchange rates are important to pork importers; these results indicated that if certain quality attributes could be guaranteed, exporters could increase profitability.

Correct registration of vehicle-mounted sensors is a fundamental prerequisite for the perception capabilities required for automation. However, the use of a standard marker or artificial-feature-based approaches is often infeasible in environments that do not allow for additional infrastructure. This paper presents a method for sensor registration that overcomes this limitation by utilizing the geometric structure of the terrain surrounding the sensor platform. The method determines the information content of registration parameters in measurements of the terrain, and it updates only the subspace of those parameters with information. The performance of the method is demonstrated for registration of a sensor to a large mining haul-truck and a swing-loading excavator. The method is shown to successfully register the sensor to each vehicle using a surveyed topographic map of the terrain. Performing self-registration using a map generated by the sensor itself is also demonstrated, however specific vehicle trajectory conditions are required to provide information on all registration parameters.

The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) is listed as a Species of High Concern in the United States Shorebird Conservation Plan due to a small population size and threats during its annual cycle. Previous studies of the American Oystercatcher have focused on Atlantic Coast populations; however, little is known about the reproductive success of the western Gulf Coast population. The objective of this study was to determine nest and brood survival of American Oystercatchers in Texas. A total of 337 nests and 121 broods were monitored on the Texas Gulf Coast during 2011–2013. The top model for nest survival in Program MARK included a linear decline in survival across the nesting season and as nests aged. Survival also declined as island size and foraging habitat near the nest site increased. The probability of a nest surviving from mean initiation date to hatching was 0.384 (95% CI = 0.317, 0.451). The top model for brood survival included a linear decline in survival across the season an...

Neutrinoless double-beta decay searches play a major role in determining the nature of neutrinos, the existence of a lepton violating process, and the effective Majorana neutrino mass. The MAJORANA Collaboration assembled an array of high purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in Ge-76. The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is comprised of 44.1 kg (29.7 kg enriched in Ge-76) of Ge detectors divided between two modules contained in a low-background shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. The initial goals of the DEMONSTRATOR are to establish the required background and scalability of a Ge-based next-generation ton-scale experiment. Following a commissioning run that started in 2015, the first detector module started low-background data production in early 2016. The second detector module was added in August 2016 to begin operation of the entire array. We discuss results of the initial physics runs, as well as the status and physics reach of the full MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR experiment., Proceedings of the MEDEX'17 meeting (Prague, May 29 - June 2, 2017)

This Chapter analyzes the work of Christian social and political ethicist Jean Bethke Elshtain on law and the family.