D-branes and orientifolds of SO(3)

We study branes and orientifolds on the group manifold of SO(3). We consider particularly the case of the equatorial branes, which are projective planes. We show that a Dirac-Born-Infeld action can be defined on them, although they are not orientable. We find that there are two orientifold projections with the same spacetime action, which differ by their action on equatorial branes.Comment: 11 pages, no figure, uses JHEP3.cls. V2 : minor correction

Control Systems: an Application to a High Energy Physics Experiment (COMPASS)

The Detector Control System (DCS) of the COMPASS experiment at CERN is presented. The experiment has a high level of complexity and flexibility and a long time of operation, that constitute a challenge for its full monitorisation and control. A strategy to use a limited number of standardised, cost-effective, industrial solutions of hardware and software was pursued. When such solutions were not available or could not be used, customised solutions were developed.Peer Reviewe

On D-branes in the Nappi-Witten and GMM gauged WZW models

We construct D-branes in the Nappi-Witten (NW) and Guadagnini-Martellini-Mintchev (GMM) gauged WZW models. For the $SL(2,R)\times SU(2)/U(1)\times U(1)$ NW and $SU(2)\times SU(2)/U(1)$ GMM models we present the explicit equations describing the D-brane hypersurfaces in their target spaces. In the latter case we show that the D-branes are classified according to the Cardy theorem. We also present the semiclassical mass computation and find its agreement with the CFT predictions.Comment: 16 pages, harvma

Paper-Based Biosensors for Analysis of Water

The presence of contaminants in water generates a great concern worldwide. As contaminants, we can refer different classes of chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, heavy metals, and also microorganisms, such as waterborne pathogens. Some of the chemical compounds have the potential to bioaccumulate in the aquatic biota. Hence, the development of simple and portable methods for the detection of contaminants in the aquatic environment can improve their monitoring and, consequently, the study of their environmental impact. In this context, the development of paper-based analytical tools and also of biosensor devices has been exploited for quantitative and semiquantitative analysis of several contaminants in different water matrices. The association of these two analytical strategies can provide the implementation of low-cost, portable, and easily handled methods for detecting chemical and biological contaminations in water. In this chapter, we provide a review of the developed paper-based analytical biosensors, highlighting the features of the paper-based (paper substrate and fabrication procedures) and biosensor devices (transducers and biorecognition elements). Moreover, the application of the referred paper-based biosensors for the detection of different water contaminants (pathogens, pharmaceuticals, and heavy metals) in environmental and wastewater samples is discussed

Spatial Modelling of Black Scabbardfish Fishery Off the Portuguese Coast

The Black Scabbardfish is a deep-water fish species that lives at depths greater than 700 m. In Portugal mainland, this is an important commercial resource which is exploited by longliners that operate at specific fishing grounds located off the coast. The monitoring of the population status mainly relies on the fishery data as no independent scientific surveys take place. The present work focus on modelling the spatial distribution of the BSF species relative biomass. Georeferenced data given by the location of the fishing hauls and the corresponding catches are available for a set of different vessels that belong to the longline fishing fleet. A classical geostatistical approach was applied to fit a variogram and evaluate the isotropy of the data. Then, different regression models with fixed, structured and unstructured random effects were fitted under a Bayesian framework, considering the Stochastic Partial Differential Equation (SPDE) methodology under the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA), addressing some practical implementation issues. The models with spatial effects seemed to perform better, although some practical constraints related to the considered covariates hindered the choice.authorsversionpublishe

Strange hadron production at SIS energies: an update from HADES

We present and discuss recent experimental activities of the HADES collaboration on open and hidden strangeness production close or below the elementary NN threshold. Special emphasis is put on the feed-down from ϕ mesons to antikaons, the presence of the Ξ(-) excess in cold nuclear matter and the comparison of statistical model rates to elementary p+p data. The implications for the interpretation of heavy-ion data are discussed as well.Peer Reviewe

Investigating hadronic resonances in pp interactions with HADES

In this paper we report on the investigation of baryonic resonance production in proton-proton collisions at the kinetic energies of 1.25 GeV and 3.5 GeV, based on data measured with HADES. Exclusive channels nppi^+ and pppi^0 as well as ppe^+e^- were studied simultaneously in the framework of a one-boson exchange model. The resonance cross sections were determined from the one-pion channels for Delta(1232) and N(1440) (1.25 GeV) as well as further Delta and N* resonances up to 2 GeV/c^2 for the 3.5 GeV data. The data at 1.25 GeV energy were also analysed within the framework of the partial wave analysis together with the set of several other measurements at lower energies. The obtained solutions provided the evolution of resonance production with the beam energy, showing a sizeable non-resonant contribution but with still dominating contribution of Delta(1232)P_33. In the case of 3.5 GeV data, the study of the ppe^+e^- channel gave the insight on the Dalitz decays of the baryon resonances and, in particular, on the electromagnetic transition form-factors in the time-like region. We show that the assumption of a constant electromagnetic transition form-factors leads to underestimation of the yield in the dielectron invariant mass spectrum below the vector mesons pole. On the other hand, a comparison with various transport models shows the important role of intermediate rho production, though with a large model dependency. The exclusive channels analysis done by the HADES collaboration provides new stringent restrictions on the parameterizations used in the models.Peer Reviewe

Highlights of Resonance Measurements With HADES

This contribution aims to give a basic overview of the latest results regarding the production of resonances in different collision systems. The results were extracted from experimental data collected with HADES that is a multipurpose detector located at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum, Darmstadt. The main points discussed here are: the properties of the strange resonances Lambda(1405) and Sigma(1385), the role of Delta's as a source of pions in the final state, the production dynamics reflected in form of differential cross sections, and the role of the phi meson as a source for K^- particles.Peer Reviewe

Analysis of the exclusive final state npe+^+e−^- in quasi-free np reaction

We report on the investigation of dielectron production in tagged quasi-free neutron-proton collisions by using a deuteron beam of kinetic energy 1.25GeV/u impinging on a liquid hydrogen target. Our measurements with HADES confirm a significant excess of $e^{+}e^{-}$ pairs above the $\pi^{0}$ mass in the exclusive channel $dp \rightarrow npe^{+}e^{-}(p_{spect})$ as compared to the exclusive channel $ppe^{+}e^{-}$ measured in proton-proton collisions at the same energy. That excess points to different bremsstrahlung production mechanisms. Two models were evaluated for the role of the charged pion exchange between nucleons and double- $\Delta$ excitation combined with intermediate $\rho$ -meson production. Differential cross sections as a function of the $e^{+}e^{-}$ invariant mass and of the angles of the virtual photon, proton and electrons provide valuable constraints and encourage further investigations on both experimental and theoretical sides.Peer Reviewe