FPGA Based Data Read-Out System of the Belle 2 Pixel Detector

The upgrades of the Belle experiment and the KEKB accelerator aim to increase the data set of the experiment by the factor 50. This will be achieved by increasing the luminosity of the accelerator which requires a significant upgrade of the detector. A new pixel detector based on DEPFET technology will be installed to handle the increased reaction rate and provide better vertex resolution. One of the features of the DEPFET detector is a long integration time of 20 {\mu}s, which increases detector occupancy up to 3 %. The detector will generate about 2 GB/s of data. An FPGA-based two-level read-out system, the Data Handling Hybrid, was developed for the Belle 2 pixel detector. The system consists of 40 read-out and 8 controller modules. All modules are built in {\mu}TCA form factor using Xilinx Virtex-6 FPGA and can utilize up to 4 GB DDR3 RAM. The system was successfully tested in the beam test at DESY in January 2014. The functionality and the architecture of the Belle 2 Data Handling Hybrid system as well as the performance of the system during the beam test are presented in the paper.Comment: Transactions on Nuclear Science, Proceedings of the 19th Real Time Conference, Preprin

Renal AA amyloidosis leading to early diagnosis and treatment of takayasu arteritis: a case report and review of the literature

(...

First Results of the PixelGEM Central Tracking System for COMPASS

For its physics program with a high-intensity hadron beam of up to 2e7 particles/s, the COMPASS experiment at CERN requires tracking of charged particles scattered by very small angles with respect to the incident beam direction. While good resolution in time and space is mandatory, the challenge is imposed by the high beam intensity, requiring radiation-hard detectors which add very little material to the beam path in order to minimize secondary interactions. To this end, a set of triple-GEM detectors with a hybrid readout structure consisting of pixels in the beam region and 2-D strips in the periphery was designed and built. Successful prototype tests proved the performance of this new detector type, showing both extraordinary high rate capability and detection efficiency. The amplitude information allowed to achieve spatial resolutions about a factor of 10 smaller than the pitch and a time resolution close to the theoretical limit imposed by the layout. The PixelGEM central tracking system consisting of five detectors, slightly improved with respect to the prototype, was completely installed in the COMPASS spectrometer in spring 2008

Model Checking of Fault-Tolerant Distributed Algorithms: from Classics towards Contemporary

International audienceFault-tolerant distributed algorithms-such as agreement, reliable broadcast, and consensus-lie at the heart of distributed systems. Although these algorithms are tiny in comparison to the rest of the system code, they are hard to design and verify. In this short research statement, we discuss the Byzantine model checker, which was developed for automatic verification of asynchronous fault-tolerant distributed algorithms. Further, we discuss the challenges that are posed by contemporary protocols for Blockchain consensus

Why and How to Avoid the Flipped Quaternion Multiplication

Over the last decades quaternions have become a crucial and very successful tool for attitude representation in robotics and aerospace. However, there is a major problem that is continuously causing trouble in practice when it comes to exchanging formulas or implementations: there are two quaternion multiplications in common use, Hamilton's original multiplication and its flipped version, which is often associated with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We believe that this particular issue is completely avoidable and only exists today due to a lack of understanding. This paper explains the underlying problem for the popular passive world to body usage of rotation quaternions, and derives an alternative solution compatible with Hamilton's multiplication. Furthermore, it argues for entirely discontinuing the flipped multiplication. Additionally, it provides recipes for efficiently detecting relevant conventions and migrating formulas or algorithms between them.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables (minor improvements and fixes over v1, smaller page margins

Anerkennungserfahrungen als Motivation zu Lebenslangem Lernen: Einflüsse von Lehrern, Eltern und Peers auf die Lernmotivation Jugendlicher

"Das ganze Leben lang die Bereitschaft, die Fähigkeit und die Gelegenheiten zum Lernen nicht zu verlieren wird immer mehr zentrale Voraussetzung einer guten gesellschaftlichen Platzierung sowie zur Erlangung von Einkommens- und Lebenschancen. Der vorliegende Aufsatz fragt nach Prädiktoren der Lernmotivation von Schüler/innen der Klassen neun und zehn verschiedener Schulformen. Auf der Grundlage einer Repräsentativerhebung in einem Bundesland werden Effekte von Schul-, Lehrer- und Peer- Erfahrungen auf Einstellungen zu Schule und schulischem Lernen vorgestellt. Insbesondere die Bereitschaft von Lehrkräften, Schüler/innen unabhängig von deren relativem Leistungsstand individuell wahrzunehmen und für Bemühungen anzuerkennen, außerdem Anerkennung für schulischen Ehrgeiz fördern die Lernbereitschaft und verhindern Schulentfremdung bis zu den so entscheidenden Klassenstufen neun und zehn." (Autorenreferat)"A lifelong ability and capacity to learn are becoming more and more an essential prerequisite for a good social standing and an adequate income. This article considers the predictors for the learning motivation of students in the 9th and 10th grades of three different German school types. Based on a representative survey in one German Federal State, the impact of teachers, parents, and peers on adolescents' attitudes towards learning is demonstrated. The teacher's individual approach to students and recognition of the student's learning efforts, irrespective of the achievement of the student, as well as acknowledgement of the student's desire to learn appear to be the best motivational factors at school as well as the factors which prevent school reluctance." (author's abstract

Specification and Verification with the TLA+ Trifecta: TLC, Apalache, and TLAPS

International audienceUsing an algorithm due to Safra for distributed termination detection as a running example, we present the main tools for verifying specifications written in TLA+. Examining their complementary strengths and weaknesses, we suggest a workflow that supports different types of analysis and that can be adapted to the desired degree of confidence