Energy Loss Signals in the ALICE TRD

We present the energy loss measurements with the ALICE TRD in the $\beta\gamma$ range 1--10$^{4}$, where $\beta=v/c$ and $\gamma=1/\sqrt{1-\beta^2}$. The measurements are conducted in three different scenarios: 1) with pions and electrons from testbeams; 2) with protons, pions and electrons in proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energy 7 TeV; 3) with muons detected in ALICE cosmic runs. In the testbeam and cosmic ray measurements, ionization energy loss (dE/dx) signal as well as ionization energy loss plus transition radiation (dE/dx+TR) signal are measured. With cosmic muons the onset of TR is observed. Signals from TeV cosmic muons are consistent with those from GeV electrons in the other measurements. Numerical descriptions of the signal spectra and the $\beta\gamma$-dependence of the most probable signals are also presented.Comment: Proceedings for the 4th Workshop on Advanced Transition Radiation Detectors for Accelerator and Space Applications, 14-16 September 2011, Bari, Ital

Korleis blir friluftsliv framstilt og forstått i den vidaregåande skulen: Ein kvalitativ undersøking av korleis kroppsøvingslærarar og rektorar opplever og erfarar friluftsliv i kroppsøvingsundervisninga

Føremålet med prosjektet er å belyse friluftslivemnet i kroppsøvingsfaget. Prosjektets problemområde tar for seg korleis friluftslivomgrepet blir oppfatta og framstilt, kva plass har det i skulen, vekting i læreplanen og korleis det blir praktisert i undervisning, ved hjelp av å ta tak i kroppsøvingslærarar og rektorar sine forståingar og meiningar kring tema. For innsamling av datamateriale blei det nytta kvalitativt intervju som metode. Utvalet i undersøkinga bestod av 6 informantar frå to ulike vidaregåande skular, ein byskule og ein distriktskule. Informantane var fordelt slik, 1 rektor og 2 kroppsøvingslærarar per skule

Firmware Development and Integration for ALICE TPC and PHOS Front-end Electronics: A Trigger Based Readout and Control System operating in a Radiation Environment

The readout electronics in PHOS and TPC - two of the major detectors of the ALICE experiment at the LHC - consist of a set of Front End Cards (FECs) that digitize, process and buffer the data from the detector sensors. The FECs are connected to a Readout Control Unit (RCU) via two sets of custom made PCB backplanes. For PHOS, 28 FECs are connected to one RCU, while for TPC the number is varying from 18 to 25 FECs depending on location. The RCU is in charge of the data readout, including reception and distribution of triggers and in moving the data from the FECs to the Data Acquisition System. In addition it does low level control tasks. The RCU consists of an RCU Motherboard that hosts a Detector Control System (DCS) board and a Source Interface Unit. The DCS board is an embedded computer running Linux that controls the readout electronics. All the mentioned devices are implemented in commercial grade SRAM based Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Even if these devices are not very radiation tolerant, they are chosen because of their cost and flexibility, and most importantly the possibility to easily do future upgrades of the electronics. Since physical shielding of the electronics is not possible in ALICE due to the architecture of the detector, the radiation related errors need to be handled with other techniques such as firmware mitigation techniques. The main objective of this thesis has been to make firmware modules for the FPGAs reciding in different parts of the readout electronics. Because of the flexibility of the designs, some of them have, with minor adaptations, been applied in different devices surrounding the readout electronics. Additionally, effort has been put into testing and integration of the system. In detail, the work presented in this thesis can be summarized as follows: - Firmware design for radiation environments. All firmware modules that are designed are to be used in a radiation environment, and then special precautions need to be taken. Additionally, a state-of-the-art solution has been designed for protecting the main FPGA on the RCU Motherboard against radiation induced functional failures. - Implementation of Trigger Handling for the TPC/PHOS Readout Electronics. The triggers are received from the global trigger system via an optical link and are handled by an Application Spesific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) on the DCS board. The problem is that the DCS board might have occasional down time 6 due to radiation related errors, so a special interface module is designed for the main FPGA on the RCU Motherboard. This module decodes and verifies the information received from the trigger system. As it is a generic design it has also been implemented as part of the BusyBox. The BusyBox is an important device in the trigger path of the TPC and PHOS sub-detectors. - Testing and Verification of all firmware modules. All firmware modules have been extensively verified with computer simulation before being tested in real hardware. - Maintenance of the DCS board for TPC/PHOS and of the different Fee firmware modules in general. - System Integration and System Level Tests. A big contribution has been done integrating and testing all the modules and sub-systems. This concern both locally on the RCU and the BusyBox, as well as making all the devices play together on a larger scale. - Testing and Verification of all firmware modules. All firmware modules have been extensively verified with computer simulation before being tested in real hardware. - Maintenance of the DCS board for TPC/PHOS and of the different Fee firmware modules in general. - System Integration and System Level Tests. A big contribution has been done integrating and testing all the modules and sub-systems. This concern both locally on the RCU and the BusyBox, as well as making all the devices play together on a larger scale. As the presented electronics are located in a radiation environment and are physically unavailable after commissioning, effort has been put into making designs that are reliable, scalable and possible to upgrade. This has been ensured by following a systematic design approach where testability, version management and documentation are key elements. Some parts of the work described in this thesis have been published and presented in international peer reviewed publications and conferences

What is the Significance of Reading Aloud to Middle School Aged Students in the Language Arts Classroom as Measured By the Star Reading Assessment?

The research question addressed in this study is: what is the significance of reading aloud to middle school aged students in the language arts classroom as measured by the STAR Reading assessment? Topics explored in the review of the literature include components of literacy-specifically children’s literacy, language arts curriculum, as well as the importance and effectiveness of classroom read alouds. A cohort of nearly 30 students in fifth and sixth grades were observed on how well they comprehended children’s novels while reading independently and while reading with teacher guidance and interaction. While one class completed a read aloud novel study with the instructor, the other read the same novel silently on their own. Ideally, they read two chapters a day regardless if they are reading with instructor or on their own. Both groups completed the same comprehension packet as they read the novel. Again, if they read the novel with the teacher, they completed the comprehension packet with instructor as well. If they read the novel on their own, the students also completed the comprehension packet on their own. After the completion of that novel, the class that read aloud with the instructor then silently read the next novel study on their own. The class that read the previous novel study silently on their own, then read aloud the next novel study with instructor. This way, each class read the same book at the same time, but one class read it silently and the other read it aloud. Both classes used the same assessments, whether they read aloud or silently read. Students then took an accelerated reader quiz after reading each novel which measured their comprehension and understanding of the novel. Students then took a STAR Reading Assessment to measure their overall comprehension growth. Keywords: rea

The kinase Isr1 negatively regulates hexosamine biosynthesis in S. cerevisiae

Protein phosphorylation is an essential regulatory mechanism that controls most cellular processes, integrating a variety of environmental signals to drive cellular growth. Yeast encode over 100 kinases, yet many remain poorly characterized. The S. cerevisiae gene ISR1 encodes a putative kinase with no ascribed function. Here, we show that ISR1 decreases the synthesis of a critical structural carbohydrate, uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), by mediating inhibition of one of the enzymes responsible for its synthesis, Gfa1. UDP-GlcNAc is the precursor to protein glycosylation, GPI anchor formation, and chitin synthesis, the first two of which are essential and conserved in humans. Throughout the cell cycle, and in response to changing environmental conditions, the cell must balance its use of glucose for energy production and generation of these structural carbohydrates. Here we show that Isr1 is regulated by both cell cycle and nutrient changes, and is rapidly degraded in a phosphorylation dependent manner. Isr1-mediated inhibition of UDP-GlcNAc synthesis may serve as a mechanism of dynamically regulating how the cell utilizes glucose in response to its environment

High pt identified particle production in ALICE

The ALICE experiment is a dedicated heavy ion physics detector at the LHC with unique capabilities for studying identified particle production. In this proceeding preliminary results for RAA for pi and K+p (sum), are reported, based on measurements in pp at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV and Pb-Pb at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV. The results are compared to theoretical predictions and measurements at RHIC.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, proceedings from 5th International Conference on Hard and Electromagnetic Probes of High-Energy Nuclear Collisions (Hard Probes 2012) at Cagliari (Italia

Sedentary behaviour and cerebrovascular disease: molecular mechanisms and the impact of bout duration. : A multicentre cohort study.

