283 research outputs found
Benchmark test for mode I fatigue-driven delamination in GFRP composite laminates:Experimental results and simulation with the inter-laminar damage model implemented in SAMCEF
Spin-dependent effective interactions for halo nuclei
We discuss the spin-dependence of the effective two-body interactions
appropriate for three-body computations. The only reasonable choice seems to be
the fine and hyperfine interactions known for atomic electrons interacting with
the nucleus. One exception is the nucleon-nucleon interaction imposing a
different type of symmetry. We use the two-neutron halo nucleus 11Li as
illustration. We demonstrate that models with the wrong spin-dependence are
basically without predictive power. The Pauli forbidden core and valence states
must be consistently treated.Comment: TeX file, 6 pages, 3 postscript figure
Play behaviour positively relates to weight gain, feeding behaviour and drinking behaviour in weaner pigs (Sus scrofa)
Engagement in play behaviour has been associated with the presence of positive affective states and, thus, proposed to be an indicator of positive animal welfare. However, the interpretation of play in animals remains challenging due to the complexity of motivating factors. Accordingly, we aimed to clarify whether Yorkshire × Landrace weaner pigs would engage more in play behaviour the more well-nourished they were by examining the effects of weight gain, feeding behaviour, and drinking behaviour on two types of play behaviour [locomotor-rotational play (LOC) and social play (SOC)]. In total, 24 litters [pigs/litter: (mean ± SD) 13 ± 2] raised under conventional husbandry conditions were included in this study. Each pig was manually weighed within 24 h of birth and on days − 7, 0, 1, 2 relative to the weaning day (day 0) at approximately 26 days of age. All behavioural measures were registered via video at individual level. Visits to feeder and drinker were registered from 07:00 h to 21:59 h on days − 1 and 1 using 2-min interval instantaneous sampling. The proportion of visits to each resource was calculated by dividing the number of scans visiting the resource by the total number of daily scans. The latencies to visit the feeder and drinker within the first 24 h post-weaning were continuously recorded. Both LOC and SOC were registered between 14:00 h and 22:00 h on days − 1, 1 and 2. Both before and after weaning, heavier pigs spent more time performing LOC. Before weaning, heavier pigs spent more time performing SOC. Proportion of visits to the feeder positively related to LOC after weaning. On the day before weaning, the proportion of visits to the drinker positively related to LOC. No clear relationships between the latency to feed and drink after weaning and play behaviour were found. Our study supports the hypothesis that motivation to play is higher when animals are in more stable conditions, e.g., well-nourished, and healthier than under suboptimal conditions. However, the fact that the nutritional measures did not similarly affect LOC and SOC suggests that these two types of play behaviour may be differently affected by the weaning context and questions whether they have the same underlying motivation. This study represents a step toward the validation of play as a positive animal welfare indicator
Economic and Market Analysis of CO2 Utilization Technologies – Focus on CO2 derived from North Dakota lignite
AbstractBased on information obtained about the technical aspects of the technologies, several challenges are expected to be faced by any potential CO2 utilization technologies intended for North Dakota lignite plants. The weather, alkaline content of lignite fly ash, and space limitations in the immediate vicinity of existing power plants are challenging hurdles to overcome. Currently, no CO2 utilization option is ready for implementation or integration with North Dakota power plants. Mineralization technologies suffer from the lack of a well-defined product and insufficient alkalinity in lignite fly ash. Algae and microalgae technologies are not economically feasible and will have weather- related challenges
Direct and sequential radiative three-body reaction rates at low temperatures
We investigate the low-temperature reaction rates for radiative capture
processes of three particles. We compare direct and sequential capture
mechanisms and rates using realistic phenomenological parametrizations of the
corresponding photodissociation cross sections.Energy conservation prohibits
sequential capture for energies smaller than that of the intermediate two-body
structure. A finite width or a finite temperature allows this capture
mechanism. We study generic effects of positions and widths of two- and
three-body resonances for very low temperatures. We focus on nuclear reactions
relevant for astrophysics, and we illustrate with realistic estimates for the
-- and -- radiative capture
processes. The direct capture mechanism leads to reaction rates which for
temperatures smaller than 0.1 GK can be several orders of magnitude larger than
those of the NACRE compilation.Comment: To be published in European Physical Journal
Stepwise emergence of azole, echinocandin and amphotericin B multidrug resistance in vivo in Candida albicans orchestrated by multiple genetic alterations.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize the underlying molecular mechanisms in consecutive clinical Candida albicans isolates from a single patient displaying stepwise-acquired multidrug resistance.
METHODS: Nine clinical isolates (P-1 to P-9) were susceptibility tested by EUCAST EDef 7.2 and Etest. P-4, P-5, P-7, P-8 and P-9 were available for further studies. Relatedness was evaluated by MLST. Additional genes were analysed by sequencing (including FKS1, ERG11, ERG2 and TAC1) and gene expression by quantitative PCR (CDR1, CDR2 and ERG11). UV-spectrophotometry and GC-MS were used for sterol analyses. In vivo virulence was determined in the insect model Galleria mellonella and evaluated by log-rank Mantel-Cox tests.
RESULTS: P-1 + P-2 were susceptible, P-3 + P-4 fluconazole resistant, P-5 pan-azole resistant, P-6 + P-7 pan-azole and echinocandin resistant and P-8 + P-9 MDR. MLST supported genetic relatedness among clinical isolates. P-4 harboured four changes in Erg11 (E266D, G307S, G450E and V488I), increased expression of ERG11 and CDR2 and a change in Tac1 (R688Q). P-5, P-7, P-8 and P-9 had an additional change in Erg11 (A61E), increased expression of CDR1, CDR2 and ERG11 (except for P-7) and a different amino acid change in Tac1 (R673L). Echinocandin-resistant isolates harboured the Fks1 S645P alteration. Polyene-resistant P-8 + P-9 lacked ergosterol and harboured a frameshift mutation in ERG2 (F105SfsX23). Virulence was attenuated (but equivalent) in the clinical isolates, but higher than in the azole- and echinocandin-resistant unrelated control strain.
CONCLUSIONS: C. albicans demonstrates a diverse capacity to adapt to antifungal exposure. Potentially novel resistance-inducing mutations in TAC1, ERG11 and ERG2 require independent validation
Non-monotonic variation with salt concentration of the second virial coefficient in protein solutions
The osmotic virial coefficient of globular protein solutions is
calculated as a function of added salt concentration at fixed pH by computer
simulations of the ``primitive model''. The salt and counter-ions as well as a
discrete charge pattern on the protein surface are explicitly incorporated. For
parameters roughly corresponding to lysozyme, we find that first
decreases with added salt concentration up to a threshold concentration, then
increases to a maximum, and then decreases again upon further raising the ionic
strength. Our studies demonstrate that the existence of a discrete charge
pattern on the protein surface profoundly influences the effective interactions
and that non-linear Poisson Boltzmann and Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek
(DLVO) theory fail for large ionic strength. The observed non-monotonicity of
is compared to experiments. Implications for protein crystallization are
discussed.Comment: 43 pages, including 17 figure
Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results
Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC
provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of
lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with
a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the
transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the
anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the
nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of
the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp.
Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in
the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies
smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating
nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and
transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of
inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous
measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables,
submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are
available at
http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02
Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS
We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a
significant distance from their production point into a final state containing
charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is
conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV
and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS
detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles
is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We
observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of
supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the
neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino
masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final
version to appear in Physics Letters
- …