Contact forces distribution for a granular material from a Monte Carlo study on a single grain

The force network ensemble is one of the most promising statistical descriptions of granular media, with an entropy accounting for all force configurations at mechanical equilibrium consistent with some external stress. It is possible to define a temperature-like parameter, the angoricity {\alpha}^{-1}, which under isotropic compression is a scalar variable. This ensemble is frequently studied on whole packings of grains; however, previous works have shown that spatial correlations can be neglected in many cases, opening the door to studies on a single grain. Our work develops a Monte Carlo method to sample the force ensemble on a single grain at constant angoricity on two and three-dimensional mono-disperse granular systems, both with or without static friction. The results show that, despite the steric exclusions and the constrictions of Coulomb's limit and repulsive normal forces, the pressure per grain always show a gamma distribution with scale parameter {\nu} = {\alpha}^{-1} and shape parameter k close to k', the number of degrees of freedom in the system. Moreover, the average pressure per grain fulfills an equipartition theorem =k'{\alpha}^{-1} in all cases (in close parallelism with the one for an ideal gas). These results suggest the existence of k' independent random variables (i.e. elementary forces) with identical exponential distributions as the basic elements for describing the force network ensemble at low angoricities under isotropic compression, in analogy with the volume ensemble of granular materials

Voluntary Environmental Regulation in Developing Countries: Mexico's Clean Industry Program

Because conventional command-and-control environmental regulation often performs poorly in developing countries, policymakers are increasingly experimenting with alternatives, including voluntary regulatory programs. Research in industrialized countries suggests that such programs are sometimes ineffective because they mainly attract relatively clean participants free-riding on unrelated pollution control investments. We use plant-level data on more than 100,000 facilities to analyze the Clean Industry Program, Mexico’s flagship voluntary regulatory initiative. We seek to identify the drivers of participation and to determine whether the program improves participants’ environmental performance. Using data from the program’s first decade, we find that plants recently fined by environmental regulators were more likely to participate, but that after graduating from the program, participants were not fined at a substantially lower rate than nonparticipants. These results suggest that although the Clean Industry Program attracted dirty plants under pressure from regulators, it did not have a large, lasting impact on their environmental performance.voluntary environmental regulation, duration analysis, propensity score matching, Mexico

icet - A Python library for constructing and sampling alloy cluster expansions

Alloy cluster expansions (CEs) provide an accurate and computationally efficient mapping of the potential energy surface of multi-component systems that enables comprehensive sampling of the many-dimensional configuration space. Here, we introduce \textsc{icet}, a flexible, extensible, and computationally efficient software package for the construction and sampling of CEs. \textsc{icet} is largely written in Python for easy integration in comprehensive workflows, including first-principles calculations for the generation of reference data and machine learning libraries for training and validation. The package enables training using a variety of linear regression algorithms with and without regularization, Bayesian regression, feature selection, and cross-validation. It also provides complementary functionality for structure enumeration and mapping as well as data management and analysis. Potential applications are illustrated by two examples, including the computation of the phase diagram of a prototypical metallic alloy and the analysis of chemical ordering in an inorganic semiconductor.Comment: 10 page

A Novel Root-Knot Nematode Resistance QTL on Chromosome Vu01 in Cowpea.

The root-knot nematode (RKN) species Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica cause substantial root system damage and suppress yield of susceptible cowpea cultivars. The narrow-based genetic resistance conferred by the Rk gene, present in some commercial cultivars, is not effective against Rk-virulent populations found in several cowpea production areas. The dynamics of virulence within RKN populations require a broadening of the genetic base of resistance in elite cowpea cultivars. As part of this goal, F1 and F2 populations from the cross CB46-Null (susceptible) x FN-2-9-04 (resistant) were phenotyped for M. javanica induced root-galling (RG) and egg-mass production (EM) in controlled growth chamber and greenhouse infection assays. In addition, F[Formula: see text] families of the same cross were phenotyped for RG on field sites infested with Rk-avirulent M. incognita and M. javanica The response of F1 to RG and EM indicated that resistance to RKN in FN-2-9-04 is partially dominant, as supported by the degree of dominance in the F2 and F[Formula: see text] populations. Two QTL associated with both RG and EM resistance were detected on chromosomes Vu01 and Vu04. The QTL on Vu01 was most effective against aggressive M. javanica, whereas both QTL were effective against avirulent M. incognita Allelism tests with CB46 x FN-2-9-04 progeny indicated that these parents share the same RKN resistance locus on Vu04, but the strong, broad-based resistance in FN-2-9-04 is conferred by the additive effect of the novel resistance QTL on Vu01. This novel resistance in FN-2-9-04 is an important resource for broadening RKN resistance in elite cowpea cultivars

