The joint fluctuations of the lengths of the Beta(2−α,α)(2-\alpha, \alpha)-coalescents

We consider Beta$(2-\alpha, \alpha)-n$-coalescents with parameter range $1 <\alpha<2$. The length $\ell^{(n)}_r$ of order $r$ in the Beta$(2-\alpha, \alpha)-n$-coalescent tree is defined as the sum of the lengths of all branches that carry a subtree with $r$ leaves. We show that for any $s \in \mathbb N$ the vector of suitably centered and rescaled lengths of orders $1\le r \le s$ converges (as the number of leaves tends to infinity) to a multivariate stable distribution.Comment: 29 page

Evaluation of a Microencapsulated Form of Zinc Oxide on Weanling Pig Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology, and Zinc Excretion

A total of 350 pigs (DNA 200 × 400; initially 13.31 ± 0.04 lb BW) were used in a 42-d study with 5 pigs per pen and 12 pens per treatment. At weaning, pigs were randomly allocated to pens and pens were randomly allotted to dietary treatments. Dietary treatments were: 1) negative control (standard nursery diet containing 110 ppm Zn from trace mineral premix); 2) control diet with 3,000 ppm added Zn in the form of ZnO in phase 1 and 2,000 ppm added Zn in the form of ZnO in phase 2 (High-ZnO); 3) control diet with 400 ppm added Zn in the form of ZnO in phases 1 and 2 (Low- ZnO); 4) 3,000 ppm added Zn in the form of microencapsulated ZnO in phase 1 and 2,000 ppm added Zn in the form of microencapsulated ZnO in phase 2 (High-MZnO); and 5) 400 ppm added Zn in the form of microencapsulated ZnO in phases 1 and 2 (Low-MZnO). Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance was determined to evaluate ADG, ADFI, and F/G. On d 10 and d 28, fecal samples from 3 pigs per pen were collected for fecal Zn concentrations. On d 28, 30 pigs (6 pigs per treatment) were euthanized, and small intestinal tissue was collected to evaluate morphology. There was no evidence of differences in ADG, ADFI, or F/G for the entire treatment period (d 0 to d 28; P \u3e 0.05). During the common phase 3 (d 28 to 42) pigs fed the negative control, High-MZnO, or Low-MZnO had improved (P \u3c 0.0001) ADG compared to pigs fed High- or Low-ZnO, which was driven by an increase in ADFI (P \u3c 0.0001). For the entire experiment (d 0 to 42), pigs fed Low-ZnO or High-ZnO had reduced (P \u3c 0.0001) ADG compared those fed the negative control. There was no evidence that small intestinal morphology differed significantly between treatments (P \u3e 0.05). Finally, a significant treatment × day interaction (P = 0.04) was observed for fecal Zn concentrations, where pigs fed High-ZnO had greater fecal Zn levels on d 10 and d 28 compared to pigs fed all other treatments

Influência do tempo de condução de agroflorestas na atividade microbiológica do solo.

A atividade biológica é um ótimo indicador de qualidade do solo, pois é um atributo sensível ás características bióticas e abióticas do sistema. A fim de quantificar esses atributos, foram coletadas amostras de solo nas profundidades de 0 a 2,5 cm, 2,5 a 5 cm, 5 a 10 cm, 10 a 15 cm, 15 a 30 cm, 30 a 45 cm e 45 a 60 cm para obtenção do carbono da biomassa microbiana (BMS-C), respiração basal do solo (RBS) e quociente metabólico (qCO2) em áreas de regeneração natural de 10 anos e agroflorestas de 5 e 10 anos. As áreas de regeneração natural apresentaram teores mais elevados de BMS-C e maior RBS, porém maiores qCO2 foram encontrados nas agroflorestas de 10 anos devido ao manejo utilizado nas agroflorestas.Resumo expandido

A prospective investigation of interleukin-8 levels in pediatric acute respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: The association of plasma interleukin-8 (IL-8), or IL-8 genetic variants, with pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) in children with acute respiratory failure at risk for PARDS has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of early and sequential measurement of plasma IL-8 and/or its genetic variants with development of PARDS and other clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated children with acute respiratory failure. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of children 2 weeks to 17 years of age with acute airways and/or parenchymal lung disease done in 22 pediatric intensive care units participating in the multi-center clinical trial, Randomized Evaluation of Sedation Titration for Respiratory Failure (RESTORE). Plasma IL-8 levels were measured within 24 h of consent and 24 and 48 h later. DNA was purified from whole blood, and IL-8 single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs4073, rs2227306, and rs2227307, were genotyped. Results: Five hundred forty-nine patients were enrolled; 480 had blood sampling. Plasma IL-8 levels ranged widely from 4 to 7373 pg/mL. Highest IL-8 levels were observed on the day of intubation with subsequent tapering. Levels of IL-8 varied significantly across primary diagnoses with the highest levels occurring in patients with sepsis and the lowest levels in those with asthma. Plasma IL-8 was strongly correlated with oxygenation defect and severity of illness. IL-8 was consistently higher in PARDS patients compared to those without PARDS; levels were 4-12 fold higher in non-survivors compared to survivors. On multivariable analysis, IL-8 was independently associated with death, duration of mechanical ventilation, and PICU length of stay on all days measured, but was not associated with PARDS development. There was no association between the IL-8 single nucleotide polymorphisms, rs4073, rs2227306, and rs2227307, and PARDS development or plasma IL-8 level. Conclusions: When measured sequentially, plasma IL-8 was robustly associated with multiple, relevant clinical outcomes including mortality, but was not associated with PARDS development. The wide range of plasma IL-8 levels exhibited in this cohort suggests that further study into the heterogeneity of this patient population and its impact on individual responses to PARDS treatment is warranted