Charge breaking bounds in the Zee model

We study the possibility that charge breaking minima occur in the Zee model. We reach very different conclusions from those attained in simpler, two Higgs doublet models, and the reason for this is traced back to the existence of cubic terms in the potential. A scan of the Zee model's parameter space shows that CB is restricted to a narrow region of values of the parameters

DC-Prophet: Predicting Catastrophic Machine Failures in DataCenters

When will a server fail catastrophically in an industrial datacenter? Is it possible to forecast these failures so preventive actions can be taken to increase the reliability of a datacenter? To answer these questions, we have studied what are probably the largest, publicly available datacenter traces, containing more than 104 million events from 12,500 machines. Among these samples, we observe and categorize three types of machine failures, all of which are catastrophic and may lead to information loss, or even worse, reliability degradation of a datacenter. We further propose a two-stage framework-DC-Prophet-based on One-Class Support Vector Machine and Random Forest. DC-Prophet extracts surprising patterns and accurately predicts the next failure of a machine. Experimental results show that DC-Prophet achieves an AUC of 0.93 in predicting the next machine failure, and a F3-score of 0.88 (out of 1). On average, DC-Prophet outperforms other classical machine learning methods by 39.45% in F3-score.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted by 2017 ECML PKD

Retraction methods and fixed point free maps with null minimal displacements on unit ball

In this paper we consider the class of H\"older-Lipschitz maps on unit ball $B_X$ of a Banach space $X$, and the question we deal with is whether for any $\alpha\in (0,1)$ and $\lambda>0$ there exists a fixed-point free map $T\colon B_X\to B_X$ such that $\|Tx - Ty\|\leq \lambda\|x - y\|^\alpha$ for all $x, y\in B_X$ and $\mathrm{d}(T,B_X)=0$. We show that if $X$ has a spreading Schauder basis then such a map can always be built, answering a question posed by the first author in \cite{Bar}. In the general case, using a recent approach of R. Medina \cite{M} concerning H\"older retractions of $(r_n)$-flat closed convex sets, we show that for any decreasing null sequence $(r_n)\subset \mathbb{R}$, there exists a fixed-point free mapping $T$ on $B_X$ so that $\|T^nx - T^n y\|\leq r_n(\| x - y\|^\alpha +1)$ for all $x, y\in B_X$ and $n\in\mathbb{N}$. New results related to Lipschitz maps are also obtained.Comment: Comments welcom

Influence of oxygen supply on the susceptibility of cv. Palomino fino must to browning

Experiments have been conducted on the oxidation of must (cv. Palomino fine). At the initial decanting process prior to fermentation, wines produced from hyperoxidized must had a reduced content of oxidable polyphenolic compounds and a reduced tendency to browning; they maintained these characteristics after bottling. Intermediate doses and the combined use of oxygen and sulphur dioxide were not fully effective in resolving the problem of browning for must of this grape variety, The larger the dose of oxygen (30 mg.l-1), the less the content of hydroxycinnamic esters and the lower the oxidizability, This dose was appropriate for producing a "fino" sherry wine with a low tendency to browning, retaining the sensory characteristics of this particular type of wine

INFLUENCE OF CELL WALL CALCIUM CONTENT IN FRUIT FIRMNESS DURING THE RIPENING OF PLUMS (PRUNUS DOMESTICA L.).

‘Rainha Claudia Verde’ is a regional cultivar of Prunus domestica L. well adapted to a specific region in the south of Portugal. In order to understand the postharvest behavior of this cultivar produced in different orchards, cell wall poly-saccharides and cell wall calcium fruit content were studied during ripening in two consecutive years. During harvest period pectic fractions soluble in water, carbonate and KOH were prepared from alcohol-insoluble residue (AIR) of plums. Galacturonic and neutral sugars contents were measured during fruit ripening and fruit firmness was also evaluated. The calcium fruit level was determined in the AIR during harvest season as well as in dry matter. Fruit firmness was significantly higher in the second year and was probably related with calcium fruit content and pectic polysaccharides. There was a significant difference in calcium fruit content between orchards, and this might influence the overall fruit texture during the postharvest period. During fruit ripening water soluble pectic polysaccharides did not change significantly, which corresponded with the small decrease in tissue firmness. The occurrence in the supernatant of the cellulosic residue of highly branched polysaccharides might be the consequence of matrix material associated with microfibrilar phase. Depolymerization of the hemicellulosic fraction was not evident during plum ripening. The loss of fruit firmness is a consequence of many cellular events which are influenced by external factors. The knowledge of calcium content in the cell wall and the pectic poly¬saccharides could be of great importance to local farmers to predict fruit texture

