CP4 miracle: shaping Yukawa sector with CP symmetry of order four

We explore the phenomenology of a unique three-Higgs-doublet model based on the single CP symmetry of order 4 (CP4) without any accidental symmetries. The CP4 symmetry is imposed on the scalar potential and Yukawa interactions, strongly shaping both sectors of the model and leading to a very characteristic phenomenology. The scalar sector is analyzed in detail, and in the Yukawa sector we list all possible CP4-symmetric structures which do not run into immediate conflict with experiment, namely, do not lead to massless or mass-degenerate quarks nor to insufficient mixing or CP-violation in the CKM matrix. We show that the parameter space of the model, although very constrained by CP4, is large enough to comply with the electroweak precision data and the LHC results for the 125 GeV Higgs boson phenomenology, as well as to perfectly reproduce all fermion masses, mixing, and CP violation. Despite the presence of flavor changing neutral currents mediated by heavy Higgs scalars, we find through a parameter space scan many points which accurately reproduce the kaon CP-violating parameter $\epsilon_K$ as well as oscillation parameters in K and $B_{(s)}$ mesons. Thus, CP4 offers a novel minimalistic framework for building models with very few assumptions, sufficient predictive power, and rich phenomenology yet to be explored.Comment: 39 pages, 8 figures, 1 table; v2: expanded discussion, extra references, matches published versio

Asymmetric superconductivity in metallic systems

Different types of superfluid ground states have been investigated in systems of two species of fermions with Fermi surfaces that do not match. This study is relevant for cold atomic systems, condensed matter physics and quark matter. In this paper we consider this problem in the case the fermionic quasi-particles can transmute into one another and only their total number is conserved. We use a BCS approximation to study superconductivity in two-band metallic systems with inter and intra-band interactions. Tuning the hybridization between the bands varies the mismatch of the Fermi surfaces and produces different instabilities. For inter-band attractive interactions we find a first order normal-superconductor and a homogeneous metastable phase with gapless excitations. In the case of intra-band interactions, the transition from the superconductor to the normal state as hybridization increases is continuous and associated with a quantum critical point. The case when both interactions are present is also considered.Comment: new enlarged version, new title, 7 pages, 7 figure

Beyond the shortest path: the path length index as a distribution

The traditional complex network approach considers only the shortest paths from one node to another, not taking into account several other possible paths. This limitation is significant, for example, in urban mobility studies. In this short report, as the first steps, we present an exhaustive approach to address that problem and show we can go beyond the shortest path, but we do not need to go so far: we present an interactive procedure and an early stop possibility. After presenting some fundamental concepts in graph theory, we presented an analytical solution for the problem of counting the number of possible paths between two nodes in complete graphs, and a depth-limited approach to get all possible paths between each pair of nodes in a general graph (an NP-hard problem). We do not collapse the distribution of path lengths between a pair of nodes into a scalar number, we look at the distribution itself - taking all paths up to a pre-defined path length (considering a truncated distribution), and show the impact of that approach on the most straightforward distance-based graph index: the walk/path length

A visual tool for assessing tension-resolving models in the H0H_0-σ8\sigma_8 plane

Beyond-$\Lambda$CDM models, which were proposed to resolve the "Hubble tension", often have an impact on the discrepancy in the amplitude of matter clustering, the "$\sigma_8$-tension". To explore the interplay between the two tensions, we propose a simple method to visualize the relation between the two parameters $H_0$ and $\sigma_8$: For a given extension of the $\Lambda$CDM model and data set, we plot the relation between $H_0$ and $\sigma_8$ for different amplitudes of the beyond-$\Lambda$CDM physics. We use this visualization method to illustrate the trend of selected cosmological models, including non-minimal Higgs-like inflation, early dark energy, a varying effective electron mass, an extra number of relativistic species and modified dark energy models. We envision that the proposed method could be a useful diagnostic tool to illustrate the behaviour of complex cosmological models with many parameters in the context of the $H_0$ and $\sigma_8$ tensions.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, 5 table

Caminhos para o empreendedorismo social

A experiência adquirida pela Fundação Aperam Acesita no trabalho de assessoramento, acompanhamento e co-financiamento de programas e projetos junto às organizações possibilitou-nos fazer uma análise bastante realista e crítica em relação a situação das mesmas, constatando que grande parte destas organizações possui uma carência no conhecimento necessário para buscar sua autonomia, auto-gestão e fortalecimento institucional. Da mesma forma suas capacidades coletivas raramente são exploradas e aproveitadas e poucas são as informações para acessar sua legalização, financiamentos/convênios, registros e certificados.Entendendo a importância de reunir um conjunto de informações para o desenvolvimento destas organizações focadas em uma legislação atualizada, o presente instrumento tem por finalidade oferecer, de maneira prática e objetiva, às organizações e ao empreendedor social, caminhos para seu protagonismo. Vale ressaltar que grande parte das informações contidas neste material referese à legislação de âmbito nacional, porém para atender a uma demanda particular, algumas informações estão direcionadas às organizações de municípios que fazem parte da área de atuação da Aperam South America -- Vale do Aço e Vale do Jequitinhonha "Caminhos para o Empreendedorismo Social" é uma iniciativa da Aperam South America, através da Fundação Aperam Acesita, em parceria com o Instituto Papel Solidário, que buscam contribuir com o desenvolvimento sustentável das comunidades

Altered Hypercoagulability Factors in Patients with Chronic Chagas Disease: Potential Biomarkers of Therapeutic. Response

Thromboembolic events were described in patients with Chagas disease without cardiomyopathy. We aim to confirm if there is a hypercoagulable state in these patients and to determine if there is an early normalization of hemostasis factors after antiparasitic treatment. Ninety-nine individuals from Chagas disease-endemic areas were classified in two groups: G1, with T.cruzi infection (n = 56); G2, healthy individuals (n = 43). Twenty-four hemostasis factors were measured at baseline. G1 patients treated with benznidazole were followed for 36 months, recording clinical parameters and performance of conventional serology, chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (trypomastigote-derived glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored mucins), quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and hemostasis tests every 6-month visits. Prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) and endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) were abnormally expressed in 77% and 50% of infected patients at baseline but returned to and remained at normal levels shortly after treatment in 76% and 96% of cases, respectively. Plasmin-antiplasmin complexes (PAP) were altered before treatment in 32% of G1 patients but normalized in 94% of cases several months after treatment. None of the patients with normal F1+2 values during follow-up had a positive qRT-PCR result, but 3/24 patients (13%) with normal ETP values did. In a percentage of chronic T. cruzi infected patients treated with benznidazole, altered coagulation markers returned into normal levels. F1+2, ETP and PAP could be useful markers for assessing sustained response to benznidazole

Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications

Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. This article reviews the current status of this subject, including both recent advances and well-established results. The primary focus is on the basic physical principles underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and spin-polarized transport in semiconductors and metals. Spin transport differs from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling. The authors discuss in detail spin decoherence mechanisms in metals and semiconductors. Various theories of spin injection and spin-polarized transport are applied to hybrid structures relevant to spin-based devices and fundamental studies of materials properties. Experimental work is reviewed with the emphasis on projected applications, in which external electric and magnetic fields and illumination by light will be used to control spin and charge dynamics to create new functionalities not feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics.Comment: invited review, 36 figures, 900+ references; minor stylistic changes from the published versio

No effect of creatine supplementation on oxidative stress and cardiovascular parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Background: Exacerbated oxidative stress is thought to be a mediator of arterial hypertension. It has been postulated that creatine (Cr) could act as an antioxidant agent preventing increased oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of nine weeks of Cr or placebo supplementation on oxidative stress and cardiovascular parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Findings: Lipid hydroperoxidation, one important oxidative stress marker, remained unchanged in the coronary artery (Cr: 12.6 +/- 1.5 vs. Pl: 12.2 +/- 1.7 nmol.mg(-1); p = 0.87), heart (Cr: 11.5 +/- 1.8 vs. Pl: 14.6 +/- 1.1 nmol.mg(-1); p = 0.15), plasma (Cr: 67.7 +/- 9.1 vs. Pl: 56.0 +/- 3.2 nmol.mg(-1); p = 0.19), plantaris (Cr: 10.0 +/- 0.8 vs. Pl: 9.0 +/- 0.8 nmol.mg(-1); p = 0.40), and EDL muscle (Cr: 14.9 +/- 1.4 vs. Pl: 17.2 +/- 1.5 nmol.mg(-1); p = 0.30). Additionally, Cr supplementation affected neither arterial blood pressure nor heart structure in SHR (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Using a well-known experimental model of systemic arterial hypertension, this study did not confirm the possible therapeutic effects of Cr supplementation on oxidative stress and cardiovascular dysfunction associated with arterial hypertension.FAPES

Hundreds of variants clustered in genomic loci and biological pathways affect human height

Most common human traits and diseases have a polygenic pattern of inheritance: DNA sequence variants at many genetic loci influence the phenotype. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified more than 600 variants associated with human traits, but these typically explain small fractions of phenotypic variation, raising questions about the use of further studies. Here, using 183,727 individuals, we show that hundreds of genetic variants, in at least 180 loci, influence adult height, a highly heritable and classic polygenic trait. The large number of loci reveals patterns with important implications for genetic studies of common human diseases and traits. First, the 180 loci are not random, but instead are enriched for genes that are connected in biological pathways (P = 0.016) and that underlie skeletal growth defects (P < 0.001). Second, the likely causal gene is often located near the most strongly associated variant: in 13 of 21 loci containing a known skeletal growth gene, that gene was closest to the associated variant. Third, at least 19 loci have multiple independently associated variants, suggesting that allelic heterogeneity is a frequent feature of polygenic traits, that comprehensive explorations of already-discovered loci should discover additional variants and that an appreciable fraction of associated loci may have been identified. Fourth, associated variants are enriched for likely functional effects on genes, being over-represented among variants that alter amino-acid structure of proteins and expression levels of nearby genes. Our data explain approximately 10% of the phenotypic variation in height, and we estimate that unidentified common variants of similar effect sizes would increase this figure to approximately 16% of phenotypic variation (approximately 20% of heritable variation). Although additional approaches are needed to dissect the genetic architecture of polygenic human traits fully, our findings indicate that GWA studies can identify large numbers of loci that implicate biologically relevant genes and pathways.