F. Ferri

We have constructed and operated the ICARUS T600 liquid argon (LAr) time projection chamber (TPC). The ICARUS T600 detector is the largest LAr TPC ever built, with a size of about 500tons of fully imaging mass. The design and assembly of the detector relied on industrial support and represents the applications of concepts matured in laboratory tests to the kton scale. The ICARUS T600 was commissioned for a technical run that lasted about 3 months. During this period all the detector features were extensively tested with an exposure to cosmic-rays at surface with a resulting data collection of about 30 000 events. The detector was developed as the first element of a modular design. Thanks to the concept of modularity, it will be possible to realize a detector with several ktons active mass, to act as an observatory for astroparticle and neutrino physics at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory and a second-generation nucleon decay experiment. In this paper a description of the ICARUS T600 is given, detailing its design specifications, assembly procedures and acceptance tests. Commissioning procedures and results of the technical run are also reported, as well as results from the off-line event reconstruction.

This paper describes our experience in designing, developing and deploying systems for supporting human-robot teams during disaster response.It is based on R&D performed in the EU-funded project NIFTi.NIFTi aimed at building intelligent, collaborative robots that could work together with humans in exploring a disaster site, to make a situational assessment.To achieve this aim, NIFTi addressed key scientific design aspects in building up situation awareness in a human-robot team, developing systems using a user-centric methodology involving end users throughout the entire R&D cycle, and regularly deploying implemented systems under real-life circumstances for experimentation and testing.This has yielded substantial scientific advances in the state-of-the-art in robot mapping, robot autonomy for operating in harsh terrain, collaborative planning, and human-robot interaction.NIFTi deployed its system in actual disaster response activities in Northern Italy, in July 2012, aiding in structure damage assessment.

Abstract We report the measurement of the two-neutrino double-beta ( $$2\nu \beta \beta $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mi>β</mml:mi><mml:mi>β</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> ) decay of $$^{100}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msup><mml:mrow /><mml:mn>100</mml:mn></mml:msup></mml:math> Mo to the ground state of $$^{100}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msup><mml:mrow /><mml:mn>100</mml:mn></mml:msup></mml:math> Ru using lithium molybdate ( $$\hbox {Li}_2^{\;\;100}\hbox {MoO}_4$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:msubsup><mml:mtext>Li</mml:mtext><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mrow><mml:mspace /><mml:mspace /><mml:mn>100</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup><mml:msub><mml:mtext>MoO</mml:mtext><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math> ) scintillating bolometers. The detectors were developed for the CUPID-Mo program and operated at the EDELWEISS-III low background facility in the Modane underground laboratory (France). From a total exposure of 42.235 kg $$\times $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mo>×</mml:mo></mml:math> day, the half-life of $$^{100}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msup><mml:mrow /><mml:mn>100</mml:mn></mml:msup></mml:math> Mo is determined to be $$T_{1/2}^{2\nu }=[7.12^{+0.18}_{-0.14}\,\mathrm {(stat.)}\pm 0.10\,\mathrm {(syst.)}]\times 10^{18}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:msubsup><mml:mi>T</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mrow><mml:mo>[</mml:mo><mml:mn>7</mml:mn><mml:mo>.</mml:mo><mml:msubsup><mml:mn>12</mml:mn><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.14</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.18</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup><mml:mspace /><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>stat</mml:mi><mml:mo>.</mml:mo><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>±</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.10</mml:mn><mml:mspace /><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>syst</mml:mi><mml:mo>.</mml:mo><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>]</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>×</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mn>10</mml:mn><mml:mn>18</mml:mn></mml:msup></mml:mrow></mml:math> years. This is the most accurate determination of the $$2\nu \beta \beta $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mi>β</mml:mi><mml:mi>β</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math> half-life of $$^{100}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msup><mml:mrow /><mml:mn>100</mml:mn></mml:msup></mml:math> Mo to date.

Electron recombination in liquid argon (LAr) is studied by means of charged particle tracks collected in various ICARUS liquid argon TPC prototypes. The dependence of the recombination on the particle stopping power has been fitted with a Birks functional dependence. The simulation of the process of electron recombination in Monte Carlo calculations is discussed. A quantitative comparison with previously published data is carried out.

The double-differential production cross-section of positive pions, $d^2\sigma^{\pi^{+}}/dpd\Omega$, measured in the HARP experiment is presented. The incident particles are 8.9 GeV/c protons directed onto a beryllium target with a nominal thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The measured cross-section has a direct impact on the prediction of neutrino fluxes for the MiniBooNE and SciBooNE experiments at Fermilab. After cuts, 13 million protons on target produced about 96,000 reconstructed secondary tracks which were used in this analysis. Cross-section results are presented in the kinematic range 0.75 GeV/c < $p_{\pi}$ < 6.5 GeV/c and 30 mrad < $\theta_{\pi}$ < 210 mrad in the laboratory frame.

The international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE), which is under construction at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), will demonstrate the principle of ionization cooling as a technique for the reduction of the phase-space volume occupied by a muon beam. Ionization cooling channels are required for the Neutrino Factory and the Muon Collider. MICE will evaluate in detail the performance of a single lattice cell of the Feasibility Study 2 cooling channel. The MICE Muon Beam has been constructed at the ISIS synchrotron at RAL, and in MICE Step I, it has been characterized using the MICE beam-instrumentation system. In this paper, the MICE Muon Beam and beam-line instrumentation are described. The muon rate is presented as a function of the beam loss generated by the MICE target dipping into the ISIS proton beam. For a 1 V signal from the ISIS beam-loss monitors downstream of our target we obtain a 30 KHz instantaneous muon rate, with a neglible pion contamination in the beam.

A precision measurement of the double-differential production cross-section, d2σπ+/dpdΩ, for pions of positive charge, performed in the HARP experiment is presented. The incident particles are protons of 12.9 GeV/c momentum impinging on an aluminium target of 5% nuclear interaction length. The measurement of this cross-section has a direct application to the calculation of the neutrino flux of the K2K experiment. After cuts, 210 000 secondary tracks reconstructed in the forward spectrometer were used in this analysis. The results are given for secondaries within a momentum range from 0.75 to 6.5 GeV/c, and within an angular range from 30 mrad to 210 mrad. The absolute normalization was performed using prescaled beam triggers counting protons on target. The overall scale of the cross-section is known to better than 6%, while the average point-to-point error is 8.2%.

