Top-Quark Properties at the LHC

A review of recent measurements of top-quark properties is presented. Inclusive and differential top-quark pair charge asymmetry measurements using the full Run I dataset are found to be in agreement with the standard model (SM) predictions. Results of spin correlation in top-quark pairs are presented and interpreted in terms of the SM predicted values and new physics models. Limits are set on flavour-changing neutral currents (FCNC), in particular with a Higgs boson in the final state.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 4 subfigures, Proceedings of the 51st Rencontres de Moriond, QCD March 19-26 2016 on behalf of the ATLAS and CMS collaboration

Linearity of calibration curves: use and misuse of the correlation coefficient.

correlation coefficient is commonly used to evaluate the degree of linear association between two variables. However, it can be shown that a correlation coefficient very close to one might also be obtained for a clear curved relationship. Other statistical tests, like the Lack-of-fit and Mandel's fitting test thus appear more suitable for the validation of the linear calibration model. A number of cadmium calibration curves from atomic absorption spectroscopy were assessed for their linearity. All the investigated calibration curves were characterized by a high correlation coefficient (r >0.997) and low quality coefficient (QClinearity; goodness of fit; correlation coefficient; lack-of-fit; calibration; absorption;

How do general practitioners conceptualise advance care planning in their practice? : a qualitative study

Objectives : To explore how GPs conceptualise advance care planning (ACP), based on their experiences with ACP in their practice. Methods : Five focus groups were held with 36 GPs. Discussions were analysed using a constant comparative method. Results : Four overarching themes in the conceptualisations of ACP were discerned: (1) the organisation of professional care required to meet patients' needs, (2) the process of preparing for death and discussing palliative care options, (3) the discussion of care goals and treatment decisions, (4) the completion of advance directives. Within these themes, ACP was both conceptualised in terms of content of ACP and/or in terms of tasks for the GP. A specific task that was mentioned throughout the discussion of the four different themes was (5) the task of actively initiating ACP by the GP versus passively waiting for patients' initiation. Conclusions : This study illustrates that GPs have varying conceptualisations of ACP, of which some are more limited to specific aspects of ACP. A shared conceptualisation and agreement on the purpose and goals of ACP is needed to ensure successful implementation, as well as a systematic integration of ACP in routine practice that could lead to a better uptake of all the important elements of ACP

Microsatellite typing of avian clinical and environmental isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillosis is one of the most common causes of death in captive birds. Aspergillosis in birds is mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a ubiquitous and opportunistic saprophyte. Currently it is not known whether there is a link between the environmental isolates and/or human isolates of A. fumigatus and those responsible for aspergillosis in birds. Microsatellite typing was used to analyse 65 clinical avian isolates and 23 environmental isolates of A. fumigatus. The 78 genotypes that were obtained were compared with a database containing genotypes of 2514 isolates from human clinical samples and from the environment. There appeared to be no specific association between the observed genotypes and the origin of the isolates (environment, human or bird). Eight genotypes obtained from isolates of diseased birds were also found in human clinical samples. These results indicate that avian isolates of A. fumigatus may cause infection in humans

On the misuse of the correlation coefficient to assess linearity of calibration curves.

The correlation coefficient is commonly used to evaluate the degree of linear association between two variables. However, it can be shown that a correlation coefficient very close to one might also be obtained for a clearly curved relationship. Other statistical tests, like the Lack-of-fit and Mandel's fitting test appear therefore more suitable for the validation of the linear calibration model. A number of cadmium calibration curves from atomic absorption spectroscopy were assessed for their linearity. All the investigated calibration curves were characterised by a high correlation coefficient (r > 0.997) and low quality coefficient (QCEfficiency; Distribution; Variable; Value; Expected; Yield;

Automatic elasticity in OpenStack

Cloud computing infrastructures are the most recent ap- proach to the development and conception of computational systems. Cloud infrastructures are complex environments with various subsystems, each one with their own challenges. Cloud systems should be able to provide the following fun- damental property: elasticity. Elasticity is the ability to automatically add and remove instances according to the needs of the system. This is an requirement for pay-per-use billing models. Various open source software solutions allow companies and institutions to build their own Cloud infrastructure. How- ever, in most of these, the elasticity feature is quite imma- ture. Monitoring and timely adapting the active resources of a Cloud computing infrastructure is key to provide the elasticity required by diverse, multi tenant and pay-per-use business models. In this paper, we propose Elastack, an automated monitor- ing and adaptive system, generic enough to be applied to existing IaaS frameworks and intended to enable the elastic- ity they currently lack. Our approach offers any Cloud in- frastructure the mechanisms to implement automated mon- itoring and adaptation as well as the flexibility to go beyond these. We evaluate Elastack by integrating it with the Open- Stack and showing how easy it is to add these important features with a minimum, almost imperceptible, amount of modifications to the default installation.(undefined

Evaluating Cassandra as a manager of large file sets

All companies developing their business on the Web, not only giants like Google or Facebook but also small com- panies focused on niche markets, face scalability issues in data management. The case study of this paper is the content management systems for classified or commercial advertise-ments on the Web. The data involved has a very significant growth rate and a read-intensive access pattern with a reduced update rate. Typically, data is stored in traditional file systems hosted on dedicated servers or Storage Area Network devices due to the generalization and ease of use of file systems. However, this ease in implementation and usage has a disadvantage: the centralized nature of these systems leads to availability, elasticity and scalability problems. The scenario under study, undemanding in terms of the system's consistency and with a simple interaction model, is suitable to a distributed database, such as Cassandra, conceived precisely to dynamically handle large volumes of data. In this paper, we analyze the suitability of Cassandra as a substitute for file systems in content management systems. The evaluation, conducted using real data from a produc- tion system, shows that using Cassandra, one can easily get horizontal scalability of storage, redundancy across multiple independent nodes, and load distribution imposed by the periodic activities of safeguarding data, while ensuring a comparable performance to that of a file system.(undefined