The ALICE EMCal L1 trigger first year of operation experience

The ALICE experiment at the LHC is equipped with an electromagnetic calorimeter (EMCal) designed to enhance its capabilities for jet, photon and electron measurement. In addition, the EMCal enables triggering on jets and photons with a centrality dependent energy threshold. After its commissioning in 2010, the EMCal Level 1 (L1) trigger was officially approved for physics data taking in 2011. After describing the L1 hardware and trigger algorithms, the commissioning and the first year of running experience, both in proton and heavy ion beams, are reviewed. Additionally, the upgrades to the original L1 trigger design are detailed.Comment: Proceedings of TWEPP-12, Oxford. 10 pages, 9 figure

How the distinctive cultures of osteopathic and allopathic medical schools affect the careers, perceptions, and institutional efforts of their anatomy faculties: A qualitative case study of two schools

Anatomy faculties are integral to basic science instruction in medical schools, particularly given the preponderance of anatomic instruction in the preclinical curriculum. Recent years have witnessed major curricular restructuring and other emerging national trends that pose significant challenges to anatomists. An examination of anatomy faculty perceptions at two philosophically distinct medical schools within this shifting climate provides an indicator of how different institutional characteristics may impact anatomy instruction and other faculty responsibilities. Semistructured interviews of anatomy faculty from a large, well-established allopathic medical school (Indiana University School of Medicine) and a small, new osteopathic medical school (Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine) were explored using qualitative thematic analysis. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) Institutional philosophies, such as affiliation with osteopathic versus allopathic medicine, have minimal impact on how the anatomical sciences are taught. (2) Differences in anatomy faculty experiences at these two institutions are largely driven by the institution's size and history. There is a disparity between institutions in the relative importance of teaching and research, but an ability to do research is important for both faculties. (3) Anatomy instruction and research agendas are driven by personal philosophies and interests rather than institutional philosophy. (4) Autonomy is highly valued by anatomists at both institutions. All the participants share a devotion to educating future physicians. In fact, this study identified more similarities than differences in these two faculties. Finally, we argue that shared educational resources and research collaborations can improve anatomy education and faculty development at both institutions. Anat Sci Educ. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists

Current views of health care design and construction: Practical implications for safer, cleaner environments

Infection preventionists (IP) play an increasingly important role in preventing health care-associated infection in the physical environment associated with new construction or renovation of health care facilities. The Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Healthcare Facilities, 2010, formerly known as ''AIA Guidelines'' was the origin of the ''infection control risk assessment'' now required by multiple agencies. These Guidelines represent minimum US health care standards and provide guidance on best practices. They recognize that the built environment has a profound affect on health and the natural environment and require that health care facilities be designed to ''first, do no harm.'' This review uses the Guidelines as a blueprint for IPs' role in design and construction, updating familiar concepts to the 2010 edition with special emphasis on IP input into design given its longer range impact on health care-associated infection prevention while linking to safety and sustainability. Section I provides an overview of disease transmission risks from the built environment and related costs, section II presents a broad view of design and master planning, and section III addresses the detailed design strategies for infection prevention specifically addressed in the 2010 Facility Guidelines Institute edition. Key Words: Health care design; construction; ventilation; water quality; operating room design; sustainability. INTRODUCTION Infection preventionists (IP) are integral members of the team of professionals who design, construct, operate, and work in health care facilities. IP's subject matter expertise on prevention of cross transmission and design/operations of facilities aimed at safety of all occupants in the built environment initially led to the foundation of the infection control risk assessment (ICRA) process. The ICRA grew out of concern related to increasing reports of health care-associated infections (HAIs) caused by construction/renovation in facilities. Details of this have been reviewed elsewhere. 2 This forecast plus increasing focus on prevention of HAIs are key developments that will call on continued expansion of the IP's scope of practice. 3 This scope will include oversight of containment of microorganisms and contaminants under the ICRA but increasingly emphasize more proactive involvement in design of the environment of care (EoC) from concept to occupancy. 4 This review will focus on the IP's expanding role in the development and operations of the built environment in the 21st century. OVERVIEW OF DISEASE TRANSMISSION RISKS FROM THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Disease transmission risks Air. Although the actual percentage of HAIs directly related to construction is unknown, the morbidity, mortality, and costs of mitigation are considerable. Vonberg and Gastmeier reviewed outbreaks of infection caused by Aspergillus spp and found that almost half were associated with construction or renovation in hospitals. 5 In addition, a dose of only 1 colony forming unit/m 3 was needed to cause infection in immunocompromised patients and highlights the critical need for isolation and containment of construction activities from other occupied spaces. Other pathogens transmitted during Water. The reservoir of microbes of pathogens present in potable water and its delivery network are vast. These include gram-negative bacteria, eg, Legionellae and Pseudomonas spp, nontuberculous Mycobacteria, protozoa, and fungi. 8 Disruption of water utility systems during construction or renovation can disrupt the biofilm present in water delivery pipes, posing a threat to patients, including those far away from an active construction zone. Environmental surfaces and patient care equipment. The relative importance of the inanimate environment as a reservoir of organisms has undergone renewed emphasis, given the emergence of a wide range of microorganisms including multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) present in health care settings. Presence of MDROs on surfaces that appear relatively clean and transfer of these on hands of personnel has been described. The bioburden of an inpatient room has been studied given the concern over environmental reservoirs of MDROs. Huang et al found admission to a room previously occupied by a patient with MDROs increases the likelihood of acquisition of these organisms by subsequent patients. 14 More recently, Hamel et al describe increased risk of acquisition and cross infection of 2 key MDROs and Clostridium difficile to roommates in multibed patient rooms. 15 Equipment and devices used to support electronic health records can also become contaminated with microbes; however, Lu et al demonstrated that the concentration of this contamination is low and often unrelated to strains recovered from patients. Construction trends and changes in health care delivery in US hospitals Annual construction and design cost. United States trends indicate a continued major expenditure in health care construction and renovation even with economic downturn in [2008][2009]. Changes in patient acuity, aging, and reduced capitol funds have affected construction expenditures in a number of ways. Recent trends show that dollars are spent primarily on inpatient specialty beds (eg, cardiac and cancer) along with increasing demands for assisted-living and skilled nursing centers. Construction for hospitals and clinics in the fourth quarter of 2008 totaled $40.7 billion with three quarters of projects involving either expansion or renovation. 17 Interestingly, among the top 5 design features incorporated into patient room design was an in-room handwashing sink (almost 50% of new construction), separate from that in the bathroom attached to the room. Looking ahead, there will likely be a stabilization in construction activities with modest growth as noted earlier, but the economic constrains may lead to a drop in the total square footage of built environment for the next several years. Planning for future needs. The increasing age of US health care facilities generates a constant need for repair, remediation work (cabling, room additions), or replacement. These processes increase risks of environmental contamination, affecting air and water quality and sustainability. Planning for surge capacity. Planning for surge capacity needed for potential airborne infectious agent releases or a major influx of patients with communicable disease such as an influenza pandemic is also challenging with increased numbers of single or variable acuity patient rooms. Some institutions include extra utilities, so some rooms, including ICUs, have essentially 2 head walls with duplicate utilities needed for such critical circumstances that could require 2 patients in each room. DESIGN AND MASTER PLANNING SAFETY AND INFECTION PREVENTION Design layout trends New elements being incorporated into design and master planning of health care facility construction S2 Bartley, Olmsted, and Haas Designs aimed at environmental sustainability are also being used in over 80% of active projects based on a survey from 2008, and this is likely to continue. 2 These green design features include enhanced efficiency of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; building utilities (power and water); surface and finish treatments that lessen use of volatile organic compounds; and use of natural lighting, lowemission glass, and waste reclamation. Contractors frequently reclaim/recycle materials produced during demolition. Addressing economic challenges while maintaining quality and safety of patient care has led to increasing use of Six Sigma Lean methods and principles. The goal of Lean is to create maximum value for patients by reducing waste through improved quality, efficiency, and safety. It employs a range of performance assessment and improvement tools and depends heavily on datadriven decision making. Lean principles have been adopted widely by health care planners and are increasingly making an impact on design of the built environment, supporting the goal of increased efficiency and waste elimination

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/388

Charge separation relative to the reaction plane in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}= 2.76 TeV

Measurements of charge dependent azimuthal correlations with the ALICE detector at the LHC are reported for Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV. Two- and three-particle charge-dependent azimuthal correlations in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta| < 0.8$ are presented as a function of the collision centrality, particle separation in pseudo-rapidity, and transverse momentum. A clear signal compatible with a charge-dependent separation relative to the reaction plane is observed, which shows little or no collision energy dependence when compared to measurements at RHIC energies. This provides a new insight for understanding the nature of the charge dependent azimuthal correlations observed at RHIC and LHC energies.Comment: 12 pages, 3 captioned figures, authors from page 2 to 6, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/286

A note on comonotonicity and positivity of the control components of decoupled quadratic FBSDE

In this small note we are concerned with the solution of Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (FBSDE) with drivers that grow quadratically in the control component (quadratic growth FBSDE or qgFBSDE). The main theorem is a comparison result that allows comparing componentwise the signs of the control processes of two different qgFBSDE. As a byproduct one obtains conditions that allow establishing the positivity of the control process.Comment: accepted for publicatio

Centrality dependence of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 2.76 TeV

The inclusive transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) distributions of primary charged particles are measured in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ as a function of event centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The data are presented in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<50$ GeV/$c$ for nine centrality intervals from 70-80% to 0-5%. The Pb-Pb spectra are presented in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm{AA}}$ using a pp reference spectrum measured at the same collision energy. We observe that the suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles strongly depends on event centrality. In central collisions (0-5%) the yield is most suppressed with $R_{\rm{AA}}\approx0.13$ at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7 GeV/$c$. Above $p_{\rm T}=7$ GeV/$c$, there is a significant rise in the nuclear modification factor, which reaches $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx0.4$ for $p_{\rm T}>30$ GeV/$c$. In peripheral collisions (70-80%), the suppression is weaker with $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx 0.7$ almost independently of $p_{\rm T}$. The measured nuclear modification factors are compared to other measurements and model calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/284

Anisotropic flow of charged hadrons, pions and (anti-)protons measured at high transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76 TeV

The elliptic, $v_2$, triangular, $v_3$, and quadrangular, $v_4$, azimuthal anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles, pions and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ at different collision centralities and as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, out to $p_{\rm T}=20$ GeV/$c$. The observed non-zero elliptic and triangular flow depends only weakly on transverse momentum for $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$. The small $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow fluctuations up to $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton elliptic and triangular flow is larger than that of pions out to at least $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$ indicating that the particle type dependence persists out to high $p_{\rm T}$.Comment: 16 pages, 5 captioned figures, authors from page 11, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/186

Transverse sphericity of primary charged particles in minimum bias proton-proton collisions at s=0.9\sqrt{s}=0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV

Measurements of the sphericity of primary charged particles in minimum bias proton--proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=0.9$, 2.76 and 7 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC are presented. The observable is linearized to be collinear safe and is measured in the plane perpendicular to the beam direction using primary charged tracks with $p_{\rm T}\geq0.5$ GeV/c in $|\eta|\leq0.8$. The mean sphericity as a function of the charged particle multiplicity at mid-rapidity ($N_{\rm ch}$) is reported for events with different $p_{\rm T}$ scales ("soft" and "hard") defined by the transverse momentum of the leading particle. In addition, the mean charged particle transverse momentum versus multiplicity is presented for the different event classes, and the sphericity distributions in bins of multiplicity are presented. The data are compared with calculations of standard Monte Carlo event generators. The transverse sphericity is found to grow with multiplicity at all collision energies, with a steeper rise at low $N_{\rm ch}$, whereas the event generators show the opposite tendency. The combined study of the sphericity and the mean $p_{\rm T}$ with multiplicity indicates that most of the tested event generators produce events with higher multiplicity by generating more back-to-back jets resulting in decreased sphericity (and isotropy). The PYTHIA6 generator with tune PERUGIA-2011 exhibits a noticeable improvement in describing the data, compared to the other tested generators.Comment: 21 pages, 9 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 16, published version, figures from http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/308

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|$\eta$|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< $p_{\rm T}$< 5.0 GeV/$c$. The elliptic flow signal v$_2$, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 $\pm$ 0.002 (stat) $\pm$ 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v$_2(p_{\rm T})$ reaches a maximum of 0.2 near $p_{\rm T}$ = 3 GeV/$c$. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389