A point-to-point link for data, trigger, clock and control over copper or fibre

Upgrades of the LHC detectors target significantly higher event rates and higher bandwidth over point-to-point links. The Data, Trigger, Clock and Control (DTCC) is a new custom link protocol for data and control streams over different physical media, as copper or optical fibre. The DTCC link is implemented over 8b10b encoding. A version of the DTCC link over standard Category 6 cables is planned to be used with ALICE EMCal Calorimeters after its LS1 upgrade with a significant increase of the readout rate.Tarazona Martínez, A.; Gnanvo, K.; Martoiu, S.; Muller, H.; Toledo Alarcón, JF. (2014). A point-to-point link for data, trigger, clock and control over copper or fibre. Journal of Instrumentation. 9:1-12. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/9/06/T06004S1129Zhang, F., Muller, H., Awes, T. C., Martoiu, S., Kral, J., Silvermyr, D., … Zhou, D. (2014). Point-to-point readout for the ALICE EMCal detector. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 735, 157-162. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2013.09.023Martoiu, S., Muller, H., Tarazona, A., & Toledo, J. (2013). Development of the scalable readout system for micro-pattern gas detectors and other applications. Journal of Instrumentation, 8(03), C03015-C03015. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/8/03/c03015Toledo, J., Muller, H., Esteve, R., Monzó, J. M., Tarazona, A., & Martoiu, S. (2011). The Front-End Concentrator card for the RD51 Scalable Readout System. Journal of Instrumentation, 6(11), C11028-C11028. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/6/11/c11028Widmer, A. X., & Franaszek, P. A. (1983). A DC-Balanced, Partitioned-Block, 8B/10B Transmission Code. IBM Journal of Research and Development, 27(5), 440-451. doi:10.1147/rd.275.0440Aliaga, R. J., Monzo, J. M., Spaggiari, M., Ferrando, N., Gadea, R., & Colom, R. J. (2011). PET System Synchronization and Timing Resolution Using High-Speed Data Links. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 58(4), 1596-1605. doi:10.1109/tns.2011.2140130Giordano, R., & Aloisio, A. (2011). Fixed-Latency, Multi-Gigabit Serial Links With Xilinx FPGAs. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 58(1), 194-201. doi:10.1109/tns.2010.2101083Papakonstantinou, I., Soos, C., Papadopoulos, S., Detraz, S., Sigaud, C., Stejskal, P., … Darwazeh, I. (2011). A Fully Bidirectional Optical Network With Latency Monitoring Capability for the Distribution of Timing-Trigger and Control Signals in High-Energy Physics Experiments. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 58(4), 1628-1640. doi:10.1109/tns.2011.215436

Increased microclimatic variation in artificial nests does not create ecological traps for a secondary cavity breeder, the European roller

International audienceArtificial devices are increasingly used in conservation measures to mitigate the disappearance of natural habitats. However, few studies have demonstrated their benefits for the target species, and they may pose a risk of creating ecological traps. This occurs when lower individual fitness is found in artificial habitats that are more attractive than their natural equivalents. In this study, we tested the ecological trap hypothesis on a dense population of European rollers Coracias garrulus breeding in both natural cavities and nest boxes. Our initial prediction was that the more stressful microclimatic conditions of nest boxes would lead to reduced fitness of European rollers, thus creating an ecological trap. The results showed that nest boxes were preferred over natural cavities. Despite significantly more extreme microclimatic conditions in nest boxes, we found similar breeding parameters between artificial and natural nest types. Our results also suggest that European rollers selected the nest boxes which best buffered the temperature, thus avoiding potential ecological traps. Overall our results led to the conclusion that nest boxes do not create ecological traps for European rollers in this study area. However, other species may be more sensitive to microclimatic variations or less able to avoid the least favorable nest boxes. These findings could help to inform the placement of nest boxes in order to reduce extreme temperatures and variation in humidity rates. Future studies could compare nest types for other fitness parameters, such as juvenile body condition or survival. We also recommend the ecological trap hypothesis as a useful framework to evaluate the outcomes of artificial devices used for conservation