11,888 research outputs found
Probabilistic Particle Flow Algorithm for High Occupancy Environment
Algorithms based on the particle flow approach are becoming increasingly
utilized in collider experiments due to their superior jet energy and missing
energy resolution compared to the traditional calorimeter-based measurements.
Such methods have been shown to work well in environments with low occupancy of
particles per unit of calorimeter granularity. However, at higher instantaneous
luminosity or in detectors with coarse calorimeter segmentation, the overlaps
of calorimeter energy deposits from charged and neutral particles significantly
complicate particle energy reconstruction, reducing the overall energy
resolution of the method. We present a technique designed to resolve
overlapping energy depositions of spatially close particles using a
statistically consistent probabilistic procedure. The technique is nearly free
of ad-hoc corrections, improves energy resolution, and provides new important
handles that can improve the sensitivity of physics analyses: the uncertainty
of the jet energy on an event-by-event basis and the estimate of the
probability of a given particle hypothesis for a given detector response. When
applied to the reconstruction of hadronic jets produced in the decays of tau
leptons using the CDF-II detector at Fermilab, the method has demonstrated
reliable and robust performance.Comment: Accepted by Nuclear Instruments and Methods
Potential preferences for alternative forms of sustainable tourism: The case of rural and intergenerational tourism.
This chapter gives a social-psychological analysis of tourists’ preferences and experiences concerning alternative (more sustainable) forms of tourism. After a discussion of the principles and definitions of sustainable tourism, the literature on tourists’ preferences for sustainable tourism will be reviewed and the potentialities of alternative forms of tourism for tourism sustainability will be highlighted. Subsequently, two examples of alternative tourism experiences will be introduced and critically discussed in the light of such literature: the case of rural tourism and that of intergenerational tourism. The former is considered to be promising form of tourism able to improve the culture and the economy of rural areas and agricultural production. An interesting case is that of China. During the last 20 years, thanks to a policy of governmental incentives, some Chinese rural areas have seen the birth and progressive growth of various models of rural tourism. These combine the tourists-citizens needs to experience a style of simple life and the enhancement of agriculture. This chapter will present and analyse the framework and the characteristics of that type of sustainable tourism. The second kind of alternative tourism (intergenerational tourism) refers to the tourism experiences ideated by the Italian Laboratory for Intergenerational Meetings and implemented over the past twenty years in various Italian cities. In a time when relationships among generational groups are mostly superficial or non-existent, the Laboratory has proposed a series of research/experimentations of tourism activities aimed at reducing the distance between groups of different generations. An interconnected set of activities combining indoor (e.g., computer lab, theatrical performances) and outdoor (e.g., explorations of historic and natural trails) experiences have been devised to foster communication among participants of different ages and to strengthen their relationships by reducing reciprocal prejudices and stereotypes. The chapter will sum up the results of the investigations carried out during the many research/experimentations that have taken place over the years
First measurement of the cross section for top-quark pair production in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV
20 páginas, 3 figuras, 1 tabla.-- This article is published Open Access at sciencedirect.com. It
is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 3.0.-- CMS Collaboration: et al.The first measurement of the cross section for top-quark pair production in pp collisions at the
Large Hadron Collider at center-of-mass energy √s = 7 TeV has been performed using a data sample
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.1 ± 0.3 pb−1 recorded by the CMS detector. This result
utilizes the final state with two isolated, highly energetic charged leptons, large missing transverse
energy, and two or more jets. Backgrounds from Drell–Yan and non-W/Z boson production are estimated
from data. Eleven events are observed in the data with 2.1 ± 1.0 events expected from background. The
measured cross section is 194±72(stat.)±24(syst.)±21(lumi.) pb, consistent with next-to-leading order
predictions.Acknowledge support from: FMSR (Austria);
FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP
(Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China);
COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy
of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and
HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF
(Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and
DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU
(Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLPFAI
(Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR
(Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE
(Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding
Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey);
STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA).Peer reviewe
Search for supersymmetry in pp collisions at 7 TeV in events with jets and missing transverse energy
Acknowledge support from:
FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ,
and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC
(China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus);
Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland,
ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG,
and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary);
DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF
and WCU (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and
UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal);
JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST
and MAE (Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss
Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK
(Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA).A search for supersymmetry with R-parity conservation in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass
energy of 7 TeV is presented. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35 pb−1 collected by
the CMS experiment at the LHC. The search is performed in events with jets and significant missing
transverse energy, characteristic of the decays of heavy, pair-produced squarks and gluinos. The primary
background, from standard model multijet production, is reduced by several orders of magnitude to a
negligible level by the application of a set of robust kinematic requirements. With this selection, the
data are consistent with the standard model backgrounds, namely t¯t, W + jet and Z + jet production,
which are estimated from data control samples. Limits are set on the parameters of the constrained
minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. These limits extend those set previously by
experiments at the Tevatron and LEP colliders.23 páginas, 5 figuras, 2 tablas.-- Open access:
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 3.0.-- CMS Collaboration: et al.Peer reviewe
The organic seed regulations framework in Europe – current status and recommendations for future development
Organic agriculture regulations, in particular European regulation EC 889/2008, prescribe the use of organically produced seed. For many cultivated plants, however, organic seed is often not available. This is mainly because investment in organic plant breeding and seed production has been low in the past. To bridge the gap between organic seed supply and demand, national and European regulations define certain circumstances under which organic producers are permitted to use non-organically produced seed. While the organic sector currently depends on these concessions, they also threaten to impede a further increase in the demand for organic seed, thereby potentially restraining present and future investment in organic seed production and plant breeding. We review the current status of the organic seed regulations framework by analysing key issues such as the role of the national derogation regimes, the role of expert groups, databases and seed prices. Key points are that (a) the situation of the organic seed sector has improved over the last few years; however, (b) reporting on organic seed to the EU by different countries needs to be harmonised; (c) the success of the organic seed sector depends critically on the implementation and improvement of national expert groups; and (d) to protect genetic diversity, the use of local varieties and landraces should not be impeded by organic seed regulations
Measurement of Wγ and Zγ production in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV
21 páginas, 7 figuras, 2 tablas.-- Open access:
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 3.0.-- CMS collaboration: et al.A measurement of Wγ and Zγ production in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV is presented. Results
are based on a data sample recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 36 pb−1. The electron and muon decay channels of the W and Z are used. The
total cross sections are measured for photon transverse energy Eγ
T > 10 GeV and spatial separation from
charged leptons in the plane of pseudorapidity and azimuthal angle R( ,γ) > 0.7, and with an additional
dilepton invariant mass requirement of M > 50 GeV for the Zγ process. The following cross
section times branching fraction values are found: σ(pp→Wγ + X) × B(W→ ν) = 56.3 ± 5.0(stat.) ± 5.0(syst.)±2.3(lumi.) pb and σ(pp→Zγ + X)×B(Z→ ) = 9.4±1.0(stat.)±0.6(syst.)±0.4(lumi.) pb.
These measurements are in agreement with standard model predictions. The first limits on anomalous
WWγ , ZZγ , and Zγγ trilinear gauge couplings at √s =7 TeV are set.Acknowledge support from: FMSR (Austria);
FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP
(Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China);
COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy
of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and
HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF
(Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and
DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU
(Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLPFAI
(Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR
(Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE
(Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding
Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey);
STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA).Peer reviewe
Search for a W boson decaying to a muon and a neutrino in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV
20 páginas, 4 figuras, 3 tablas.-- Open access:
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 3.0.-- CMS Collaboration: et al.A new heavy gauge boson, W', decaying to a muon and a neutrino, is searched for in pp collisions at a
centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The data, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an
integrated luminosity of 36 pb−1. No significant excess of events above the standard model expectation
is found in the transverse mass distribution of the muon–neutrino system. Masses below 1.40 TeV are
excluded at the 95% confidence level for a sequential standard-model-like W'. The W' mass lower limit
increases to 1.58 TeV when the present analysis is combined with the CMS result for the electron channel.Acknowledge support from: FMSR (Austria);
FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP
(Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS
(Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of
Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP
(Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF
(Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and
DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU
(Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLPFAI
(Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR
(Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE
(Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding
Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey);
STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA).Peer reviewe
Use of bremsstrahlung radiation to identify hidden weak beta- sources: feasibility and possible use in radio-guided surgery
The recent interest in beta- radionuclides for radio-guided surgery derives
from the feature of the beta radiation to release energy in few millimeters of
tissue. Such feature can be used to locate residual tumors with a probe located
in its immediate vicinity, determining the resection margins with an accuracy
of millimeters. The drawback of this technique is that it does not allow to
identify tumors hidden in more than few mm of tissue. Conversely, the
bremsstrahlung X-rays emitted by the interaction of the beta- radiation with
the nuclei of the tissue are relatively penetrating. To complement the beta-
probes, we have therefore developed a detector based on cadmium telluride, an
X-ray detector with a high quantum efficiency working at room temperature. We
measured the secondary emission of bremsstrahlung photons in a target of
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) with a density similar to living tissue. The
results show that this device allows to detect a 1 ml residual or lymph-node
with an activity of 1 kBq hidden under a layer of 10 mm of PMMA with a 3:1
signal to noise, i.e. with a five sigma discrimination in less than 5 s
First evidence for a major cover crop effect on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and organic maize growth
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are increasingly used in organic cropping systems to increase yields. Although cover crops are largely used in organic farming, there is little knowledge on the impact of cover crops on native mycorrhizal fungi. Here, we studied the effect of cover crop diversity on mycorrhizal colonization in subsequent organic maize cultivars differing in the level of genetic diversity. Experiments were conducted from 2010 to 2012 in a Mediterranean environment. First Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), a mix of seven cover crop species (Mix), and natural vegetation (Control) were cultivated as winter cover crops. Then, an organically and a conventionally bred maize hybrid and three organically bred composite cross populations were cultivated. Mycorrhizal propagule dynamics were measured. Results at juvenile stage show a higher mycorrhizal colonization in maize plants grown after hairy vetch, of 35.0 %, and Mix cover crops, of 29.4 %, compared to Indian mustard, of 20.9 %, and Control, of 21.3 %. The potential of soil mycorrhization decreased of 56.5 % following Indian mustard, higher than that of other cover crops, of 34.1–47.3 %. This finding could be explained by the release of isothiocyanates in soils. Moreover, maize shoot biomass, nitrogen, and phosphorus content across all maize genotypes at juvenile stage increased with mycorrhizal colonization. These findings provide the first evidence of the greater role played by cover crop identity in the enhancement of early mycorrhizal colonization of the subsequent crop and of soil mycorrhizal activity
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