Detection of Atmospheric Cherenkov Radiation Using Solar Heliostat Mirrors

The gamma-ray energy region between 20 and 250 GeV is largely unexplored. Ground-based atmospheric Cherenkov detectors offer a possible way to explore this region, but large Cherenkov photon collection areas are needed to achieve low energy thresholds. This paper discusses the development of a Cherenkov detector using the heliostat mirrors of a solar power plant as the primary collector. As part of this development, we built a prototype detector consisting of four heliostat mirrors and used it to record atmospheric Cherenkov radiation produced in extensive air showers created by cosmic ray particles.Comment: 16 latex pages, 8 postscript figures, uses psfig.sty, to be published in Astroparticle Physic

Moderate deviations via cumulants

The purpose of the present paper is to establish moderate deviation principles for a rather general class of random variables fulfilling certain bounds of the cumulants. We apply a celebrated lemma of the theory of large deviations probabilities due to Rudzkis, Saulis and Statulevicius. The examples of random objects we treat include dependency graphs, subgraph-counting statistics in Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi random graphs and $U$-statistics. Moreover, we prove moderate deviation principles for certain statistics appearing in random matrix theory, namely characteristic polynomials of random unitary matrices as well as the number of particles in a growing box of random determinantal point processes like the number of eigenvalues in the GUE or the number of points in Airy, Bessel, and $\sin$ random point fields.Comment: 24 page

The First VERITAS Telescope

The first atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of VERITAS (the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) has been in operation since February 2005. We present here a technical description of the instrument and a summary of its performance. The calibration methods are described, along with the results of Monte Carlo simulations of the telescope and comparisons between real and simulated data. The analysis of TeV $\gamma$-ray observations of the Crab Nebula, including the reconstructed energy spectrum, is shown to give results consistent with earlier measurements. The telescope is operating as expected and has met or exceeded all design specifications.Comment: Accepted by Astroparticle Physic

Rationale and design of the IRON-AF study: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study to assess the effect of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in patients with atrial fibrillation and iron deficiency

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with significantly impaired quality-of-life. Iron deficiency (ID) is prevalent in patients with AF. Correction of ID in other patient populations with intravenous iron supplementation has been shown to be a safe, convenient and effective way of improving exercise tolerance, fatigue and quality-of-life. The IRON-AF (Effect of Iron Repletion in Atrial Fibrillation) study is designed to assess the effect of iron repletion with intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in patients with AF and ID. Methods and Analysis: The IRON-AF study is a double-blind, randomised controlled trial that will recruit at least 84 patients with AF and ID. Patients will be randomised to receive infusions of either ferric carboxymaltose or placebo, given in repletion and then maintenance doses. The study will have follow-up visits at weeks 4, 8 and 12. The primary endpoint is change in peak oxygen uptake from baseline to week 12, as measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on a cycle ergometer. Secondary endpoints include changes in quality-of-life and AF disease burden scores, blood parameters, other CPET parameters, transthoracic echocardiogram parameters, 6-minute walk test distance, 7-day Holter/Event monitor burden of AF, health resource utilisation and mortality. Ethics and dissemination: The study protocol has been approved by the Central Adelaide Local Health Network Human Research Ethics Committee, Australia. The results of this study will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations.Samuel J Tu, Adrian D Elliott, Nicole Hanna-Rivero, Celine Gallagher, Ricardo S Mishima, Ellen Lyrtzis, Danielle Wlochowicz, Nicholas AR Clarke, Kurt C Roberts-Thomson, Michael B Stokes, Mehrdad Emami, Dennis H Lau, Prashanthan Sanders, Christopher X Won

Measurement of the diffractive structure function in deep inelastic scattering at HERA

This paper presents an analysis of the inclusive properties of diffractive deep inelastic scattering events produced in $ep$ interactions at HERA. The events are characterised by a rapidity gap between the outgoing proton system and the remaining hadronic system. Inclusive distributions are presented and compared with Monte Carlo models for diffractive processes. The data are consistent with models where the pomeron structure function has a hard and a soft contribution. The diffractive structure function is measured as a function of \xpom, the momentum fraction lost by the proton, of $\beta$, the momentum fraction of the struck quark with respect to \xpom, and of $Q^2$. The \xpom dependence is consistent with the form \xpoma where $a~=~1.30~\pm~0.08~(stat)~^{+~0.08}_{-~0.14}~(sys)$ in all bins of $\beta$ and $Q^2$. In the measured $Q^2$ range, the diffractive structure function approximately scales with $Q^2$ at fixed $\beta$. In an Ingelman-Schlein type model, where commonly used pomeron flux factor normalisations are assumed, it is found that the quarks within the pomeron do not saturate the momentum sum rule.Comment: 36 pages, latex, 11 figures appended as uuencoded fil

Definition, diagnosis and treatment of oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer: A Delphi consensus study in Europe.

