Using Machine Learning techniques in phenomenological studies on flavour physics

An updated analysis of New Physics violating Lepton Flavour Universality, by using the Standard Model Effective Field Lagrangian with semileptonic dimension six operators at ¿ = 1 TeV is presented. We perform a global fit, by discussing the relevance of the mixing in the first generation. We use for the first time in this context a Montecarlo analysis to extract the confidence intervals and correlations between observables. Our results show that machine learning, made jointly with the SHAP values, constitute a suitable strategy to use in this kind of analysis

Spiders of soybean crops in Santa Fe Province, Argentina: Influence of surrounding spontaneous vegetation on lot colonization

Trials during two consecutive soybean cycles were performed in central Santa Fe in order to determine the main spider families present in the crop and to determine the influence of spontaneous margin flora on colonization towards the lot. Samplings were done by sweeping net and pitfall traps. It was concluded that: 1. Oxyopidae was the most frequent family in the herbaceous layer of both the margins and the soybean crop, and Lycosidae in the lower layer; 2. Margin strips in a soybean lot contribute to the colonization of the crop by spiders of aerial habits and also promote re-colonization following pesticide applications, since they act as shelters. The influence on spiders of terrestrial habits was somewhat lower; 3. The distribution of the populations of spiders of terrestrial habits was homogeneous in a soybean crop seeded directly and these predators had a greater capacity to control pests at all points of the lot.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Primera descripción del macho de Oonops nigromaculatus Mello-Leitão, 1944 (Araneae: Oonopidae) con la redescripción de la hembra y nuevos registros

The male of Oonops nigromaculatus Mello-Leitão 1944 is described for the first time and the female is redescribed from recently collected specimens. New records from Argentina and Uruguay are provided.Se describe por primera vez el macho de Oonops nigromaculatus Mello-Leitáo 1944, y la hembra se redescribe sobre la base de nuevos especímenes colectados recientemente. Se proveen nuevos registros de la Argentina y Uruguay.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

UV Plasmonic Metamaterial from Vertical Non-Conventional Nanoantennas

Boston, Massachusetts, November 29-December 4, 2015Metallic nanoantennas have been used as nanophotonic detectors of infrared and visible radiation [1] [2]. The extension of these elements to the ultraviolet (UV) range has not been satisfactory due to the poor optical absorption showed by metals at these frequencies. The low values of electrical conductivity of metals at UV frequencies compromise the generation of currents along the resonant geometries. In change, several non-conventional materials show a larger value of electrical conductivity, increasing notably the absorption of nanoantennas in the UV [3]. This electrical conductivity increment is more noticeable in liquid semimetals as Bismuth or Gallium. Another way to improve optical absorption of these resonant elements is to arrange them with a high spatial density of semimetal nanoantennas. In this contribution we evaluate numerically, using multiphysics simulation, the light to heat conversion performance of a vertical nanoantenna arrangement embedded in a dielectric matrix. The so-obtained UV metamaterial enabling strong electromagnetic plasmonic absorption and heating effects. The use of nanoantennas allows a polarization and frequency selectivity that can be adequate to generate ultraviolet sensors. These selectivities are strongly related with the shape of the resonant elements. Furthermore, since the vertical antennas are embedded within a robust dielectric matrix, this arrangement allows to change from solid to liquid phase maintaining the nanoantenna geometry. This is possible for materials as Bismuth or Gallium which show a lower melting temperature than dielectric substrates [4]. This phase transition makes the metamaterial active upon control of temperature. [1] L. Novotny and N. van Hulst, ¿Antennas for light,¿ Nat. Photon. 5 (2), 83-90, (2011). [2] A. Cuadrado, E. Briones, F.J. González, J. Alda, ¿Polarimetric Pixel using Seebeck Nanoantenna¿. Opt Exp, 22, No 11, 13835-13845, (2014). [3] J.Toudert, R.Serna, and M. Jiménez de Castro, ¿Exploring the optical potencial of nano-Bismuth: Tunable surface Plasmon resonances in the near Ultraviolet-to-Near Infrared range¿, J. Phys. Chem. C, 116 (38), pp 20530-20539, (2012). [4] M. Jiménez de Castro, F. Cabello, J. Toudert, R. Serna and E.Haro-Poniatowski, ¿Potential of bismuth nanoparticles embedded in a glass matrix for spectral-selective thermo-optical devices¿ Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 113102 (2014).Peer Reviewe

Seebeck Nanoantennas for Infrared Detection and Energy Harvesting Applications

In this letter we introduce a new type of infrared sensor, based on thermocouple nanoantennas, which enables the energy detection and gathering in the mid-infrared region. The proposed detector combines the Seebeck effect, as a transduction mechanism, with the functionalities of the optical antennas for optical sensing. By using finite-element numerical simulations we evaluate the performance and optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency of the proposed device, unveiling its potential for optical sensing and energy harvesting applications.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Invited paper at EUCAP 201

Anomalies in B mesons decays: a phenomenological approach

The experimental measurements on flavour physics, in tension with Standard Model predictions, exhibit large sources of lepton flavour universality violation. We perform an analysis of the effects of the global fits on the Wilson coefficients assuming the Standard Model Effective Field Theory with semileptonic dimension six operators at 1 TeV, and by including a set of different scenarios in which the New Physics contributions to the Wilson coefficients are present in one, two or three of the Wilson coefficients at a time. We compare the results of the global fit with respect to two cases: the Standard Model and the more general case in which new physics modifies three independent Wilson coefficients. The last mentioned scenario is the favoured one for explaining the tension between Standard Model predictions and B-physics anomalies, but a specific more restricted scenario can provide similar goodness with a smaller set of free parameters. A discussion of the implications of our analysis in leptoquark models is included

Integrating palliative care education in pulmonary rehabilitation: a randomized controlled study protocol

Background: Palliative care addresses multiple unmet needs of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and their family and/or friend caregivers, but it remains highly underused. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) may provide a key opportunity to introduce palliative care. We aim to explore the effects of palliative care education as part of PR on knowledge about this field in people with COPD or ILD and their family and/or friend caregivers. Methods: A randomized controlled study will compare PR with palliative care education (experimental) with traditional PR (control) in people with COPD or ILD and their family and/or friend caregivers. Family and/or friend caregivers will be invited to take part in education and psychosocial support sessions. In addition to the usual educational content, the experimental group will have a session on palliative care, a “Peer-to-peer session”, two “Get-apart sessions” and online sessions. The “Peer-to-peer session” and the “Get-apart sessions” will be discussions about topics suggested by participants. The “Get-apart sessions” will be dedicated to people with COPD or ILD apart from their family and/or friend caregivers and vice versa. The online sessions will be zoom meetings to discuss any health-related issues raised by participants, at a flexible time. A mixed-methods approach will be used to evaluate the outcomes. The primary outcome will be knowledge about palliative care. Secondary outcomes will include attitude towards palliative care referral, symptoms, disease impact, health-related quality of life, needs, knowledge about the disease, burden of providing care, adherence, adverse events and referral to a specialist palliative care team. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected at baseline and end of PR. At 6-months post-PR, only patient-reported outcomes will be collected. For the primary outcome, time*group interaction will be analyzed with mixed analysis of variance. Discussion: This study aims to demonstrate the impact of integrating palliative care into the PR education program. Trial registration: The trial was registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov U.S. National Library of Medicine, on 1st September, 2023 (NCT06046547).Nippon Gases Portugal; Gasoxmed.publishe

Evaluation of cough peak flow in COPD

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Leptonic meson decays into invisible ALP

The theoretical calculation of pseudo–scalar leptonic decay widths into an invisible ALP, M→ℓνℓa, is reviewed. Assuming generic flavor–conserving ALP couplings to SM fermions and a generic ALP mass, ma, the latest experimental results for pseudo–scalar leptonic decays are used to provide updated bounds on the ALP–fermion Lagrangian sector. Constrains on the ALP-quark couplings obtained from these channels are not yet competitive with the ones derived from FCNC processes, like M→Pa decays. These leptonic decays can, however, provide the most stringent model–independent upper bounds on ALP-leptons couplings for ma in the (sub)–GeV range