Using the Balance Function to study the charge correlations of hadrons

We present the recent Balance Function (BF) results obtained by the NA49 collaboration for the pseudo-rapidity dependence of non-identified charged particle correlations for two SPS energies. Experimental results indicate a clear centrality dependence only in the mid-rapidity region. The results of an energy dependence study of the BF throughout the whole SPS energy range will also be discussed. In addition, the correlation of identified hadrons is studied and presented for the first time. The study of hadron correlation has also been extended in order to cope with the high multiplicity environment that is expected to be seen at LHC. We will present the latest results from simulations concerning the extension of these studies to the ALICE experiment.Comment: To appear in the proccedings of the "Quark Confinement and Hadron Spectrum VII" conferenc

Experimental proton-proton correlation function derived for the pp -> ppeta reaction

Based on the high statistics data from the pp -> ppX reaction measured by the COSY-11 collaboration [1] we have derived a two-proton correlation function for the production of the ppeta and pp+pions systems. The measured correlation function normalized to the value simulated for a point-like source was compared with a theoretical prediction in order to estimate the size of the reaction volume.Comment: Talk given at the Symposium on Meson Physics at COSY-11 and WASA-at-COSY Krakow, Poland, 17-22 June 200

DELPHES 3, A modular framework for fast simulation of a generic collider experiment

The version 3.0 of the DELPHES fast-simulation is presented. The goal of DELPHES is to allow the simulation of a multipurpose detector for phenomenological studies. The simulation includes a track propagation system embedded in a magnetic field, electromagnetic and hadron calorimeters, and a muon identification system. Physics objects that can be used for data analysis are then reconstructed from the simulated detector response. These include tracks and calorimeter deposits and high level objects such as isolated electrons, jets, taus, and missing energy. The new modular approach allows for greater flexibility in the design of the simulation and reconstruction sequence. New features such as the particle-flow reconstruction approach, crucial in the first years of the LHC, and pile-up simulation and mitigation, which is needed for the simulation of the LHC detectors in the near future, have also been implemented. The DELPHES framework is not meant to be used for advanced detector studies, for which more accurate tools are needed. Although some aspects of DELPHES are hadron collider specific, it is flexible enough to be adapted to the needs of electron-positron collider experiments.Comment: JHEP 1402 (2014

ESC core curriculum for the general cardiologist (2013)

[No abstract available

The pseudoscalar meson electromagnetic form factor at high Q2 from full lattice QCD

We give an accurate determination of the vector (electromagnetic) form factor, F(Q^2), for a light pseudoscalar meson up to squared momentum transfer Q^2 values of 6 GeV^2 for the first time from full lattice QCD, including u, d, s and c quarks in the sea at multiple values of the lattice spacing. Our results show good control of lattice discretisation and sea quark mass effects. We study a pseudoscalar meson made of valence s quarks but the qualitative picture obtained applies also to the \pi meson, relevant to upcoming experiments at Jefferson Lab. We find that Q^2F(Q^2) becomes flat in the region between Q^2 of 2 GeV^2 and 6 GeV^2, with a value well above that of the asymptotic perturbative QCD expectation, but well below that of the vector-meson dominance pole form appropriate to low Q^2 values. Our calculations show that we can reach higher Q^2 values in future to shed further light on where the perturbative QCD result emerges

An exploratory study of heavy domain wall fermions on the lattice

We report on an exploratory study of domain wall fermions (DWF) as a lattice regularisation for heavy quarks. Within the framework of quenched QCD with the tree-level improved Symanzik gauge action we identify the DWF parameters which minimise discretisation effects. We find the corresponding effective 4$d$ overlap operator to be exponentially local, independent of the quark mass. We determine a maximum bare heavy quark mass of $am_h\approx 0.4$, below which the approximate chiral symmetry and O(a)-improvement of DWF are sustained. This threshold appears to be largely independent of the lattice spacing. Based on these findings, we carried out a detailed scaling study for the heavy-strange meson dispersion relation and decay constant on four ensembles with lattice spacings in the range $2.0-5.7\,\mathrm{GeV}$. We observe very mild $a^2$ scaling towards the continuum limit. Our findings establish a sound basis for heavy DWF in dynamical simulations of lattice QCD with relevance to Standard Model phenomenology.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure

Pseudo-critical clusterization in nuclear multifragmentation

In this contribution we show that the biggest fragment charge distribution in central collisions of Xe+Sn leading to multifragmentation is an admixture of two asymptotic distributions observed for the lowest and highest bombarding energies. The evolution of the relative weights of the two components with bombarding energy is shown to be analogous to that observed as a function of time for the largest cluster produced in irreversible aggregation for a finite system. We infer that the size distribution of the largest fragment in nuclear multifragmentation is also characteristic of the time scale of the process, which is largely determined by the onset of radial expansion in this energy range.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Contribution to conference proceedings of the 25th International Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC 2013

Evaluation of Overall Survival (OS) and Event-Free Survival (EFS) of paediatric sarcoma patients at a single institution

Aims: To evaluate OS and EFS of paediatric sarcoma patients with an interest in comparing metastatic cases with non-metastatic cases, and compiling statistics on treatment methods. Methods: Information was obtained from patient notes in the Schiehallion ward. These contained information about diagnosis, treatment, prognostic indicators, and outcomes for each patient. Results: 56 patients, 2001-2008. Osteosarcoma: 11 patients, 7♂, 4♀; age range: 4-16; = 10; OS = 64%, EFS = 55%; Primary site of disease: Femur (47%), Tibia (41%), Humerus (5.5%), Scapula (5.5%), Other (1%); Metastatic Rate = 27% (OS = 0%). Ewing’s sarcoma: 24 patients, 10♂, 14♀; age range: 1-16, = 12; OS = 71%, EFS = 58%; Primary site of disease: Pelvis (29%), Femur (22%), Paraspinal (16%), Chest Wall (10%), Tibia (10%), Other (13%); Metastatic Rate = 21% (OS = 40%; EFS = 40%); Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma: 10 patients; OS= 80%, EFS = 60%; Metastatic Rate = 20% (OS = 100%; EFS = 100%). Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma: 11 patients; OS = 73%, EFS = 73%; Metastatic Rate = 0%. Conclusions: Our results reflect access to an experienced and innovative paediatric sarcoma service with close links to a national Sarcoma MDT. The data falls in line with other studies in terms of age of onset, location of primary tumour, metastatic rate, site of metastases, and prognosis for all cancer types. Limb salvage surgery is greatly favoured over amputation for both osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma. Females have a more favourable prognosis in osteosarcoma and a slightly poorer prognosis in Ewing’s sarcoma. Yorkhill’s overall survival rates are currently better than the UK-wide statistic for three of the four tumours examined.</p

The asteroseismic ground-based observational counterpart of CoRoT

We present different aspects of the ground-based observational counterpart of the CoRoT satellite mission. We give an overview of the selected asteroseismic targets, the numerous instruments and observatories involved, and the first scientific results.Comment: 3 pages, 2 tables, 1 figure, to be published in the conference proceedings 'Stellar Pulsation: Challenges for Theory and Observation' (31 May - 5 June, Santa Fe, New Mexico, US), publishers: American Institute of Physic

Novel technique for monitoring the performance of the LAT instrument on board the GLAST satellite

The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) is an observatory designed to perform gamma-ray astronomy in the energy range 20 MeV to 300 GeV, with supporting measurements for gamma-ray bursts from 10 keV to 25 MeV. GLAST will be launched at the end of 2007, opening a new and important window on a wide variety of high energy astrophysical phenomena . The main instrument of GLAST is the Large Area Telescope (LAT), which provides break-through high-energy measurements using techniques typically used in particle detectors for collider experiments. The LAT consists of 16 identical towers in a four-by-four grid, each one containing a pair conversion tracker and a hodoscopic crystal calorimeter, all covered by a segmented plastic scintillator anti-coincidence shield. The scientific return of the instrument depends very much on how accurately we know its performance, and how well we can monitor it and correct potential problems promptly. We report on a novel technique that we are developing to help in the characterization and monitoring of LAT by using the power of classification trees to pinpoint in a short time potential problems in the recorded data. The same technique could also be used to evaluate the effect on the overall LAT performance produced by potential instrumental problems.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, manuscript submitted on behalf of the GLAST/LAT collaboration to First GLAST symposium proceeding