Constraints from Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

We examine the constraints from the recent HEIDELBERG-MOSCOW double beta decay experiment. It leads us to the almost degenerate or inverse hierarchy neutrino mass scenario. In this scenario, we obtain possible upper bounds for the Majorana CP violating phase in the lepton sector by incorporating the data from the neutrino oscillation, the single beta decay experiments, and from the astrophysical observation. We also predict the neutrino mass that may be measurable in the future beta decay experiments.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Recent range expansion and population genetics of the Argentine ant

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Arquitectura, apresentada ao Departamento de Arquitectura da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra.A habitação remonta às origens do homem, tendo evoluído do abrigo, que proporcionava proteção, até às casas dos nossos dias, representativas dos indivíduos que as habitam. Na atualidade, no mundo ocidental, a habitação tem que permitir aos seus moradores satisfazer as necessidades básicas de conforto, privacidade, higiene e alimentação, possibilitando um espaço de dormir, de lazer e de trabalho, adaptado às famílias contemporâneas. Numa altura em que é reconhecida a qualidade dos arquitetos portugueses a nível internacional, torna-se pertinente observar/perceber, de que forma estes desenvolvem a habitação unifamiliar, representativa do maior encargo financeiro na vida quotidiana das famílias portuguesas, que conta com o maior número de amadores. De forma a aprofundar a habitação unifamiliar contemporânea, em Portugal, a presente dissertação recorre à análise de dois empreendimentos que lhe servem de casos de estudo, o Bom Sucesso, Architecture Resort, Leisure & Golf, em Óbidos e o Vila Utopia, em Oeiras. Destinados um a primeira habitação e outro a segunda, abrangem um grupo de arquitetos de renome. Para facilitar a sua análise, ambos são estudados quer enquanto conjunto, quer através de algumas moradias representativas dos mesmos.The housing goês back to the origins of man, having evolved from the shelter, which provided protection to the homes of today, representative of the individuals who inhabit them. Today, in the western world, housing is required to allow its residents meet the basic needs of comfort, privacy, hygiene and nutrition, providing a space to sleep, leisure and work, adapted to contemporary families. At a time of recognition of the quality of Portuguese architects internationally, it is pertinent to note/notice, how they develop the single-family housing, representing the largest financial burden on thedaily lives of Portuguese families, which hás the largest number amateur. In order to deepen the contemporary family house in Portugal, this thesis refers to the analysis of two projects which serve as a case study, the Bom Sucesso Architecture Resort, Leisure & Golf in Obidos and the Vila Utopia, in Oeiras. The first one for as the primary housing and the second as a secondary house, cover a group of renowned architects. To facilitate the analysis, both are studied either as a body or through some representative of themselves

Large Lepton Mixing and Nonsymmetric Mass Matrices with Flavor 2 <-> 3 Symmetry

We analyze the lepton sector of a recently proposed nonsymmetric mass matrix model. Our model gives a unified description of quark and lepton with the same texture form based on an extended flavor $2 \leftrightarrow 3$ symmetry with a phase. By investigating possible types of assignment for masses, we find that the model can lead to large lepton mixings which are consistent with experimental values. We also find that the model predicts a very small value, $1.3\times10^{-10}$, for the lepton mixing matrix element square $|U_{13}|^2$. The CP violating phases in the lepton mixing matrix and a suppression of the averaged neutrino mass in the neutrinoless double beta decay are also predicted.Comment: 15pages, 2figure

Magnetic-Field Dependences of Thermodynamic Quantities in the Vortex State of Type-II Superconductors

We develop an alternative method to solve the Eilenberger equations numerically for the vortex-lattice states of type-II superconductors. Using it, we clarify the magnetic-field and impurity-concentration dependences of the magnetization, the entropy, the Pauli paramagnetism, and the mixing of higher Landau levels in the pair potential for two-dimensional $s$- and $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductors with the cylindrical Fermi surface.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

