Data Quality Monitoring of the CMS Silicon Strip Tracker Detector

The Physics and Data Quality Monitoring (DQM) framework aims at providing a homogeneous monitoring environment across various applications related to data taking at the CMS experiment. In this contribution, the DQM system for the Silicon Strip Tracker will be introduced. The set of elements to assess the status of detector will be mentioned, along with the way to identify problems and trace them to specific tracker elements. Monitoring tools, user interfaces and automated software will be briefly described. The system was used during extensive cosmic data taking of CMS in Autumn 2008, where it demonstrated to have a flexible and robust implementation and has been essential to improve the understanding of the detector. CMS collaboration believes that this tool is now mature to face the forthcoming data-taking era.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures. Proceeding from Frontier Detectors for Frontier Physics - 24-30 May 2009 La Biodola, Isola d'Elba, Ital

Searching for extra-dimensions at CMS

A possible solution to the hierarchy problem is the presence of extra space dimensions beyond the three ones which are known from our everyday experience. The phenomenological ADD model of large extra-dimensions predicts a missing transverse energy+jet signature. Randall-Sundrum-type extra-dimensions predict di-lepton and di-jet resonances. This contribution addresses an overview of experimental issues and discovery potential for these new particles at the LHC, focusing on perspectives with the CMS detector during early data taking

Study of Flavour Changing Neutral Currents in top quark decays with the CMS detector

This work contains an estimation of the observability of the Flavour Changing Neutral Currents (FCNC) in top decays with the CMS experiment at the future Large Hadron Collider. The first realistic estimates for the experiment sensitivity to the decays t→Zq and t→γq (where q represents c or u-quarks) have been addressed, through the use of a full simulation of sub-detectors and reconstruction chain. Since expected branching ratios for top FCNC in the Standard Model are eagerly low, any experimental evidence for a top quark FCNC interaction would signal the existence of physics beyond the Standard Model. A wide variety of Standard Model processes have been considered into background, and selection is optimized in order to maximize the significance in the signal region. A full set of systematic effects, originating from detector or theoretical uncertainties, are added to the simulation and their impact on the analysis is established. Efforts are pushed to find a specific control region for both analyses, that can be addressed in the future samples, thus allowing to measure directly the background when data will be available. Results are presented for several background levels and different experimental conditions, then extrapolated to the highest attainable LHC luminosities. An improvement of two orders of magnitude in sensitivity to FCNC branching ratio is obtained, allowing to shed light on different new physics scenarios

Mycorrhization level in truffle plants and presence of concurrent fungi

In Italy, to improve good practices for truffle cultivation, some regional governments require specific certification of mycorrhization level and plant quality for marketing, out-planting and establishment of truffle orchards. The Department of Applied Biology at the University of Perugia has dealt with certification of truffle plants since the 1980's. Here we show the mycorrhization analysis of different host species previously inoculated with truffle spores by an Italian commercial nursery

Quality assessment of truffle-inoculated seedlings in Italy: proposing revised parameters for certification

Aim of study: the main aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of truffle-inoculated seedlings produced by commercial nurseries in Italy and to identify their minimum requisites in terms of plant age, health, homogeneity, and cut-off percentage of inoculated Tuber and non-Tuber ectomycorrhizae, based on the analysis of an extensive sample of seedlings subjected to quality control and certification.Area of study: truffle-inoculated seedlings produced by Italian commercial nurseries.Material and Methods: analysis of truffle-inoculated seedlings for health and quality standards; recording of presence of inoculated Tuber spp. and other concurrent fungi according to the official Italian method for certification; selective amplification of ectomycorrhizal DNA by PCR species-specific primers.Main results: We showed that mycorrhization levels in truffle-inoculated seedlings increased with time after truffle-spore inoculation. The highest mean percentage of the inoculated Tuber spp., but also the highest presence of contaminants, were recorded after three years. The mycorrhization level of Tuber melanosporum and T. aestivum was higher in Corylus and Ostrya seedlings than in Q. ilex and Q. pubescens, but the latter two host species showed the lowest presence of other ectomycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhization level distribution in truffle-inoculated seedlings of suitable batches differed very little from the distribution in only all suitable seedlings. Truffle seedlings with other Tuber spp. were very few and even absent after three years. The general quality of Italian truffle-inoculated seedlings is high but can be improved even further by revising the parameters used for their certification.Research highlights: Mycorrhization assessment in truffle-inoculated seedlings produced by commercial nurseries and a revision of the parameters of quality standards following several years of certification in Italy.Keywords: Truffle cultivation; truffle seedlings; mycorrhization level; Tuber; commercial nursery; certification methods

