A new algorithm is presented to discriminate reconstructed hadronic decays of tau leptons (? h) that originate from genuine tau leptons in the CMS detector against ? h candidates that originate from quark or gluon jets, electrons, or muons. The algorithm inputs information from all reconstructed particles in the vicinity of a ? h candidate and employs a deep neural network with convolutional layers to efficiently process the inputs. This algorithm leads to a significantly improved performance compared with the previously used one. For example, the efficiency for a genuine ? h to pass the discriminator against jets increases by 10-30% for a given efficiency for quark and gluon jets. Furthermore, a more efficient ? h reconstruction is introduced that incorporates additional hadronic decay modes. The superior performance of the new algorithm to discriminate against jets, electrons, and muons and the improved ? h reconstruction method are validated with LHC proton-proton collision data at s = 13 TeV.

In thermonuclear plasmas, emission tomography uses integrated measurements along lines of sight (LOS) to determine the two-dimensional (2-D) spatial distribution of the volume emission intensity. Due to the availability of only a limited number views and to the coarse sampling of the LOS, the tomographic inversion is a limited data set problem. Several techniques have been developed for tomographic reconstruction of the 2-D gamma and neutron emissivity on JET. In specific experimental conditions the availability of LOSs is restricted to a single view. In this case an explicit reconstruction of the emissivity profile is no longer possible. However, machine learning classification methods can be used in order to derive the type of the distribution. In the present approach the classification is developed using the theory of belief functions which provide the support to fuse the results of independent clustering and supervised classification. The method allows to represent the uncertainty of the results provided by different independent techniques, to combine them and to manage possible conflicts.

In the last years, new and more sophisticated measurements have been at the basis of the major progress in various disciplines related to the environment, such as remote sensing and thermonuclear fusion. To maximize the effectiveness of the measurements, new data analysis techniques are required. First data processing tasks, such as filtering and fitting, are of primary importance, since they can have a strong influence on the rest of the analysis. Even if Support Vector Regression is a method devised and refined at the end of the 90s, a systematic comparison with more traditional non parametric regression methods has never been reported. In this paper, a series of systematic tests is described, which indicates how SVR is a very competitive method of non-parametric regression that can usefully complement and often outperform more consolidated approaches. The performance of Support Vector Regression as a method of filtering is investigated first, comparing it with the most popular alternative techniques. Then Support Vector Regression is applied to the problem of non-parametric regression to analyse Lidar surveys for the environments measurement of particulate matter due to wildfires. The proposed approach has given very positive results and provides new perspectives to the interpretation of the data.