1,060 research outputs found
Strange and multi-strange particle production at the LHC energies with ALICE
Strange quark and particle production is studied at the LHC with
unprecedented high beam energies in both heavy-ion and proton-proton
collisions: on the one hand, strangeness is used for investigating chemical
equilibration and bulk properties; on the other hand, strange particles
contribute to probe different kinematical domains, from the one where
collective phenomena are at play up to the region dominated by pQCD-calculable
processes. We highlight the suitability of the ALICE experiment for this topic,
presenting our latest measurements and comparing them to models.Comment: 8 pages, proceedings of Strangeness in Quark Matter 2011 conference
(18-24 September 2011, Cracow
Development of CMOS pixel sensors for tracking and vertexing in high energy physics experiments
CMOS pixel sensors (CPS) represent a novel technological approach to building
charged particle detectors. CMOS processes allow to integrate a sensing volume
and readout electronics in a single silicon die allowing to build sensors with
a small pixel pitch () and low material budget () per layer. These characteristics make CPS an attractive option for
vertexing and tracking systems of high energy physics experiments. Moreover,
thanks to the mass production industrial CMOS processes used for the
manufacturing of CPS the fabrication construction cost can be significantly
reduced in comparison to more standard semiconductor technologies. However, the
attainable performance level of the CPS in terms of radiation hardness and
readout speed is mostly determined by the fabrication parameters of the CMOS
processes available on the market rather than by the CPS intrinsic potential.
The permanent evolution of commercial CMOS processes towards smaller feature
sizes and high resistivity epitaxial layers leads to the better radiation
hardness and allows the implementation of accelerated readout circuits. The
TowerJazz CMOS process being one of the most relevant examples
recently became of interest for several future detector projects. The most
imminent of these project is an upgrade of the Inner Tracking System (ITS) of
the ALICE detector at LHC. It will be followed by the Micro-Vertex Detector
(MVD) of the CBM experiment at FAIR. Other experiments like ILD consider CPS as
one of the viable options for flavour tagging and tracking sub-systems
Thoughts on heavy-ion physics in the high luminosity era: the soft sector
This document summarizes thoughts on opportunities in the soft-QCD sector
from high-energy nuclear collisions at high luminosities.Comment: 19 page
Defining the Effect of the 16p11.2 Duplication on Cognition, Behavior, and Medical Comorbidities
IMPORTANCE The 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 duplication is the copy number variant most frequently associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and comorbidities such as decreased body mass index (BMI).
OBJECTIVES To characterize the effects of the 16p11.2 duplication on cognitive, behavioral, medical, and anthropometric traits and to understand the specificity of these effects by systematically comparing results in duplication carriers and reciprocal deletion carriers, who are also at risk for ASD.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This international cohort study of 1006 study participants compared 270 duplication carriers with their 102 intrafamilial control individuals, 390 reciprocal deletion carriers, and 244 deletion controls from European and North American cohorts. Data were collected from August 1, 2010, to May 31, 2015 and analyzed from January 1 to August 14, 2015. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the effect of the duplication and deletion on clinical traits by comparison with noncarrier relatives.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Findings on the Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ), Nonverbal IQ, and Verbal IQ; the presence of ASD or other DSM-IV diagnoses; BMI; head circumference; and medical data.
RESULTS Among the 1006 study participants, the duplication was associated with a mean FSIQ score that was lower by 26.3 points between proband carriers and noncarrier relatives and a lower mean FSIQ score (16.2-11.4 points) in nonproband carriers. The mean overall effect of the deletion was similar (-22.1 points; P 100) compared with the deletion group (P < .001). Parental FSIQ predicted part of this variation (approximately 36.0% in hereditary probands). Although the frequency of ASD was similar in deletion and duplication proband carriers (16.0% and 20.0%, respectively), the FSIQ was significantly lower (by 26.3 points) in the duplication probands with ASD. There also were lower head circumference and BMI measurements among duplication carriers, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The mean effect of the duplication on cognition is similar to that of the reciprocal deletion, but the variance in the duplication is significantly higher, with severe and mild subgroups not observed with the deletion. These results suggest that additional genetic and familial factors contribute to this variability. Additional studies will be necessary to characterize the predictors of cognitive deficits
Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC
Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe
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