A data summary file structure and analysis tools for neutrino oscillation analysis at the NOνA experiment

The NuMI Off-axis Neutrino Experiment (NOvA) is designed to study neutrino oscillations in the NuMI beam at Fermilab. Neutrinos at the Main Injector (NuMI) is currently being upgraded to provide 700 kW for NOvA. A 14 kt Far Detector in Ash River, MN and a functionally identical 0.3 kt Near Detector at Fermilab are positioned 810 km apart in the NuMI beam line. The fine granularity of the NOvA detectors provides a detailed representation of particle trajectories. The data volume associated with such granularity, however, poses problems for analyzing data with ease and speed. NOvA has developed a data summary file structure which discards the full event record in favor of higher-level reconstructed information. A general- purpose framework for neutrino oscillation measurements has been developed for analysis of these data summary files. We present the design methodology for this new file format as well as the analysis framework and the role it plays in producing NOvA physics results

Which mathematics for the Information Society?

MathIS is a new project that aims to reinvigorate secondary- school mathematics by exploiting insights of the dynamics of algorithmic problem solving. This paper describes the main ideas that underpin the project. In summary, we propose a central role for formal logic, the development of a calculational style of reasoning, the emphasis on the algorithmic nature of mathematics, and the promotion of self-discovery by the students. These ideas are discussed and the case is made, through a number of examples that show the teaching style that we want to introduce, for their relevance in shaping mathematics training for the years to come. In our opinion, the education of software engineers that work effectively with formal methods and mathematical abstractions should start before university and would benefit from the ideas discussed here.Long-term collaboration with J. N. Oliveira on calculational approaches to mathematics is deeply acknowledged. We are also grateful to the anonymous referees for their valuable comments. This research was supported by FCT (the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), in the context of the MATHIS Project under contract PTDC/EIA/73252/2006. The work of Joao F. Ferreira and AlexandraMendeswas further supported by FCT grants SFRH/BD/24269/2005 and SFRH/BD/29553/2006, respectively

Doping In Sports: Do Parents Matter?

Athletes exist and function in an environment of complex relationships; however, little is known about the influence of particular relationships for athletes’ attitudes, beliefs and behaviors towards doping in sport. Among adolescent and young adult athlete populations, parents and coaches have been highlighted as particularly influential, but when and how they influence athletes in this context is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the role of significant others in this domain. Design: Cross-sectional qualitative methodology. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 British (M = 8) track and field student-athletes. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the transcripts. Results: Prominently, the parent-athlete relationship influenced athletes’ lives in and beyond sport. Parents shape(d) athletes’ personal morals by establishing their initial sense of right and wrong. In turn, this appears to guide athletes’ decision-making and behaviors even after leaving the family home. Additionally, parents impacted the trajectory of participants’ athletic careers and their approach toward sport in general. Ensuing from this, participants exhibit a desire to give back to their parents. Cumulatively, the parent-athlete relationship (in)directly deters athletes from doping. Conclusion: Given the enduring significance of the parent-athlete relationship for shaping athletes’ attitudes, experiences and behaviors towards doping, parents should be prioritized with targeted anti-doping education. Specifically, parents should be provided with doping knowledge (e.g., risks, warning signs, consequences), and then equipped and empowered to transmit this information to athletes. Such an approach has the potential to simultaneously increase the engagement of parents and athletes in anti-doping efforts and education

Calculating invariants as coreflexive bisimulations

Invariants, bisimulations and assertions are the main ingredients of coalgebra theory applied to software systems. In this paper we reduce the first to a particular case of the second and show how both together pave the way to a theory of coalgebras which regards invariant predicates as types. An outcome of such a theory is a calculus of invariants’ proof obligation discharge, a fragment of which is presented in the paper. The approach has two main ingredients: one is that of adopting relations as “first class citizens” in a pointfree reasoning style; the other lies on a synergy found between a relational construct, Reynolds’ relation on functions involved in the abstraction theorem on parametric polymorphism and the coalgebraic account of bisimulations and invariants. This leads to an elegant proof of the equivalence between two different definitions of bisimulation found in coalgebra literature (due to B. Jacobs and Aczel & Mendler, respectively) and to their instantiation to the classical Park-Milner definition popular in process algebra.Partially supported by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, under grant number SFRH/BD/27482/2006

Forecasting the risk of crown rot between successive wheat crops

Published data from long-term trials at Moree, New South Wales (1986–1996), and Billa Billa, Queensland (1986–1993), were analysed to determine the factors that influence the incidence of crown rot, caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum, in successive stubble-retained, no-till wheat crops and to examine the feasibility of developing a forecasting system for the disease. Polyetic progress of the epidemics could be described by a form of the logistic growth model with a carrying capacity (K) about 5% higher than the maximum recorded incidence at each site. Infection rate between seasons was positively correlated with yield and in-crop rainfall in the previous season, both of which were indicators of biomass. Infection rate was negatively correlated with rainfall parameters during the summer fallows, which were indicators of conditions favouring residue decomposition. In-crop rainfall, stored soil moisture and temperature parameters were not significantly correlated with infection rates. Multiple regressions based on incidence in the previous season, summer rainfall and either yield or in-crop rainfall in the previous season accounted for 65–81% of the variation in disease incidence at Moree and 86% of the variation in incidence at Billa Billa. Simplified parameters for use in on-farm forecasting systems were explored. The most useful of these was the square root of the product of incidence and either yield or in-crop rainfall, which gave sufficiently accurate predictions at each site to estimate the qualitative risk of crown rot in the following crop. This could be used to decide whether management options such as resistant varieties, rotations or burning were required

Effect of stripe rust on the yield response of wheat to nitrogen

Nitrogen (N) is the most important fertiliser element determining the productivity of wheat. N nutrition is known to affect the level of stripe rust infection, with higher N associated with increased disease severity. Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, is a major yield-limiting disease of wheat in Australia. This paper describes experiments designed to investigate the agronomic response to the interaction of various levels of N application and stripe rust severity in wheat varieties differing in response. Experimental plots were established in crop seasons 2006 and 2007 on the Liverpool Plains of northern NSW, Australia. Yield, biomass, grain protein content (GPC) and harvest index (HI) data were recorded. Increased rates of N increased the severity of stripe rust during grain filling. N application also increased yield and GPC in all varieties in both years. Stripe rust reduced the yield of the rust-susceptible wheat varieties, and GPC and proportion of added N recovered in the grain were also reduced in one year but not the other. It was evident from our experiment that stripe rust caused yield loss accompanied by either no change or reduction in GPC, indicating that the total amount of N entering the grain was reduced by stripe rust. The effects of stripe rust on N yield are most likely associated with reduced uptake of N during grain filling

Linking employee behaviour to external customer satisfaction using quality function deployment

This paper considers the relationship between human behavioural patterns occurring in industrial environments to the general level of external customer satisfaction, the hypothesis being that by correlating behaviour patterns to levels of customer satisfaction a route can be found to improve performance by changing behaviours. A modification of the quality function deployment (QFD) technique is used to relate attributes that external customers value to internal behavioural patterns. Situation strength is seen as the key influencing factor on individual and group behaviour, the argument being that, if the situation is strong, then changes to situational variables would have the primary impact upon the behaviour. In contrast, if the situation is weak, then recruitment and a rewards system are better influencers of behaviour. A case study based around a small engineering enterprise demonstrates how the use of QFD can guide managers on the introduction of the most appropriate initiatives to improve performanc

The 'green area' concept

The paper discusses the application of a new cell management system implemented in a UK company. The system was originally based upon the Nissan 'green area' (GA) concept but it was extended at the company into a complete business management structure covering the entire business. This new structure involved a GA system in the operational activities of the business, for example shop-floor and commercial activities, a 'business excellence' GA system primarily aimed at business improvement and development projects and a business strategic GA system. The GA system was used throughout the business and integrated the activities of cells in the commercial, engineering and shop-floor domains. It was more than the quality circle concept in that it also provided a mechanism for performance assessment, business control, improvement, training and communicatio

Biogeography of Caladenia (Orchidaceae), with special reference to the South-west Australian Floristic Region

Caladenia contains 376 species and subspecies, of which almost all are endemic to temperate and southern semiarid Australia. Eleven species occur in New Zealand, 10 of which are endemic, and one species is widely distributed in eastern Australia and the western Pacific. Only three species occur in both south-western and south-eastern Australia. At subgeneric level, Drakonorchis is endemic to the South-west Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR), Stegostyla to eastern Australia and New Zealand, whereas three subgenera, Calonema, Phlebochilus and Elevatae occur on both sides of the Nullarbor Plain. Subgenus Caladenia is primarily eastern Australian but also extends to the western Pacific. The largest subgenera (Calonema and Phlebochilus) have radiated extensively, with Calonema exhibiting a greater concentration of species in more mesic parts of the SWAFR than Phlebochilus. Within the SWAFR, the major biogeographic division within Caladenia follows the 600-mm isohyet. Within rainfall zones, biogeographic districts for Caladenia correlate with a combination of underlying geology and surface soils. Areas of high endemism contain diverse edaphic environments. Climatic and edaphic requirements are likely to be key drivers of rarity in Caladenia, although these parameters may be acting in concert with mycorrhizal and pollinator specificity