The Higgs decay rate to two photons in a model with two fermiophobic-Higgs doublets

We consider a three Higgs doublet model with an $S_3$ symmetry in which beside the SM-like doublet there are two fermiophobic doublets. Due to the new charged scalars there is an enhancement in the two-photon decay while the other channels have the same decay widths that the SM neutral Higgs. The fermiophobic scalars are mass degenerated unless soft terms breaking the $S_3$ symmetry are added.Comment: typos were corrected, the figures have been modified and the conclusions were increased. Still contains 15 pages, 2 figure

Constitutionalizing abortion in Brazil

Brazil has been constitutionalizing disputes on women’s right to terminate unwanted pregnancy. This paper explains how this process started with the drafting of the new constitution in 1986-87, and evolved in different arenas, the legislative, the executive and in the public sphere. Most recently, it moved to the Supreme Court, primarily in its anencephalic pregnancy decision, brought as a Claim of Non Compliance with Fundamental Precept (ADPF 54). Decided in 2012, it was the first time since the adoption of the Penal Code in 1940 that the Brazilian Supreme Court moved the criminal boundaries to enable women to decide whether to terminate anencephalic pregnancies. The purpose of this article is to examine how the ADPF 54 decision contributed to the constitutionalization of abortion.  First, it established the right to life as a non-absolute right, granting constitutional legitimacy to the system of legal exceptions. Second, it signaled the balancing of constitutional rights as the reasoning paradigm for this issue. Third, in framing the controversy as a matter of balancing constitutionally protected rights, the positions established in the Court ultimately recognized crucial understandings of women’s rights

Nonresonant searches for axion-like particles in vector boson scattering processes at the LHC

We propose a new search for Axion-Like Particles (ALPs), targeting Vector Boson Scattering (VBS) processes at the LHC. We consider nonresonant ALP-mediated VBS, where the ALP participates as an off-shell mediator. This process occurs whenever the ALP is too light to be produced resonantly, and it takes advantage of the derivative nature of ALP interactions with the electroweak Standard Model bosons. We study the production of ZZ, Zγ, W ±γ, W ±Z and W ±W ± pairs with large diboson invariant masses in association with two jets. Working in a gauge-invariant framework, upper limits on ALP couplings to electroweak bosons are obtained from a reinterpretation of Run 2 public CMS VBS analyses. The constraints inferred on ALP couplings to ZZ, Zγ and W ±W ± pairs are very competitive for ALP masses up to 100 GeV. They have the advantage of being independent of the ALP coupling to gluons and of the ALP decay width. Simple projections for LHC Run 3 and HL-LHC are also calculated, demonstrating the power of future dedicated analyses at ATLAS and CMS

Increased markers of cardiac vagal activity in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2-associated Parkinson's disease.

PurposeCardiac autonomic dysfunction manifests as reduced heart rate variability (HRV) in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), but no significant reduction has been found in PD patients who carry the LRRK2 mutation. Novel HRV features have not been investigated in these individuals. We aimed to assess cardiac autonomic modulation through standard and novel approaches to HRV analysis in individuals who carry the LRRK2 G2019S mutation.MethodsShort-term electrocardiograms were recorded in 14 LRRK2-associated PD patients, 25 LRRK2-non-manifesting carriers, 32 related non-carriers, 20 idiopathic PD patients, and 27 healthy controls. HRV measures were compared using regression modeling, controlling for age, sex, mean heart rate, and disease duration. Discriminant analysis highlighted the feature combination that best distinguished LRRK2-associated PD from controls.ResultsBeat-to-beat and global HRV measures were significantly increased in LRRK2-associated PD patients compared with controls (e.g., deceleration capacity of heart rate: p = 0.006) and idiopathic PD patients (e.g., 8th standardized moment of the interbeat interval distribution: p = 0.0003), respectively. LRRK2-associated PD patients also showed significantly increased irregularity of heart rate dynamics, as quantified by Rényi entropy, when compared with controls (p = 0.002) and idiopathic PD patients (p = 0.0004). Ordinal pattern statistics permitted the identification of LRRK2-associated PD individuals with 93% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Consistent results were found in a subgroup of LRRK2-non-manifesting carriers when compared with controls.ConclusionsIncreased beat-to-beat HRV in LRRK2 G2019S mutation carriers compared with controls and idiopathic PD patients may indicate augmented cardiac autonomic cholinergic activity, suggesting early impairment of central vagal feedback loops in LRRK2-associated PD

Factors in the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism during graded renal failure in the rat

Factors in the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism during graded renal failure in the rat. Secondary hyperparathyroidism (2° HPT) develops as a result of renal failure. Hypocalcemia, phosphorus retention, calcitriol deficiency and skeletal resistance to the calcemic action of parathyroid hormone (PTH) are closely interrelated pathogenic factors important for the development of 2° HPT in renal failure. Since previous studies have mainly focused on advanced renal failure, only limited data are available in early renal failure. The goal of the present study was to evaluate how alterations in the dietary calcium and phosphorus composition affect the factors known to contribute to the genesis of 2° HPT in early and more advanced renal failure. To achieve this goal, graded differences in renal function were surgically induced in 453 rats while the dietary content of calcium and phosphorus was varied. Three different diets were used: (1) a high phosphorus diet (HPD), to induce phosphorus retention and stimulate 2° HPT; (2) a high calcium diet (HCaD), to inhibit calcitriol synthesis; and (3) a moderate calcium-moderate phosphorus diet (MCaPD), to separate the effects of high dietary phosphorus and calcium. Based on the serum creatinine (SCr) concentration rats were assigned to one of four different groups: (1) normal renal function (SCr ≤ 0.3 mg/dl); (2) mild renal failure (SCr 0.4 to 0.6 mg/dl); (3) moderate renal failure (SCr 0.7 to 0.8 mg/dl); or (4) advanced renal failure (SCr ≥ 0.9 mg/dl). As the severity of renal failure increased, progressive 2° HPT developed in each of the dietary groups. In the HPD group, the increase in PTH in normals from 47 ± 2 to 135 ± 14 pg/ml in mild renal failure (P < 0.001) was associated with hyperphosphatemia, a decrease in calcitriol and a decreased calcemic response to PTH. In the HCaD group, the increase in PTH in normals from 42 ± 2 to 74 ± 4 pg/ml in mild renal failure (P < 0.001) was associated with a decrease in calcitriol. In the MCaPD group, 2° HPT developed (40 ± 2 vs. 70 ± 4 pg/ml, normals vs. mild renal failure, P < 0.001) despite normal serum calcium, phosphorus and calcitriol levels; however, a decreased calcemic response to PTH was observed. In advanced renal failure, progressive increases of PTH were observed in all groups, but PTH levels were approximately three-fold greater in the HPD than the HCaD and MCaPD groups (410 ± 24, 114 ± 14 and 138 ± 17 pg/ml, respectively; P < 0.001). While serum calcitriol levels were markedly decreased in the HPD and HCaD groups in advanced renal failure, normal calcitriol levels were present in the MCaPD group. In summary, the development and magnitude of 2° HPT in the HPD group could be best explained by the contribution of several additive factors which included: hypocalcemia, phosphorus retention, a calcitriol deficiency and a decreased calcemic response to PTH. In the HCaD group, a calcitriol deficiency appeared to be the most important factor for the development of 2° HPT. In the MCaPD group, a decreased calcemic response to PTH, which may have been due to uremia, was the only factor to which 2° HPT could be attributed

Consumo de energia por ovinos alimentados com silagens de sorgo em diferentes estádios de maturação.

O consumo de energia foi avaliado em ovinos, utilizando-se câmaras respirométricas de fluxo aberto, para as silagens de três híbridos de sorgo (BRS 610, BR 700 e BRS 655) colhidas em três estádios de maturação dos grãos (leitoso, pastoso e farináceo). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado em desenho fatorial 3x3, sendo três híbridos e três estádios de maturação (idades de corte) e cinco repetições (carneiros). A silagem do BRS 610 colhida no estádio pastoso proporcionou maior consumo de energia líquida do que quando colhida no estádio leitoso. Já o BRS 655 apresentou maior consumo de energia líquida quando colhido no estádio pastoso em relação ao estádio farináceo. Para o BR 700 não houve influência da idade de corte sobre esse parâmetro

Emissão de metano entérico por ovinos alimentados com silagens de sorgo.

A emissão de metano entérico foi avaliada em ovinos recebendo silagens de três híbridos de sorgo (BRS 610, BR 700 e BRS 655) colhidas em três estádios de maturação dos grãos (leitoso, pastoso e farináceo). Os animais receberam a silagem em quantidade suficiente para atender as exigências de consumo de matéria seca para mantença. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado em desenho fatorial 3x3 (híbridos x estádios de maturação) com cinco repetições. A emissão diária de metano entérico não diferiu entre os tratamentos e representou entre 3,87% e 5,54% da energia bruta ingerida (9,74 a 16,03 gramas de metano por dia). Não houve efeito de híbrido sobre a emissão de metano por ovinos. O estádio de maturação do sorgo pode influenciar a emissão de metano entérico por ovinos alimentados com silagem

Development of an ex vivo assay for the characterization of a new elastin-like polymer with antimicrobial properties

[Excerpt] New treatment formulations for skin regeneration and wound infectionshaverecentlybeenthefocusofresearchinthebiomedical field,as they are one of the most common healthcare-associated infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of small molecules that can be used in the treatment of skin and wound infections as they occur as part of the innate defense mechanism in many organisms, even in microbes and virus, displaying immunomodulatory effects. With advances in protein engineering and recombinant DNA technology, it is now possible to reengineer protein-based materials with added functionality.Indeed,recombinantDNAtechnologyallows combining in the same molecule distinct functionalities, leading to the production of a chimeric protein displaying the properties of each blockof amino acids. With the aim of developing novel advanced materials and ultimately, the fabrication of advanced medical devices, hereby we describe the development, processing and characterization of a new recombinant protein-based-polymer (rPBP) with antimicrobial activity. The functionalrPBPcomprisesafunctionaldomainbasedonasyntheticcationic AMP, fused in frame with an elastin-like-polymer consisting of 200 repeatsofVPAVG(A200),asstructural unit.Acknowledgments: This work was financially supported Portuguese funding from FEDER through POFC – COMPETE and PEst project C/ BIA/UI4050/2011 (Portugal). AC and RM acknowledge FCT for SFRH/BD/75882/2011 and SFRH/BPD/86470/2012 grants, respectively