Design and performance of LED calibration system prototype for the lead tungstate crystal calorimeter
A highly stable monitoring system based on blue and red light emitting diodes coupled to a distribution network comprised of optical fibers has been developed for an electromagnetic calorimeter that uses lead tungstate crystals readout with photomultiplier tubes. We report of the system prototype design and on the results of laboratory tests. Stability better than 0.1% (r.m.s.) has been achieved during one week of prototype operation.

title: Study of neutrino and anti-neutrino charged current interactions in U70 wide band beams

title: ATLAS: technical proposal for a general-purpose p p experiment at the large hadron collider at CERN

title: Spin physics with light and heavy neutral mesons at Protvino
abstract: PROZA-M experiment results as well the proposal of a new spin program with the use of a polarized proton beam are presented. Significant asymmetries were observed in inclusive $\pi^0$ production. The new program proposes to study a wealth of single- and double-spin observables in various reactions using longitudinally and transversely polarized proton beams at U70. The main goal is to define gluon contribution to nucleon spin by measuring double-spin asymmetry in charmonium production.

title: LED monitoring system for the BTeV lead tungstate crystal calorimeter prototype
abstract: We report on the performance of a monitoring system for a prototype calorimeter for the BTeV experiment that uses lead tungstate crystals coupled with photomultiplier tubes. The tests were carried out at the 70-GeV accelerator complex at Protvino, Russia.

title: Measurements of the T2K neutrino beam properties using the INGRID on-axis near detector
abstract: Precise measurement of neutrino beam direction and intensity was achieved based on a new concept with modularized neutrino detectors. INGRID (Interactive Neutrino GRID) is an on-axis near detector for the T2K long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. INGRID consists of 16 identical modules arranged in horizontal and vertical arrays around the beam center. The module has a sandwich structure of iron target plates and scintillator trackers. INGRID directly monitors the muon neutrino beam profile center and intensity using the number of observed neutrino events in each module. The neutrino beam direction is measured with accuracy better than 0.4 mrad from the measured profile center. The normalized event rate is measured with 4% precision.

title: Second parameter globulars and dwarf spheroidals around the Local Group massive galaxies: What can they evidence?
abstract: We suggest that the majority of the "young", so-called "second parameter" globular clusters (SPGCs) have origi- nated in the outer Galactic halo due to a process other than a tidal disruption of the dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. Basic observational evidence regarding both the dSphs and the SPGCs, coupled with the latest data about a rather large relative num- ber of such clusters among globulars in M 33 and their low portion in M 31, seems to be consistent with the suspected process. It might have taken place within the system of the most massive galaxies of the Local Group (LG) at the earliest stages of their formation and evolution. We argue that the origin and basic characteristics of the SPGCs can naturally be explained as a result of mass outflow from M 31, during and due to formation of its Pop. II stars, and subsequent accretion of gas onto its massive companions, the Galaxy and M 33. An amount of the gas accreted onto the Milky Way is expected to have been quite enough for the formation in the outer Galactic halo not only of the clusters under consideration but also a number of those dSph galaxies which are as young as the SPGCs. A less significant, but notable mass transfer from the starbursting protoGalaxy to the massive members of the LG might have occurred, too.

title: Massive Star Cluster Populations in Irregular Galaxies as Probable Younger Counterparts of Old Metal-rich Globular Cluster Populations in Spheroids
abstract: Peak metallicities of metal-rich populations of globular clusters (MRGCs) belonging to early-type galaxies and spheroidal subsystems of spiral galaxies (spheroids) of different mass fall within the somewhat conservative -0.7 ? [Fe/H] ? -0.3 range. Indeed, if possible age effects are taken into account, this metallicity range might become smaller. Irregular galaxies such as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), with longer timescales of formation and lower star formation (SF) efficiency, do not contain old MRGCs with [Fe/H] > -1.0, but they are observed to form populations of young/intermediate-age massive star clusters (MSCs) with masses exceeding 104 M?. Their formation is widely believed to be an accidental process fully dependent on external factors. From the analysis of available data on the populations and their hosts, including intermediate-age populous star clusters in the LMC, we find that their most probable mean metallicities fall within -0.7 ? [Fe/H] ? -0.3, as the peak metallicities of MRGCs do, irrespective of signs of interaction. Moreover, both the disk giant metallicity distribution function (MDF) in the LMC and the MDFs for old giants in the halos of massive spheroids exhibit a significant increase toward [Fe/H] ? -0.5. That is in agreement with a correlation found between SF activity in galaxies and their metallicity. The formation of both the old MRGCs in spheroids and MSC populations in irregular galaxies probably occurs at approximately the same stage of the host galaxies' chemical evolution and is related to the essentially increased SF activity in the hosts around the same metallicity that is achieved very early in massive spheroids, later in lower mass spheroids, and much later in irregular galaxies. Changes in the interstellar dust, particularly in elemental abundances in dust grains and in the mass distribution function of the grains, may be among the factors regulating star and MSC formation activity in galaxies. Strong interactions and mergers affecting the MSC formation presumably play an additional role, although they can substantially intensify the internally regulated MSC formation process. Several implications of our suggestions are briefly discussed.

title: Metal-rich Globular Clusters: An Unaccounted Factor Responsible for Their Formation?
abstract: A presently unaccounted but quite probable “chemical factor” may be responsible for the formation of old metal-rich globular clusters (MRGCs) in spheroids, as well as of their conterparts, young (intermediate–age) massive star clusters (MSCs) in irregulars. Their formation presumably occurs ~ at the same stage of the host galaxies’ chemical evolution and is related to the essentially increased SF activity in the hosts around the same metallicity, ~Z⊙/3 ([Fe/H]~-0.5). It is achieved very soon in massive spheroids, later in lower-mass spheroids, and (much) more later in irregulars.

title: Study of Delta and Roper resonances excitation in light nuclei induced reactions
abstract: The excitation mechanisms and properties of broad hadronic resonances in nuclei, which are intimately related with nuclear medium response on high energy excitations, have attracted much attention during last decade.

title: Oldmetal‐rich globular cluster populations: Peak color and peak metallicity trends with mass of host spheroids
abstract: We address the problem of the factors contributing to a peak color trend of old metal-rich globular cluster (MRGC) populations with mass of their hosts, early-type galaxies and spheroidal subsystems of spiral ones (spheroids). The colormass trend is often converted to a metallicity-mass trend under the assumption that age effects are small or negligible. While direct estimates of the ages of MRGC populations neither can rule out nor reliably support the populations' age trend, key data on timing of the formation of spheroids and other indirect evidence imply it in the sense: the more massive spheroid the older on average its MRGC population. We show that the contribution of an allowable age trend of the MRGC populations to their peak color trend can achieve up to ∼50% or so. In this event the comparable value of the color trend, ∼30%, is due to alpha-element ratio systematic variations of the order of Δ[α /Fe] ≈ 0.1 to 0.2 dex because of a correlation between the [α /Fe] ratios and age. Hence a systematic variation of exactly [Fe/H] ratios may turn out to be less significant among the contributors, and its range many times lower, i.e. of the order of Δ[Fe/H]∼0.1 or even none, than the corresponding range deduced by assuming no age trend.