A Novel Approach To Residence Time Distribution

An increased knowledge in the solids flow in multiphase flow systems can be applied in the design of industrial systems used for power generation, gasification, pneumatic transport of material, drying, and various other tasks. An instrument was constructed for the activation, injection, and measurement of phosphorescent tracer particles in a fluidized bed riser to determine the Residence Time Distribution (RTD) of solids flow within a fluidized bed riser. The instrument was implemented in a dual-stage transparent scale model fluidized bed riser. Testing of the instrument system validated the functionality of the instrument. It was proven to be capable of determining both localized and total Residence Time Distribution in a fluidized bed riser operated in the pneumatic transport flow regime with relatively short RTD. The determination of localized RTD was also achieved in the fluidized bed riser operated in the core-annular flow regime

Investigating the effect of child maltreatment on early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression: testing a multiple mediator model in a non-incarcerated sample of Danish adolescents

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between child maltreatment and severe early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression, using a multiple mediator model. Methods: The study comprised 330 male Grade 9 students with a mean age of 14.9 years (SD=0.5). Results: Estimates from the mediation model indicated significant indirect effects of child physical abuse on sexual aggression via peer influence and insecure-hostile masculinity. No significant total effect of child sexual abuse and child neglect on sexual aggression was found. Conclusions: Findings of the present study identify risk factors that are potentially changeable and therefore of value in informing the design of prevention programs aiming at early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression in at-risk youth

Study of CP violation in Dalitz-plot analyses of B0 --> K+K-KS, B+ --> K+K-K+, and B+ --> KSKSK+

We perform amplitude analyses of the decays $B^0 \to K^+K^-K^0_S$, $B^+ \rightarrow K^+K^-K^+$, and $B^+ \to K^0_S K^0_S K^+$, and measure CP-violating parameters and partial branching fractions. The results are based on a data sample of approximately $470\times 10^6$ $B\bar{B}$ decays, collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy $B$ factory at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. For $B^+ \to K^+K^-K^+$, we find a direct CP asymmetry in $B^+ \to \phi(1020)K^+$ of $A_{CP}= (12.8\pm 4.4 \pm 1.3)$, which differs from zero by $2.8 \sigma$. For $B^0 \to K^+K^-K^0_S$, we measure the CP-violating phase $\beta_{\rm eff} (\phi(1020)K^0_S) = (21\pm 6 \pm 2)^\circ$. For $B^+ \to K^0_S K^0_S K^+$, we measure an overall direct CP asymmetry of $A_{CP} = (4 ^{+4}_{-5} \pm 2)$. We also perform an angular-moment analysis of the three channels, and determine that the $f_X(1500)$ state can be described well by the sum of the resonances $f_0(1500)$, $f_2^{\prime}(1525)$, and $f_0(1710)$.Comment: 35 pages, 68 postscript figures. v3 - minor modifications to agree with published versio

Preterm Labor and Chorioamnionitis Are Associated with Neonatal T Cell Activation

BACKGROUND: Preterm parturition is characterized by innate immune activation and increased proinflammatory cytokine levels. This well established association leads us to hypothesize that preterm delivery is also associated with neonatal T lymphocyte activation and maturation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Cord blood samples were obtained following term, preterm, and deliveries complicated by clinical chorioamnionitis. Activation marker expression was quantitated by flow cytometric analysis. Infants born following preterm delivery demonstrated enhanced CD4(+) T lymphocyte activation, as determined by CD25 (Term 9.72% vs. Preterm 17.67%, p = 0.0001), HLA-DR (Term 0.91% vs. Preterm 1.92%, p = 0.0012), and CD69 expression (Term 0.38% vs. Preterm 1.20%, p = 0.0003). Neonates delivered following clinical chorioamnionitis also demonstrated increased T cell activation. Preterm neonates had an increased frequency of CD45RO(+) T cells. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Preterm parturition is associated with neonatal CD4(+) T cell activation, and an increased frequency of CD45RO(+) T cells. These findings support the concept that activation of the fetal adaptive immune system in utero is closely associated with preterm labor

Evidence for the h_b(1P) meson in the decay Upsilon(3S) --> pi0 h_b(1P)

Using a sample of 122 million Upsilon(3S) events recorded with the BaBar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider at SLAC, we search for the $h_b(1P)$ spin-singlet partner of the P-wave chi_{bJ}(1P) states in the sequential decay Upsilon(3S) --> pi0 h_b(1P), h_b(1P) --> gamma eta_b(1S). We observe an excess of events above background in the distribution of the recoil mass against the pi0 at mass 9902 +/- 4(stat.) +/- 2(syst.) MeV/c^2. The width of the observed signal is consistent with experimental resolution, and its significance is 3.1sigma, including systematic uncertainties. We obtain the value (4.3 +/- 1.1(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.)) x 10^{-4} for the product branching fraction BF(Upsilon(3S)-->pi0 h_b) x BF(h_b-->gamma eta_b).Comment: 8 pages, 4 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Rapid Communications

The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix

American Gut: An Open Platform For Citizen Science Microbiome Research

Copyright © 2018 McDonald et al. Although much work has linked the human microbiome to specific phenotypes and lifestyle variables, data from different projects have been challenging to integrate and the extent of microbial and molecular diversity in human stool remains unknown. Using standardized protocols from the Earth Microbiome Project and sample contributions from over 10,000 citizen-scientists, together with an open research network, we compare human microbiome specimens primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to one another and to environmental samples. Our results show an unexpected range of beta-diversity in human stool microbiomes compared to environmental samples; demonstrate the utility of procedures for removing the effects of overgrowth during room-temperature shipping for revealing phenotype correlations; uncover new molecules and kinds of molecular communities in the human stool metabolome; and examine emergent associations among the microbiome, metabolome, and the diversity of plants that are consumed (rather than relying on reductive categorical variables such as veganism, which have little or no explanatory power). We also demonstrate the utility of the living data resource and cross-cohort comparison to confirm existing associations between the microbiome and psychiatric illness and to reveal the extent of microbiome change within one individual during surgery, providing a paradigm for open microbiome research and education. IMPORTANCE We show that a citizen science, self-selected cohort shipping samples through the mail at room temperature recaptures many known microbiome results from clinically collected cohorts and reveals new ones. Of particular interest is integrating n = 1 study data with the population data, showing that the extent of microbiome change after events such as surgery can exceed differences between distinct environmental biomes, and the effect of diverse plants in the diet, which we confirm with untargeted metabolomics on hundreds of samples

Phylogenetics and evolution of Su(var)3-9 SET genes in land plants: rapid diversification in structure and function

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plants contain numerous <it>Su(var)3-9 </it>homologues (<it>SUVH</it>) and related (<it>SUVR</it>) genes, some of which await functional characterization. Although there have been studies on the evolution of plant <it>Su(var)3-9 SET </it>genes, a systematic evolutionary study including major land plant groups has not been reported. Large-scale phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses can help to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and contribute to improve genome annotation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Putative orthologs of plant Su(var)3-9 SET protein sequences were retrieved from major representatives of land plants. A novel clustering that included most members analyzed, henceforth referred to as core <it>Su(var)3-9 </it>homologues and related (<it>cSUVHR</it>) gene clade, was identified as well as all orthologous groups previously identified. Our analysis showed that plant Su(var)3-9 SET proteins possessed a variety of domain organizations, and can be classified into five types and ten subtypes. Plant <it>Su(var)3-9 SET </it>genes also exhibit a wide range of gene structures among different paralogs within a family, even in the regions encoding conserved PreSET and SET domains. We also found that the majority of SUVH members were intronless and formed three subclades within the SUVH clade.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A detailed phylogenetic analysis of the plant <it>Su(var)3-9 SET g</it>enes was performed. A novel deep phylogenetic relationship including most plant <it>Su(var)3-9 SET </it>genes was identified. Additional domains such as SAR, ZnF_C2H2 and WIYLD were early integrated into primordial PreSET/SET/PostSET domain organization. At least three classes of gene structures had been formed before the divergence of <it>Physcomitrella patens </it>(moss) from other land plants. One or multiple retroposition events might have occurred among <it>SUVH </it>genes with the donor genes leading to the V-2 orthologous group. The structural differences among evolutionary groups of plant <it>Su(var)3-9 SET </it>genes with different functions were described, contributing to the design of further experimental studies.</p

Compressed representation of a partially defined integer function over multiple arguments

In OLAP (OnLine Analitical Processing) data are analysed in an n-dimensional cube. The cube may be represented as a partially defined function over n arguments. Considering that often the function is not defined everywhere, we ask: is there a known way of representing the function or the points in which it is defined, in a more compact manner than the trivial one