Recognition of the epidemiological significance of Neisseria meningitidis capsular serogroup W135 in the Rio de Janeiro region, Brazil

Neisseria meningitidis retains its ability to cause endemic and hiperendemic disease in human population living in any environment, as well as localized outbreaks and massive epidemics in civilians and military personnel. In Rio de Janeiro it has been reported in the 1990s as prolonged outbreak of serogroup B and at least one epidemic of serogroup C was well defined, both demanding quick action by the Public Health authorities. We report here the emergence of serogroup W135 meningococcal disease causing endemic and case cluster in Rio de Janeiro during the first years of this new century

Ultrasonic treatments during the alcoholic fermentation of red wines: effects on 'Syrah' wines

Grapes grown in warm climates have shorter ripening periods. This makes the regular level of several compounds related to sensory properties in wine to remain low. Therefore, those grapes need to receive a particular treatment during winemaking processes if they have to reach the adequate content levels of colour and aroma related compounds. Applying ultrasound during some of the winemaking procedures may contribute to improving the maceration process, which would result in a higher recovery of compounds from grape skins and seeds to the must. This work studies the effect of applying ultrasound to 'Syrah' musts for two different time lengths during its alcoholic fermentation. The wines produced according to regular winemaking procedures (reference wines) were then compared to wines that had been produced under the effect of ultrasound for 30 to 60 min per day. The results showed that the wines produced using ultrasound had concentrations of volatile compounds higher than their reference wine. These data were consistent with the results from the tasting panel, where the judges highlighted the red fruit notes of the wines resulting from the application of ultrasound during the alcoholic fermentation. On the other hand, there were differences between the two wines resulting from applying ultrasound for two different lengths of time, applying ultrasound for 30 min per day proved to be more effective in terms of aroma than applying ultrasounds for 60 min per day. The conclusion of this research is that applying ultrasound during the alcoholic fermentation favours the extraction of volatile compounds. However different times can produce different results. Furthermore, an excessive application of ultrasound may lead to the degradation of some of the compounds of interest

Single Stellar Populations in the Near-Infrared - I. Preparation of the IRTF spectral stellar library

We present a detailed study of the stars of the IRTF spectral library to understand its full extent and reliability for use with Stellar Population (SP) modeling. The library consist of 210 stars, with a total of 292 spectra, covering the wavelength range of 0.94 to 2.41 micron at a resolution R = 2000. For every star we infer the effective temperature (Teff), gravity (logg) and metallicity ([Z/Zsun]) using a full-spectrum fitting approach in a section of the K band (2.19 to 2.34 micron) and temperature-NIR colour relations. We test the flux calibration of these stars by calculating their integrated colours and comparing them with the Pickles library colour-temperature relations. We also investigate the NIR colours as a function of the calculated effective temperature and compared them in colour-colour diagrams with the Pickles library. This latter test shows a good broad-band flux calibration, important for the SP models. Finally, we measure the resolution R as a function of wavelength. We find that the resolution increases as a function of lambda from about 6 angstrom in J to 10 angstrom in the red part of the K-band. With these tests we establish that the IRTF library, the largest currently available general library of stars at intermediate resolution in the NIR, is an excellent candidate to be used in stellar population models. We present these models in the next paper of this series.Comment: 17 pages, 19 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Emerging Techniques for Assessment of Sensorimotor Impairments after Spinal Cord Injury

Gait function can be altered after incomplete spinal cord (iSCI) lesions. Muscular weakness, co‐activation of antagonist muscles, and altered muscle mechanics are likely to provoke abnormal gait and postural movements. Functional scales are available for assessment of functional walking in SCI patients, such as walking index for spinal cord injury (WISCI II), timed up and go (TUG) test, 10‐meter walk test (10MWT), and 6‐minute walk test (6MWT). Novel metrics for a more detailed comprehension of neuromuscular control in terms of degree of voluntary motor control have been recently proposed. This section describes novel techniques based on muscle synergy and frequency domain analysis of electromyographic signals. Such techniques are illustrated as potential tools for assessment of motor function after SCI with experimental data and a case study describing a diagnostic scenario. This chapter presents a discussion of the current status of the emerging metrics for assessment of sensorimotor impairments. Conclusions are given with respect to the availability of enriched information about neuromuscular behavior between functional tasks (walking and pedalling) and the potential relevance of these new techniques to improve the efficacy of treatment to improve locomotion after iSCI