CMS Tracker alignment and its influence on the b-tagging performance

Tagging of b jets is of fundamental importance for the top physics at LHC and only an efficient and aligned tracker detector can offer the possibility to increase the precision in the detection of tagging vertexes. At the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, the alignment of the Tracker is an important goal in the determination of the robustness of the b-tagging algorithms performance: many studies and tests about possible alignment strategies have been carried out during these years, using different algorithms on sets of real (cosmic muon tracks) and simulated data (muon tracks from $Z$ and $W$ decays )

Towards fully integrated CMOS RF receivers

The evolution of the mobile telephony is demanding new multi-function terminals (cellular and cordless phones, GPS, pagers) compatible with a variety of standard (GSM, DCS, DECT, CDMA). At the same time the reduction of cost, size and power dissipation is mandatory. All this requires an higher integration level for the RF part, that is presently using a big number of components. This explains the big research effort put in silicon RF circuits particularly in CMOS technology. In this paper the state of the art of CMOS RF circuits is outlined. In particular some results regarding critical building blocks obtained by the STMicroelectronics and Pavia University research team are given. Future evelopments and the progress needed to successfully implement them are also pointed out

High overtones of Dirac perturbations of a Schwarzschild black hole

Using the Frobenius method, we find high overtones of the Dirac quasinormal spectrum for the Schwarzschild black hole. At high overtones, the spacing for imaginary part of $\omega_{n}$ is equidistant and equals to $\Im{\omega_{n+1}}-\Im{\omega_{n}} =i/8M$, ($M$ is the black hole mass), which is twice less than that for fields of integer spin. At high overtones, the real part of $\omega_{n}$ goes to zero. This supports the suggestion that the expected correspondence between quasinormal modes and Barbero-Immirzi parameter in Loop Quantum Gravity is just a numerical coincidence.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, 3 figures, Physical Review D.,at pres

Quasi-normal modes of the scalar hairy black hole

We calculate QNMs of the scalar hairy black hole in the AdS background using Horowitz-Hubeny method for the potential that is not known in analytical form. For some black hole parameters we found pure imaginary frequencies. Increasing of the scalar field mass does not cause the imaginary part to vanish, it reaches some minimum and then increases, thus in the case under consideration the infinitely long living modes (quasi-resonances) do not appear.Comment: 17 pages, 17 figures, LaTe

Total oxidation of naphthalene using palladium nanoparticles supported on BETA, ZSM-5, SAPO-5 and alumina powders

A range of catalysts based on Pd nanoparticles supported on inorganic supports such as BETA and ZSM-5 zeolites, a silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve (SAPO-5) and γ-alumina as a standard support have been tested for the total oxidation of naphthalene (100 ppm, total flow 50 ml/min) showing a conversion to carbon dioxide of 100% between 165 and 180 °C for all the analysed catalysts. From the combined use of zeolites with PVP polymer protected Pd based nanoparticles, enhanced properties have been found for the total abatement of naphthalene in contrast with other kinds of catalysts. A Pd/BETA catalyst has been demonstrated to have excellent activity, with a high degree of stability, as shown by time on line experiments maintaining 100% conversion to CO2 during the 48 h tested.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and PLAN E funds (Project CTQ2009-10813/PPQ) and Generalitat Valenciana and FEDER (PROMETEO/2009/047) for financial support. F.J. Varela-Gandía thanks the University of Alicante for the PhD studentship. Á. Berenguer-Murcia thanks the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation for a Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RyC 2009-03913)

Gravitational Energy of Kerr and Kerr Anti-de Sitter Space-times in the Teleparallel Geometry

In the context of the Hamiltonian formulation of the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity we compute the gravitational energy of Kerr and Kerr Anti-de Sitter (Kerr-AdS) space-times. The present calculation is carried out by means of an expression for the energy of the gravitational field that naturally arises from the integral form of the constraint equations of the formalism. In each case, the energy is exactly computed for finite and arbitrary spacelike two-spheres, without any restriction on the metric parameters. In particular, we evaluate the energy at the outer event horizon of the black holes.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, to appear in JHEP11(2003)00

