Playing with science: Gamised aspects of gamification found on the online citizen science project - Zooniverse
15th International Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON 2014 (2014) 15-22
Abstract:
This paper examines incidents of play, socialisation, fun and amusement to consider how these forms of social interaction relate to the serious gaming elements of the citizen science platform. Through an ethnographic study we reveal how participants of citizen science projects demonstrate aspccts of 'Gamiscd' behaviour. 'Gamised' behaviour is defined as user generated play in a digital platform and contrasts to incidents of 'gamification∗ where a platform designer purposely embeds games into a computer platform. The paper therefore examines incidents of play, socialisation, fun and amusement and compares them with the serious gaming elements of the citizen science platform.Precise mass and spin measurements for a stellar-mass black hole through X-ray timing: The case of GRO J1655-40
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 437:3 (2014) 2554-2565
Abstract:
We present a systematic analysis of the fast time variability properties of the transient black hole binary GRO J1655-40, based on the complete set of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observations.We demonstrate that the frequencies of the quasi-periodic oscillations and of the broad-band noise components and their variations match accurately the strong field general relativistic frequencies of particle motion in the close vicinity of the innermost stable circular orbit, as predicted by the relativistic precession model.We obtain high-precision measurements of the black hole mass [M = (5.31 ± 0.07)M⊙, consistent with the value from optical/NIR observations] and spin (a = 0.290 ± 0.003), through the sole use of X-ray timing. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.Search for new physics in events with same-sign dileptons and jets in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV
Journal of High Energy Physics 2014:1 (2014)
Abstract:
A search for new physics is performed based on events with jets and a pair of isolated, same-sign leptons. The results are obtained using a sample of proton-proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.5 fb-1. In order to be sensitive to a wide variety of possible signals beyond the standard model, multiple search regions defined by the missing transverse energy, the hadronic energy, the number of jets and b-quark jets, and the transverse momenta of the leptons in the events are considered. No excess above the standard model background expectation is observed and constraints are set on a number of models for new physics, as well as on the same-sign top-quark pair and quadruple-top-quark production cross sections. Information on event selection efficiencies is also provided, so that the results can be used to confront an even broader class of new physics models. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2014 The Author(s).Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data
Journal of High Energy Physics 2014:9 (2014)
Abstract:
© 2014, The Author(s). Abstract: A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-pT jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in (formula presented) TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-breaking models assuming that R-parity is conserved and that the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1330 GeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino. For a simplified model involving the strong production of first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 850 GeV (440 GeV) are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino, assuming mass degenerate (single light-flavour) squarks. In mSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan β = 30, A0 = −2m0 and μ > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1700 GeV. Additional limits are set for non-universal Higgs mass models with gaugino mediation and for simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos, each decaying to a top squark and a top quark, with the top squark decaying to a charm quark and a neutralino. These limits extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous searches with the ATLAS detector.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]Search for strong production of supersymmetric particles in final states with missing transverse momentum and at least three b-jets at √s = 8 TeV proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS detector
Journal of High Energy Physics 2014:10 (2014)