A novel homozygous variant of the thrombomodulin gene causes a hereditary bleeding disorder

ArticleBlood Advances. 5(19): 3830-3838 (2021)journal articl

Enhancement of lepton flavor violation in a model with bi-maximal mixing at the grand unification scale

We study phenomenological predictions in the scenario with the quasi-degenerate relation among neutrino Dirac masses, m_D1 simeq m_D2 < m_D3, assuming the bi-maximal mixing at the grand unification scale in supersymmetric standard models with right-handed neutrinos. A sufficient lepton number asymmetry can be produced for successful leptogenesis. The lepton flavor violating process mu to e gamma can be enhanced due to the Majorana phase, so that it can be detectable at forthcoming experiments. The processes tau to e gamma and tau to mu gamma are suppressed because of the structure of neutrino Dirac masses, and their branching ratios are smaller than that of mu to e gamma.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Are ADC histogram metrics repeatable?

Purpose: The present study evaluated the repeatability of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram metrics in clinical MRI.Methods: Twelve patients who underwent head MRI in our hospital from May to July in 2016 were included in the present study. All patients gave informed consent. Two sequential diffusion-weighted images with echo planar imaging (DWI-EPI) in the identical positioning were obtained. The b-factors of 0 and 1000 or 1500 s/mm2 were used, three orthogonal motion proving gradients (MPGs) were applied, and synthesized images were generated. The regions of interest (ROIs) were ssigned at the lesions on the 1st DWI and pasted onto the 2nd at the same size and location. Voxel-wise ADC was calculated by fitting the signal intensity change of each voxel into a mono-exponential curve. ADCs calculated from 1st and 2nd DWI were defined as ADC-1st and ADC-2nd, respectively. To investigate the repeatability of voxel-wise ADC in each lesion, ADC-1st and ADC-2nd were compared using Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test and linear regression. To onsider repeatability of ADC histogram metrics for all lesions, minimal, 25%, median, 75%, maximum, mean, skewness, and kurtosis of ADC-1st and ADC-2nd for each lesion were compared using linear regression and Bland-Altman plot.Results: For repeatability of voxel-wise ADC, significant differences were observed between ADC-1st and ADC-2nd in 5 lesions. Linear regression did not show significance of the slope in 5 lesions. As for repeatability of ADC histogram metrics, all ADC histogram metrics except skewness and kurtosis showed significance of the slope in linear regression (p<0.0001) and high repeatability in Bland-Altman plot.Conclusion: The histogram metrics of voxel-wise ADC like minimum, 25%, median, 75%, maximum, and mean show high repeatability, but skewness and kurtosis did not

Effects of Fipronil on Non-target Ants and Other Invertebrates in a Program for Eradication of the Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile

Pesticides are frequently used to eradicate invasive ant species, but pose ecological harm. Previous studies assessed non-target effects only in terms of the increase or decrease of abundance or species richness after pesticide applications. Positive effects of the release from pressure caused by invasive ant species have not been considered so far. To more accurately assess pesticide effects in the field, the non-target effects of pesticides should be considered separately from the positive effects of such releases. Here, we used monitoring data of ants and other invertebrates collected in a program for the eradication of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), using fipronil. First, we separately assessed the effects of L. humile abundance and fipronil exposure on non-target ants and other invertebrates using generalized linear models. The abundance of L. humile and the number of pesticide treatments were negatively associated with the total number of non-target individuals and taxonomic richness. We also noted negative relationships between the number of individuals of some ant species and other invertebrate taxonomic groups. The L. humile × pesticide interaction was significant, suggesting that the abundance of L. humile affected the level of impact of pesticide treatment on non-target fauna. Second, we evaluated the dynamics of non-target ant communities for 3 years using principal response curve analyses. Non-target ant communities treated with fipronil continuously for 3 years recovered little, whereas those treated for 1 year recovered to the level of the untreated and non-invaded environment