Calculated optical properties of Si, Ge, and GaAs under hydrostatic pressure

The macroscopic dielectric function in the random-phase-approximation without local field effect has been implemented using the local density approximation with an all electron, full-potential linear muffin-tin orbital basis-set. This method is used to investigate the optical properties of the semiconductors Si, Ge, and GaAs under hydrostatic pressure. The pressure dependence of the effective dielectric function is compared to the experimental data of Go\~ni and coworkers, and an excellent agreement is found when the so called ``scissors-operator'' shift (SOS) is used to account for the correct band gap at $\Gamma$. The effect of the $3d$ semi-core states in the interband transitions hardly changes the static dielectric function, $\epsilon_\infty$; however, their contribution to the intensity of absorption for higher photon energies is substantial. The spin-orbit coupling has a significant effect on $\epsilon_\infty$ of Ge and GaAs, but not of Si. The $E_1$ peak in the dynamical dielectric function is strongly underestimated for Si, but only slightly for Ge and GaAs, suggesting that excitonic effects might be important only for Si.Comment: 29 RevTex pages and 12 figs; in press in Physical Review

Postmenopausal Urinary Disorders: Clinical And Urodynamic Evaluation

Purpose: to evaluate the frequency of urinary disorders and variation of the urodynamic parameters according to the time of post-menopause. Method: two hundred forty-two post-menopausal women with urinary complaints were studied at the Division of Gynecology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, UNIFESP. They were grouped according to the time of post-menopause: group A - up to 4 years; group B - 5 to 9 years and group C - more than 10 years. They were submitted to anamnesis, gynecological examination and urodynamic study. The frequency of urinary alterations and the variation of the urodynamic parameters were analyzed, such as voiding volume; flow time; maximum flow rate, average flow rate; residual urine; vesical capacity at the first desire to void; maximum bladder capacity; maximum urethral closure pressure and functional profile length, with full and empty bladder. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: the most common clinical diagnosis was stress urinary incontinence in the three groups, but the longer the time of post-menopause, the more frequently urinary urgency was observed. Regarding urodynamic diagnosis, 93.6%, 84.6% and 90.7% of the patients of the groups A, B and C, respectively, presented stress urinary incontinence, while 4.8%, 13.5% and 6.2% revealed detrusor instability. There was a decrease in the following urodynamic parameters, according to the time of post-menopause: flow time, maximum flow rate and vesical capacity at the first desire to void, and an increase of the residual urine. Conclusion: in spite of the high incidence of urinary symptoms such as urgency incontinence, stress urinary incontinence was the main urinary problem we have found in post-menopause.Objetivos: avaliar a freqüência dos distúrbios urinários e a variação dos parâmetros urodinâmicos segundo o tempo de pós-menopausa. Métodos: foram estudadas 242 mulheres menopausadas atendidas nos Setores de Climatério e de Uroginecologia e Cirurgia Vaginal da Disciplina de Ginecologia da Escola Paulista de Medicina, UNIFESP, que apresentavam queixas urinárias. As pacientes foram agrupadas segundo o tempo de pós-menopausa em: grupo A - até 4 anos; grupo B - de 5 a 9 anos e grupo C - mais de 10 anos. Todas foram submetidas a anamnese, exame ginecológico e estudo urodinâmico. Analisamos a freqüência de alterações urinárias e a variação dos parâmetros urodinâmicos, como volume urinário (VOL); tempo total de micção (TTM); fluxos urinário máximo (FMAX) e médio (FM); resíduo pós-miccional (RES); capacidade vesical no primeiro desejo miccional (CV1D); capacidade vesical máxima (CVM); pressão máxima de fechamento uretral e comprimento funcional da uretra, com bexiga cheia e vazia (PMCH, PMV, CFUCH, CFV). Os dados foram analisados estatisticamente. Resultados: o diagnóstico clínico mais comum foi de incontinência urinária de esforço (IUE) nos três grupos, porém observou-se maior incidência de urgência miccional com o evoluir do tempo de pós-menopausa. Em relação ao diagnóstico urodinâmico, 93,6%, 84,6% e 90,7%, respectivamente, das pacientes dos grupos A, B e C apresentaram IUE, ao passo que 4,8%, 13,5% e 6,2% revelaram instabilidade vesical. Houve diminuição dos seguintes parâmetros urodinâmicos, segundo o tempo de pós-menopausa: TTM, FMAX e CV1D, além de aumento do resíduo pós-miccional. Conclusões: apesar da elevada incidência de sintomas urinários irritativos, como urgência incontinência, a IUE foi a principal afecção urinária nesta faixa etária.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Setor de Uroginecologia e Cirurgia VaginalUNIFESP, EPM, Setor de Uroginecologia e Cirurgia VaginalSciEL