A Mathematica interface to NNPDFs

We present a Mathematica interface for handling the parton distribution functions of the NNDPF Collaboration, available from the NNPDF hepforge website http://nnpdf.hepforge.org/. As a case study we briefly summarise the first PDF set which includes all relevant LHC data, NNPDF2.3, and demonstrate the use of our new Mathematica interface.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 16th International Conference in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD2012), Montpellier July 201

A determination of the fragmentation functions of pions, kaons, and protons with faithful uncertainties

We present NNFF1.0, a new determination of the fragmentation functions (FFs) of charged pions, charged kaons, and protons/antiprotons from an analysis of single-inclusive hadron production data in electron-positron annihilation. This determination, performed at leading, next-to-leading, and next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD, is based on the NNPDF methodology, a fitting framework designed to provide a statistically sound representation of FF uncertainties and to minimise any procedural bias. We discuss novel aspects of the methodology used in this analysis, namely an optimised parametrisation of FFs and a more efficient $\chi^2$ minimisation strategy, and validate the FF fitting procedure by means of closure tests. We then present the NNFF1.0 sets, and discuss their fit quality, their perturbative convergence, and their stability upon variations of the kinematic cuts and the fitted dataset. We find that the systematic inclusion of higher-order QCD corrections significantly improves the description of the data, especially in the small-$z$ region. We compare the NNFF1.0 sets to other recent sets of FFs, finding in general a reasonable agreement, but also important differences. Together with existing sets of unpolarised and polarised parton distribution functions (PDFs), FFs and PDFs are now available from a common fitting framework for the first time.Comment: 50 pages, 22 figures, 5 table

Time-Dependent Probability of Exceeding a Target Level of Recovery

The resilience of a system is generally defined in terms of its ability to withstand external perturbations, adapt, and rapidly recover. This paper introduces a probabilistic formulation to predict the recovery process of a system given past recovery data and to estimate the probability of reaching or exceeding a target value of functionality at any time. A Bayesian inference is used to capture the changes over time of model parameters as recovery data become available during the work progress. The proposed formulation is general and can be applied to continuous recovery processes such as those of economic or natural systems, as well as to discrete recovery processes typical of engineering systems. As an illustration of the proposed formulation, two examples are provided. The paper models the recovery of a reinforced concrete bridge following seismic damage, as well as the population relocation after the occurrence of a seismic event when no data on the duration of the recovery are available a priori

^{63}Cu, ^{35}Cl, and ^{1}H NMR in the S=1/2 Kagom\'e Lattice ZnCu_{3}(OH)_{6}Cl_{2}

ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$ ($S=1/2$) is a promising new candidate for an ideal Kagom\'e Heisenberg antiferromagnet, because there is no magnetic phase transition down to $\sim$50 mK. We investigated its local magnetic and lattice environments with NMR techniques. We demonstrate that the intrinsic local spin susceptibility {\it decreases} toward T=0, but that slow freezing of the lattice near $\sim$50 K, presumably associated with OH bonds, contributes to a large increase of local spin susceptibility and its distribution. Spin dynamics near T=0 obey a power-law behavior in high magnetic fields.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press

Growth by insertion: The family of bacterial DDxP proteins

We have identified a variety of proteins in species of the Legionella, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, Variovorax, Halomonas, and Rhizobia genera, which feature repetitive modules of different length and composition, invariably ending at the COOH side with Asp–Asp–x–Pro (DDxP) motifs. DDxP proteins range in size from 900 to 6200 aa (amino acids), and contain 1 to 5 different module types, present in one or multiple copies. We hypothesize that DDxP proteins were modeled by the action of specific endonucleases inserting DNA segments into genes encoding DDxP motifs. Target site duplications (TSDs) formed upon repair of staggered ends generated by endonuclease cleavage would explain the DDxP motifs at repeat ends. TSDs acted eventually as targets for the insertion of more modules of the same or different types. Repeat clusters plausibly resulted from amplification of both repeat and flanking TSDs. The proposed growth shown by the insertion model is supported by the identification of homologous proteins lacking repeats in Pseudomonas and Rhizobium. The 85 DDxP repeats identified in this work vary in length, and can be sorted into short (136–215 aa) and long (243–304 aa) types. Conserved Asp–Gly–Asp–Gly–Asp motifs are located 11–19 aa from the terminal DDxP motifs in all repeats, and far upstream in most long repeats

TMDlib and TMDplotter: library and plotting tools for transverse-momentum-dependent parton distributions

Transverse-momentum-dependent distributions (TMDs) are central in high-energy physics from both theoretical and phenomenological points of view. In this manual we introduce the library, TMDlib, of fits and parameterisations for transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMD PDFs) and fragmentation functions (TMD FFs) together with an online plotting tool, TMDplotter. We provide a description of the program components and of the different physical frameworks the user can access via the available parameterisations.Comment: version 2, referring to TMDlib 1.0.2 - comments and references adde

Dynamic Scaling in the Susceptibility of the Spin-1\2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet Herbertsmithite

The spin-1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet herbertsmithite, ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$, is a candidate material for a quantum spin liquid ground state. We show that the magnetic response of this material displays an unusual scaling relation in both the bulk ac susceptibility and the low energy dynamic susceptibility as measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The quantity $\chi T^\alpha$ with $\alpha \simeq 0.66$ can be expressed as a universal function of $H/T$ or $\omega/T$. This scaling is discussed in relation to similar behavior seen in systems influenced by disorder or by the proximity to a quantum critical point.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures v2: updated to match published version

On Gram-positive-and Gram-negative-bacteria-associated canine and feline skin infections: a 4-year retrospective study of the university veterinary microbiology diagnostic laboratory of Naples, Italy

A 4-year retrospective study (2016–2019) of selected routine bacteriological examinations of the veterinary microbiology laboratory of the University Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Naples (Italy) was carried out. A total of 189 bacteriological samples were collected from 171 dogs and 18 cats suffering from skin infections. In dogs, the most common cutaneous infection was otitis externa, while pyoderma was found to be prevalent in cats. The number of recorded Gram-positive strains over the study period did not vary considerably from year to year and was always significantly higher (p-value = 0.0007) in comparison with Gram-negative bacterial isolations. In dogs, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was the most common identified Gram-positive bacterium (65%), while Pseudomonas aeruginosa (36%) was the one among the isolated Gram-negative bacteria. In cats, coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most predominant isolated bacteria (47%). The phenotypic profiles of antibiotic resistance showed that most of the strains were resistant to amoxicillin–clavulanate, penicillin, clindamycin, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. Several multi-drug-resistant strains (35%) were detected in canine isolates. An updating of antibiotic resistance profiles of the main Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria principally associated with skin infections of pet animals is necessary to improve stewardship programs of veterinary hospitals and clinics