Consistency of the Two Higgs Doublet Model and CP violation in top production at the LHC

It is important to provide guidance on whether CP violation may be measurable in top-quark production at the Large Hadron Collider. The present work extends an earlier analysis of the non-supersymmetric Two-Higgs-Doublet Model in this respect, by allowing a more general potential. Also, a more comprehensive study of theoretical and experimental constraints on the model is presented. Vacuum stability, unitarity, direct searches and electroweak precision measurements severely constrain the model. We explore, at low \tan\beta, the allowed regions in the multidimensional parameter space that give a viable physical model. This exploration is focused on the parameter space of the neutral sector rotation matrix, which is closely related to the Yukawa couplings of interest. In most of the remaining allowed regions, the model violates CP. We present a quantitative discussion of a particular CP-violating observable. This would be measurable in semileptonically decaying top and antitop quarks produced at the LHC, provided the number of available events is of the order of a million.Comment: 45 pages, 10 figures, some in (essential) colour. Figures 2, 6 and 7 are bitmapped, better quality available on request. Version to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Differential antifungal activity of human and cryptococcal melanins with structural discrepancies

Indexación: Scopus.Melanin is a pigment found in all biological kingdoms, and plays a key role in protection against ultraviolet radiation, oxidizing agents, and ionizing radiation damage. Melanin exerts an antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and parasites. We demonstrated an antifungal activity of synthetic and human melanin against Candida sp. The members of the Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii species complexes are capsulated yeasts, which cause cryptococcosis. For both species melanin is an important virulence factor. To evaluate if cryptococcal and human melanins have antifungal activity against Cryptococcus species they both were assayed for their antifungal properties and physico-chemical characters. Melanin extracts from human hair and different strains of C. neoformans (n = 4) and C. gattii (n = 4) were investigated. The following minimum inhibitory concentrations were found for different melanins against C. neoformans and C. gattii were (average/range): 13.7/(7.8-15.6) and 19.5/(15.6-31.2) μg/mL, respectively, for human melanin; 273.4/(125- > 500) and 367.2/(125.5- > 500) μg/mL for C. neoformans melanin and 125/(62.5-250) and 156.2/(62-250) μg/mL for C. gattii melanin. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy we observed that human melanin showed a compact conformation and cryptococcal melanins exposed an amorphous conformation. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed some differences in the signals related to C-C bonds of the aromatic ring of the melanin monomers. High Performance Liquid Chromatography established differences in the chromatograms of fungal melanins extracts in comparison with human and synthetic melanin, particularly in the retention time of the main compound of fungal melanin extracts and also in the presence of minor unknown compounds. On the other hand, MALDI-TOF-MS analysis showed slight differences in the spectra, specifically the presence of a minor intensity ion in synthetic and human melanin, as well as in some fungal melanin extracts. We conclude that human melanin is more active than the two fungal melanins against Cryptococcus. Although some physico-chemical differences were found, they do not explain the differences in the antifungal activity against Cryptococcus of human and cryptococcal melanins. More detailed studies on the structure should be considered to associate structure and antifungal activity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01292/ful

Topographical scattering of waves: a spectral approach

The topographical scattering of gravity waves is investigated using a spectral energy balance equation that accounts for first order wave-bottom Bragg scattering. This model represents the bottom topography and surface waves with spectra, and evaluates a Bragg scattering source term that is theoretically valid for small bottom and surface slopes and slowly varying spectral properties. The robustness of the model is tested for a variety of topographies uniform along one horizontal dimension including nearly sinusoidal, linear ramp and step profiles. Results are compared with reflections computed using an accurate method that applies integral matching along vertical boundaries of a series of steps. For small bottom amplitudes, the source term representation yields accurate reflection estimates even for a localized scatterer. This result is proved for small bottom amplitudes $h$ relative to the mean water depth $H$. Wave reflection by small amplitude bottom topography thus depends primarily on the bottom elevation variance at the Bragg resonance scales, and is insensitive to the detailed shape of the bottom profile. Relative errors in the energy reflection coefficient are found to be typically $2h/H$.Comment: Second revision for Journal of Waterways Ports and Coastal Engineerin

Fabrication of a scaled MgB2 racetrack demonstrator pole for a 10 MW direct drive wind turbine generator