HARP is a high-statistics, large solid angle experiment to measure hadron production using proton and pion beams with momenta between 1.5 and 15 GeV/c impinging on many different solid and liquid targets from low to high Z. The experiment, located in the T9 beam of the CERN PS, took data in 2001 and 2002. For the measurement of momenta of produced particles and for the identification of particle types, the experiment includes a large-angle spectrometer, based on a Time Projection Chamber and a system of Resistive Plate Chambers, and a forward spectrometer equipped with a set of large drift chambers, a threshold Cherenkov detector, a time-of-flight wall and an electromagnetic calorimeter. The large angle system uses a solenoidal magnet, while the forward spectrometer is based on a dipole magnet. Redundancy in particle identification has been sought, to enable the cross-calibration of efficiencies and to obtain a few percent overall accuracy in the cross-section measurements. Detector construction, operation and initial physics performances are reported. In addition, the full chain for data recording and analysis, from trigger to the software framework, is described.

The result of a search at the LHC for heavy stable charged particles produced in pp collisions at $ \sqrt {s} = 7\;{\text{TeV}} $ is described. The data sample was collected with the CMS detector and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.1 pb−1. Momentum and ionization-energy-loss measurements in the inner tracker detector are used to identify tracks compatible with heavy slow-moving particles. Additionally, tracks passing muon identification requirements are also analyzed for the same signature. In each case, no candidate passes the selection, with an expected background of less than 0.1 events. A lower limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of a stable gluino is set at 398GeV/c 2, using a conventional model of nuclear interactions that allows charged hadrons containing this particle to reach the muon detectors. A lower limit of 311 GeV/c 2 is also set for a stable gluino in a conservative scenario of complete charge suppression, where any hadron containing this particle becomes neutral before reaching the muon detectors.

Hadronic event shapes have been measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV, with a data sample collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 inverse picobarns. Event-shape distributions, corrected for detector response, are compared with five models of QCD multijet production.

A measurement of the top-antitop production cross section in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been performed at the LHC with the CMS detector. The analysis uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36 inverse picobarns and is based on the reconstruction of the final state with one isolated, high transverse-momentum electron or muon and three or more hadronic jets. The kinematic properties of the events are used to separate the top-antitop signal from W+jets and QCD multijet background events. The measured cross section is 173 + 39 - 32 (stat. + syst.) pb, consistent with standard model expectations.

The charge asymmetry in the production of top quark and antiquark pairs is measured in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 inverse femtobarns, were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Events with a single isolated electron or muon, and four or more jets, at least one of which is likely to have originated from hadronization of a bottom quark, are selected. A template technique is used to measure the asymmetry in the distribution of differences in the top quark and antiquark absolute rapidities. The measured asymmetry is A[c,y] = [0.33 +/- 0.26 (stat) +/- 0.33 (syst)]%, which is the most precise result to date. The results are compared to calculations based on the standard model and on several beyond-the-standard-model scenarios.

The results reported in this paper are based on the analysis of the data recorded with the first half-module of the ICARUS T600 liquid argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC), during a technical run that took place on surface in Pavia (Italy). We include results from the linearity, uniformity and calibration of the electronics, measurements on the electron drift velocity in LAr at different electric fields, as well as the LAr purity achievement of the detector. Two complementary techniques were used to measure the drift electron lifetime inside the active volume: the first, from the data of a purity monitor, gives a measurement localized in space; the second, based on the study of the signals produced by long minimum ionizing tracks crossing the detector, provides a LAr volume averaged value. Both methods yield consistent results over the whole data taking period and are compatible with an uniform LAr purity over the whole volume. The maximal drift electron lifetime value was recorded before the run stop and was about 1.8ms. From an interpretation of the observed drift electron lifetime as a function of time, we conclude that the adopted technology would allow for drift distances exceeding 3m.

Measurements of the double-differential π± production cross section in the momentum range 100⩽p⩽800 MeV/c and angle range 0.35⩽θ⩽2.15 rad in proton-beryllium, proton-carbon, proton-aluminium, proton-copper, proton-tin, proton-tantalum, and proton-lead collisions are presented. The data were taken with the large-acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton beams in a momentum range from 3 to 12.9 GeV/c hitting a target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. Tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed by using a small-radius cylindrical Time Projection Chamber (TPC) placed inside a solenoidal magnet. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross sections d2σ/(dpdθ) at six incident proton beam momenta [3, 5, 8, and 8.9 GeV/c (Be only) and 12 and 12.9 GeV/c (Al only)]. They are based on a complete correction of static and dynamic distortions of tracks in the HARP TPC, which allows the complete statistics of the collected data set to be used. The results include and supersede our previously published results and are compatible with these. Results are compared with the GEANT4 and MARS Monte Carlo simulation.26 MoreReceived 27 December 2007DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.77.055207©2008 American Physical Society

The amplitude of the signal collected from the PbWO4 crystals of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter is reconstructed by a digital filtering technique. The amplitude reconstruction has been studied with test beam data recorded from a fully equipped barrel supermodule. Issues specific to data taken in the test beam are investigated, and the implementation of the method for CMS data taking is discussed.

We report on the development of scintillating bolometers based on lithium molybdate crystals that contain molybdenum that has depleted into the double-β active isotope 100Mo (Li2100deplMoO4). We used two Li2100deplMoO4 cubic samples, each of which consisted of 45-millimeter sides and had a mass of 0.28 kg; these samples were produced following the purification and crystallization protocols developed for double-β search experiments with 100Mo-enriched Li2MoO4 crystals. Bolometric Ge detectors were utilized to register the scintillation photons that were emitted by the Li2100deplMoO4 crystal scintillators. The measurements were performed in the CROSS cryogenic set-up at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (Spain). We observed that the Li2100deplMoO4 scintillating bolometers were characterized by an excellent spectrometric performance (∼3–6 keV of FWHM at 0.24–2.6 MeV γs), moderate scintillation signal (∼0.3–0.6 keV/MeV scintillation-to-heat energy ratio, depending on the light collection conditions), and high radiopurity (228Th and 226Ra activities are below a few µBq/kg), which is comparable with the best reported results of low-temperature detectors that are based on Li2MoO4 using natural or 100Mo-enriched molybdenum content. The prospects of Li2100deplMoO4 bolometers for use in rare-event search experiments are briefly discussed.

