2,532 research outputs found
STAR results and perspectives on transverse spin asymmetries
The STAR collaboration reported precision measurements on the transverse
single spin asymmetries for the production of forward mesons from
polarized proton collisions at 200 GeV. To disentangle
contributions to measured forward asymmetries one has to look beyond inclusive
production to the production of forward jets or direct photons. In
2006, STAR with the Forward Pion Detector++ (FPD++) in place, collected 6.8
pb of forward data with an average polarization of 60%. FPD++ had
sufficient acceptance for "jet-like" objects, which are clustered responses of
an electromagnetic calorimeter primarily sensitive to incident photons,
electrons and positrons. For these objects, the angle of the outgoing leading
with respect to the fragmenting parton was reconstructed, thus enabling
us to disentangle the contributions to the forward asymmetries. The
simulated data set shows that on average there are approximately 2.5
fragmenting mesons per one "jet-like" object, making them reasonably "jetty".
Preliminary results provide no evidence of measured contributions to the
asymmetry from jet fragmentation, implying the Sivers distribution functions
play a substantial role in producing the large inclusive forward
asymmetries. A similar effort was made in the mid-rapidity region
of the STAR detector, where 2.2 pb of data was collected. We present
progress made by making measurements of the azimuthal asymmetry of leading
charged pions in jets produced by transversely polarized proton collisions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the Transversity 2011 worksho
Improved FPT algorithms for weighted independent set in bull-free graphs
Very recently, Thomass\'e, Trotignon and Vuskovic [WG 2014] have given an FPT
algorithm for Weighted Independent Set in bull-free graphs parameterized by the
weight of the solution, running in time . In this article
we improve this running time to . As a byproduct, we also
improve the previous Turing-kernel for this problem from to .
Furthermore, for the subclass of bull-free graphs without holes of length at
most for , we speed up the running time to . As grows, this running time is
asymptotically tight in terms of , since we prove that for each integer , Weighted Independent Set cannot be solved in time in the class of -free graphs unless the
ETH fails.Comment: 15 page
Causes of lawn and ornamental plants degradation at the Patriotic War Memorial Cemetery in Vukovar
Provedena istraživanja imala su za cilj utvrditi razloge propadanja travnjaka i ukrasnog bilja na Memorijalnom groblju žrtava Domovinskog rata u Vukovaru. U tu svrhu otvorena su tri reprezentativna pedoloÅ”ka profila iz kojih su uzeti uzorci tla za fizikalne i kemijske analize te sedam prosjeÄnih uzoraka tla u kojima su odreÄena kemijska svojstva tla te biljno hranidbeni kapacitet tla. OdreÄivanje fizikalnih i kemijskih svojstava tla obavljeno je u Zavodu za ishranu bilja Agronomskog fakulteta SveuÄiliÅ”ta u Zagrebu standardnim analitiÄkim metodama.
Na temelju provedenih istraživanja fizikalno-kemijskih svojstava tla utvrÄeni su znaÄajni propusti u pripremi tla i uzgojnog supstrata za biljke. To se prvenstveno odnosi na slabu dreniranost tla Å”to uzrokuje povrÅ”insko stagniranje oborinskih i drugih voda, zbog pojave nepropusnog sloja tla i zbijenost tla u vrijeme suÅ”nog razdoblja. TakoÄer su utvrÄena vrlo nepovoljna fizikalna i kemijska svojstva tla (visoka pH vrijednost), a relativno niski biljno-hranidbeni kapacitet tla.
Zbog vrlo slabe propusnosti tla, potrebno je postaviti sustav cijevne drenaže koji Äe omoguÄiti odvoÄenje suviÅ”ne vode u pojedinim razdobljima godine. UnoÅ”enjem veÄih koliÄina organske tvari (treseta cca 4-5 L/m2 i zrelog stajskog gnojiva cca 4-5 kg/m2) i pijeska te dobrim mijeÅ”anjem s postojeÄim tlom, poveÄat Äe se propusnost, kapacitet tla za zrak i vodu i stabilnost strukture, a umanjit Äe se specifiÄna masa tla volumna i zbijenost tla. Povoljna pH reakcija tla za odreÄenu kulturu može se postiÄi unoÅ”enjem razliÄitih koliÄina treseta odgo-varajuÄe pH vrijednosti. Osnovnom gnojidbom s veÄim koliÄinama mineralnih gnojiva, poglavito fosfornih, poveÄava se fond pristupaÄnih hraniva u tlu.The aim of the research was to find the reasons for lawn and ornamental plants degradation at the Patriotic War Memorial Cemetery in Vukovar. For this purpose, three representative pedological profiles were opened, from which soil samples were taken for physical and chemical analyses. Seven average soil samples were also taken for determining soil chemical properties and the plant nutrition capacity. Physical and chemical properties of the soil were analyzed in the Department of Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, by standard analytical methods.
Analyses of the soil physical and chemical properties revealed considerable oversights in the soil and substrate preparation for cultivation. This primarily applies to poor soil drainage, which caused surface retention of precipitation and other waters because of the formation of a soil layer impervious to water and compactness during the dry period. Excessively high soil reaction (pH value) was also recorded as well as a relatively low plant nutrition capacity.
Due to very poor soil permeability, a pipe drainage system should be installed to enable draining of surplus water that appears in some parts of the year. Higher amounts of organic matter (cca 4-5 L/m2 peat and ca 4-5 kg/m2 ripe manure) and sand well mixed with the existing soil will increase the soil permeability, air capacity and structure stability. Specific soil volume and compactness will also be reduced. Acid Lithuanian peat will lower the pH value, while higher mineral fertilizer (mainly phosphorus) rates will raise the levels of available nutrients in soil
DNA methylation as a triage tool for cervical cancer screening - A meeting report.
INTRODUCTION: DNA methylation is proposed as a novel biomarker able to monitor molecular events in human papillomavirus (HPV) infection pathophysiology, enabling the distinction between HPV-induced lesions with regression potential from those that may progress to HPV-related cancer. METHODS: This meeting report summarises the presentations and expert discussions during the HPV Prevention and Control Board-focused topic technical meeting on DNA methylation validation in clinician-collected and self-collected samples, novel DNA methylation markers discovery, implementation in cervical cancer screening programs, and their potential in women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). RESULTS: Data presented in the meeting showed that HPV-positive, baseline methylation-negative women have a lower cumulative cervical cancer incidence than baseline cytology-negative women, making DNA methylation an attractive triage strategy. However, additional standardised data in different settings (low- versus high-income settings), samples (clinician-collected and self-collected), study designs (prospective, modelling, impact) and populations (immunocompetent women, women living with HIV) are needed. CONCLUSION: Establishing international validation guidelines were identified as the way forward towards accurate validation and subsequent implementation in current screening programs
Investigating biosecurity risks associated with the delivery of feed to swine farms
Introduction
Biosecurity protocols reduce the introduction and spread
of pathogens among swine farms. For pigs, biosecurity
ensures market stability, maintains export opportunities,
and controls spread of production and public health
diseases. Salmonella, the second most common cause of
bacterial foodborne illness, causes gastrointestinal
illness. Pigs can be asymptomatic carriers of the bacteria
and pork products are a known source of salmonellosis
in humans. Salmonella have been isolated from pigs,
boots, flies, rodents, bird feces, feed, feed-ingredients,
and feed trucks. The objective was to identify
management factors to reduce the risk of disease spread
among swine farms through feed trucks.
Materials and Methods
The study was conducted in two phases - the first phase
included a series of focus groups and key-informant
interviews; discussions held with swine producers and
feed company personnel explored the protocols currently
in place that reduce the risk of disease spread through the
delivery of feed. Participants were asked to identify
possible management changes that could further reduce
the risk, and to rate these ideas in terms of their effect on
disease control, and feasibility based on implementation
and economics. This information was used to structure
the second phase of the study ā a pilot study. The pilot
study was conducted over 6 weeks in the winter of 2013,
and included 40 feed truck drivers from 3 Ontario feed
companies. Truck drivers filled out log sheets as they
delivered feed to swine farms, and provided information
about the prevalence of the identified biosecurity risks
during the day-to-day delivery of feed. Drivers were
randomly assigned to be in either the treatment or
control groups. Drivers in the control group delivered
feed as they normally do. Drivers in the treatment group
were: i) asked not to enter the barn unless absolutely
necessary, and ii) were provided with re-usable,
washable rubber over-shoes and were asked to wear a
clean pair at each farm when they felt safe doing so. Chisquared
tests were used to compare the usage of clean
boots between drivers in the treatment and control
groups.
In total, 40 drivers from 3 companies, delivering feed to
2202 farms over 6 weeks (in the winter) collected
descriptive data on the factors and compared use of
different boots.
