Neutralino Dark Matter in BMSSM Effective Theory

We study thermal neutralino dark matter in an effective field theory extension of the MSSM, called "Beyond the MSSM" (BMSSM) in Dine, Seiberg and Thomas (2007). In this class of effective field theories, the field content of the MSSM is unchanged, but the little hierarchy problem is alleviated by allowing small corrections to the Higgs/higgsino part of the Lagrangian. We perform parameter scans and compute the dark matter relic density. The light Higgsino LSP scenario is modified the most; we find new regions of parameter space compared to the standard MSSM. This involves interesting interplay between the WMAP dark matter bounds and the LEP chargino bound. We also find some changes for gaugino LSPs, partly due to annihilation through a Higgs resonance, and partly due to coannihilation with light stops in models that are ruled in by the new effective terms.Comment: 37 pages + appendi

Supersymmetry phenomenology beyond the MSSM after 5/fb of LHC data

We briefly review the status of motivated beyond-the-MSSM phenomenology in the light of the LHC searches to date. In particular, we discuss the conceptual consequences of the exclusion bounds, of the hint for a Higgs boson at about 125 GeV, and of interpreting the excess of direct CP violation in the charm sector as a signal of New Physics. We try to go into the various topics in a compact way while providing a relatively rich list of references, with particular attention to the most recent developments.Comment: 20 pages + refs. v2: minor modifications, published versio

Magnetic localization system for short-range positioning: a ready-to-use design tool

Magnetic localization is used in many indoor positioning applications, such as industrial, medical, and IoT, for its benefits related to the absence of line of sight needs, multipath and fading, the low cost of transmitters and receivers, and the simple development of setups made of coils and magnetic sensors. In short-range applications, this technology could bring some advantages with respect to ultrasound, laser, or RF ones. Nevertheless, fixed both the desired accuracy and the energy constraints, the optimal design of a localization system based on magnetic measurement depends on several factors: the dimension, the number and the optimal positions of the anchors, the uncertainties due to the sensing elements, and the data acquisition systems (DAQs). To preliminary fix all these parameters, suitable simulation environments allow developers to save time and money in developing localization applications. Many magnetic field simulators are available, but it is rare to find those that, considering the uncertainty due to the receiver and DAQs, are able to provide optimal anchors scenario given a target accuracy. To address this problem, this article presents a simulation tool providing the user with design requirements for given target accuracy. The aim of this article is to perform the first steps in providing a ready-to-use specification framework that given the localization domain, the mobile sensors, the DAQ characteristics, and the target accuracy and helps the developer of indoor magnetic positioning systems. The actual validity of the simulation model has been tested on a real setup.Postprint (published version

Special issue on recent advances in quality control of bridges and structures

[Excerpt] Many European bridge structures are decades old and need to be refurbished, or even to be replaced. However, the high fnancial investment hinders this, making the extension of their service life the only available choice in the short term. Recognizing and assessing current risk, reducing vulnerabilities through appropriate actions and monitoring the behavior of these structures are thus possible immediate routes to solve this problem.- (undefined

Editorial. The crux in bridge and transport network resilience - advancements and future-proof solutions

Bridges and critical transport infrastructure (CTI) are primary infrastructure assets and systems that underpin human mobility and activities. Loss of the functionality of bridges has consequences on the entire transport network, which is also interconnected with other networks, therefore cascading events are expected in the entire system of systems, leading to significant economic losses, business, and societal disruption. Recent natural disasters revealed the vulnerabilities of bridges and CTI to diverse hazards (e.g. floods, blasts, earthquakes), some of which are exacerbated due to climate change. Therefore, the assessment of bridge and network vulnerabilities by quantifying their capacity and functionality loss and adaptation to new requirements and stressors is of paramount importance. In this paper, we try to understand what are the main compound hazards, stressors and threats that influence bridges with short- and long-term impacts on their structural capacity and functionality and the impact of bridge closures on the network operability. We also prioritise the main drivers of bridge restoration and reinstatement, e.g. its importance, structural, resources, organisational factors. The loss of performance, driven by the redundancy and robustness of the bridge, is the first step to be considered in the overall process of resilience quantification. Resourcefulness is the other main component of resilience here analysed

Extending the near infrared emission range of indium phosphide quantum dots for multiplexed 'In Vivo' imaging