The paper presents a novel framework for 3D autonomous navigation for tracked vehicles. The framework takes care of clustering and segmentation of point clouds, traversability analysis, autonomous 3D path planning, motion planning and flippers control. Results illustrated in an experiment section show that the framework is promising to face harsh terrains. Robot performance is proved in three main experiments taken in a training rescue area, on fire escape stairs and in a non-planar testing environment, built ad-hoc to prove 3D path planning functionalities. Performance tests are also presented.

Performance tests of some aspects of the CMS ECAL were carried out on modules of the "barrel" sub-system in 2002 and 2003. A brief test with high energy electron beams was made in late 2003 to validate prototypes of the new Very Front End electronics. The final versions of the monitoring and cooling systems, and of the high and low voltage regulation were used in these tests. The results are consistent with the performance targets including those for noise and overall energy resolution, required to fulfil the physics programme of CMS at the LHC.

A measurement of the double-differential cross-section for the production of charged pions in proton--tantalum collisions emitted at large angles from the incoming beam direction is presented. The data were taken in 2002 with the HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton beams in a momentum range from 3 \GeVc to 12 \GeVc hitting a tantalum target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The angular and momentum range covered by the experiment ($100 \MeVc \le p < 800 \MeVc$ and $0.35 \rad \le \theta <2.15 \rad$) is of particular importance for the design of a neutrino factory. The produced particles were detected using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed in a solenoidal magnet. Track recognition, momentum determination and particle identification were all performed based on the measurements made with the TPC. An elaborate system of detectors in the beam line ensured the identification of the incident particles. Results are shown for the double-differential cross-sections ${{\mathrm{d}^2 \sigma}} / {{\mathrm{d}p\mathrm{d}\theta}}$ at four incident proton beam momenta (3 \GeVc, 5 \GeVc, 8 \GeVc and 12 \GeVc). In addition, the pion yields within the acceptance of typical neutrino factory designs are shown as a function of beam momentum. The measurement of these yields within a single experiment eliminates most systematic errors in the comparison between rates at different beam momenta and between positive and negative pion production.

Calibration of the relative response of the individual channels of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS detector was accomplished, before installation, with cosmic ray muons and test beams. One fourth of the calorimeter was exposed to a beam of high energy electrons and the relative calibration of the channels, the intercalibration, was found to be reproducible to a precision of about 0.3%. Additionally, data were collected with cosmic rays for the entire ECAL barrel during the commissioning phase. By comparing the intercalibration constants obtained with the electron beam data with those from the cosmic ray data, it is demonstrated that the latter provide an intercalibration precision of 1.5% over most of the barrel ECAL. The best intercalibration precision is expected to come from the analysis of events collected in situ during the LHC operation. Using data collected with both electrons and pion beams, several aspects of the intercalibration procedures based on electrons or neutral pions were investigated.

We present a real time method for updating a 3D map with dynamic obstacles detection. Moving obstacles are detected through ray-casting on spherical voxelization of point clouds. We evaluate the accuracy of this method on a point cloud dataset, suitably constructed for testing ray-surface intersection under relative motion conditions. Moreover, we show the benefits of the map updating in a real robot equipped with a rotating LIDAR system, navigating in real world scenarios, populated by moving people.

A new approach is proposed for an adaptive robust three-dimensional (3D) trajectory-tracking controller design. The controller is modeled for actively articulated tracked vehicles (AATVs). These vehicles have active sub-tracks, called flippers, linked to the ends of the main tracks, to extend the locomotion capabilities in hazardous environments, such as rescue scenarios. The proposed controller adapts the flippers configuration and simultaneously generates the track velocities, to allow the vehicle to autonomously follow a given feasible 3D path. The approach develops both a direct and differential kinematic model of the AATV for traversal task execution correlating the robot body motion to the flippers motion. The benefit of this approach is to allow the controller to flexibly manage all the degrees of freedom of the AATV as well as the steering. The differential kinematic model integrates a differential drive robot model, compensating the slippage between the vehicle tracks and the traversed terrain. The underlying feedback control law dynamically accounts for the kinematic singularities of the mechanical vehicle structure. The designed controller integrates a strategy selector too, which has the role of locally modifying the rail path of the flipper end points. This serves to reduce both the effort of the flipper servo motors and the traction force on the robot body, recognizing when the robot is moving on a horizontal plane surface. Several experiments have been performed, in both virtual and real scenarios, to validate the designed trajectory-tracking controller, while the AATV negotiates rubble, stairs, and complex terrain surfaces. Results are compared with both the performance of an alternative control strategy and the ability of skilled human operators, manually controlling the actively articulated components of the robot.

The aim of this work was to analyze the possibility to apply a neuroelectrical cognitive metrics for the evaluation of the training level of subjects during the learning of a task employed by Air Traffic Controllers (ATCos). In particular, the Electroencephalogram (EEG), the Electrocardiogram (ECG) and the Electrooculogram (EOG) signals were gathered from a group of students during the execution of an Air Traffic Management (ATM) task, proposed at three different levels of difficulty. The neuroelectrical results were compared with the subjective perception of the task difficulty obtained by the NASA-TLX questionnaires. From these analyses, we suggest that the integration of information derived from the power spectral density (PSD) of the EEG signals, the heart rate (HR) and the eye-blink rate (EBR) return important quantitative information about the training level of the subjects. In particular, by focusing the analysis on the direct and inverse correlation of the frontal PSD theta (4-7 (Hz)) and HR, and of the parietal PSD alpha (10-12 (Hz)) and EBR, respectively, with the degree of mental and emotive engagement, it is possible to obtain useful information about the training improvement across the training sessions.

