2,362 research outputs found
From vertex detectors to inner trackers with CMOS pixel sensors
The use of CMOS Pixel Sensors (CPS) for high resolution and low material
vertex detectors has been validated with the 2014 and 2015 physics runs of the
STAR-PXL detector at RHIC/BNL. This opens the door to the use of CPS for inner
tracking devices, with 10-100 times larger sensitive area, which require
therefore a sensor design privileging power saving, response uniformity and
robustness. The 350 nm CMOS technology used for the STAR-PXL sensors was
considered as too poorly suited to upcoming applications like the upgraded
ALICE Inner Tracking System (ITS), which requires sensors with one order of
magnitude improvement on readout speed and improved radiation tolerance. This
triggered the exploration of a deeper sub-micron CMOS technology, Tower-Jazz
180 nm, for the design of a CPS well adapted for the new ALICE-ITS running
conditions. This paper reports the R&D results for the conception of a CPS well
adapted for the ALICE-ITS.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, VCI 2016 conference proceeding
Role of homeostasis in learning sparse representations
Neurons in the input layer of primary visual cortex in primates develop
edge-like receptive fields. One approach to understanding the emergence of this
response is to state that neural activity has to efficiently represent sensory
data with respect to the statistics of natural scenes. Furthermore, it is
believed that such an efficient coding is achieved using a competition across
neurons so as to generate a sparse representation, that is, where a relatively
small number of neurons are simultaneously active. Indeed, different models of
sparse coding, coupled with Hebbian learning and homeostasis, have been
proposed that successfully match the observed emergent response. However, the
specific role of homeostasis in learning such sparse representations is still
largely unknown. By quantitatively assessing the efficiency of the neural
representation during learning, we derive a cooperative homeostasis mechanism
that optimally tunes the competition between neurons within the sparse coding
algorithm. We apply this homeostasis while learning small patches taken from
natural images and compare its efficiency with state-of-the-art algorithms.
Results show that while different sparse coding algorithms give similar coding
results, the homeostasis provides an optimal balance for the representation of
natural images within the population of neurons. Competition in sparse coding
is optimized when it is fair. By contributing to optimizing statistical
competition across neurons, homeostasis is crucial in providing a more
efficient solution to the emergence of independent components
States on pseudo effect algebras and integrals
We show that every state on an interval pseudo effect algebra satisfying
some kind of the Riesz Decomposition Properties (RDP) is an integral through a
regular Borel probability measure defined on the Borel -algebra of a
Choquet simplex . In particular, if satisfies the strongest type of
(RDP), the representing Borel probability measure can be uniquely chosen to
have its support in the set of the extreme points of $K.
Development of ultra-light pixelated ladders for an ILC vertex detector
The development of ultra-light pixelated ladders is motivated by the
requirements of the ILD vertex detector at ILC. This paper summarizes three
projects related to system integration. The PLUME project tackles the issue of
assembling double-sided ladders. The SERWIETE project deals with a more
innovative concept and consists in making single-sided unsupported ladders
embedded in an extra thin plastic enveloppe. AIDA, the last project, aims at
building a framework reproducing the experimental running conditions where sets
of ladders could be tested
Study of the depletion depth in a frontside biased CMOS pixel sensors
Depletion of the sensitive volume for semiconductor based detectors is a key to achieve high performance. It is for instance required for charged particle detection in highly radiative environment and for X-ray spectroscopy.
PIPPER-2 is a CMOS pixel sensor featuring an architecture that allows the application of the reverse bias of the pn junction from the frontside (cathode), on the electronic side, without process modification. Biasing voltages up to 45 V have been applied to sensor prototypes fabricated on two different high resistivity substrates: a thin epitaxial layer (1 k⊠cm) and a 40 Όm thick bulk substrate (600 ⊠cm).
Calculations from a simplified analytical model and 3D-TCAD simulations were conducted to predict the evolution of the depletion depth with the bias voltage. These expectations were compared to measurements of PIPPER-2 illuminated with two X-ray energies.
We conclude that the frontside biasing method allows the full-depletion of the thin epitaxial layer. In contrast, depletion of the bulk substrate reaches about half-depth but X-rays are still detected over the full depth
TopoGSA: network topological gene set analysis
Summary: TopoGSA (Topology-based Gene Set Analysis) is a web-application dedicated to the computation and visualization of network topological properties for gene and protein sets in molecular interaction networks. Different topological characteristics, such as the centrality of nodes in the network or their tendency to form clusters, can be computed and compared with those of known cellular pathways and processes
The STAR Silicon Strip Detector (SSD)
The STAR Silicon Strip Detector (SSD) completes the three layers of the
Silicon Vertex Tracker (SVT) to make an inner tracking system located inside
the Time Projection Chamber (TPC). This additional fourth layer provides two
dimensional hit position and energy loss measurements for charged particles,
improving the extrapolation of TPC tracks through SVT hits. To match the high
multiplicity of central Au+Au collisions at RHIC the double sided silicon strip
technology was chosen which makes the SSD a half million channels detector.
Dedicated electronics have been designed for both readout and control. Also a
novel technique of bonding, the Tape Automated Bonding (TAB), was used to
fullfill the large number of bounds to be done. All aspects of the SSD are
shortly described here and test performances of produced detection modules as
well as simulated results on hit reconstruction are given.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
Elevation and cholera: an epidemiological spatial analysis of the cholera epidemic in Harare, Zimbabwe, 2008-2009
BACKGROUND: In highly populated African urban areas where access to clean water is a challenge, water source contamination is one of the most cited risk factors in a cholera epidemic. During the rainy season, where there is either no sewage disposal or working sewer system, runoff of rains follows the slopes and gets into the lower parts of towns where shallow wells could easily become contaminated by excretes. In cholera endemic areas, spatial information about topographical elevation could help to guide preventive interventions. This study aims to analyze the association between topographic elevation and the distribution of cholera cases in Harare during the cholera epidemic in 2008 and 2009. METHODS: We developed an ecological study using secondary data. First, we described attack rates by suburb and then calculated rate ratios using whole Harare as reference. We illustrated the average elevation and cholera cases by suburbs using geographical information. Finally, we estimated a generalized linear mixed model (under the assumption of a Poisson distribution) with an Empirical Bayesian approach to model the relation between the risk of cholera and the elevation in meters in Harare. We used a random intercept to allow for spatial correlation of neighboring suburbs. RESULTS: This study identifies a spatial pattern of the distribution of cholera cases in the Harare epidemic, characterized by a lower cholera risk in the highest elevation suburbs of Harare. The generalized linear mixed model showed that for each 100 meters of increase in the topographical elevation, the cholera risk was 30% lower with a rate ratio of 0.70 (95% confidence interval=0.66-0.76). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the risk reduction with an overall estimate of the rate ratio between 20% and 40%. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of considering topographical elevation as a geographical and environmental risk factor in order to plan cholera preventive activities linked with water and sanitation in endemic areas. Furthermore, elevation information, among other risk factors, could help to spatially orientate cholera control interventions during an epidemic
A high purity measurement of at SLD
Precision measurement of Rb can provide important information about the Standard Model and beyond. SLD has developed a new method for measuring Rb with very high purity. This measurement has the lowest systematic error reported to date and future measurements using this method will likely have the lowest total uncertainty. This paper will be divided into the five sections: introduction, hardware, topological vertexing tag method, results and conclusions. The introduction will discuss the importance of Rb and the problems with other measurement techniques. The hardware section will give a brief description of the SLC/SLD system concentrating on its advantages over LEP. An outlook towards the future of SLD Rb measurements will be included in the conclusions
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