Testbeam and Laboratory Characterization of CMS 3D Pixel Sensors

The pixel detector is the innermost tracking device in CMS, reconstructing interaction vertices and charged particle trajectories. The sensors located in the innermost layers of the pixel detector must be upgraded for the ten-fold increase in luminosity expected with the High- Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) phase. As a possible replacement for planar sensors, 3D silicon technology is under consideration due to its good performance after high radiation fluence. In this paper, we report on pre- and post- irradiation measurements for CMS 3D pixel sensors with different electrode configurations. The effects of irradiation on electrical properties, charge collection efficiency, and position resolution of 3D sensors are discussed. Measurements of various test structures for monitoring the fabrication process and studying the bulk and surface properties, such as MOS capacitors, planar and gate-controlled diodes are also presented.Comment: 14 page

The Hetero-Hexameric Nature of a Chloroplast AAA+ FtsH Protease Contributes to Its Thermodynamic Stability

FtsH is an evolutionary conserved membrane-bound metalloprotease complex. While in most prokaryotes FtsH is encoded by a single gene, multiple FtsH genes are found in eukaryotes. Genetic and biochemical data suggest that the Arabidopsis chloroplast FtsH is a hetero-hexamer. This raises the question why photosynthetic organisms require a heteromeric complex, whereas in most bacteria a homomeric one is sufficient. To gain structural information of the possible complexes, the Arabidopsis FtsH2 (type B) and FtsH5 (type A) were modeled. An in silico study with mixed models of FtsH2/5 suggests that heteromeric hexamer structure with ratio of 4∶2 is more likely to exists. Specifically, calculation of the buried surface area at the interfaces between neighboring subunits revealed that a hetero-complex should be thermodynamically more stable than a homo-hexamer, due to the presence of additional hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. To biochemically assess this model, we generated Arabidopsis transgenic plants, expressing epitope-tagged FtsH2 and immuno-purified the protein. Mass-spectrometry analysis showed that FtsH2 is associated with FtsH1, FtsH5 and FtsH8. Interestingly, we found that ‘type B’ subunits (FtsH2 and FtsH8) were 2–3 fold more abundant than ‘type A’ (FtsH1 and FtsH5). The biochemical data corroborate the in silico model and suggest that the thylakoid FtsH hexamer is composed of two ‘type A’ and four ‘type B’ subunits

Wild vascular plants gathered for consumption in the Polish countryside: a review

BACKGROUND: This paper is an ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants gathered for consumption from the end of the 18(th )century to the present day, within the present borders of Poland. METHODS: 42 ethnographic and botanical sources documenting the culinary use of wild plants were analyzed. RESULTS: The use of 112 species (3.7% of the flora) has been recorded. Only half of them have been used since the 1960s. Three species: Cirsium rivulare, Euphorbia peplus and Scirpus sylvaticus have never before been reported as edible by ethnobotanical literature. The list of wild edible plants which are still commonly gathered includes only two green vegetables (Rumex acetosa leaves for soups and Oxalis acetosella as children's snack), 15 folk species of fruits and seeds (Crataegus spp., Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Fragaria vesca, Malus domestica, Prunus spinosa, Pyrus spp., Rosa canina, Rubus idaeus, Rubus sect. Rubus, Sambucus nigra, Vaccinium myrtillus, V. oxycoccos, V. uliginosum, V. vitis-idaea) and four taxa used for seasoning or as preservatives (Armoracia rusticana root and leaves, Carum carvi seeds, Juniperus communis pseudo-fruits and Quercus spp. leaves). The use of other species is either forgotten or very rare. In the past, several species were used for food in times of scarcity, most commonly Chenopodium album, Urtica dioica, U. urens, Elymus repens, Oxalis acetosella and Cirsium spp., but now the use of wild plants is mainly restricted to raw consumption or making juices, jams, wines and other preserves. The history of the gradual disappearance of the original barszcz, Heracleum sphondylium soup, from Polish cuisine has been researched in detail and two, previously unpublished, instances of its use in the 20(th )century have been found in the Carpathians. An increase in the culinary use of some wild plants due to media publications can be observed. CONCLUSION: Poland can be characterized as a country where the traditions of culinary use of wild plants became impoverished very early, compared to some parts of southern Europe. The present use of wild plants, even among the oldest generation, has been almost entirely restricted to fruits

Size distributions of droplets generated by a spraying device used in nitrogen oxides reduction technology

W technologii selektywnej niekatalitycznej redukcji tlenków azotu z gazów spalinowych (SNCR) stosowane są rozpylacze pneumatyczne, które zapewniają odpowiedni rozmiar i energię kinetyczną kropel. Przeprowadzono badania eksperymentalne rozpylania cieczy przez dysze (lance) do komory, symulującej przestrzeń kotła energetycznego. Wykonano pomiary średnic kropel generowanych przez rozpylacze pneumatyczne, a następnie obliczono parametry, tj.: średnia średnica powierzchniowo-objętościowa Sautera, parametry rozkładu Rosina-Rainiera. Pokazano uzyskane przykładowe rozkłady średnic kropel.In selective non-catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides from combustion gases (SNCR) pneumatic sprayers, which provide the proper size and kinetic energy of the droplets, are used. Experimental studies have been conducted on spraying liquid through lances into the chamber simulating the space of heating boiler. Measurements of droplet diameters generated by pneumatic sprays were carried out and the characteristic parameters were calculated, i.e. Sauter average surface-volume droplets diameter and Rosin-Rammler distribution parameters. Examples of size distributions of droplets are shown

Possibility of limonene recovery from the pyrolytic oil derived from rubber waste

Separacja limonenu z oleju popirolitycznego jest trudna ze względu na obecność substancji o zbliżonych temperaturach wrzenia. Przeprowadzono badania doświadczalne destylacyjnej separacji limonenu i obliczenia symulacyjne rektyfikacji okresowej przy użyciu programu ChemCad. Symulacje prowadzono dla kolumn o różnej liczbie półek i wybranych ciśnień. W badaniach doświadczalnych, jak i symulacjach stwierdzono, że nie jest możliwe uzyskanie czystego limonenu metodami destylacyjnymi. Zastosowanie dwukrotnej rektyfikacji umożliwia jedynie otrzymanie mieszaniny o podwyższonej zawartości limonenu.Separation of limonene from post-pyrolytic oil is difficult due to the presence of substances with similar boiling temperatures. Experimental studies of limonene distillation and simulation of periodic rectification process using ChemCad have been performed. Simulations for columns with different numbers of theoretical trays and selected pressures were carried out. It was found that both in experimental studies and simulations, it is not possible to obtain pure limonene by distillation. Even the use of double rectification only allows one to obtain a mixture with increased limonene concentration

Investigation of spraying lances used in low power boilers for non-catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (SNCR)

W związku z zaostrzeniem norm emisji tlenków azotu z instalacji energetycznych o małej mocy w bliskiej perspektywie czasowej, niezbędne będzie wyposażenie ich w instalacje redukujące NOx. Metoda selektywnej niekatalitycznej redukcji tlenków azotu SNCR wymaga lanc rozpylających o odpowiedniej charakterystyce. W pracy omówiono zagadnienie doboru tych urządzeń, metodykę badania ich charakterystyki oraz wybrane wyniki pomiarów. Ponadto przedstawiono prostą metodę pomiaru średnic kropel w strudze rozpylonej cieczy.Shortly, according to more restrictive norms concerning emission of nitrogen oxides, all low power plans will have to possess appropriate sections for NOx reduction. Method of selective non-catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (SNCR) uses spraying lances with an appropriate characteristics. In this paper selection of the proper lances, methodology of their characteristic investigations as well as some experimental results of their application are presented. Moreover, a simple method for determination of mean drop diameters in a spray is also shown

Characterization of liquid products from waste tires pyrolysis

Scharakteryzowano właściwości oleju popirolitycznego, będącego głównym produktem pirolizy opon samochodowych. Przedstawiono podstawowe metody badania właściwości produktów ropopochodnych oraz wyniki badań doświadczalnych oleju popirolitycznego pochodzącego z krajowej instalacji pirolizy opon samochodowych. Właściwości oleju popirolitycznego porównano z wymaganiami norm oleju opałowego i napędowego, w celu przedyskutowania możliwości zastosowania oleju popirolitycznego jako alternatywnego paliwa lub komponentu mieszanek paliw ciepłowniczych.The properties of pyrolytic oil, which is the main product of the waste tires pyrolysis, were characterized. The basic methods for testing the properties of petroleum products and the results of experimental studies of oil coming from local tires pyrolysis plant were presented. The pyrolytic oil parameters were compared with the requirements for the heating and diesel oil, in order to discuss the possibility of using pyrolytic oil as alternative heating fuel or fuel blends component

Blueprint of a Scalable Spin Qubit Shuttle Device for Coherent Mid-Range Qubit Transfer in Disordered Si/SiGe/SiO 2

Silicon spin qubits stand out due to their very long coherence times, compatibility with industrial fabrication, and prospect to integrate classical control electronics. To achieve a truly scalable architecture, a coherent mid-range link that moves the electrons between qubit registers has been suggested to solve the signal fan-out problem. Here, we present a blueprint of such a $\approx 10\,\mu$m long link, called a spin qubit shuttle, which is based on connecting an array of gates into a small number of sets. To control these sets, only a few voltage control lines are needed and the number of these sets and thus the number of required control signals is independent of the length of this link. We discuss two different operation modes for the spin qubit shuttle: A qubit conveyor, i.e. a potential minimum that smoothly moves laterally, and a bucket brigade, in which the electron is transported through a series of tunnel-coupled quantum dots by adiabatic passage. We find the former approach more promising considering a realistic Si/SiGe device including potential disorder from the charged defects at the Si/SiO$_2$ layer, as well as typical charge noise. Focusing on the qubit transfer fidelity in the conveyor shuttling mode, we discuss in detail motional narrowing, the interplay between orbital and valley excitation and relaxation in presence of $g$-factors that depend on orbital and valley state of the electron, and effects from spin-hotspots. We find that a transfer fidelity of 99.9 \% is feasible in Si/SiGe at a speed of $\sim$10\,m/s, if the average valley splitting and its inhomogeneity stay within realistic bounds. Operation at low global magnetic field $\approx 20$\,mT and material engineering towards high valley splitting is favourable for reaching high transfer fidelities.Comment: Streamlined presentation, the paper is still long but hopefully easier to read. 25 pages of main text, 5 pages of appendice

Evaluation of relationship between the results of selected tests for muscle strength assessment of the hip abductors

Purpose: The assessment of hip joint abductor muscle strength is most often carried out using a dynamometric test. However, both in clinical practice and literature, evaluation is performed by means of the single-leg half-squat or the amount of abduction movements performed in the hip joint. In this context, the question arises whether the results of individual tests are convergent. The aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between strength of the hip abductor muscle measured by dynamometer, the single-leg-squat and the number of repetitions of the movements in time. Methods: A group of 35 students (20 women and 15 men) between 20 and 24 years old participated in the study. Each student was subjected to three tests assessing the condition of the hip and associated abductor muscles. Those included: assessment of hip joint abduction muscle strength in a dynamometric study, assessment of the number of abdomen movements performed lying on the side and standing, during a 30-second interval, and the single-leg-squat test. Results: Based on the tests conducted, a significant relationship was observed between the muscle strength measurement results for the left and right side in the dynamometric study and the number of hip abduction repetitions in 30 seconds and the single-leg-squat test. Conclusions: The obtained results indicate a significant relationship between the results of all the tests. In practice, this means that the tests can be used interchangeably