System size dependence of freeze-out properties at RHIC

The STAR experiment at RHIC has measured identified pi(+/-), K(+/-) and p(pbar) spectra and ratios from sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 and 200 GeV Cu+Cu collisions. The new Cu+Cu results are studied with hydro-motivated blast-wave and statistical model frameworks in order to characterize the freeze-out properties of this system. Along with measurements from Au+Au and p+p collisions, the obtained freeze-out parameters are discussed as a function of collision energy, system size, centrality and inferred energy density. This multi-dimensional systematic study reveals the importance of the collision geometry and furthers our understanding of the QCD phases.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, poster proceedings for the Quark Matter 2006 Conference, Shanghai, China, 14th-20th Novermber 2006, submitted to the International Journal of Modern Physics

Freeway ramp metering control made easy and efficient

International audience''Model-free'' control and the related ''intelligent'' proportional-integral (PI) controllers are successfully applied to freeway ramp metering control. Implementing moreover the corresponding control strategy is straightforward. Numerical simulations on the other hand need the identification of quite complex quantities like the free flow spêed and the critical density. This is achieved thanks to new estimation techniques where the differentiation of noisy signals plays a key rôle. Several excellent computer simulations are provided and analyzed

Vers une caractérisation non linéaire d'un réseau autoroutier

National audienceRecent techniques, which are of algebraic flavor, allow not only to prove the identifiability of parameters, like the free-flow speed and the critical density, which are of utmost importance for the control and the supervision of freeway traffic, but also to estimate them quite efficiently in real time. The significance of our approach for intelligent transportation systems is confirmed by numerous successful computer simulations

Idylls of socialism : the Sarajevo Documentary School and the problem of the Bosnian sub-proletariat

This historical overview of the Sarajevo Documentary School considers the films, in the light of their recent re-emergence, as indicative of both the legacy of socialist realism (even in the context of Yugoslav media) and attempted social engineering in the Bosnia of the 1960s and 1970s. The argument is made that the documentaries, despite their questionable aesthetic status (in respect of cinma-vrit and ethnography) and problematic ideological strategies and attempted interventions, document a history and offer insights that counter the prevailing revisionist trends in the presentation of Eastern and Central European history

Soft Contribution to the Hard Ridge in Relativistic Nuclear Collisions

Nuclear collisions exhibit long-range rapidity correlations not present in proton-proton collisions. Because the correlation structure is wide in relative pseudorapidity and narrow in relative azimuthal angle, it is known as the ridge. Similar ridge structures are observed in correlations of particles associated with a jet trigger (the hard ridge) as well as correlations without a trigger (the soft ridge). Earlier we argued that the soft ridge arises when particles formed in an early Glasma stage later manifest transverse flow. We extend this study to address new soft ridge measurements. We then determine the contribution of flow to the hard ridge.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, includes comparison to dat

Directed Evolution of Protein-Based Neurotransmitter Sensors for MRI

The production of contrast agents sensitive to neuronal signaling events is a rate-limiting step in the development of molecular-level functional magnetic resonance imaging (molecular fMRI) approaches for studying the brain. High-throughput generation and evaluation of potential probes are possible using techniques for macromolecular engineering of protein-based contrast agents. In an initial exploration of this strategy, we used the method of directed evolution to identify mutants of a bacterial heme protein that allowed detection of the neurotransmitter dopamine in vitro and in living animals. The directed evolution method involves successive cycles of mutagenesis and screening that could be generalized to produce contrast agents sensitive to a variety of molecular targets in the nervous system

Strange Particle Production at RHIC

We report STAR measurements of mid-rapidity yields for the $\Lambda$, $\bar{\Lambda}$, $K^{0}_{S}$, $\Xi^{-}$, $\bar{\Xi}^{+}$, $\Omega^{-}$, and $\bar{\Omega}^{+}$ particles in Cu+Cu and Au+Au $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV collisions. We show that at a given number of participating nucleons, bulk strangeness production is higher in Cu+Cu collisions compared to Au+Au collisions at the same center of mass energy, counter to predictions from the Canonical formalism. We compare both the Cu+Cu and Au+Au yields to AMPT and EPOS predictions, and find they reproduce key qualitative aspects of the data. Finally, we investigate other scaling parameters and find bulk strangeness production for both the measured data and theoretical predictions, scales better with the number participants that undergo more than one collision.Comment: Conference proceedings for Hot Quarks 2008, 5 pages and 4 figure

Heavy-Ion Physics with CMS

This article presents a brief overview of the CMS experiment capabilities to study the hot and dense matter created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The CERN Large Hadron Collider will provide collisions of Pb nuclei at 5.5 TeV per nucleon. The CMS heavy ion group has developed a plethora of physics analyses addressing many important aspects of heavy-ion physics in preparation for a competitive and successful program.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, proceedings to the Rencontres de Moriond QCD and High Energy Interactions, March 8-15, 2008, La Thuile, Ital

Dance/Movement Therapy and Tai Chi For Seniors with Dementia

This thesis examines the integration of Tai Chi movements into a dance/movement therapy group with members of an adult care community who have been diagnosed with dementia. Information is provided on the origins, concepts and movement principles of Tai Chi. A brief analysis of existing research supports the application of Tai Chi movement principles in dance/movement therapy treatment for the elderly with dementia. The application of Tai Chi in dance/movement therapy sessions is as an integrated and adapted form, in which the movements follow the traditional conceptual frame, characteristics and elements, but are specifically designed to meet the needs of a population of seniors with dementia. The conclusion of this paper discusses possible challenges for reaching treatment goals when Tai Chi is integrated into dance/movement therapy treatment for seniors with dementia