Search for jet extinction in the inclusive jet-pT spectrum from proton-proton collisions at s=8 TeV

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published articles title, journal citation, and DOI.The first search at the LHC for the extinction of QCD jet production is presented, using data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.7  fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The extinction model studied in this analysis is motivated by the search for signatures of strong gravity at the TeV scale (terascale gravity) and assumes the existence of string couplings in the strong-coupling limit. In this limit, the string model predicts the suppression of all high-transverse-momentum standard model processes, including jet production, beyond a certain energy scale. To test this prediction, the measured transverse-momentum spectrum is compared to the theoretical prediction of the standard model. No significant deficit of events is found at high transverse momentum. A 95% confidence level lower limit of 3.3 TeV is set on the extinction mass scale

Searches for electroweak neutralino and chargino production in channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons in pp collisions at 8 TeV

Searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) are presented based on the electroweak pair production of neutralinos and charginos, leading to decay channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons and undetected lightest SUSY particles (LSPs). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 19.5 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC. The main emphasis is neutralino pair production in which each neutralino decays either to a Higgs boson (h) and an LSP or to a Z boson and an LSP, leading to hh, hZ, and ZZ states with missing transverse energy (E-T(miss)). A second aspect is chargino-neutralino pair production, leading to hW states with E-T(miss). The decays of a Higgs boson to a bottom-quark pair, to a photon pair, and to final states with leptons are considered in conjunction with hadronic and leptonic decay modes of the Z and W bosons. No evidence is found for supersymmetric particles, and 95% confidence level upper limits are evaluated for the respective pair production cross sections and for neutralino and chargino mass values

An experimental and numerical study of the aeolian erosion of isolated and successive piles

International audienc

An experimental and numerical study of the aeolian erosion of isolated and successive piles

International audienceOpen storage yards at industrial sites usually comprise several piles of granular materials, representing a particulate matter source that may significantly deteriorate air quality. The aeolian erosion of stockpiles is affected by changes in airflow patterns due to the pile shape and the presence of nearby piles or buildings. The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of wind erosion of successive parallel stockpiles on flow behaviour and particle emissions. A wind tunnel experiment was conducted in six configurations: one isolated pile and two successive piles separated by gaps of 0.9h and 1.8h (h is the pile height) oriented to 60 • and 90 • with respect to the main wind flow direction. The particles in the piles had a bimodal particle size distribution consisting of sand that was erodible (white) and non-erodible (black) in the investigated velocity range. The contrasting colours enabled the visualisation of the non-erodible sand accumulation. The mean field of the wall shear stress distribution and flow pathlines predicted by numerical simulation were associated with the experimental erosion patterns. The emitted mass was experimentally quantified as the difference between the initial and fina

A simple model to estimate emission of wind-blown particles from a granular bed in comparison to wind tunnel experiments

International audienceDust emissions due to aeolian erosion of exposed granular materials are strongly influenced by grain size distribution. Non-erodible particles that are too heavy to be lifted into the air play a protective role in the aeolian erosion process attenuating emission, which is known as the pavement phenomenon. To date, there is no approach that reliably predicts the reduction in emissions caused by their presence on an aggregate surface. In this work, an analytical model was developed to quantify emissions from particle beds with a wide size distribution. As non-erodible particles accumulate, changes in surface characteristics create increasing shelter for the erodible portion of the bed until the shear on the erodible surface reaches a minimum and emissions cease. The proposed emission model describes the relationship between this minimum value of wind shear and the eroded depth of the bed after the pavement, which in turn gives the emitted mass. In addition, wind tunnel experiments were carried out in order to broaden knowledge of the pavement phenomenon and validate the modelling. A bimodal particle size distribution of sand with erodible and non-erodible particles was used for the tested velocities. Three experimental measurements were carried out (i) continuous weighing of the emitted mass, (ii) eroded depth of the bed at regular time intervals and (iii) final cover rates of the non-erodible particles using digital analysis of sand bed pictures after experiments. Good agreement between the modelling and experimental results was found. The emission model proposed herein is a simple algebraic expression that demands low computational effort. This approach may serve as a base for an emission model for application in granular materials stockpiles. © 2019 Elsevier B.V

Immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome : Secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE database

The aim of this study was to describe data on epidemiology, ventilatory management, and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in immunocompromised patients. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis on the cohort of immunocompromised patients enrolled in the Large Observational Study to Understand the Global Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Failure (LUNG SAFE) study. The LUNG SAFE study was an international, prospective study including hypoxemic patients in 459 ICUs from 50 countries across 5 continents. Results: Of 2813 patients with ARDS, 584 (20.8%) were immunocompromised, 38.9% of whom had an unspecified cause. Pneumonia, nonpulmonary sepsis, and noncardiogenic shock were their most common risk factors for ARDS. Hospital mortality was higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients (52.4% vs 36.2%; p < 0.0001), despite similar severity of ARDS. Decisions regarding limiting life-sustaining measures were significantly more frequent in immunocompromised patients (27.1% vs 18.6%; p < 0.0001). Use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) as first-line treatment was higher in immunocompromised patients (20.9% vs 15.9%; p = 0.0048), and immunodeficiency remained independently associated with the use of NIV after adjustment for confounders. Forty-eight percent of the patients treated with NIV were intubated, and their mortality was not different from that of the patients invasively ventilated ab initio. Conclusions: Immunosuppression is frequent in patients with ARDS, and infections are the main risk factors for ARDS in these immunocompromised patients. Their management differs from that of immunocompetent patients, particularly the greater use of NIV as first-line ventilation strategy. Compared with immunocompetent subjects, they have higher mortality regardless of ARDS severity as well as a higher frequency of limitation of life-sustaining measures. Nonetheless, nearly half of these patients survive to hospital discharge. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073. Registered on 12 December 2013