Results
The factors followed by the proportion of farms and
drivers where the factor was found were found as
follows: Most farms were: keeping areas (driveway, feed
bin and barnyard) clean of mud and manure (82%), and
dead-stock (91%) was appropriately disposed of and not
visible to the driver. Some farms had an outbuilding to
deliver bagged feed (24%). Other factors that were
identified that producers should work on were to provide
farm boots and coveralls for the driver if the driver
needed to go into the barn, ordering the correct amount
of feed to decrease the numbers of deliveries (or
frequencies of deliveries) of feed, and notifying feed mill
of a disease outbreak on the farm. Feed truck driver
factors included wearing a separate pair of clean,
disinfected, dried boots (25%) and gloves (50%) at each
farm that is visited (even if the driver does not go into
the barn, remaining outside the barn (92%); washing the
steering wheel (49%), floor mat (77%) and outside of the
truck (32%) every 24 hours. From these results, it may
be advisable to increase the frequency of washing the
truck. Another factor identified was for the driver to
know and follow the farm biosecurity protocols. Half of
the time, the driver left the feed bill outside barn (54%).
Drivers given disinfected rubber boots were more likely
to wear these on farms (42%) than plastic disposable
boots (4%) (P<0.05). These drivers were also more
likely to wear disinfected rubber boots than the control
drivers (11%) (P<0.001).
Conclusions and Discussion
Biosecurity is a responsibility that is shared among all
members of the industry. Feed personnel were
encouraged to know more about disease transmission.
Acknowledgments
Canadian Swine Health Board for funding, feed
company personnel and producers for participation
Measurement of prompt D0, D+, D*+, and D+S production in pāPb collisions at āsNN = 5.02 TeV
The measurement of the production of prompt D0, D+, D*+, and D+S mesons in protonālead (pāPb) collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of āsNN = 5.02 TeV, with an integrated luminosity of 292 Ā± 11 Ī¼bā1, are reported. Differential production cross sections are measured at mid-rapidity (ā0.96 < ycms< 0.04) as a function of transverse momentum (pT) in the intervals 0 < pT< 36 GeV/c for D0, 1 < pT< 36 GeV/c for D+ and D*+, and 2 < pT< 24 GeV/c for D+ mesons. For each species, the nuclear modification factor RpPb is calculated as a function of pT using a proton-proton (pp) ref- erence measured at the same collision energy. The results are compatible with unity in the whole pT range. The average of the non-strange D mesons RpPb is compared with theoretical model predictions that include initial-state effects and parton transport model predictions. The pT dependence of the D0, D+, and D*+ nuclear modification factors is also reported in the interval 1 < pT< 36 GeV/c as a function of the collision centrality, and the central-to-peripheral ratios are computed from the D-meson yields measured in different centrality classes. The results are further compared with charged-particle measurements and a similar trend is observed in all the centrality classes. The ratios of the pT-differential cross sections of D0, D+, D*+, and D+S mesons are also reported. The D+S and D+ yields are compared as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity for several pT intervals. No modification in the relative abundances of the four species is observed with respect to pp collisions within the statistical and systematic uncertainties
Multiplicity dependence of (anti-)deuteron production in pp collisions at ās=7 TeV
In this letter, the production of deuterons and anti-deuterons in pp collisions at ās=7 TeV is studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity density at mid-rapidity with the ALICE detector at the LHC. Production yields are measured at mid-rapidity in five multiplicity classes and as a function of the deuteron transverse momentum (pT). The measurements are discussed in the context of hadron-coalescence models. The coalescence parameter B2, extracted from the measured spectra of (anti-)deuterons and primary (anti-)protons, exhibits no significant pT-dependence for pT < 3 GeV/c, in agreement with the expectations of a simple coalescence picture. At fixed transverse momentum per nucleon, the B2 parameter is found to decrease smoothly from low multiplicity pp Pb-Pb collisions, in qualitative agreement with more elaborate coalescence models. The measured mean transverse momentum of (anti-)deuterons in pp is not reproduced by the Blast-Wave model calculations that simultaneously describe pion, kaon and proton spectra, in contrast to central Pb-Pb collisions. The ratio between the pT-integrated yield of deuterons to protons, d/p, is found to increase with the charged-particle multiplicity, as observed in inelastic pp collisions at different centre-of-mass energies. The d/p ratios are reported in a wide range, from the lowest to the highest multiplicity values measured in pp collisions at the LHC
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