The splashback radius in symmetron gravity

The splashback radius $r_\mathrm{sp}$ has been identified in cosmological $N$-body simulations as an important scale associated with gravitational collapse and the phase-space distribution of recently accreted material. We employ a semi-analytical approach to study the spherical collapse of dark matter haloes in symmetron gravity and provide insights into how the phenomenology of splashback is affected. The symmetron is a scalar-tensor theory of gravity which exhibits a screening mechanism whereby higher-density regions are screened from the effects of a fifth force. In this model, we find that, as over-densities grow over cosmic time, the inner region becomes heavily screened. In particular, we identify a sector of the parameter space for which material currently sitting at $r_\mathrm{sp}$ has followed, during the collapse, the formation of this screened region. As a result, we find that for this part of the parameter space the splashback radius is maximally affected by the symmetron force and we predict changes in $r_\mathrm{sp}$ up to around $10\%$ compared to its General Relativity value. Because this margin is within the precision of present splashback experiments, we expect this feature to soon provide constraints for symmetron gravity on previously unexplored scales.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Comments are welcom

Evaluation of a decaying swirling flow electrochemical reactor for the manufacture of colloidal sulphur by reduction of sulphur dioxide

The behaviour of an electrochemical reactor with decaying swirling flow is analysed for the production of colloidal sulphur using sulphur dioxide from synthetic effluents as raw material. The experiments were done under potentiostatic control with single- and two-phase flow. The best results were obtained at a cathodic potential of −0.7 V, against a saturated calomel electrode. Thus, in a single-phase experiment at a volumetric flow rate of 8 dm3 min−1 and 1 g dm−3 SO2 in 0.5 mol dm−3 H2SO4 as a supporting electrolyte, the current efficiency was 64% with a specific energy consumption of 22.7 kW h kg−1 and a space time yield of 5.6 kg m−3 h−1, achieving a total removal of sulphur dioxide after 15 min of operation. For sulphur dioxide concentrations lower than 2.5 g dm−3 the cathode surface remained free of a sulphur layer due to the impingement action of the swirling flow. Similar results were obtained under a two-phase flow of 5% SO2 in nitrogen. In this case, the sulphur particles presented mainly spheroidal shape with an average size of 2.8 μm being of high purity. The comparison with other types of electrochemical reactors concludes that the equipment with swirling flow represents the best option.Fil: Contigiani, Camila Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Fornés, J. P.. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: González Pérez, Omar. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: Bisang, Jose Maria. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentin

Early warning for healthcare acquired infections in neonatal care units in a low-resource setting using routinely collected hospital data: The experience from Haiti, 2014–2018

In low-resource settings, detection of healthcare-acquired outbreaks in neonatal units relies on astute clinical staff to observe unusual morbidity or mortality from sepsis as microbiological diagnostics are often absent. We aimed to generate reliable (and automated) early warnings for potential clusters of neonatal late onset sepsis using retrospective data that could signal the start of an outbreak in an NCU in Port au Prince, Haiti, using routinely collected data on neonatal admissions. We constructed smoothed time series for late onset sepsis cases, late onset sepsis rates, neonatal care unit (NCU) mortality, maternal admissions, neonatal admissions and neonatal antibiotic consumption. An outbreak was defined as a statistical increase in any of these time series indicators. We created three outbreak alarm classes: 1) thresholds: weeks in which the late onset sepsis cases exceeded four, the late onset sepsis rates exceeded 10% of total NCU admissions and the NCU mortality exceeded 15%; 2) differential: late onset sepsis rates and NCU mortality were double the previous week; and 3) aberration: using the improved Farrington model for late onset sepsis rates and NCU mortality. We validated pairs of alarms by calculating the sensitivity and specificity of the weeks in which each alarm was launched and comparing each alarm to the weeks in which a single GNB positive blood culture was reported from a neonate. The threshold and aberration alarms were the strongest predictors for current and future NCU mortality and current LOS rates (p<0.0002). The aberration alarms were also those with the highest sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value. Without microbiological diagnostics in NCUs in low-resource settings, applying these simple algorithms to routinely collected data show great potential to facilitate early warning for possible healthcare-acquired outbreaks of LOS in neonates. The methods used in this study require validation across other low-resource settings

Local mass-transfer study in a decaying swirling flow electrochemical reactor under single-phase and two-phase (gas-liquid) flow

Mass transfer was studied at the external electrode of a cylindrical electrochemical reactor with decaying swirling flow using a single phase electrolyte and also a dispersion of a gas phase in the solution. The local mass-transfer coefficients were measured with a segmented cathode using the reduction of ferricyanide as test reaction. Two strategies were used to introduce the gas phase. In the first case the gas was fed by three holes symmetrically drilled at the bottom of the central anode tube and in the second one by means of a tee fitting at the reactor inlet. The best performance was obtained with the single phase electrolyte giving 0.78 as the exponent of the Reynolds number and the mass-transfer distribution along the reactor length is more uniform than that reported for a parallel plate electrochemical reactor under laminar flow conditions. The mass-transfer enhancement factor related to an annular duct with axial developing flow ranges from 8 to 11. This high value is the consequence of two factors: (i) the intensive forced convection produced by the swirling flow at the outer electrode and (ii) the sudden expansion of the flow at the entrance due to the small tangential inlet. The fed of a gas phase in the reactor has scarce influence on the mass-transfer performance. A comparison of mass-transfer results with previous studies is made.Fil: Contigiani, Camila Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Perez, Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: Bisang, Jose Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentin

Dynamical cluster masses from photometric surveys

The masses of galaxy clusters can be measured using data obtained exclusively from wide photometric surveys in one of two ways: directly from the amplitude of the weak lensing signal or, indirectly, through the use of scaling relations calibrated using binned lensing measurements. In this paper, we build on a recently proposed idea and implement an alternative method based on the radial profile of the satellite distribution. This technique relies on splashback, a feature associated with the apocentre of recently accreted galaxies that offers a clear window into the phase-space structure of clusters without the use of velocity information. We carry out this dynamical measurement using the stacked satellite distribution around a sample of luminous red galaxies in the fourth data release of the Kilo-Degree Survey and validate our results using abundance-matching and lensing masses. To illustrate the power of this measurement, we combine dynamical and lensing mass estimates to robustly constrain scalar-tensor theories of gravity at cluster scales. Our results exclude departures from General Relativity of the order of unity. We conclude the paper by discussing the implications for future data sets. Because splashback mass measurements scale only with the survey volume, stage-IV photometric surveys are well-positioned to use splashback to provide high-redshift cluster masses.</p

The Effect of a Conical Inner Electrode on the Mass-transfer Behavior in a Cylindrical Electrochemical Reactor under Single-Phase and Two-Phase (Gas-Liquid) Swirling Flow

The influence of a continuous change in the cross-section area on mass-transfer performance is analyzed in an electrochemical reactor under swirling flow. Thus, a conical frustum is used as an inner electrode in a cylindrical arrangement. A convergent flow is obtained by placing the conical frustum with its smaller base at the bottom of the reactor, or conversely, it produces a divergent flow. Experimental local mass-transfer coefficients along the electrode length are reported using the reduction of ferricyanide as a test reaction. The mass-transfer distribution as well as the global mass-transfer coefficient are both discussed in three geometric arrangements, i.e. constant interelectrode gap, convergent and divergent cases under single-phase and two-phase (gas-liquid) flow. The highest global mass-transfer coefficients are obtained for the convergent arrangement in the middle range of volumetric flow rates, giving out values 7.6% higher than those for the constant interelectrode gap case. Divergent geometry presents, as its main asset, the most uniform mass-transfer distribution in comparison with the other two configurations. The presence of the gas phase also has little influence on the mass-transfer performance of the reactor. Computational fluid dynamics calculations are in good agreement with experimental measurements.Fil: Contigiani, Camila Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: Colli, Alejandro Nicolás. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: González Pérez, Omar. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: Bisang, Jose Maria. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentin

Colloidal sulphur production by electrochemical oxidation of sulphide in a swirling flow reactor

A cylindrical reactor with swirling flow is tested for the production of colloidal sulphur via the oxidation of sulphide ions with a concentration of 2 g dm−3 in alkaline solutions at 80 °C. Polysulphides are anodically formed at the outer electrode, coated with lead, whereas hydrogen evolution takes place in the internal electrode as the main cathodic reaction. This geometrical arrangement enables the application of an undivided reactor working with a high current efficiency. Polysulphide’s formation occurs over a wide span of potential, from 0 to 1 V against saturated calomel electrode, at a constant current density that is scarcely dependent on the hydrodynamics. The tests were carried out under potentiostatic control (0.6 V) and colloidal sulphur was obtained by acidification of the final solution. For a 9.6 dm3 min−1 volume flow rate, the space time yield and the specific energy consumption were 29.3 kg m−3 h−1 and 27.3 kW h kg−1, respectively, being the current efficiency close to 100%. Trials under two-phase flow corroborate the appropriate reactor performance. The colloidal sulphur particles are of high purity, present different shapes and have micrometric dimensions with average sizes ranging from 1.4 to 4.2 μm.Fil: Contigiani, Camila Cecilia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fornés, Gustavo Damián. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: González Pérez, Omar. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; ArgentinaFil: Bisang, Jose Maria. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Electroquímica Aplicada e Ingeniería Electroquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin