Search for jet extinction in the inclusive jet-pT spectrum from proton-proton collisions at s=8 TeV

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published articles title, journal citation, and DOI.The first search at the LHC for the extinction of QCD jet production is presented, using data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.7  fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The extinction model studied in this analysis is motivated by the search for signatures of strong gravity at the TeV scale (terascale gravity) and assumes the existence of string couplings in the strong-coupling limit. In this limit, the string model predicts the suppression of all high-transverse-momentum standard model processes, including jet production, beyond a certain energy scale. To test this prediction, the measured transverse-momentum spectrum is compared to the theoretical prediction of the standard model. No significant deficit of events is found at high transverse momentum. A 95% confidence level lower limit of 3.3 TeV is set on the extinction mass scale

Searches for electroweak neutralino and chargino production in channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons in pp collisions at 8 TeV

Searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) are presented based on the electroweak pair production of neutralinos and charginos, leading to decay channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons and undetected lightest SUSY particles (LSPs). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 19.5 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC. The main emphasis is neutralino pair production in which each neutralino decays either to a Higgs boson (h) and an LSP or to a Z boson and an LSP, leading to hh, hZ, and ZZ states with missing transverse energy (E-T(miss)). A second aspect is chargino-neutralino pair production, leading to hW states with E-T(miss). The decays of a Higgs boson to a bottom-quark pair, to a photon pair, and to final states with leptons are considered in conjunction with hadronic and leptonic decay modes of the Z and W bosons. No evidence is found for supersymmetric particles, and 95% confidence level upper limits are evaluated for the respective pair production cross sections and for neutralino and chargino mass values

Attitudes and actions of participants in multi-stakeholder processes and platforms

Multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) and platforms are being used to address various aspects of water management. They have been championed as a way to improve planning and coordination to involve marginalized groups, and to increase learning and uptake of innovations. Between 2005 and 2008, a project called 'WASPA Asia' established multi-stakeholder platforms in two cities, Kurunegala in Sri Lanka and Rajshahi in Bangladesh, to address wastewater use in agriculture and its impact on farmers' livelihoods. This paper presents findings on the benefits and constraints of a particular MSP around a 'Learning Alliance'. It also describes and analyzes the methodology used to obtain findings and suggests ways in which such a methodology could be used to improve results of MSPs. The paper indicates that the obvious merit of MSPs is in providing spaces for information sharing and awareness-raising. In time, MSPs can evolve to bring about changes in stakeholders' attitudes and actions but in many cases they are established around short-term projects, which limits their potential for (institutional) change. Given this constraint, attitudinal change and a better understanding of the issues amongst stakeholders are major accomplishments. Analysis of the methodology used for the review shows the benefits of regular joint monitoring, open communication, and the usefulness of relatively simple tools such as 'change stories'

Historical review and future perspectives for Pilot Transonic Wind Tunnel of IAE

The Pilot Transonic Wind Tunnel of Institute of Aeronautics and Space (PTT Pilot Transonic Wind Tunnel) is an important result of a tremendous effort to install a high speed wind tunnel complex (TTS acronyms for Transonic and Supersonic Tunnels, in Portuguese) at the IAE, to support Brazilian aerospace research. Its history is described below, starting from the moment the TTS project was first conceived, highlighting each successive phase, mentioning the main difficulties encountered, and the solutions chosen, up until the final installation of the Pilot facility. A brief description of the tunnel's shakedown and calibration phases is also given, together with the present campaigns and proposed activities for the near future

Batillipes pennaki Marcus, 1946 (Arthrotardigrada: Batillipedidae): deciphering a species complex

Batillipes pennaki has been considered a common and a cosmopolitan marine tardigrade species. However, the original diagnosis of this species is very incomplete, and consequently there is a high probability of incorrect records. Therefore, a comparative analysis of quantitative and qualitative morphological characters among eight different populations from the Atlantic basin was done in this study to investigate if B. pennaki is a complex of similar species, each with a restricted distribution range. The result of discriminant analyses showed clear morphometric differences between populations that were arranged into three main groups, distinguishing Western Atlantic populations, Eastern Atlantic populations and a Mediterranean population. Furthermore, the result of analyses of morphological structures revealed peculiarities of some traits with taxonomic relevance, such as leg IV sensory organs and primary clavae, consistent with the clusters revealed by quantitative data, allowing us to distinguish three different pseudocryptic species and supporting the hypothesis that B. pennaki is a species complex.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT; FEDER; CAPESinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio