Using a domain-specific language to enrich ETL schemas

Today it is easy to find a lot of tools to define data migration schemas among different types of information systems. Data migration processes use to be implemented on a very diverse range of applications, ranging from conventional operational systems to data warehousing platforms. The implementation of a data migration process often involves a serious planning, considering the development of conceptual migration schemas at early stages. Such schemas help architects and engineers to plan and discuss the most adequate way to migrate data between two different systems. In this paper we present and discuss a way for enriching data migration conceptual schemas in BPMN using a domain-specific language, demonstrating how to convert such enriched schemas to a first correspondent physical representation (a skeleton) in a conventional ETL implementation tool like Kettle.

Search for production of vector-like quark pairs and of four top quarks in the lepton-plus-jets final state in pp collisions at root 8=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for pair production of vector-like quarks, both up-type (T) and down-type (B), as well as for four-top-quark production, is presented. The search is based on pp collisions at s√=8 TeV recorded in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Data are analysed in the lepton-plus-jets final state, characterised by an isolated electron or muon with high transverse momentum, large missing transverse momentum and multiple jets. Dedicated analyses are performed targeting three cases: a T quark with significant branching ratio to a W boson and a b-quark (TT¯→Wb+X), and both a T quark and a B quark with significant branching ratio to a Higgs boson and a third-generation quark (TT¯→Ht+X and BB¯→Hb+X respectively). No significant excess of events above the Standard Model expectation is observed, and 95% CL lower limits are derived on the masses of the vector-like T and B quarks under several branching ratio hypotheses assuming contributions from T→Wb, Zt, Ht and B→Wt, Zb, Hb decays. The 95% CL observed lower limits on the T quark mass range between 715 GeV and 950 GeV for all possible values of the branching ratios into the three decay modes, and are the most stringent constraints to date. Additionally, the most restrictive upper bounds on four-top-quark production are set in a number of new physics scenarios.

Dynamic range prediction for an electric vehicle

Electric Vehicles (EVs) have limited energy storage capacity and the maximum autonomy range is strongly dependent of the driver's behaviour. Due to the fact of that batteries cannot be recharged quickly during a journey, it is essential that a precise range prediction is available to the driver of the EV. With this information, it is possible to check if the desirable destination is achievable without a stop to charge the batteries, or even, if to reach the destination it is necessary to perform an optimized driving (e.g., cutting the air-conditioning, among others EV parameters). The outcome of this research work is the development of an Electric Vehicle Assistant (EVA). This is an application for mobile devices that will help users to take efficient decisions about route planning, charging management and energy efficiency. Therefore, it will contribute to foster EVs adoption as a new paradigm in the transportation sector.

A domain-specific language for ETL patterns specification in Data Warehousing Systems

During the last few years many research efforts have been done to improve the design of ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) systems. ETL systems are considered very time-consuming, error-prone and complex involving several participants from different knowledge domains. ETL processes are one of the most important components of a data warehousing system that are strongly influenced by the complexity of business requirements, their changing and evolution. These aspects influence not only the structure of a data warehouse but also the structures of the data sources involved with. To minimize the negative impact of such variables, we propose the use of ETL patterns to build specific ETL packages. In this paper, we formalize this approach using BPMN (Business Process Modelling Language) for modelling more conceptual ETL workflows, mapping them to real execution primitives through the use of a domain-specific language that allows for the generation of specific instances that can be executed in an ETL commercial tool.

Search for a CP-odd Higgs boson decaying to Zh in pp collisions at s=8TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for a heavy, CP-odd Higgs boson, A, decaying into a Z boson and a 125 GeV Higgs boson, h, with the ATLAS detector at the LHC is presented. The search uses proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Decays of CP-even h bosons to ττ or bb pairs with the Z boson decaying to electron or muon pairs are considered, as well as h→bbh→bb decays with the Z boson decaying to neutrinos. No evidence for the production of an A boson in these channels is found and the 95% confidence level upper limits derived for View the MathML sourceσ(gg→A)×BR(A→Zh)×BR(h→ff¯) are 0.098–0.013 pb for f=τf=τ and 0.57–0.014 pb for f=bf=b in a range of mA=220–1000 GeVmA=220–1000 GeV. The results are combined and interpreted in the context of two-Higgs-doublet models.

Metallic glass/PVDF magnetoelectric energy harvester working up to the radiofrequency range

Companies and researchers involved in developing miniaturized electronic devices face the basic problem of the needed batteries size, finite life of time and environmental pollution caused by their final deposition. The current trends to overcome this situation point towards Energy Harvesting technology. These harvesters (or scavengers) store the energy from sources present in the ambient (as wind, solar, electromagnetic, etc) and are costless for us. Piezoelectric devices are the ones that show a higher power density, and materials as ceramic PZT or polymeric PVDF have already demonstrated their ability to act as such energy harvester elements. Combinations between piezoelectric and electromagnetic mechanism have been also extensively investigated. Nevertheless, the power generated by these combinations is limited under the application of small magnetic fields, reducing the performance of the energy harvester [1]. In the last years the appearance of magnetoelectric (ME) devices, in which the piezoelectric deformation is driven by the magnetostrictive element, enables to extract the energy of very small electromagnetic signals through the generated magnetoelectric voltage at the piezoelectric element. However, very little work has been done testing PVDF polymer as piezoelectric constituent of the ME energy harvester device, and only to be proposed as a possibility of application [2]. Among the advantages of using piezopolymers for vibrational energy harvesting we can remember that they are ductile, resilient to shock, deformable and lightweight. In this work we demonstrate the feasibility of using magnetostrictive Fe-rich magnetic amorphous alloys/piezoelectric PVDF sandwich-type laminated ME devices as energy harvesters. A very simple experimental set-up will show how these laminates can extract energy, in amounts of μW, from an external AC field.

Tribunais nacionais e tutela jurisdicional efetiva: da cooperação à integração judiciária no contencioso da união europeia

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências Jurídicas (área de especialização em Ciências Jurídicas Públicas).

Measurement of the charge asymmetry in dileptonic decays of top quark pairs in pp collisions at s√=7 TeV using the ATLAS detector

A measurement of the top--antitop (tt¯) charge asymmetry is presented using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb−1 of LHC pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector. Events with two charged leptons, at least two jets and large missing transverse momentum are selected. Two observables are studied: AℓℓC based on the identified charged leptons, and Att¯C, based on the reconstructed tt¯ final state. The asymmetries are measured to be AℓℓC=0.024±0.015 (stat.)±0.009 (syst.), Att¯C=0.021±0.025 (stat.)±0.017 (syst.). The measured values are in agreement with the Standard Model predictions.

Search for anomalous production of prompt same-sign lepton pairs and pair-produced doubly charged Higgs bosons with s√ = 8 TeV pp collisions using the ATLAS detector

A low-background inclusive search for new physics in events with same-sign dileptons is presented. The search uses proton--proton collisions corresponding to 20.3 fb−1 of integrated luminosity taken in 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Pairs of isolated leptons with the same electric charge and large transverse momenta of the type e±e±,e±μ±, and μ±μ± are selected and their invariant mass distribution is examined. No excess of events above the expected level of Standard Model background is found. The results are used to set upper limits on the cross sections for processes beyond the Standard Model. Limits are placed as a function of the dilepton invariant mass within a fiducial region corresponding to the signal event selection criteria. Exclusion limits are also derived for a specific model of doubly charged Higgs boson production.

Measurement of the production of neighbouring jets in lead-lead collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This Letter presents measurements of correlated production of nearby jets in Pb+Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV using the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measurement was performed using 0.14 nb−1 of data recorded in 2011. The production of correlated jet pairs was quantified using the rate, RΔR, of ``neighbouring'' jets that accompany ``test'' jets within a given range of angular distance, ΔR, in the pseudorapidity--azimuthal angle plane. The jets were measured in the ATLAS calorimeter and were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with radius parameters d=0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. RΔR was measured in different Pb+Pb collision centrality bins, characterized by the total transverse energy measured in the forward calorimeters. A centrality dependence of RΔR is observed for all three jet radii with RΔR found to be lower in central collisions than in peripheral collisions. The ratios formed by the RΔR values in different centrality bins and the values in the 40--80 % centrality bin are presented.

Two-particle Bose–Einstein correlations in pp collisions at s√= 0.9 and 7 TeV measured with the ATLAS detector

The paper presents studies of Bose--Einstein Correlations (BEC) for pairs of like-sign charged particles measured in the kinematic range pT> 100 MeV and |η|< 2.5 in proton--proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 0.9 and 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The integrated luminosities are approximately 7 μb−1, 190 μb−1 and 12.4 nb−1 for 0.9 TeV, 7 TeV minimum-bias and 7 TeV high-multiplicity data samples, respectively. The multiplicity dependence of the BEC parameters characterizing the correlation strength and the correlation source size are investigated for charged-particle multiplicities of up to 240. A saturation effect in the multiplicity dependence of the correlation source size is observed using the high-multiplicity 7 TeV data sample. The dependence of the BEC parameters on the average transverse momentum of the particle pair is also investigated.

Fine time scaling of purifying selection on human nonsynonymous mtDNA mutations based on the worldwide population tree and mother-child pairs

A high-resolution mtDNA phylogenetic tree allowed us to look backward in time to investigate purifying selection. Purifying selection was very strong in the last 2,500 years, continuously eliminating pathogenic mutations back until the end of the Younger Dryas (∼11,000 years ago), when a large population expansion likely relaxed selection pressure. This was preceded by a phase of stable selection until another relaxation occurred in the out-of-Africa migration. Demography and selection are closely related: expansions led to relaxation of selection and higher pathogenicity mutations significantly decreased the growth of descendants. The only detectible positive selection was the recurrence of highly pathogenic nonsynonymous mutations (m.3394T>C-m.3397A>G-m.3398T>C) at interior branches of the tree, preventing the formation of a dinucleotide STR (TATATA) in the MT-ND1 gene. At the most recent time scale in 124 mother-children transmissions, purifying selection was detectable through the loss of mtDNA variants with high predicted pathogenicity. A few haplogroup-defining sites were also heteroplasmic, agreeing with a significant propensity in 349 positions in the phylogenetic tree to revert back to the ancestral variant. This nonrandom mutation property explains the observation of heteroplasmic mutations at some haplogroup-defining sites in sequencing datasets, which may not indicate poor quality as has been claimed.

Lithium-doped silk fibroin films for application in electrochromic devices

Silk fibroin (SF) is a commonly available natural biopolymer produced in specialized glands of arthropods, with a long history of use in textile production and also in health cares. The exceptional intrinsic properties of these fibers, such as self-assembly, machinability, biocompatibility, biodegradation or non-toxicity, offer a wide range of exciting opportunities [1]. It has long been recognized that silk can be a rich source of inspiration for designing new materials with tailored properties, enhanced performance and high added value for targeted applications, opening exciting new prospects in the domain of materials science and related technological fields, including bio-friendly integration, miniaturization and multifunctionalization. In recent years it has been demonstrated that fibroin is an excellent material for active components in optics and photonics devices. Progress in new technological fields such as optics, photonics and electronics are emerging [2,3]. The incorporation of polymer electrolytes as components of various devices (advanced batteries, smart windows, displays and supercapacitors) offers significant advantages with respect to traditional electrolytes, including enhanced reliability and improved safety. SF films are particularly attractive in this context. They have near-perfect transparency across the VIS range, surface flatness (together with outstanding mechanical robustness), ability to replicate patterned substrates and their thickness may be easily tailored from a few nanometers to hundreds of micrometers through spin-casting of a silk solution into subtract. Moreover, fibroin can be added to other biocomponents or salts in order to modify the biomaterial properties leading to optimized and total different functions. Preliminary tests performed with a prototype electrochromic device (ECD) incorporating SF films doped with lithium triflate and lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiTFSI and LiBF4, respectively) as electrolyte and WO3 as cathodic electrochromic layer, are extremely encouraging. Aiming to evaluate the performance of the ion conducting SF membranes doped with LiTFSI and LiBF4 (SF-Li), small ECDs with glass/ITO/WO3/SF-Li/CeO2-TiO2/ITO/glass configuration were assembled and characterized. The device exhibited, after 4500 cycles, the insertion of charge at -3.0 V reached –1.1 mC.cm-2 in 15 s. After 4500 cycles the window glass-staining, glass/ITO/WO3/Fibrin-Li salts electrolyte/CeO2-TiO2/ITO/glass configuration was reversible and featured a T  8 % at λ = 686 nm

Search for high-mass diboson resonances with boson-tagged jets in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is performed for narrow resonances decaying into WW, WZ, or ZZ boson pairs using 20.3 fb−1 of proton--proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of s√ = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Diboson resonances with masses in the range from 1.3 to 3.0 TeV are sought after using the invariant mass distribution of dijets where both jets are tagged as a boson jet, compatible with a highly boosted W or Z boson decaying to quarks, using jet mass and substructure properties. The largest deviation from a smoothly falling background in the observed dijet invariant mass distribution occurs around 2 TeV in the WZ channel, with a global significance of 2.5 standard deviations. Exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the production cross section times branching ratio for the WZ final state of a new heavy gauge boson, W′, and for the WW and ZZ final states of Kaluza--Klein excitations of the graviton in a bulk Randall--Sundrum model, as a function of the resonance mass. W′ bosons with couplings predicted by the extended gauge model in the mass range from 1.3 to 1.5 TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.

A search for t(t)over-bar resonances using lepton-plus-jets events in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for new particles that decay into top quark pairs is reported. The search is performed with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC using an integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data collected at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The lepton-plus-jets final state is used, where the top pair decays to W+bW−b¯¯, with one W boson decaying leptonically and the other hadronically. The invariant mass spectrum of top quark pairs is examined for local excesses or deficits that are inconsistent with the Standard Model predictions. No evidence for a top quark pair resonance is found, and 95% confidence-level limits on the production rate are determined for massive states in benchmark models. The upper limits on the cross-section times branching ratio of a narrow Z′ boson decaying to top pairs range from 4.2 pb to 0.03 pb for resonance masses from 0.4 TeV to 3.0 TeV. A narrow leptophobic topcolour Z′ boson with mass below 1.8 TeV is excluded. Upper limits are set on the cross-section times branching ratio for a broad colour-octet resonance with Γ/m = 15% decaying to tt¯. These range from 4.8 pb to 0.03 pb for masses from 0.4 TeV to 3.0 TeV. A Kaluza-Klein excitation of the gluon in a Randall-Sundrum model is excluded for masses below 2.2 TeV.