4,249 research outputs found
Heavy Quark Parameters and Vcb from Spectral Moments in Semileptonic B Decays
We extract the heavy quark masses and non-perturbative parameters from the
Delphi preliminary measurements of the first three moments of the charged
lepton energy and hadronic mass distributions in semileptonic B decays, using a
multi-parameter fit. We adopt two formalisms, one of which does not rely on a
1/mc expansion and makes use of running quark masses. The data are consistent
and the level of accuracy of the experimental inputs largely determines the
present sensitivity. The results allow to improve on the uncertainty in the
extraction of Vcb.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure
RooHammerModel: interfacing the HAMMER software tool with the HistFactory package
Recent -physics results have sparkled great interest in the search for
beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) physics in transitions.
The need to analyse in a consistent manner big datasets for these searches,
using high-statistics Monte-Carlo (MC) samples, led to the development of
HAMMER, a software tool which enables to perform a fast morphing of MC-derived
templates to include BSM effects and/or alternative parameterisations of
long-distance effects, avoiding the need to re-generate simulated samples. This
note describes the development of RooHammerModel, an interface between this
tool and the commonly-used data-fitting framework HistFactory. The code is
written in C++ and admits an alternative usage in standalone RooFit analyses.
In this document, the structure and functionality of the user interface are
explained. Information of a public repository where it can be accessed is
provided, as well as validation and performance studies of the interface. The
methods developed in the construction of RooHammerModel can provide specific
information for alternative future attempts to interface HAMMER with other
data-fitting frameworks
User-centred design of flexible hypermedia for a mobile guide: Reflections on the hyperaudio experience
A user-centred design approach involves end-users from the very beginning. Considering users at the early stages compels designers to think in terms of utility and usability and helps develop the system on what is actually needed. This paper discusses the case of HyperAudio, a context-sensitive adaptive and mobile guide to museums developed in the late 90s. User requirements were collected via a survey to understand visitors’ profiles and visit styles in Natural Science museums. The knowledge acquired supported the specification of system requirements, helping defining user model, data structure and adaptive behaviour of the system. User requirements guided the design decisions on what could be implemented by using simple adaptable triggers and what instead needed more sophisticated adaptive techniques, a fundamental choice when all the computation must be done on a PDA. Graphical and interactive environments for developing and testing complex adaptive systems are discussed as a further
step towards an iterative design that considers the user interaction a central point. The paper discusses
how such an environment allows designers and developers to experiment with different system’s behaviours and to widely test it under realistic conditions by simulation of the actual context evolving over time. The understanding gained in HyperAudio is then considered in the perspective of the
developments that followed that first experience: our findings seem still valid despite the passed time
Bright galaxies at Hubble's redshift detection frontier: Preliminary results and design from the redshift z~9-10 BoRG pure-parallel HST survey
We present the first results and design from the redshift z~9-10 Brightest of
the Reionizing Galaxies {\it Hubble Space Telescope} survey BoRG[z9-10], aimed
at searching for intrinsically luminous unlensed galaxies during the first 700
Myr after the Big Bang. BoRG[z9-10] is the continuation of a multi-year
pure-parallel near-IR and optical imaging campaign with the Wide Field Camera
3. The ongoing survey uses five filters, optimized for detecting the most
distant objects and offering continuous wavelength coverage from
{\lambda}=0.35{\mu}m to {\lambda}=1.7{\mu}m. We analyze the initial ~130
arcmin of area over 28 independent lines of sight (~25% of the total
planned) to search for z>7 galaxies using a combination of Lyman break and
photometric redshift selections. From an effective comoving volume of (5-25)
Mpc for magnitudes brighter than in the
-band respectively, we find five galaxy candidates at z~8.3-10
detected at high confidence (S/N>8), including a source at z~8.4 with mAB=24.5
(S/N~22), which, if confirmed, would be the brightest galaxy identified at such
early times (z>8). In addition, BoRG[z9-10] data yield four galaxies with . These new Lyman break galaxies with m are
ideal targets for follow-up observations from ground and space based
observatories to help investigate the complex interplay between dark matter
growth, galaxy assembly, and reionization.Comment: Accepted for publication on ApJ. 21 pages, 11 figures, 4 table
Naturally presented HLA class I-restricted epitopes from the neurotrophic factor S100-? are targets of the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the destruction of pancreatic beta-cells by the immune system, and CD8(+) T lymphocytes are critical actors in this autoimmune response. Pancreatic islets are surrounded by a mesh of nervous cells, the peri-insular Schwann cells, which are also targeted by autoreactive T lymphocytes and express specific antigens, such as the neurotrophic factor S100-beta. Previous work has shown increased proliferative responses to whole S100-beta in both human T1D patients and the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. We describe for the first time naturally processed and presented epitopes (NPPEs) presented by class I human leukocyte antigen-A*02:01 (A2.1) molecules derived from S100-beta. These NPPEs triggered IFN-gamma responses more frequently in both newly diagnosed and long-term T1D patients compared with healthy donors. Furthermore, the same NPPEs are recognized during the autoimmune response leading to diabetes in A2.1-transgenic NOD mice as early as 4 wk of age. Interestingly, when these NPPEs are used to prevent diabetes in this animal model, an acceleration of the disease is observed together with an exacerbation in insulitis and an increase in S100-beta-specific cytotoxicity in vaccinated animals. Whether these can be used in diabetes prevention needs to be carefully evaluated in animal models before use in future clinical assays.-Calvino-Sampedro, C., Gomez-Tourino, I., Cordero, O. J., Reche, P. A., Gomez-Perosanz, M., Sanchez-Trincado, J. L., Rodriguez, M. A., Sueiro, A. M., Vinuela, J. E., Calvino, R. V. Naturally presented HLA class I-restricted epitopes from the neurotrophic factor S100-beta are targets of the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes
Measurement of the W-pair production cross-section, the W decay branching fractions and of at LEP
Measurement of the W-pair Production Cross-section and W Branching Ratios at =205 and 207 GeV
The cross-section for the process e+e-->W+W- was measured with the data sample collected by DELPHI at centre-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of about 209 pb^-1. The branching ratios of the W decay were also measured; from them the value of |Vcs| was extracted. The results are compared with the most recent calculations in the frame of the Standard Model
Determination of the b quark mass at the M_Z scale with the DELPHI detector at LEP
An experimental study of the normalized three-jet rate of b quark events with
respect to light quarks events (light= \ell \equiv u,d,s) has been performed
using the CAMBRIDGE and DURHAM jet algorithms. The data used were collected by
the DELPHI experiment at LEP on the Z peak from 1994 to 2000. The results are
found to agree with theoretical predictions treating mass corrections at
next-to-leading order. Measurements of the b quark mass have also been
performed for both the b pole mass: M_b and the b running mass: m_b(M_Z). Data
are found to be better described when using the running mass. The measurement
yields: m_b(M_Z) = 2.85 +/- 0.18 (stat) +/- 0.13 (exp) +/- 0.19 (had) +/- 0.12
(theo) GeV/c^2 for the CAMBRIDGE algorithm. This result is the most precise
measurement of the b mass derived from a high energy process. When compared to
other b mass determinations by experiments at lower energy scales, this value
agrees with the prediction of Quantum Chromodynamics for the energy evolution
of the running mass. The mass measurement is equivalent to a test of the
flavour independence of the strong coupling constant with an accuracy of 7
permil.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.
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