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Liquid noble gas detectors have driven particle physics research and technology in many sub-fields for many years. Recently their impact as a target and detector medium has been applied to neutrino physics research. As new results and new questions appear in neutrino physics, new detector technologies in general have been explored to keep pace with the requirement of higher statistics, higher precision experiments. Liquid argon time projection chamber devices have emerged as the detector of choice for accelerator based, massive, precision, neutrino detection. In particular, in the last decade, results from test stands and experiments have driven the development of this technology towards large scales. From the MicroBooNE experiment, SBND, and ICARUS on the Short Baseline program at Fermilab to the scale required for the huge DUNE experiment, these detectors are enabling precision neutrino physics for neutrino oscillations. And if history is our guide, as a new detection technology, liquid argon time projection chambers will likely teach us unexpected things.In this paper we present the general features of liquid argon time projection chambers for neutrino physics, a brief history of the technology and details of recent research and development that is driving the design of the detectors under construction. Finally, some comments on future R&D envisioned and the impact of this work on other fields is described.

The results of the measurements of the double-differential production cross-sections of pions in p-C and $\pi^\pm$-C interactions using the forward spectrometer of the HARP experiment are presented. The incident particles are 12 GeV/c protons and charged pions directed onto a carbon target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. For p-C interactions the analysis is performed using 100035 reconstructed secondary tracks, while the corresponding numbers of tracks for $\pi^-$-C and $\pi^+$-C analyses are 106534 and 10122 respectively. Cross-section results are presented in the kinematic range 0.5 GeV/c $\leq p_{\pi} <$ 8 GeV/c and 30 mrad $\leq \theta_{\pi} <$ 240 mrad in the laboratory frame. The measured cross-sections have a direct impact on the precise calculation of atmospheric neutrino fluxes and on the improved reliability of extensive air shower simulations by reducing the uncertainties of hadronic interaction models in the low energy range.

A measurement of the double-differential π± production cross-section in proton–carbon, proton–copper and proton–tin collisions in the range of pion momentum 100 MeV/c≤p<800 MeV/c and angle 0.35 rad≤θ<2.15 rad is presented. The data were taken with the HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton beams in a momentum range from 3 GeV/c to 12 GeV/c hitting a target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was done using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed in a solenoidal magnet. An elaborate system of detectors in the beam line ensured the identification of the incident particles. Results are shown for the double-differential cross-sections d2σ/dpdθ at four incident proton beam momenta (3 GeV/c, 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c and 12 GeV/c).

Measurements of the double-differential charged pion production cross-section in the range of momentum 0.5 GeV/c < p < 8.0 GeV/c and angle 0.025 rad < theta <0.25 rad in collisions of protons on beryllium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, aluminium, copper, tin, tantalum and lead are presented. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. The data were taken with thin targets of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using the forward system of the HARP experiment. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross section mainly at four incident proton beam momenta (3 GeV/c, 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c and 12 GeV/c). Measurements are compared with the GEANT4 and MARS Monte Carlo generators. A global parametrization is provided as an approximation of all the collected datasets which can serve as a tool for quick yields estimates.

A generation of neutrino experiments have established that neutrinos mix and probably have mass. The mixing phenomenon points to processes beyond those of the Standard Model, possibly at the Grand Unification energy scale. A extensive sequence of of experiments will be required to measure precisely all the parameters of the neutrino mixing matrix, culminating with the discovery and study of leptonic CP violation. As a first step, extensions of conventional pion/kaon decay beams, such as off-axis beams or low-energy super-beams, have been considered. These could yield first observations of $ν_μ\to ν_e$ transitions at the atmospheric frequency, which have not yet been observed, and a first measurement of $θ_{13}$. Experiments with much better flux control can be envisaged if the neutrinos are obtained from the decays of stored particles. One such possibility is the concept of beta beams provided by the decays of radioactive nuclei, that has been developed within the context of these studies. These would provide a pure (anti-)electron-neutrino beam of a few hundred MeV, and beautiful complementarity with a high-intensity, low-energy conventional beam, enabling experimental probes of T violation as well as CP violation. Ultimately, a definitive and complete set of measurements would offered by a Neutrino Factory based on a muon storage ring. This powerful machine offers the largest reach for CP violation, even for very small values of $θ_{13}$.

Detection of Cherenkov light emission in liquid argon has been obtained with an ICARUS prototype, during a dedicated test run at the Gran Sasso Laboratory external facility. Ionizing tracks from cosmic ray muons crossing the detector active volume have been collected in coincidence with visible light signals from a photo-multiplier (PMT) immersed in liquid argon. A 3D reconstruction of the tracks has been performed exploiting the ICARUS imaging capability. The angular distributions of the tracks triggered by the PMT signals show an evident directionality. By means of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation we show that the geometrical characteristics of the events are compatible with the hypothesis of Cherenkov light emission as the main source of the PMT signals.

Measurements of the double-differential π± production cross-section in the range of momentum 100 MeV/c≤p< 800 MeV/c and angle 0.35 rad ≤θ< 2.15 rad in proton–beryllium, proton–aluminium and proton–lead collisions are presented. The data were taken with the HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. The pions were produced by proton beams in a momentum range from 3 GeV/c to 12.9 GeV/c hitting a target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed inside a solenoidal magnet. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections d2σ/dpdθ at six incident proton beam momenta (3 GeV/c, 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c, 8.9 GeV/c (Be only), 12 GeV/c and 12.9 GeV/c (Al only)) and compared to previously available data.

Ensuring the radiation hardness of PbWO4 crystals was one of the main priorities during the construction of the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at CERN. The production on an industrial scale of radiation hard crystals and their certification over a period of several years represented a difficult challenge both for CMS and for the crystal suppliers. The present article reviews the related scientific and technological problems encountered.

We report on the performance of a liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber, operating in a 10m3 cryostat. This device built in the framework of the ICARUS T600 programme to serve as a full test facility for the adopted cryogenics and mechanical solutions, was successfully tested in 2000 as the last step before the tests of the first 600t ICARUS module 1 year later. In a final run at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, whose outcome provides the main subject of this paper, also the readout and imaging capabilities of the installed wire chamber and the overall performance of the detector have been successfully tested.