Local treatment improves the outcomes for oligometastatic disease (OMD, i.e. an intermediate state between locoregional and widespread disseminated disease). However, consensus about the definition, diagnosis and treatment of oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer is lacking. The aim of this study was to develop a multidisciplinary European consensus statement on the definition, diagnosis and treatment of oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer. In total, 65 specialists in the multidisciplinary treatment for oesophagogastric cancer from 49 expert centres across 16 European countries were requested to participate in this Delphi study. The consensus finding process consisted of a starting meeting, 2 online Delphi questionnaire rounds and an online consensus meeting. Input for Delphi questionnaires consisted of (1) a systematic review on definitions of oligometastatic oesophagogastric cancer and (2) a discussion of real-life clinical cases by multidisciplinary teams. Experts were asked to score each statement on a 5-point Likert scale. The agreement was scored to be either absent/poor (<50%), fair (50%-75%) or consensus (≥75%). A total of 48 experts participated in the starting meeting, both Delphi rounds, and the consensus meeting (overall response rate: 71%). OMD was considered in patients with metastatic oesophagogastric cancer limited to 1 organ with ≤3 metastases or 1 extra-regional lymph node station (consensus). In addition, OMD was considered in patients without progression at restaging after systemic therapy (consensus). For patients with synchronous or metachronous OMD with a disease-free interval ≤2 years, systemic therapy followed by restaging to consider local treatment was considered as treatment (consensus). For metachronous OMD with a disease-free interval >2 years, either upfront local treatment or systemic treatment followed by restaging was considered as treatment (fair agreement). The OMEC project has resulted in a multidisciplinary European consensus statement for the definition, diagnosis and treatment of oligometastatic oesophagogastric adenocarcinoma and squamous cell cancer. This can be used to standardise inclusion criteria for future clinical trials

Some aspects of the Liouville equation in mathematical physics and statistical mechanics

This paper presents some mathematical aspects of Classical Liouville theorem and we have noted some mathematical theorems about its initial value problem. Furthermore, we have implied on the formal frame work of Stochastic Liouville equation (SLE)

Search for strong gravity in multijet final states produced in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the LHC

A search is conducted for new physics in multijet final states using 3.6 inverse femtobarns of data from proton-proton collisions at √s = 13TeV taken at the CERN Large Hadron Collider with the ATLAS detector. Events are selected containing at least three jets with scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT) greater than 1TeV. No excess is seen at large HT and limits are presented on new physics: models which produce final states containing at least three jets and having cross sections larger than 1.6 fb with HT > 5.8 TeV are excluded. Limits are also given in terms of new physics models of strong gravity that hypothesize additional space-time dimensions

Operation and performance of the ATLAS semiconductor tracker

The semiconductor tracker is a silicon microstrip detector forming part of the inner tracking system of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The operation and performance of the semiconductor tracker during the first years of LHC running are described. More than 99% of the detector modules were operational during this period, with an average intrinsic hit efficiency of (99.74±0.04)%. The evolution of the noise occupancy is discussed, and measurements of the Lorentz angle, δ-ray production and energy loss presented. The alignment of the detector is found to be stable at the few-micron level over long periods of time. Radiation damage measurements, which include the evolution of detector leakage currents, are found to be consistent with predictions and are used in the verification of radiation background simulations

Search for H→γγ produced in association with top quarks and constraints on the Yukawa coupling between the top quark and the Higgs boson using data taken at 7 TeV and 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for Higgs bosons produced in association with top quarks using the diphoton decay mode of the Higgs boson. Selection requirements are optimized separately for leptonic and fully hadronic final states from the top quark decays. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.5 fb−14.5 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and 20.3 fb−1 at 8 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess over the background prediction is observed and upper limits are set on the tt¯H production cross section. The observed exclusion upper limit at 95% confidence level is 6.7 times the predicted Standard Model cross section value. In addition, limits are set on the strength of the Yukawa coupling between the top quark and the Higgs boson, taking into account the dependence of the tt¯H and tH cross sections as well as the H→γγ branching fraction on the Yukawa coupling. Lower and upper limits at 95% confidence level are set at −1.3 and +8.0 times the Yukawa coupling strength in the Standard Model