The Track-Finding Processor for the Level-1 Trigger of the CMS Endcap Muon System

We report on the development and test of a prototype track-finding processor for the level-1 trigger of the CMS endcap muon system. The processor links track segments identified in the cathode strip chambers of the endcap muon system into complete three-dimensional tracks, and measures the transverse momentum of the best track candidates from the sagitta induced by the magnetic bending. The algorithms are implemented using SRAM and Xilinx Virtex FPGAs, and the measured latency is 15 clocks. We also report on the design of the pre-production prototype, which achieves further latency and size reduction using state-of-the-art technology. (4 refs)

Potential to Discover Supersymmetry in Events with Muons, Jets and Missing Energy in pp Collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 14 TeV with the CMS Detector

Generic signatures of supersymmetry with R-Parity conservation include those of single isolated muons or like-sign isolated dimuon pairs, accompanied with energetic jets and missing transverse energy. The ability of CMS to discover supersymmetry with these signals is estimated for 10 fb^-1 of collected data with the inclusive single- and di-muon High Level Trigger paths. The selection criteria are optimized and the systematic effects are studied for a single low-mass benchmark point of the constrained MSSM with m_0 = 60 GeV/c^2, m_1/2 = 250 GeV/c^2, tan beta = 10, A_0 = 0, and mu > 0. Discovery contours in the (m_0, m_1/2) plane are presented for integrated luminosities ranging from 1 to 100 fb^-1

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

The Effects Of Sibling Rank, Age, Sex, And Attitude On The Achievement Gain Of Basic Mathematics Students Taught By A Computer Assisted Instruction And Prescription Learning Program (low Achievers, Spss, Anova, Diagnostic)

The purpose of this research study was to determine the types of seventh, eighth, and ninth grade basic mathematics students who would benefit from a Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and Prescription Learning program.Procedures. A theoretical framework was developed for the purpose of building a foundation for the method of instruction used in this project. Related research was reviewed in order to determine the effectiveness of other CAI programs.It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference in the achievement gain of first-born or later-born students, male or female students, students older than 13 or younger than 13, and students who have a positive or negative attitude concerning mathematics and computers. Achievement gain was measured by the Stanford Achievement Test, the Florida Minimal Objectives Sample Assessment Test, the Prescription Learning Mathematics Achievement Test, the Prescription Learning Reading Achievement Test, and the Wide Range Achievement Test. An Attitudinal Survey measured students\u27 attitudes. An ANOVA tested the hypotheses.Findings. The analysis revealed the following findings: (1) Students older than 13 scored significantly higher than those younger than 13 in achievement gain on the Stanford Achievement Test. (2) Female students scored significantly higher than male students in achievement gain on the reading test. (3) Students with positive attitudes scored significantly higher than students with negative attitudes in reading achievement. (4) First-born students older than 13 scored significantly higher than first born students younger than 13 in achievement gain on the Wide Range Achievement Test.Conclusions. Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Female students and students with positive attitudes show greater gains in CAI reading achievement. (2) First-born students older than 13 show greater gains in CAI mathematics achievement than first-born students younger than 13

Sensitivity of the Muon Isolation Cut Efficiency to the Underlying Event Uncertainties

In the context of the rm H rightarrow ZZ rightarrow 4mu analysis, uncertainties in predicting the muon isolation cut efficiency are studied by varying the PYTHIA parameters responsible for simulation of the underlying event. The processes considered are rm H rightarrow ZZ rightarrow 4mu, rm ZZ rightarrow 4mu, and rm tbar {t} rightarrow 4mu + X. We also show that an inclusive Z data sample will allow for direct experimental measurement of the 4-muon isolation cut efficiencies associated with rm H rightarrow ZZ rightarrow 4mu and rm ZZ rightarrow 4mu events with a systematic uncertainty of less than 2%

Relative Contributions of t- and s-Channels to the ZZ -> 4mu Process

We show that the s-channel contribution to the qqbar{q} rightarrow ZZ rightarrow 4mu process, the main irreducible background in searches for the Higgs boson via its rm H rightarrow ZZ rightarrow 4\mu }$ decay mode, not available in the PYTHIA event generator, can add as much as sim 15% to the cross section arising from the commonly considered t-channel process. Moreover, the s-channel contribution has very different kinematics and cannot be taken into account by introducing an overall scaling K-factor. In particular, it results in a peak at the 4-muon invariant mass equal to the Z mass

Search Strategy for the Standard Model Higgs Boson in the H→ZZ(∗)→4μH \to ZZ^{(*)} \to 4\mu Decay Channel using M(4μ)M(4\mu)-Dependent Cuts

We present a strategy for a Higgs-boson search in its four-muon decay channel Hmu. The method is based on using optimized, smooth M(4mu)-dependent cuts that automatically ensure an optimal signal-to-background ratio for any mass at which the Higgs boson might appear. The Higgs boson then manifests itself as a 4mu resonance-like peak over the continuum M(mu) distribution and can be searched for using various statistical techniques. The most important theoretical and instrumental systematic errors as well as the fact that the search is conducted in a broad range of M(4mu) invariant masses (110-600 GeV/c^2) are taken into account

Study of PDF and QCD Scale Uncertainties in pp→ZZ→4μpp \to ZZ \to 4\mu Events at the LHC

Theoretical uncertainties from Parton Distribution Functions and from hard scattering scale are studied for the qqbar -> ZZ -> 4mu process, the main irreducible background in searches for the Higgs boson via its H -> ZZ -> 4mu decay mode. Effects are quoted for both total and differential cross sections, investigating the distributions used in pp -> H -> 4mu search. An experimental methodology for the normalization to "side-bands" and to the single Z boson production cross section is proposed