Curricular orientations to real-world contexts in mathematics

A common claim about mathematics education is that it should equip students to use mathematics in the ‘real world’. In this paper, we examine how relationships between mathematics education and the real world are materialised in the curriculum across a sample of eleven jurisdictions. In particular, we address the orientation of the curriculum towards application of mathematics, the ways that real-world contexts are positioned within the curriculum content, the ways in which different groups of students are expected to engage with real-world contexts, and the extent to which high-stakes assessments include real-world problem solving. The analysis reveals variation across jurisdictions and some lack of coherence between official orientations towards use of mathematics in the real world and the ways that this is materialised in the organisation of the content for students

Metastatic appendiceal adenocarcinoma presenting late as epididymo-orchitis: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND: Whereas testicular metastases are in themselves a rare entity, testicular secondaries from an appendiceal carcinoma have not yet been described. The case also illustrates the diagnostic dilemma of a tumour presenting as epididymo-orchitis. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors present a case of an appendiceal carcinoma that, two years after radical therapy, manifested as a secondary in the testis. It was misdiagnosed as an epididymo-orchitis and was only revealed through histology. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners need to remember that long-standing testicular inflammation may result form secondary tumours. Even "exotic" primary tumours in the medical history of the patient must give rise to an increased suspicion threshold

Measurement of J/ψ production in association with a W ± boson with pp data at 8 TeV

A measurement of the production of a prompt J/ψ meson in association with a W± boson with W± → μν and J/ψ → μ+μ− is presented for J/ψ transverse momenta in the range 8.5–150 GeV and rapidity |yJ/ψ| < 2.1 using ATLAS data recorded in 2012 at the LHC. The data were taken at a proton-proton centre-of-mass energy of s = 8 TeV and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. The ratio of the prompt J/ψ plus W± cross-section to the inclusive W± cross-section is presented as a differential measurement as a function of J/ψ transverse momenta and compared with theoretical predictions using different double-parton-scattering cross-sections. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

A Search for Possible Long Range Spin Dependent Interactions of the Neutron from Exotic Vector Boson Exchange

We present a search for possible spin dependent interactions of the neutron with matter through exchange of spin 1 bosons with axial vector couplings as envisioned in possible extensions of the Standard Model. This was sought using a slow neutron polarimeter that passed transversely polarized slow neutrons by unpolarized slabs of material arranged so that interactions would tilt the plane of polarization and develop a component along the neutron momentum. The result for the rotation angle, ϕ′=[2.8±4.6(stat.)±4.0(sys.)]×10−5 rad/m is consistent with zero. This result improves the upper bounds on the neutron-matter coupling g2A by about three orders of magnitude for force ranges in the mm– μm regime

Global and local space properties of stream programs

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comInternational audienceIn this paper, we push forward the approach proposed in [1] aiming at studying semantic interpretation criteria for the purpose of ensuring safety and complexity properties of programs working on streams. The paper improves the previous results by considering global and local upper bounds properties of both theoretical and practical interests guaranteeing that the size of each output stream element is bounded by a function in the maximal size of the input stream elements. Moreover, in contrast to previous studies, these properties also apply to a wide class of stream definitions, that is functions that do not have streams in the input but produce an output stream

Measurement of the Higgs boson coupling properties in the H → ZZ∗ → 4ℓ decay channel at s√=13s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The coupling properties of the Higgs boson are studied in the four-lepton (e, μ) decay channel using 36.1 fb −1 of pp collision data from the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are measured for the main production modes in several exclusive regions of the Higgs boson production phase space and are interpreted in terms of coupling modifiers. The inclusive cross section times branching ratio for H → ZZ ∗ decay and for a Higgs boson absolute rapidity below 2.5 is measured to be 1. 73 − 0.23 + 0.24 (stat.) − 0.08 + 0.10 (exp.) ± 0.04(th.) pb compared to the Standard Model prediction of 1.34±0.09 pb. In addition, the tensor structure of the Higgs boson couplings is studied using an effective Lagrangian approach for the description of interactions beyond the Standard Model. Constraints are placed on the non-Standard-Model CP-even and CP-odd couplings to Z bosons and on the CP-odd coupling to gluons

Search for direct top squark pair production in events with a Higgs or Z boson, and missing transverse momentum in s√=13s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for direct top squark pair production resulting in events with either a same-flavour opposite-sign dilepton pair with invariant mass compatible with a Z boson or a pair of jets compatible with a Standard Model (SM) Higgs boson (h) is presented. Requirements on the missing transverse momentum, together with additional selections on leptons, jets, jets identified as originating from b-quarks are imposed to target the other decay products of the top squark pair. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data at s=13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2015–2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb −1 . No excess is observed in the data with respect to the SM predictions. The results are interpreted in two sets of models. In the first set, direct production of pairs of lighter top squarks (t˜ 1 ) with long decay chains involving Z or Higgs bosons is considered. The second set includes direct pair production of the heavier top squark pairs (t˜ 2 ) decaying via t˜ 2 → Zt˜ 1 or t˜ 2 → ht˜ 1 . The results exclude at 95% confidence level t˜ 2 and t˜ 1 masses up to about 800 GeV, extending the exclusion region of supersymmetric parameter space covered by previous LHC searches.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Measurements of top-quark pair differential cross-sections in the eμ channel in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector

This article presents measurements of tt¯ differential cross-sections in a fiducial phase-space region, using an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb- 1 of proton–proton data at a centre-of-mass energy of s=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015. Differential cross-sections are measured as a function of the transverse momentum and absolute rapidity of the top quark, and of the transverse momentum, absolute rapidity and invariant mass of the tt¯ system. The tt¯ events are selected by requiring one electron and one muon of opposite electric charge, and at least two jets, one of which must be tagged as containing a b-hadron. The measured differential cross-sections are compared to predictions of next-to-leading order generators matched to parton showers and the measurements are found to be consistent with all models within the experimental uncertainties with the exception of the Powheg-Box+ Herwig++ predictions, which differ significantly from the data in both the transverse momentum of the top quark and the mass of the tt¯ system

Measurement of the kt splitting scales in Z → `` events in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the splitting scales occuring in the k t jet-clustering algorithm is presented for final states containing a Z boson. The measurement is done using 20.2 fb −1 of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of s=8 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2012. The measurement is based on chargedparticle track information, which is measured with excellent precision in the p T region relevant for the transition between the perturbative and the non-perturbative regimes. The data distributions are corrected for detector effects, and are found to deviate from state-of-the-art predictions in various regions of the observables.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Search for pair production of heavy vector-like quarks decaying to high-pTW bosons and b quarks in the lepton-plus-jets final state in pp collisions at s√=13s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for the pair production of heavy vector-like T quarks, primarily targeting the T quark decays to a W boson and a b-quark. The search is based on 36.1 fb −1 of pp collisions at s=13 TeV recorded in 2015 and 2016 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Data are analysed in the lepton-plus-jets final state, including at least one b-tagged jet and a large-radius jet identified as originating from the hadronic decay of a high-momentum W boson. No significant deviation from the Standard Model expectation is observed in the reconstructed T mass distribution. The observed 95% confidence level lower limit on the T mass are 1350 GeV assuming 100% branching ratio to Wb. In the SU(2) singlet scenario, the lower mass limit is 1170 GeV. This search is also sensitive to a heavy vector-like B quark decaying to Wt and other final states. The results are thus reinterpreted to provide a 95% confidence level lower limit on the B quark mass at 1250 GeV assuming 100% branching ratio to Wt; in the SU(2) singlet scenario, the limit is 1080 GeV. Mass limits on both T and B production are also set as a function of the decay branching ratios. The 100% branching ratio limits are found to be applicable to heavy vector-like Y and X production that decay to Wb and Wt, respectively