Abstract Background: Sedentary behaviour is associated with vascular disease, and being sedentary for long periods at a time is believed to be associated with the highest risk. The molecular mechanisms are presumed to follow metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Details about these pathways or the length of a clinical significant sedentary bout is not known. Aims: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between sedentary behaviour and novel blood biomarkers with potential predictive and explanatory properties. The secondary aim was to investigate the impact of sedentary behaviour bout length on these biomarkers. Materials and methods: Patients admitted to hospital for acute stroke were included in the multicentre cohort study entitled the Norwegian Cognitive Impairment After Stroke (Nor-COAST) study (n=815). At the three-month assessment (n=700), sedentary behaviour was measured using the body-worn sensor ActivPAL. Blood samples were drawn for analyses at the local laboratory directly, and biobank samples were stored and later analysed for inflammatory biomarkers at two research laboratories. The long-term outcomes, ischemic stroke recurrence and mortality was identified using national registries. Results: Glycated haemoglobin A (HbA1c) was positively associated with sedentary behaviour accumulated through bouts of 90 minutes or more. Total sedentary time was associated with higher levels of the inflammatory biomarkers C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), the pyridoxic acid ratio-index (PAr-index), and neopterin, and lower levels of kynurenic acid (KA). The study did not have enough power for investigating the impact of bout length on these biomarkers. There were no associations between the biomarkers and ischemic stroke recurrence. Mortality was associated with higher levels of CRP. When added to the same model, neopterin and KA showed positive and negative associations to mortality, respectively. Conclusion and implications: The results support that the impact of sedentary behaviour on disease progression is mediated through known vascular risk factors and novel biomarkers can be useful for future intervention studies.Doktorgradsavhandlin

To Learn or not to Learn: On the Importance of Mode Switching in Educational Wargames

Conventional wisdom holds that educational wargames come with certain challenges – factors that can potentially hinder, rather than increase, learning – and that these must be mitigated. In this article, we argue that so-called challenges are unproblematic, even desirable, during the wargame. Underpinning this contention is the premise that learning requires a certain mode, and that in educational wargaming, two distinct modes are necessary: one in the wargame, and one in the debrief. Leaning on the pedagogical theory of John Dewey, we distinguish between the mode of experience during the game, and the mode of reflection after the game. What are traditionally conceived of as challenges are, in our mode-based framework, necessary factors in order to fully enter the mode of experience. What can hinder learning, however, is if students do not switch from the mode of experience to the mode of reflection after the game. Based on previous research, our own experiences conducting wargames, and interviews with students and professionals on learning through educational wargames, we suggest strategies for ensuring the mode switch from wargame to debrief, and draw implications for the development of wargaming as a social science method.publishedVersio

Return Premiums in Volatility-Managed Portfolios - Empirical evidence from Norway and international equity markets

We scale portfolios by the inverse of their previous month’s realized variance to create volatility-managed portfolios. Our managed portfolios reduce market exposure when volatility is high and vice versa. We analyse the strategy's performance on portfolios constructed on various risk factors in the Norwegian and U.S. stock markets. Our results show that volatility-managing lead to improved returns for six out of eight portfolios. The strategy significantly reduces drawdowns during market turmoil while also amplifying returns through increased market exposure during calm markets. Volatility-managing performs well during most economic crises. However, the strategy shows ambiguous performance in the aftermath of the COVID-19 market crash, as only half of the portfolios outperform their unmanaged counterparts. We also provide international evidence of return premiums when applying the strategy to portfolios constructed on momentum. The superior risk-adjusted returns challenge the linear risk-return relationship in the capital asset pricing model