Asymptotic singularities of planar parallel 3-RPR manipulators

We study the limits of singularities of planar parallel 3-RPR manipulators as the lengths of their legs tend to infinity, paying special attention to the presence of cusps. These asymptotic singularities govern the kinematic behavior of the manipulator in a rather large portion of its workspace

Safety and efficacy of aluminosilicate of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium as a feed additive for pigs

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on aluminosilicate of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium as a feed additive for pigs. The additive, that contains at least 66% of aluminosilicate of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium as main component, is intended for use as a technological additive (functional groups: (i) anticaking agents) in premixtures and feedingstuffs for pigs at a maximum inclusion level of 30,000 mg/kg. In the absence of data, the FEEDAP Panel could not conclude on the safety of the additive for the target species and the users. The additive is considered safe for the consumer and the environment at the proposed conditions of use. The additive has the potential to act as an anticaking agent in complete feed of pigs at a concentration of 30,000 mg/kg feed

Safety and efficacy of Natuphos® E (6-phytase) as a feed additive for laying hens, minor poultry and other avian species for laying

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of Natuphos\uae E (6-phytase) as a feed additive for laying hens, minor poultry and other avian species for laying. The additive Natuphos\uae E consists of 6-phytase (phytase; Enzyme Commission Number 3.1.3.26) and is intended to be used as a feed additive for laying hens, minor poultry and other avian species for laying as a zootechnical additive, functional group of digestibility enhancers. This additive was previously assessed by the FEEDAP Panel in 2017 for avian and porcine species. The production strain of the phytase present in the product is a genetically modified strain of Aspergillus niger. Based on the previous opinion, the FEEDAP Panel concluded that the genetic modification of the production strain does not give rise to safety concerns. The production strain and its DNA were not detected in the concentrate used to formulate the products. The FEEDAP Panel previously concluded that the additive was safe for the target species, consumers and the environment when used at 200 FTU/kg feed. The additive Natuphos\uae E is not considered to be toxic by inhalation or irritant for skin or eye; however, it should be regarded as a dermal sensitiser and a potential respiratory sensitiser. The additive has the potential to be efficacious in improving the performance and/or the phosphorus utilisation in laying hens at 200 FTU/kg feed; the conclusions drawn in laying hens can be extrapolated to all minor poultry and other avian species for laying

Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis DSM 28343 as a zootechnical additive (gut flora stabiliser) for calves for rearing

Bacillus subtilis DSM 28343 is a preparation of viable spores of a single strain of B. subtilis intended to be used as a zootechnical additive (functional group: gut flora stabilizer) in feed for calves for rearing to increase growth. In 2018, the EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) delivered a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of Bacillus subtilis DSM 28343 as a feed additive for calves for rearing. This species is considered by EFSA to be suitable for the qualified presumption of safety (QPS) approach to safety assessment. In that opinion, the FEEDAP Panel was unable to conclude on the efficacy of the additive, under the condition of use as proposed by the applicant, due to insufficient data provided. In the current opinion, additional data to demonstrate the efficacy of Bacillus subtilis DSM 28343 were assessed. Based on one study of this application and two studies submitted in the previous application, the Panel concluded that Bacillus subtilis DSM 28343 has the potential to be efficacious as gut flora stabiliser used in feed for calves for rearing at the proposed use level

Centrality dependence of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 2.76 TeV

The inclusive transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) distributions of primary charged particles are measured in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ as a function of event centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The data are presented in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<50$ GeV/$c$ for nine centrality intervals from 70-80% to 0-5%. The Pb-Pb spectra are presented in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm{AA}}$ using a pp reference spectrum measured at the same collision energy. We observe that the suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles strongly depends on event centrality. In central collisions (0-5%) the yield is most suppressed with $R_{\rm{AA}}\approx0.13$ at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7 GeV/$c$. Above $p_{\rm T}=7$ GeV/$c$, there is a significant rise in the nuclear modification factor, which reaches $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx0.4$ for $p_{\rm T}>30$ GeV/$c$. In peripheral collisions (70-80%), the suppression is weaker with $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx 0.7$ almost independently of $p_{\rm T}$. The measured nuclear modification factors are compared to other measurements and model calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/284

Suppression of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{\rm NN}}}$ = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in $|\eta|<0.8$ and $0.3 < p_T < 20$ GeV/$c$ are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$. The result indicates only weak medium effects ($R_{\rm AA} \approx$ 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, $R_{\rm AA}$ reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7GeV/$c$ and increases significantly at larger $p_{\rm T}$. The measured suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies, indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages, 5 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/98

Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76\sqrt{s} = 2.76 TeV

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow$K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow$K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow$D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307

Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/388

Anisotropic flow of charged hadrons, pions and (anti-)protons measured at high transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76 TeV

The elliptic, $v_2$, triangular, $v_3$, and quadrangular, $v_4$, azimuthal anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles, pions and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ at different collision centralities and as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, out to $p_{\rm T}=20$ GeV/$c$. The observed non-zero elliptic and triangular flow depends only weakly on transverse momentum for $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$. The small $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow fluctuations up to $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton elliptic and triangular flow is larger than that of pions out to at least $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$ indicating that the particle type dependence persists out to high $p_{\rm T}$.Comment: 16 pages, 5 captioned figures, authors from page 11, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/186

Particle-yield modification in jet-like azimuthal di-hadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-$p_{\rm T}$ trigger particles ($8 < p_{\rm T} < 15$ GeV/$c$) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jet-like correlation peaks in azimuthal di-hadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta $p_{\rm T}> 3$ GeV/$c$ on the away-side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near-side a moderate enhancement of 20-30% is found.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/350