Quality assessment of truffle-inoculated seedlings in Italy: proposing revised parameters for certification

Aim of study: the main aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of truffle-inoculated seedlings produced by commercial nurseries in Italy and to identify their minimum requisites in terms of plant age, health, homogeneity, and cut-off percentage of inoculated Tuber and non-Tuber ectomycorrhizae, based on the analysis of an extensive sample of seedlings subjected to quality control and certification.Area of study: truffle-inoculated seedlings produced by Italian commercial nurseries.Material and Methods: analysis of truffle-inoculated seedlings for health and quality standards; recording of presence of inoculated Tuber spp. and other concurrent fungi according to the official Italian method for certification; selective amplification of ectomycorrhizal DNA by PCR species-specific primers.Main results: We showed that mycorrhization levels in truffle-inoculated seedlings increased with time after truffle-spore inoculation. The highest mean percentage of the inoculated Tuber spp., but also the highest presence of contaminants, were recorded after three years. The mycorrhization level of Tuber melanosporum and T. aestivum was higher in Corylus and Ostrya seedlings than in Q. ilex and Q. pubescens, but the latter two host species showed the lowest presence of other ectomycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhization level distribution in truffle-inoculated seedlings of suitable batches differed very little from the distribution in only all suitable seedlings. Truffle seedlings with other Tuber spp. were very few and even absent after three years. The general quality of Italian truffle-inoculated seedlings is high but can be improved even further by revising the parameters used for their certification.Research highlights: Mycorrhization assessment in truffle-inoculated seedlings produced by commercial nurseries and a revision of the parameters of quality standards following several years of certification in Italy.Keywords: Truffle cultivation; truffle seedlings; mycorrhization level; Tuber; commercial nursery; certification methods

Study of Flavour Changing Neutral Currents in Top Quark Decays with the CMS Detector

This paper contains the first realistic estimate for the CMS sensitivity to Flavour Changing Neutral Currents (FCNC) in the top quark sector. The non Standard Model decays t -> Zq and t -> gamma q (q represents c or u quarks) have been studied at sqrts = 14 TeV exploiting leptonic decays of the Z boson and the photon. A realistic detector simulation has been adopted and the most relevant systematic effects have been addressed. The 5- sigma discovery limits for the two decays are BR(t-> qZ) =11.4 x 10^ -4 and BR(t -> gamma q ) =5.7 x 10^ -4, allowing some models of new physics to be tested

Mycorrhizal inoculation of pecan seedlings with some marketable truffles

Pecan is the common name of Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch, an ectomycorrhizal tree native to North America, also frequently known as hickory. Mycorrhizal inoculations of pecan seedlings with: Tuber aestivum Vittad., T. borchii Vittad., T. indicum Cooke & Massee, and T. lyonii Butters are described and discussed

Mycorrhizal inoculation of pecan seedlings with some marketable truffles

Pecan is the common name of Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch, an ectomycorrhizal tree native to North America, also frequently known as hickory. Mycorrhizal inoculations of pecan seedlings with: Tuber aestivum Vittad., T. borchii Vittad., T. indicum Cooke & Massee, and T. lyonii Butters are described and discussed