The Mu3e Tile Detector

The Mu3e experiment is designed to search for the lepton flavour violating decay μ→eee with a sensitivity of one in 10^16 decays. An observation of such a decay would be a clear sign of physics beyond the Standard Model. Achieving the targeted sensitivity requires a high precision detector with excellent momentum, vertex and time resolution. The Mu3e Tile Detector is a highly granular sub-detector system based on scintillator tiles with Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) readout, and aims at measuring the timing of the muon decay products with a resolution of better than 100 ps. This thesis describes the development of the Tile Detector concept and demonstrates the feasibility of the elaborated design. In this context, a comprehensive simulation framework has been developed, in order to study and optimise the detector performance. The central component of this framework is a detailed simulation of the SiPM response. The simulation model has been validated in several measurements and shows good agreement with the data. Furthermore, a 16-channel prototype of a Tile Detector module has been constructed and operated in an electron beam. In the beam tests, a time resolution up to 56 ps has been achieved, which surpasses the design goal. The simulation and measurement results demonstrate the feasibility of the developed Tile Detector design and show that the required detector performance can be achieved

Extraction and Visualization of Orientation Data from Virtual Geologic Surfaces with MATLAB®

High-resolution visualization of surfaces of geologic interest, at a multitude of scales, using 3D point cloud technologies provides an opportunity to analyze spatial relationships of surfaces using orientation data. We present a MATLAB® script that produces planar geologic attitude data (e.g., strike, dip, and dip-direction data) from 3D datasets (e.g., point clouds, 3D scanning). The method utilizes Cartesian coordinates of triangular planar surfaces and converts them into matrices of conventional geologic attitude data. Spatial relationships among data points can be investigated, using polar tangent diagrams, stereographic analysis, or geologic curvature analysis. We utilize this script to create synthetic graphical plots (e.g., stereograms, tangent diagrams) from geomechanically realistic, virtual, folded surfaces produced by dynamic modeling. Synthetic graphical diagrams are of considerable usefulness in interpreting graphical plots (e.g., stereograms) of attitude data from natural folded rock surfaces, particularly in locations with poor exposure.This script outputs attitude data (strike, dip, and dip direction) in a spreadsheet and as a text file for use in other visualization software.A tangent diagram is created and displayed in this script for rapid visualization and fold shape assessment. The MATLAB script is readily modified to accept multiple data formats for input (e.g., MATLAB variables, *.csv files, etc.) and output (e.g., *.csv files, *.txt files, etc.)

Velocity and Friction Characteristics of Laminar Viscous Boundary-layer and Channel Flow over Surfaces with Ejection or Suction

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Technical Note 4102 Information collected from the referenced literature and supplemented by new solutions is presented on the flow characteristics - velocity field, pressure drop, and friction - for steady, fully developed laminar flow through a duct consisting of two parallel walls, for flow through tubes with circular cross section, and for boundary-layer flow over infinite wedges. It is assumed that the fluid either is ejected through the porous walls into the main flow or is removed from the main flow by suction. The properties of the fluid both in the main flow and in passing through the porous walls are assumed constant, identical, and incompressible. In order to determine the extent to which the boundary conditions imposed on the flow by the various geometries influence the flow characteristics, dimensionless parameters common to both channel and boundary-layer flow (channel flow is flow with bounding walls, e.g., a tube) were developed. By using these parameters to compare the various flows, the flow on surfaces with fluid ejection as well as on solid surfaces was found to depend mainly on the local boundary- layer thickness, on the pressure gradient in main -flow direction, and on the ejection rates. Whether the viscous flow is confined in a channel or unconfined in a boundary layer is of secondary importance . This finding forms the basis for general correlations and shows the conditions under which data on channel and boundary- layer flow are interchangeable; it also should behttps://thekeep.eiu.edu/archives_armstead_publications/1001/thumbnail.jp

Characterisation Studies of Silicon Photomultipliers

This paper describes an experimental setup that has been developed to measure and characterise properties of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM). The measured SiPM properties are of general interest for a multitude of potential applications and comprise the Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE), the voltage dependent cross-talk and the after-pulse probabilities. With the described setup the absolute PDE can be determined as a function of wavelength covering a spectral range from 350 to 1000nm. In addition, a method is presented which allows to study the pixel uniformity in terms of the spatial variations of sensitivity and gain. The results from various commercially available SiPMs - three HAMAMATSU MPPCs and one SensL SPM - are presented and compared.Comment: 11 pages, 21 figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section

The XXL Survey:XLII. Scatters and correlations of X-ray proxies in the bright XXL cluster sample

http://irfu.cea.fr/xxl/International audienceContext. Scaling relations between cluster properties embody the formation and evolution of cosmic structure. Intrinsic scatters and correlations between X-ray properties are determined from merger history, baryonic processes, and dynamical state.Aims. We look for an unbiased measurement of the scatter covariance matrix among the three main X-ray observable quantities attainable in large X-ray surveys: temperature, luminosity, and gas mass. This also gives us the cluster property with the lowest conditional intrinsic scatter at fixed mass.Methods. Intrinsic scatters and correlations can be measured under the assumption that the observable properties of the intra-cluster medium hosted in clusters are log-normally distributed around power-law scaling relations. The proposed method is self-consistent, based on minimal assumptions, and requires neither external calibration by weak lensing, or dynamical or hydrostatic masses, nor the knowledge of the mass completeness.Results. We analysed the 100 brightest clusters detected in the XXL Survey and their X-ray properties measured within a fixed radius of 300 kpc. The gas mass is the less scattered proxy (∼8%). The temperature (∼20%) is intrinsically less scattered than the luminosity (∼30%), but it is measured with a larger observational uncertainty. We found some evidence that gas mass, temperature, and luminosity are positively correlated. Time evolutions are in agreement with the self-similar scenario, but the luminosity–temperature and the gas mass–temperature relations are steeper.Conclusion. Positive correlations between X-ray properties can be determined by the dynamical state and the merger history of the halos. The slopes of the scaling relations are affected by radiative processes

Rad52 SUMOylation affects the efficiency of the DNA repair

Homologous recombination (HR) plays a vital role in DNA metabolic processes including meiosis, DNA repair, DNA replication and rDNA homeostasis. HR defects can lead to pathological outcomes, including genetic diseases and cancer. Recent studies suggest that the post-translational modification by the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) protein plays an important role in mitotic and meiotic recombination. However, the precise role of SUMOylation during recombination is still unclear. Here, we characterize the effect of SUMOylation on the biochemical properties of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae recombination mediator protein Rad52. Interestingly, Rad52 SUMOylation is enhanced by single-stranded DNA, and we show that SUMOylation of Rad52 also inhibits its DNA binding and annealing activities. The biochemical effects of SUMO modification in vitro are accompanied by a shorter duration of spontaneous Rad52 foci in vivo and a shift in spontaneous mitotic recombination from single-strand annealing to gene conversion events in the SUMO-deficient Rad52 mutants. Taken together, our results highlight the importance of Rad52 SUMOylation as part of a ‘quality control’ mechanism regulating the efficiency of recombination and DNA repair

Cost-effectiveness of district-wide seasonal malaria chemoprevention when implemented through routine malaria control programme in Kita, Mali using fixed point distribution

Background Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a strategy for malaria control recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2012 for Sahelian countries. The Mali National Malaria Control Programme adopted a plan for pilot implementation and nationwide scale-up by 2016. Given that SMC is a relatively new approach, there is an urgent need to assess the costs and cost effectiveness of SMC when implemented through the routine health system to inform decisions on resource allocation. Methods Cost data were collected from pilot implementation of SMC in Kita district, which targeted 77,497 children aged 3–59 months. Starting in August 2014, SMC was delivered by fixed point distribution in villages with the first dose observed each month. Treatment consisted of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine once a month for four consecutive months, or rounds. Economic and financial costs were collected from the provider perspective using an ingredients approach. Effectiveness estimates were based upon a published mathematical transmission model calibrated to local epidemiology, rainfall patterns and scale-up of interventions. Incremental cost effectiveness ratios were calculated for the cost per malaria episode averted, cost per disability adjusted life years (DALYs) averted, and cost per death averted. Results The total economic cost of the intervention in the district of Kita was US $357,494. Drug costs and personnel costs accounted for 34$0.73 and US $0.86, respectively; total annual financial and economic costs per child receiving SMC were US$2.92 and US $3.43, respectively. Accounting for coverage, the economic cost per child fully adherent (receiving all four rounds) was US$6.38 and US $4.69, if weighted highly adherent, (receiving 3 or 4 rounds of SMC). When costs were combined with modelled effects, the economic cost per malaria episode averted in children was US$4.26 (uncertainty bound 2.83–7.17), US $144 (135–153) per DALY averted and US$ 14,503 (13,604–15,402) per death averted. Conclusions When implemented at fixed point distribution through the routine health system in Mali, SMC was highly cost-effective. As in previous SMC implementation studies, financial incentives were a large cost component