Search for jet extinction in the inclusive jet-pT spectrum from proton-proton collisions at s=8 TeV

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published articles title, journal citation, and DOI.The first search at the LHC for the extinction of QCD jet production is presented, using data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.7  fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The extinction model studied in this analysis is motivated by the search for signatures of strong gravity at the TeV scale (terascale gravity) and assumes the existence of string couplings in the strong-coupling limit. In this limit, the string model predicts the suppression of all high-transverse-momentum standard model processes, including jet production, beyond a certain energy scale. To test this prediction, the measured transverse-momentum spectrum is compared to the theoretical prediction of the standard model. No significant deficit of events is found at high transverse momentum. A 95% confidence level lower limit of 3.3 TeV is set on the extinction mass scale

Searches for electroweak neutralino and chargino production in channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons in pp collisions at 8 TeV

Searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) are presented based on the electroweak pair production of neutralinos and charginos, leading to decay channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons and undetected lightest SUSY particles (LSPs). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 19.5 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC. The main emphasis is neutralino pair production in which each neutralino decays either to a Higgs boson (h) and an LSP or to a Z boson and an LSP, leading to hh, hZ, and ZZ states with missing transverse energy (E-T(miss)). A second aspect is chargino-neutralino pair production, leading to hW states with E-T(miss). The decays of a Higgs boson to a bottom-quark pair, to a photon pair, and to final states with leptons are considered in conjunction with hadronic and leptonic decay modes of the Z and W bosons. No evidence is found for supersymmetric particles, and 95% confidence level upper limits are evaluated for the respective pair production cross sections and for neutralino and chargino mass values

Avaliação tecnológica da produção da agricultura familiar e os impactos sobre o meio ambiente na comunidade do Oiti, Lagoa Seca-PB

Os agricultores familiares da comunidade do Oiti, em função da pequena área de produção, vêm lutando contra essas limitações para a sobrevivência das famílias, exploram de forma intensiva o solo mediante a utilização de adubos e defensivos químicos, favorecendo o esgotamento da terra, a degradação dos recursos naturais e o desequilíbrio da natureza, Diante dessas considerações, o estudo avaliou a degradação tecnológica da produção da agricultura familiar na Microbacia do Oiti- Lagoa Seca â PB e seus impactos sobre o meio ambiente. O trabalho foi realizado mediante observação in loco, visitas e entrevistas com 40% dos chefes de famílias das pequenas propriedades rurais dessa comunidade. A metodologia utilizada foi a de Rocha (1997) adaptada, em que foram avaliados os fatores tecnológicos de produção agrícola. O uso limitado de técnicas de preservação e conservação de solo e água pelos agricultores da comunidade favorece a degradação do meio ambiente. O plantio de culturas de forma sucessiva no mesmo local beneficia a infestação de pragas e doenças, exigindo o uso excessivo de agrotóxicos que prejudica a saúde dos agricultores suas famílias e população consumidora. O uso de implementos agrícolas rústicos e à tração animal, utilizados pelos agricultores, minimiza os impactos sobre a degradação do meio ambiente. Ainda segundo a pesquisa 82,1% dos produtores não recebem acompanhamento técnico. Diversos fatores, além desse, vem contribuindo negativamente para deterioração tecnologia da comunidade do Oiti que é de 46,34%. Palavras-chave: deterioração tecnológica, recursos naturais, meio ambiente. ABSTRACT Family farmers of the community Oiti (1 to 10 hectares maximum), went fighting against the limitations of the production area, explore intensively the soil through the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which favor the depletion of land, natural resource degradation and the unequal nature. Given these considerations, the study evaluated the degradation of the technological production of family farming in the Watershed Oiti-Lagoa Seca - PB and its impacts on the environment. The study was conducted by on-site observation, visits and interviews with 40% of heads of families of small farms in this community. The methodology used was that of Richards (1997) adapted, Which evaluated the technological factors of agricultural production. The low use of techniques of preservation and conservation of soil promotes degradation soil and water, favoring the degradation of the environment. The planting of crops successively in the same location favors the infestation of pests and diseases, requiring excessive use of pesticides that affect the health of farmers and their families and promotes environmental degradation. The use of rustic farm implements and animal traction used by farmers to minimize impacts on environmental degradation. 82.1% of producers do not receive technical support, factors that favors negatively on low-tech production of family farmers. The degree of deterioration technology is 46.34%. Keywords: technological deterioration, natural resources, environment.</div

Selection of cryoprotectants based on their toxic effect on oyster gametes and embryos

Abstract Cryopreservation is a valuable tool for aquaculture by providing continuous seed production, regardless of thespawning seasons. This study aimed to select the least toxic among the cryoprotectants dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO),propylene glycol (PG), and methanol (MET) based on their toxicological effects on Crassostrea rhizophorae gametes and trochophores. They were exposed for 10, 20, and 30 min to a range of concentrations of those cryoprotectants. The endpoint was EC15–24 h (effective concentration which causes abnormalities in 15% of the population exposed to the cryoprotectants for 24 h), recently determined as the chronic value (the concentration at which chronic effects are first observed) for C. rhizophorae embryonic phases. There were no signiWcant diVerences (p > 0.05) among the exposure times in Me2SO toxic effects to either gametes or trochophores. For MET, the increase in exposure time resulted in higher toxicity for gametes, but not for trochophores, while for PG there was a signiWcant (p>0.05) increase in toxicity with the increase of exposure for trochophores and spermatozoa, but not for oocytes. For gametes, MET was the most toxic among the cryoprotectants, while PG was the most toxic for trochophores

Efeito de diferentes herbicidas na nodulação e na atividade da nitrogenase no amendoim Effect of herbicides on nodulation and nitrogenase activity in peanuts

Em ensaio de herbicidas na cultura do amendoim (Arachis hypogaea L.), realizado em Ribeirão Preto, SP, em 1984/85, sem o uso de inoculante, não foram encontrados nódulos nos diferentes tratamentos. Como é comum sua presença em amendoim nessa região, suspeitou-se que os herbicidas utilizados pudessem ter efeito inibitório na nodulação. Avaliou-se, então, o efeito de alachlor, linuron, oxadiazon, pendimetalin e trifluralin aplicados na dose recomendada, na nodulação e na atividade da nitrogenase, durante dois anos consecutivos, usando-se sementes inoculadas e não inoculadas. Foram feitas amostragens aos 28, 42, 63, 84 e 105 dias após a semeadura, observando-se nodulação abundante, em todos os tratamentos, e reduções ocasionais na nodulação e na fixação do nitrogênio, porém não consistentes nas diversas amostragens. A atividade da população nativa de Rhizobium em geral permaneceu num nível maior do que nos tratamentos com inoculação. Embora alguns herbicidas tenham afetado a nodulação e a fixação do nitrogênio, não houve influência na produção de grãos.<br>No nodules were found in a peanut herbicide trial held at Ribeirão Preto, State of São Paulo, Brazil, during the growing season 1984/85. Since spontaneous nodulation is commom in this region, a hypotheses was raised that herbicides could have an inhibitory effect on nodulation. To test the effect of herbicides on nodulation and nitrogenase activity an experiment was carried out on two consecutive years, using a factorial design with two factors: a) five herbicides (alachior, linuron, oxadiazon, pendimethalin and trifluralin) applied in usual dosages and a control without herbicide and b) with and without Bradyrhizobium inoculation. Samples were collected at 28, 42, 63, 84 and 105 days after planting. The results showed that nodulation was abundant in all treatments. Nitrogenase activity in the non inoculated treatments persisted for a longer period than in the inoculated ones. Although some herbicides reduced nodulation and nitrogen fixation, peanut grain production was not affected