Field windings made of MgB2 wires or tapes are considered for their potential to reduce volume, weight and cost of large offshore wind turbine generators. To gain experience of how to use this relatively new material in full-scale generators, tests of different winding methodologies and techniques are needed. In this paper, we describe in detail the steps used to wind a racetrack coil with a length of 1 m and a width of 0.5 m out of 4.5 km of MgB2 superconducting tape. The width corresponds to a full-scale pole of a 10 MW generator, whereas the length of the straight section is shorter than the corresponding full-scale pole. The coil was built up of 10 double pancake coils. Each double pancake coil was wet-wound using a semi-automatic winding process, where Stycast 2850 was applied directly to the MgB2 tape without any other dedicated electrical insulation. The strengths and weaknesses of the winding process are discussed and compared to the dry-winding method.acceptedVersio

Fabrication of a scaled MgB2 racetrack demonstrator pole for a 10 MW direct drive wind turbine generator

Field windings made of MgB2 wires or tapes are considered for their potential to reduce volume, weight and cost of large offshore wind turbine generators. To gain experience of how to use this relatively new material in full-scale generators, tests of different winding methodologies and techniques are needed. In this paper, we describe in detail the steps used to wind a racetrack coil with a length of 1 m and a width of 0.5 m out of 4.5 km of MgB2 superconducting tape. The width corresponds to a full-scale pole of a 10 MW generator, whereas the length of the straight section is shorter than the corresponding full-scale pole. The coil was built up of 10 double pancake coils. Each double pancake coil was wet-wound using a semi-automatic winding process, where Stycast 2850 was applied directly to the MgB2 tape without any other dedicated electrical insulation. The strengths and weaknesses of the winding process are discussed and compared to the dry-winding method.acceptedVersio

Tests and foreseen developments of fibered-OSLD gamma heating measurements in low-power reactors

International audienceIn this paper are presented test measurements of a fibered-OSLD system performed during a dedicated experimental phase in EOLE zero-power reactor. The measurement setup consists of an OSLD crystal connected onto the extremity of an optical fiber and a laser stimulation system, manufactured by the CEA/LIST in Saclay. The OSL sensor is remotely stimulated via an optical fiber using a diode-pumped solid-state laser. The OSL light is collected and guided back along the same fiber to a photomultiplier tube. Results obtained using this system are compared to usual gamma heating measurement protocol using OSLD pellets. The presence of induced radio-luminescence in the OSLD during the irradiation was also observed and could be used to monitor the gamma flux.The feasibility of remote measurements is achieved, whereas further developments could be conducted to improve this technique since the readout procedure still requires to withdraw the OSLD off the gamma flux (hence from the core) on account of the dose rate (around a few Gy.h-1), and the readout time remains quite long for on-line applications. Several improvements are foreseen, and will be tested in the forthcoming years

The Musical Abilities, Pleiotropy, Language, and Environment (MAPLE) framework for understanding musicality-language links across the lifespan

Using individual differences approaches, a growing body of literature finds positive associations between musicality and language-related abilities, complementing prior findings of links between musical training and language skills. Despite these associations, musicality has been often overlooked in mainstream models of individual differences in language acquisition and development. To better understand the biological basis of these individual differences, we propose the Musical Abilities, Pleiotropy, Language, and Environment (MAPLE) framework. This novel integrative framework posits that musical and language-related abilities likely share some common genetic architecture (i.e., genetic pleiotropy) in addition to some degree of overlapping neural endophenotypes, and genetic influences on musically and linguistically enriched environments. Drawing upon recent advances in genomic methodologies for unraveling pleiotropy, we outline testable predictions for future research on language development and how its underlying neurobiological substrates may be supported by genetic pleiotropy with musicality. In support of the MAPLE framework, we review and discuss findings from over seventy behavioral and neural studies, highlighting that musicality is robustly associated with individual differences in a range of speech-language skills required for communication and development. These include speech perception-in-noise, prosodic perception, morphosyntactic skills, phonological skills, reading skills, and aspects of second/foreign language learning. Overall, the current work provides a clear agenda and framework for studying musicality-language links using individual differences approaches, with an emphasis on leveraging advances in the genomics of complex musicality and language traits

Intrinsic Coupling between Current and Domain Wall Motion in (Ga,Mn)As

We consider current-induced domain wall motion and, the reciprocal process, moving domain wall-induced current. The associated Onsager coefficients are expressed in terms of scattering matrices. Uncommonly, in (Ga,Mn)As, the effective Gilbert damping coefficient $\alpha_w$ and the effective out-of-plane spin transfer torque parameter $\beta_w$ are dominated by spin-orbit interaction in combination with scattering off the domain wall, and not scattering off extrinsic impurities. Numerical calculations give $\alpha_w \sim 0.01$ and $\beta_w \sim 1$ in dirty (Ga,Mn)As. The extraordinary large $\beta_w$ parameter allows experimental detection of current or voltage induced by domain wall motion in (Ga,Mn)As.Comment: Final version accepted by Physical Review Letter