Measurements of the double-differential π± production cross-section in the range of momentum 0.5 GeV/c⩽p⩽8.0 GeV/c and angle 0.025rad⩽θ⩽0.25rad in interactions of charged pions on beryllium, carbon, aluminium, copper, tin, tantalum and lead are presented. These data represent the first experimental campaign to systematically measure forward pion hadroproduction. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. Incident particles, impinging on a 5% nuclear interaction length target, were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using the forward spectrometer of the HARP detector. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections d2σ/dpdΩ mainly at four incident pion beam momenta (3 GeV/c, 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c and 12 GeV/c). The measurements are compared with the GEANT4 and MARS Monte Carlo simulation.

Measurements of the double-differential pi+/- production cross-section in the range of momentum 100 MeV/c <= p <= 800 MeV/c and angle 0.35 rad <= theta <= 2.15 rad using pi+/- beams incident on beryllium, aluminium, carbon, copper, tin, tantalum and lead targets are presented. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN Proton Synchrotron. The secondary pions were produced by beams in a momentum range from 3 GeV/c to 12.9 GeV/c hitting a solid target with a thickness of 5% of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber (TPC) placed inside a solenoidal magnet. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections d2sigma/dpdtheta at six incident beam momenta. Data at 3 GeV/c, 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c, and 12 GeV/c are available for all targets while additional data at 8.9 GeV/c and 12.9 GeV/c were taken in positive particle beams on Be and Al targets, respectively. The measurements are compared with several generators of GEANT4 and the MARS Monte Carlo simulation.

The performance of electromagnetic calorimeter modules made of proton-irradiated PbWO4 crystals has been studied in beam tests. The modules, similar to those used in the Endcaps of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL), were formed from 5×5 matrices of PbWO4 crystals, which had previously been exposed to 24 GeV protons up to integrated fluences between 2.1× 1013 and 1.3× 1014 cm−2. These correspond to the predicted charged-hadron fluences in the ECAL Endcaps at pseudorapidity η = 2.6 after about 500 fb−1 and 3000 fb−1 respectively, corresponding to the end of the LHC and High Luminosity LHC operation periods. The irradiated crystals have a lower light transmission for wavelengths corresponding to the scintillation light, and a correspondingly reduced light output. A comparison with four crystals irradiated in situ in CMS showed no significant rate dependence of hadron-induced damage. A degradation of the energy resolution and a non-linear response to electron showers are observed in damaged crystals. Direct measurements of the light output from the crystals show the amplitude decreasing and pulse becoming faster as the fluence increases. The latter is interpreted, through comparison with simulation, as a side-effect of the degradation in light transmission. The experimental results obtained can be used to estimate the long term performance of the CMS ECAL.

The particle identification (PID) methods used for the calculation of secondary pion yields with the HARP forward spectrometer are presented. Information from time of flight and Cherenkov detectors is combined using likelihood techniques. The efficiencies and purities associated with the different PID selection criteria are obtained from the data. For the proton–aluminium interactions at 12.9 GeV/c incident momentum, the PID efficiencies for positive pions are 86% in the momentum range below 2 GeV/c, 92% between 2 and 3 GeV/c and 98% in the momentum range above 3 GeV/c. The purity of the selection is better than 92% for all momenta. Special emphasis has been put on understanding the main error sources. The final PID uncertainty on the pion yield is 3.3%.

Measurements of double-differential charged pion production cross-sections in interactions of 12 GeV/c protons on O_2 and N_2 thin targets are presented in the kinematic range 0.5 GeV/c < p_{\pi} < 8 GeV/c and 50 mrad < \theta_{\pi} < 250 mrad (in the laboratory frame) and are compared with p--C results. For p--N_2 (p--O_2) interactions the analysis is performed using 38576 (7522) reconstructed secondary pions. The analysis uses the beam instrumentation and the forward spectrometer of the HARP experiment at CERN PS. The measured cross-sections have a direct impact on the precise calculation of atmospheric neutrino fluxes and on the improved reliability of extensive air shower simulations by reducing the uncertainties of hadronic interaction models in the low energy range. In particular, the present results allow the common hypothesis that p--C data can be used to predict the p--N_2 and p--O_2 pion production cross-sections to be tested.

In this paper we present ARE, an Augmented Reality Environment, with the main purpose of providing cognitive robotics modelers with a development tool for constructing, at real-time, complex planning scenarios for robots, eliminating the need to model the dynamics of both the robot and the real environment as it would be required by whole simulation environments. The framework also builds a world model representation that serves as ground truth for training and validating algorithms for vision, motion planning and control. We demonstrate the application of the AR-based framework for evaluating the capability of the robot to plan safe paths to goal locations in real outdoor scenarios, while the planning scene dynamically changes, being augmented by virtual objects.

In the HARP experiment the large-angle spectrometer is using a cylindrical TPC as main tracking and particle identification detector. The momentum scale of reconstructed tracks in the TPC is the most important systematic error for the majority of kinematic bins used for the HARP measurements of the double-differential production cross-section of charged pions in proton interactions on nuclear targets at large angle. The HARP TPC operated with a number of hardware shortfalls and operational mistakes. Thus it was important to control and characterize its momentum calibration. While it was not possible to enter a direct particle beam into the sensitive volume of the TPC to calibrate the detector, a set of physical processes and detector properties were exploited to achieve a precise calibration of the apparatus. In the following we recall the main issues concerning the momentum measurement in the HARP TPC, and describe the cross-checks made to validate the momentum scale. As a conclusion, this analysis demonstrates that the measurement of momentum is correct within the published precision of 3%.

Measurements of the double-differential proton production cross-section ${d}^{2}\ensuremath{\sigma}/dpd\ensuremath{\Omega}$ in the range of momentum $0.5 \mathrm{GeV}/c\ensuremath{\leqslant}p&lt;8.0 \mathrm{GeV}/c$ and angle $0.05 \text{rad}\ensuremath{\leqslant}\ensuremath{\theta}&lt;0.25 \text{rad}$ in collisions of charged pions and protons on beryllium, carbon, aluminium, copper, tin, tantalum, and lead are presented. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN Proton Synchrotron. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors and impinged on a target of $5%$ of a nuclear interaction length. The tracking and identification of the produced particles was performed using the forward spectrometer of the HARP experiment. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections mainly at four incident beam momenta ($3,5,8$, and $12$ $\text{GeV}/c$). Measurements are compared with predictions of the geant4 and mars Monte Carlo generators.

The CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) is a homogeneous calorimeter made of about 75,000 lead tungstate scintillating crystals. In view of the high-luminosity phase of the LHC, the ECAL electronics must be upgraded to cope with the more stringent requirements in terms of trigger latency and rate. The new electronics will transmit the data in streaming mode from the front-end electronics to the off-detector electronics, where the trigger primitives will be formed in powerful FPGAs. The front-end electronics will feature two new radiation-hard chips: a dual gain trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) and a sampling ADC with loss-less data compression. The TIA choice preserves the fast pulse shape of signals in the lead tungstate coupled to avalanche photodiodes (APD), and it is more resilient to the noise increase due to the radiation-induced APD leakage current. An important characteristic of the new design will be the capability to provide precision timing measurements, of the order of 30 ps, for photons and electrons above 50 GeV. The excellent time resolution will improve the overall CMS physics performance by mitigating the high pile-up effects. First characterization results of the TIA chip will be shown, and studies of energy and timing resolution performed in beam tests with the prototype electronics will be presented.

For the physics program of the CMS experiment at the LHC to be carried out successfully, excellent electromagnetic calorimetry is required. Given the thermal properties of CMS ECAL, keeping the constant term of the energy resolution below 0.5% needs its temperature to be stabilized at 18/spl deg/C within 0.05/spl deg/C. A prototype module of ECAL with the final cooling system has been tested at CERN to check its integration with the read-out electronics and verify that it complies with the severe thermal requirements. The thermal performance of the cooling system is reported here.

The HARP Collaboration has presented measurements of the double-differential ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}$ production cross section in the range of momentum $100 \text{MeV}/c\ensuremath{\leqslant}p\ensuremath{\leqslant}800 \text{MeV}/c$ and angle $0.35 \text{rad}\ensuremath{\leqslant}\ensuremath{\theta}\ensuremath{\leqslant}2.15 \text{rad}$ with proton beams hitting thin nuclear targets. In many applications the extrapolation to long targets is necessary. In this article the analysis of data taken with long (one interaction length) solid cylindrical targets made of carbon, tantalum, and lead is presented. The data were taken with the large-acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN proton synchrotron. The secondary pions were produced by beams of protons with momenta of 5, 8, and $12\text{GeV}/c$. The tracking and identification of the produced particles were performed using a small-radius cylindrical time projection chamber placed inside a solenoidal magnet. Incident protons were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Results are obtained for the double-differential yields per target nucleon ${\mathrm{d}}^{2}\ensuremath{\sigma}/\mathrm{d}p\mathrm{d}\ensuremath{\theta}$. The measurements are compared with predictions of the MARS and GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations.

A search is performed for the production of a massive W′ boson decaying to a top and a bottom quark. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1 collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV. The hadronic decay products of the top quark with high Lorentz boost from the W′ boson decay are detected as a single top flavoured jet. The use of jet substructure algorithms allows the top quark jet to be distinguished from standard model QCD background. Limits on the production cross section of a right-handed W′ boson are obtained, together with constraints on the left-handed and right-handed couplings of the W′ boson to quarks. The production of a right-handed W′ boson with a mass below 2.02 TeV decaying to a hadronic final state is excluded at 95% confidence level. This mass limit increases to 2.15 TeV when both hadronic and leptonic decays are considered, and is the most stringent lower mass limit to date in the tb decay mode.

We present a method for estimating the contact event between sensor-free active subtracks, named flippers, of an articulated tracked vehicle (ATV) and the terrain surface. The main idea is to consider both the moving base link and unexpected collisions dynamics as disturbances of the flipper dynamics. On this basis we extend the generalized momenta fault detection and isolation (FDI) method to compute the residual dynamics of the flippers, without resorting to additional sensory information. Under the hypothesis that the residual signal presents disturbance patterns that can be discriminated by those generated by unexpected collisions of the flippers with the ground, we apply a classification method to recover the contact event. The wavelet packet transform is used to decompose the signal and to generate a feature space for the residual, from the different subbands. Finally, sparse SVM, based on feature selection discriminates the contact signal.

The precise determination of the mass, the width and the couplings of the particle discovered in 2012 with a mass around 125 GeV is of capital importance to clarify the nature of such a particle, in particular to establish precisely if it is a Standard Model Higgs boson. In several new physics scenarios, in fact, the Higgs boson may behave differently with respect to the Standard Model one, or may not be unique, i.e. there can be more than one Higgs boson. In order to achieve the precision needed to discriminate between different models, the energy resolution, the scale uncertainty and the position resolution for electrons and photons are required to be as good as possible. The CMS scintillating lead-tungstate electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) was built as a precise tool with an exceptional energy resolution and a very good position resolution that improved over the years with the knowledge of the detector. Moreover, thanks to the fact that most of the lead-tungstate scintillation light is emitted in about 25 ns, the ECAL can be used to accurately determine the time of flight of photons. We present the current performance of the CMS ECAL, with a special emphasis on the impact on the measurement of the properties of the Higgs boson and on searches for new physics.

The electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at the new CERN proton–proton Collider (LHC) is at an advanced stage of construction. A necessary condition for its optimal performance is a precise channel-to-channel calibration. The use of cosmic rays allows the pre-calibration of all the channels at the level of 2% before the final installation in CMS and provides an extensive functionality test, essential for the commissioning of the detector. On the other hand, a beam of electrons permits extremely precise (better than 0.5%) pre-calibration coefficients to be obtained on a fraction of the calorimeter, which can also be used as a reference for the in situ calibration procedures that will rely on physics data.

The CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECAL) comprises 75848 lead-tungstate scintillating crystals. Changes in the ECAL response, due to crystal radiation damage or changes in photo-detector output, are monitored in real time with a sophisticated system of lasers to allow corrections to the energy measurements to be calculated and used. The excellent intrinsic resolution of the CMS ECAL requires the monitoring system itself to be calibrated to a high precision and its stability to be controlled and understood. The components of the CMS ECAL monitoring system, and how it has evolved to include modern solid-state lasers, are described. Several physics channels are exploited to normalise the ECAL response to the changes measured by the monitoring system. These include low energy diphoton resonances, electrons from W and Z decays (using shower energy versus track momentum measurements), and the azimuthal symmetry of low energy deposits in minimum bias events. This paper describes how the monitoring system is operated, how the corrections are obtained, and the resulting ECAL performance.

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) is a yet unobserved nuclear process that would demonstrate Lepton number violation, a clear evidence of beyond standard model physics. The process two neutrino double beta decay (2νββ) is allowed by the standard model and has been measured in numerous experiments. In this Letter, we report a measurement of 2νββ decay half-life of ^{100}Mo to the ground state of ^{100}Ru of [7.07±0.02(stat)±0.11(syst)]×10^{18} yr by the CUPID-Mo experiment. With a relative precision of ±1.6% this is the most precise measurement to date of a 2νββ decay rate in ^{100}Mo. In addition, we constrain higher-order corrections to the spectral shape, which provides complementary nuclear structure information. We report a novel measurement of the shape factor ξ_{3,1}=0.45±0.03(stat)±0.05(syst) based on a constraint on the ratio of higher-order terms from theory, which can be reliably calculated. This is compared to theoretical predictions for different nuclear models. We also extract the first value for the effective axial vector coupling constant obtained from a spectral shape study of 2νββ decay.

The long-term stability of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) with glass electrodes was studied for one year with a dedicated test station hosting about 10 m2 of detectors. RPCs were operated in streamer mode with a ternary gas mixture containing argon (27%), isobutane (9%) and tetrafluoroethane (64%). Environmental conditions were kept under control and, in particular, the water pollution in the gas, deemed responsible for the degradation of glass RPC performance, was monitored never to exceed 30 ppm in the exhaust line. Evidence for a substantial aging of the detectors was observed, resulting in a loss of efficiency correlated to an increased rate of spurious streamers. This can be ascribed to the chemical attack of the glass surface by hydrofluoric acid formed in the streamer process, as confirmed by detailed morphological and chemical analyses of the electrode surface. Our results strengthen the indication that the instability of glass RPCs in the long term is related to the use of fluorocarbons as quenching medium and is not due to external pollutants.

The lead tungstate electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment has been proved to achieve an excellent energy resolution during the commissioning phase of the detector. The uniformity of the relative response of individual channels and the energy scale for electrons and photons are constrained by the several calibration procedures. The stability of the detector in time is constantly monitored throughout the LHC operation by means of dedicated runs and data taken at 100 Hz in the 3 μs abort gap at the end of each 89 μs beam cycle. A laser monitoring system is used to track the single channel response variations with time, as changes of the crystal transparency caused by irradiation. The stability of crucial detector parameters such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise and the performance of the operation of the light monitoring system are shown to fulfill the requirements needed to achieve the target resolution of 0.5% at high energies.

Abstract In the past few years, attention has been drawn to the fact that a precision analysis of two-neutrino double beta decay (2 υββ ) allows the study of interesting physics cases like the emission of Majoron bosons and possible Lorentz symmetry violation. These processes modify the summed-energy distribution of the two electrons emitted in 2 υββ . CUPID is a next-generation experiment aiming to exploit 100 Mo-enriched scintillating Li 2 MoO 4 crystals, operating as cryogenic calorimeters. Given the relatively fast half-life of 100 Mo 2 υββ and the large exposure that can be reached by CUPID, we expect to measure with very high precision the 100 Mo 2 υββ spectrum shape, reaching great sensitivities in the search for distortions induced by the physics beyond the Standard Model. In this contribution, we present the CUPID exclusion sensitivity for such New Physics processes, as well as the preliminary projected background of CUPID.

The reconstruction of the four-momentum of electrons in CMS combining tracking and electromagnetic calorimetry information is described.Electrons in the energy range from 5 to 100 GeV are considered. Different electron topologies, depending on the amount of bremsstrahlung and re-interaction in the inner tracker material, are identified to select the most adapted energy scale correction for the electron supercluster and to estimate the associated error. The electron tracks are built starting from a cluster-driven seed finding in the pixel detector, followed by a Gaussian Sum Filter technique to build and fit trajectories in the Silicon Tracker Detectors. The electron four-momentum is deduced from a combination of the supercluster energy and tracker momentum measurements, with the direction taken from the electron track at interaction vertex.

The inelastic hadronic cross section in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV is measured with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.6 +/- 0.4 inverse nanobarns, has been collected with an unbiased trigger for inclusive particle production. The cross section is obtained from the measured number of proton-lead collisions with hadronic activity produced in the pseudorapidity ranges 3<abs(eta)<5 and/or -5<abs(eta)<-3, corrected for photon-induced contributions, experimental acceptance, and other instrumental effects. The inelastic cross section is measured to be sigma[inel,pPb]=2061 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 34 (syst) +/- 72 (lum) mb. Various Monte Carlo generators, commonly used in heavy ion and cosmic ray physics, are found to reproduce the data within uncertainties. The value of sigma[inel,pPb] is compatible with that expected from the proton-proton cross section at 5.02 TeV scaled up within a simple Glauber approach to account for multiple scatterings in the lead nucleus, indicating that further net nuclear corrections are small.

In this paper an object-oriented system for the storing and the managing of epidemiological data in order to decrease the incidence of a given groups of diseases by means of health care strategy application and of the relative health care resource allocation is described. The system starts from the present epidemiological situation of the territory examined and from the real distribution on this territory of human and material health care resources. The health care manager inputs the available budget, some information regarding the population living on this area, other geographical and climatic informations, the values of certain epidemiological parameters of the diseases considered--the system has stored the mathematical and departmental models of these diseases--and the system allocates (using own allocation algorithms) human and material health care resources, optimizing the cost-benefit rate.

A prospective analysis of the inclusive search for the Standard Model Higgs Boson in the decay channel H → γγ with the CMS experiment at the LHC is presented.The analysis relies on the determination of the background characteristics and the systematics uncertainties from data and is applied to a Monte Carlo model of the QCD background, with full simulation of the detector response.The discrimination between signal and background exploits information on the kinematics and isolation of the photons.The resolution of the reconstructed Higgs boson mass profits from the excellent energy resolution of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter.A discovery significance above 5 sigma is expected at an integrated LHC luminosity below 30 fb -1 for Higgs boson masses below 141 GeV/c 2 .

A measurement of the ttbar production cross section at sqrt(s)=13 TeV is presented using proton-proton collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Final states with one isolated charged lepton (electron or muon) and at least one jet are selected and categorized according to the accompanying jet multiplicity. From a likelihood fit to the invariant mass distribution of the isolated lepton and a jet identified as coming from the hadronization of a bottom quark, the cross section is measured to be sigma(ttbar)= 835 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 23 (syst) +/- 23 (lum) pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction. Using the expected dependence of the cross section on the pole mass of the top quark (m[t]), the value of m[t] is found to be 172.7+2.4-2.7 GeV.

Introduction: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily member 7 (TRPM7) is a chanzyme permeable to divalent cation with an α-kinase domain. It is widely involved in cell cycle and metabolism, inflammation, apoptosis and in hepatic stellate cell activation and fibrosis. Data on TRPM7 liver tissue expression in cirrhotic patients are currently lacking.

Efficiency and precision in electron reconstruction is of ultimate importance for Higgs boson search at LHC through Higgs decay to four electrons. Main problems in electron reconstruction at CMS are reviewed and solution proposed

Le travail de cette these a ete mene au sein de la collaboration CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid), une des quatre experiences en cours d'installation au LHC (Large Hadron Collider) du CERN. La these se focalise sur le calorimetre electromagnetique de CMS: les performances du detecteur sont etudiees en detail en utilisant soit des donnees de tests realises sur faisceau d'electrons soit une simulation complete du detecteur. Une etude du bruit de fond electronique dans la chaine de lecture a conduit a l'elaboration de deux methodes de reconstruction de l'amplitude des signaux, l'une en cas de saturation de la chaine et l'autre en cas de bruit de fond coherent. La these presente aussi une etude des methodes de reconstruction des electrons dans CMS, qui a conduit a la premiere definition dans CMS de la qualite de mesure d'un electron, a une procedure pour etablir l'echelle d'energie des electrons et a la combinaison des informations du calorimetre et du trajectometre pour obtenir une estimation optimale de l'impulsion de l'electron au vertex. Ces resultats sont appliques a l'analyse du potentiel de decouverte de l'Higgs dans le canal de desintegration H->ZZ(*)->4e pour lequel une te! chnique standard de selections sequentielles ainsi qu'une technique optimale utilisant des reseaux de neurones sont proposees.

Progress in the simulaction and analysis of the Higgs decay to the 4 electrons via ZZ* intermediate state

New results in Higgs to ZZ* to 4 electron channel are reported with emphasis on electron reconstruction tools and framework for overall analysis

Electron reconstruction in CMS is presented, with emphasis on estimation of momentum, classification, identification and selection.

Status report of the work on detailed simulation of the Higgs decay to 4 electrons is given.

SIDIM is a departmental information system addressed by the medical and nursing staff, used at the IV Surgical Clinic of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza'. The clinical applications pursue the clinical problem oriented methodological tendency. The list of the problems is the reasoned synthesis of the patient clinical status. Any diagnostic or therapeutical action in such way is justified by one or more recorded clinical problems. Logical links may join separate clinical problems between themselves, in order to trace the guiding thread of the decisional process, indispensable to verify and to revise the quality of care. An important module of the information system allow one to return data in an aggregated way. The health care manager has at his disposal a great quantity of information regarding ordinary admissions, urgent admissions, surgical operations, complications, length of stay, activity and efficiency indexes that allow the best use of the resources. Finally SIDIM includes some decision support modules that automate clinical protocols.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

One of the major challenges faced by any health administration is the optimal allocation and use of health resources (human resource include) within a system where their availability is limited with the final aim of decreasing morbidity and mortality from disease burden. The present work describes a system: RAM (Resource Allocation Model) for the allocation of health resources in a defined region. The system considers different phases: acquisition of the information regarding geographical and meteorological data, demographic, socio-cultural and epidemiological data, health status of the population, existing resources, etc. Starting from these data, the system plans and suggests an allocation of health resources, fixing the goals to obtain (with a given budget, to reduce the incidence of one or more diseases, or with a given percentage of reduction of the incidence factor of a given disease, to evaluate the budget needed to obtain this goal).

In this paper the Authors present the prototype of a vocal interface for the storing in real time of intra-operative staging informations into a knowledge base of an expert system and, at the same time, into a medical record of a data base integrated with it. A brief discussion about the medical problem (the pancreatic cancer) is made, and the acquisition of the staging informations by voice is presented. Finally, the vocal query language is discussed, and an example by visual representation of a partial result of the staging is shown.

The present works describes the results of a research started in March 89 at IV Semeiotica Chirurgica of University 'La Sapienza' of Rome regarding the minimisation of the surgical risk. Many previous experiences showed (1) (5) the real importance of a user-controlled tool assisting physicians in choosing the best clinical protocol to be used in the treatment of a patient and adaptable to the rapid evolution of scientific knowledge and to the activity of different Schools in emphasising different aspects of the clinical protocols, beside a computerised support can be precious in the decision making, mainly when a big set of data must be evaluated. The main characteristics of our system are: the refusal of an only probabilistic approach to guide clinical behaviour aimed to the reduction of surgical risk and the design and implementation of an environment in which the expert's knowledge could be introduced in a quite free way, obtaining automated formalization of the knowledge base.