This report of the reddest emitting indium phosphide quantum dots (InP QDs) to date demonstrates tunable, near infrared (NIR) photoluminescence and fluorescence multiplexing in the first optical tissue window with a material that avoids toxic constituents. This synthesis overcomes the InP synthesis “growth bottleneck” and extends the emission peak of InP QDs deeper into the first optical tissue window using an inverted QD heterostructure. The ZnSe/InP/ZnS core/shell/shell structure is designed to produce emission from excitons with heavy holes confined in InP shells wrapped around larger-bandgap ZnSe cores and protected by a second shell of ZnS. The InP QDs exhibit InP shell thickness-dependent tunable emission with peaks ranging from 515 – 845 nm. The high absorptivity of InP leads to effective absorbance and photoexcitation of the QDs with UV, visible, and NIR wavelengths in particles with diameters of eight nanometers or less. These nanoparticles extend the range of tunable direct-bandgap emission from InP-based nanostructures, effectively overcoming a synthetic barrier that has prevented InP-based QDs from reaching their full potential as NIR imaging agents. Multiplexed lymph node imaging in a mouse model shows the potential of the NIR-emitting InP particles for in vivo imaging.First author draf

Membrane-based fermentation enables highly selective caproic acid production from wine lees

Chain elongation is a green chemistry approach to convert organic waste or agro-industrial side-products into caproic acid. Nonetheless, such feedstocks may contain microorganisms and chemical pollutants that could deteriorate the product yield and purity. This study introduces a membrane-based fermentation process designed to isolate the caproic acid producing bacteria from these contaminants. A tubular polysiloxane (silicone) membrane submerged into a fermentor allowed the selective diffusion of ethanol and acetic acid while preventing the cross-over of bacteria and contaminants such as ions. Abiotic tests confirmed that membrane thickness, feedstock pH and flow velocity can be adjusted to independently control the diffusion of ethanol and acetic acid. Thereof, optimal ethanol:acetic acid ratios for chain elongation (6:1) were obtained from a feedstock solution with equimolar (1 M) concentrations of both. In the biotic tests, this resulted in a highly selective (>90 %) caproic acid production at a highest rate of 3.1 g/(L⋅d). Maintaining the pH above 6.8, thereby keeping most caproic acid in its dissociated form, prevented its back-diffusion through the membrane. Similar caproic acid productivity was achieved from diluted wine lees (1 M ethanol), amended with 1 M acetic acid. In contrast, unamended wine lees resulted in three times lower caproic acid production rate, although the product selectivity remained high (94 %). Downstream processing by acidification and phase separation yielded 6–13 mL/Lfeedstock of an oily product containing up to 784 g/L caproic acid (84.3 % purity). In conclusion, membrane-based fermentation enables highly selective caproic acid production from highly concentrated and unbalanced substrates

Association of genetic variation with systolic and diastolic blood pressure among African Americans: the Candidate Gene Association Resource study

The prevalence of hypertension in African Americans (AAs) is higher than in other US groups; yet, few have performed genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in AA. Among people of European descent, GWASs have identified genetic variants at 13 loci that are associated with blood pressure. It is unknown if these variants confer susceptibility in people of African ancestry. Here, we examined genome-wide and candidate gene associations with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) using the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) consortium consisting of 8591 AAs. Genotypes included genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data utilizing the Affymetrix 6.0 array with imputation to 2.5 million HapMap SNPs and candidate gene SNP data utilizing a 50K cardiovascular gene-centric array (ITMAT-Broad-CARe [IBC] array). For Affymetrix data, the strongest signal for DBP was rs10474346 (P= 3.6 × 10−8) located near GPR98 and ARRDC3. For SBP, the strongest signal was rs2258119 in C21orf91 (P= 4.7 × 10−8). The top IBC association for SBP was rs2012318 (P= 6.4 × 10−6) near SLC25A42 and for DBP was rs2523586 (P= 1.3 × 10−6) near HLA-B. None of the top variants replicated in additional AA (n = 11 882) or European-American (n = 69 899) cohorts. We replicated previously reported European-American blood pressure SNPs in our AA samples (SH2B3, P= 0.009; TBX3-TBX5, P= 0.03; and CSK-ULK3, P= 0.0004). These genetic loci represent the best evidence of genetic influences on SBP and DBP in AAs to date. More broadly, this work supports that notion that blood pressure among AAs is a trait with genetic underpinnings but also with significant complexit

Exposicion del miserere ... : Practica de interior union con Dios, sacada de los psalmos y apologia por la concordia entre la quietud y fatiga de la oracion

Sign.: [calderón]4, A-R8 ; A-E8.Texto con apostillas marginales.Port. orlada.Port. con esc. xil. de la Compañía de Jesús

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention