10 Years of Object-Oriented Analysis on H1

Over a decade ago, the H1 Collaboration decided to embrace the object-oriented paradigm and completely redesign its data analysis model and data storage format. The event data model, based on the RooT framework, consists of three layers - tracks and calorimeter clusters, identified particles and finally event summary data - with a singleton class providing unified access. This original solution was then augmented with a fourth layer containing user-defined objects. This contribution will summarise the history of the solutions used, from modifications to the original design, to the evolution of the high-level end-user analysis object framework which is used by H1 today. Several important issues are addressed - the portability of expert knowledge to increase the efficiency of data analysis, the flexibility of the framework to incorporate new analyses, the performance and ease of use, and lessons learned for future projects.Comment: 14th International Workshop on Advanced Computing and Analysis Techniques in Physics Researc

Rapid removal of ammonium from domestic wastewater using polymer hydrogels

To date, technologies to recover ammonium from domestic wastewater from the mainstream have not found widespread application. This is largely due to the low ammonium concentrations in these wastewater streams. This paper reports on the use of polymer hydrogels for rapid sorption of ammonium from domestic wastewater coupled with efficient regeneration by mild acid washing. The sorption capacity of the hydrogel was 8.8-32.2 mg NH4-N/g, which corresponds to removal efficiencies ranging from 68% to 80% NH4-N, increasing proportionally with the initial ammonium concentration. It was, however, unaffected by changes in pH, as the sorption capacity remained constant from pH 5.0-8.0. Importantly, effective regeneration of the hydrogels under mildly acidic conditions (i.e. pH 4.0) was demonstrated with minimal loss in sorption performance following multiple sorption/desorption cycles. Overall, this study highlights the potential of low-cost polymer hydrogels for achieving mainstream ammonium recovery from domestic wastewater

Pindan soils in the La Grange area, West Kimberley: land capability assessment for irrigated agriculture, 2nd edition

This report identifies areas of Pindan country along the Great Northern Highway, south of Broome from Roebuck to Mandora, which have high potential for irrigated agriculture. The area contains significant reserves of potable groundwater defined by the La Grange groundwater allocation area, which is based on the surficial Broome Sandstone aquifer. Over the past 30 years, several small- to medium-scale irrigation developments have been successfully established in the region. The water opportunities project aims to identify and quantify the land and water resources of the region to ensure any future expansion of irrigated agriculture is sustainable and will not have a detrimental impact on other land uses, environmentally sensitive areas, such as groundwater-dependent ecosystems, or areas of traditional cultural heritage. Pindan soils that are currently used for irrigated agriculture are predominantly deep, red, sandy earths. These soils are well drained to rapidly drained and do not develop a persistent perched watertable during the wet season. These soil characteristics potentially allow for year-round access and cropping. This land assessment identified over 50 000 hectares of Pindan soils that have a high to fair capability for irrigated agriculture where potable groundwater is within 20 metres. Groundwater is the main limiting resource and if allocated for irrigated agriculture, it should be used sustainably. Its usage should be restricted to land having a high capability for the proposed land use. The second edition of this report contains corrections in the soil chemical analysis tables (Appendix B), a revision of the Pindan soils classification to the Australian Soil Classification subgroup level, and corrections in the soil site classification table (Appendix C)

QCD and low-x physics at a Large Hadron electron Collider

The Large Hadron electron Collider (LHeC) is a proposed facility which will exploit the new world of energy and intensity offered by the LHC for electron-proton scattering, through the addition of a new electron accelerator. This contribution, which is derived from the draft CERN-ECFA-NuPECC Conceptual Design report (due for release in 2011), addresses the expected impact of the LHeC precision and extended kinematic range for low Bjorken-x and diffractive physics, and detailed simulation studies and prospects for high precision QCD and electroweak fits. Numerous observables which are sensitive to the expected low-x saturation of the parton densities are explored. These include the inclusive electron-proton scattering cross section and the related structure functions F2 and FL, as well as exclusive processes such as deeply-virtual Compton scattering and quasi-elastic heavy vector meson production and diffractive virtual photon dissociation. With a hundred times the luminosity that was achieved at HERA, salient expectations for the LHeC include the complete determination of all light and heavy quark parton distributions for the first time, the high precision extraction of the gluon density, the determination of the strong coupling constant to per-mil accuracy and the precision study of the running of the electroweak mixing angle

Deep Chandra Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud. II. Timing Analysis of X-ray Pulsars

We report the timing analysis results of X-ray pulsars from a recent deep Chandra survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We have analyzed a total exposure of 1.4 Ms from 31 observations over a 1.2 deg$^2$ region in the SMC under a Chandra X-ray Visionary Program. Using the Lomb-Scargle and epoch folding techniques, we have detected periodic modulations from 20 pulsars and a new candidate pulsar. The survey also covers 11 other pulsars with no clear sign of periodic modulation. The 0.5-8 keV X-ray luminosity ($L_X$) of the pulsars ranges from $10^{34}$ to $10^{37}$ erg s$^{-1}$ at 60 kpc. All the Chandra sources with $L_X$ $\gtrsim 4 \times 10^{35}$ erg s$^{-1}$ exhibit X-ray pulsations. The X-ray spectra of the SMC pulsars (and high mass X-ray binaries) are in general harder than those of the SMC field population. All but SXP~8.02 can be fitted by an absorbed power-law model with a photon index of $\Gamma$ $\lesssim$ 1.5. The X-ray spectrum of the known magnetar SXP~8.02 is better fitted with a two-temperature blackbody model. Newly measured pulsation periods of SXP~51.0, SXP~214 and SXP~701 are significantly different from the previous XMM-Newton and RXTE measurements. This survey provides a rich data set for energy-dependent pulse profile modeling. Six pulsars show an almost eclipse-like dip in the pulse profile. Phase-resolved spectral analysis reveals diverse spectral variation during pulsation cycle: e.g., for an absorbed power-law model, some exhibit an (anti)-correlation between absorption and X-ray flux, while others show more intrinsic spectral variation.Comment: 24 pages, 19 figures, 11 tables, submitted to Ap

An investigation to establish the source of the Roman lime mortars used in Wallsend, UK

This paper presents the results of analytical work which aimed to explore potential sources for the lime mortar used in the Hadrianic fort baths and a third-century repair to Hadrian's Wall at Wallsend, UK. It is generally assumed that quick lime for mortar is produced close to the source, however, as yet, no archaeological evidence of kilns has been found in the Wallsend area. After extensive analysis the mortars were found to be very different in characteristics and suggest variable sources for the quarried limestone and for the aggregates used to manufacture the mortar. Precedence exists in other locations for quicklime to be sourced from kilns set at some considerable distance from Roman construction sites. It is only at Housesteads and Vindolanda, sited close to Carboniferous Limestone outcrops, that Roman lime kilns have been discovered to date. Therefore the investigation included a number of potential sources in the vicinity of Housesteads as well as Permian limestones at Trow Point which is geographically the closest source of limestone. Results suggest that Carboniferous limestone was the most likely source for some of the mortars analysed which may suggest that areas for lime production are less numerous than previously thought and may even have been concentrated around one area

Cockatoo Sands in the Victoria Highway and Carlton Hill areas, East Kimberley: land capability assessment for developing irrigated agriculture

This report identifies areas of Cockatoo Sands adjacent to the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA), Kununurra, with high potential for developing irrigated agriculture. It builds on a reconnaissance soil survey conducted in 2009 which identified significant areas of sandy and loamy soils in the Kununurra area that could be suitable for agriculture

School Vouchers: Settled Questions, Continuing Disputes

Provides an assessment of the constitutional principles announced by the Court, following the June 2002 decision in the Cleveland school voucher case. Presents contrasting arguments on educational policy that address key issues about the decision

Shay Gap soil survey: investigating the suitability of soils and landforms for irrigated agriculture in the western West Canning Basin

This report describes the soil and land resources of the Shay Gap study area (SA), which is south of Wallal Downs Station, in unallocated Crown land in the Shire of East Pilbara. It assesses the study area’s capability for three types of irrigated agriculture and examines land resources to ensure any future irrigation developments are sustainable and do not degrade the environment. The Shay Gap SA lies within the West Canning Basin, an area of about 3500 square kilometres at the western margin of the onshore Canning Basin. The West Canning Basin has a substantial groundwater resource that provides fresh and fit-for-purpose water for a variety of uses. Land use is intensifying nearby, via irrigation of soils and landforms similar to the Shay Gap SA. Small- to medium-scale horticulture enterprises have been developed over the past 30 years in the La Grange area. The soils of surrounding areas that are currently used for irrigation are deep red sands and red sandy earths. They are well drained to rapidly drained and have no perched watertable, potentially enabling year-round production. Analyses from established horticultural properties indicate soils do not show any chemical or major physical limitations that would prevent their use for irrigated agriculture, provided that production systems maintain a balanced water and nutrient regime for optimal crop growth. The main degradation hazard limiting the agricultural capability of soil and landscapes in the Shay Gap SA is erosion by wind and water. Other hazards — subsoil acidification and compaction — will require ongoing monitoring and management intervention. The ionic constituents of irrigation water will require monitoring and may influence management practices because of the low pH and phosphorus buffering capacity of the soil. This land assessment identified 1430 hectares (ha) of land with fair capability for irrigated agriculture of high productive capacity, and another 11 000ha with fair capability for irrigated agriculture of moderate productive capacity, should sufficient water reserves be identified