Five Texture Zeros for Dirac Neutrino Mass Matrices

In this work we propose new five textures zeros for the mass matrices in the lepton sector in order to predict values for the neutrino masses. In our approach we go beyond the Standard Model by assuming Dirac masses for the neutrinos, feature which allows us to make a theoretical prediction for the lightest neutrino mass in the normal ordering. The textures analyzed have enough free parameters to adjust the $V_{\text{\tiny PMNS}}$ mixing matrix including the CP-violating phase, the neutrino mass squared differences $\delta m_{21}^2,\,\delta m_{31}^2$, and the three charged lepton masses. In order to have reliable results two different approaches are used: the first one is based on a least-squares analysis to fit the lepton masses and the mixing parameters to their corresponding experimental values, for this case the best fit for the lightest neutrino mass is $(3.9\pm^{0.6}_{0.8})\times 10^{-3}$ eV.; the second approach is just algebraic, based on the weak basis transformation method, in this case the lightest neutrino mass consistent with the experimental values and the restrictions coming from the five texture zeros of the mass matrices is equal to $(3.5\pm0.9)\times 10^{-3}$ eV

New concept of safeprocess based on a fault detection methodology: super alarms

Industrial plants, especially on mining, metal processing, energy and chemical/petrochemical processes require integrated management of all the events that may cause accidents and translate into alarms. Process alarm management can be formulated as an eventbased pattern recognition problem in which temporal patterns are used to characterize different typical situations, particularly at startup and shutdown stages. In this paper, a new layer based on a diagnosis process is proposed over the typical layers of protection in industrial processes. Considering the alarms and the actions of the standard operating procedure as discrete events, the diagnosis step relies on situation recognition to provide the operators with relevant information about the failures inducing the alarm flow. The new concept of super alarms is based on a methodology with a diagnosis step that permits generate these types of superior alarms. For example, the Chronicle Based Alarm Management (CBAM) methodology involves different techniques to take the hybrid aspect and the standard operational procedures of the concerned processes into account

Suppressive impact of metronomic chemotherapy using UFT and/or cyclophosphamide on mediators of breast cancer dissemination and invasion

Producción CientíficaMetronomic chemotherapy using the 5-FU prodrug uracil-tegafur (UFT) and cyclophosphamide (CTX) was previously shown to only modestly delay primary tumor growth, but nevertheless markedly suppressed the development of micro-metastasis in an orthotopic breast cancer xenograft model, using the metastatic variant of the MDA-MB-231 cell line, 231/LM2-4. Furthermore, a remarkable prolongation of survival, with no toxicity, was observed in a model of postsurgical advanced metastatic disease. A question that has remained unanswered is the seemingly selective anti-metastatic mechanisms of action responsible for this treatment. We assessed the in vivo effect of metronomic UFT, CTX or their combination, on vascular density, collagen deposition and c-Met (cell mediators or modulators of tumor cell invasion or dissemination) via histochemistry/immunohistochemistry of primary tumor sections. We also assessed the effect of continuous exposure to low and non-toxic doses of active drug metabolites 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) or their combination, on 231/LM2-4 cell invasiveness in vitro. In the in vivo studies, a significant reduction in vascular density and p-Met[Y1003] levels was associated with UFT+CTX treatment. All treatments reduced intratumoral collagen deposition. In the in vitro studies, a significant reduction of collagen IV invasion by all treatments was observed. The 3D structures formed by 231/LM2-4 on Matrigel showed a predominantly Mass phenotype under treated conditions and Stellate phenotype in untreated cultures. Taken together, the results suggest the low-dose metronomic chemotherapy regimens tested can suppress several mediators of tumor invasiveness highlighting a new perspective for the anti-metastatic efficacy of metronomic chemotherapy.Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant 364411

Flipped versions of the universal 3-3-1 and the left-right symmetric models in [SU(3)]3: a comprehensive approach

ABSTRACT: By considering the 3-3-1 and the left-right symmetric models as low energy effective theories of the SU(3)C SU(3)L SU(3)R (for short [SU(3)]3) gauge group, alternative versions of these models are found. The new neutral gauge bosons of the universal 3-3-1 model and its ipped versions are presented; also, the left-right symmetric model and its ipped variants are studied. Our analysis shows that there are two ipped versions of the universal 3-3-1 model, with the particularity that both of them have the same weak charges. For the left-right symmetric model we also found two ipped versions; one of them new in the literature which, unlike those of the 3-3-1, requires a dedicated study of its electroweak properties. For all the models analyzed, the couplings of the Z0 bosons to the standard model fermions are reported. The explicit form of the null space of the vector boson mass matrix for an arbitrary Higgs tensor and gauge group is also presented. In the general framework of the [SU(3)]3 gauge group, and by using the LHC experimental results and EW precision data, limits on the Z0 mass and the mixing angle between Z and the new gauge bosons Z0 are obtained. The general results call for very small mixing angles in the range 10-3 radians and MZ0 > 2.5 TeV

The pH-responsive PacC transcription factor of Aspergillus fumigatus governs epithelial entry and tissue invasion during pulmonary aspergillosis

Data Availability: The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. Raw data have been deposited in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) under accession number GSE54810. Funding: This work was supported in part by grants to EMB from the MRC (G0501164) and BBSRC (BB/G009619/1), to EMB and NDR from the Wellcome Trust (WT093596MA), to MB from Imperial College London (Division of Investigative Sciences PhD Studentship), to HH from the ERA-NET PathoGenoMics project TRANSPAT, Austrian Science Foundation (FWF I282-B09), to SGF from the National Institutes of Health, USA (R01AI073829). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD