Hemisphere Mixing: a Fully Data-Driven Model of QCD Multijet Backgrounds for LHC Searches

A novel method is proposed here to precisely model the multi-dimensional features of QCD multi-jet events in hadron collisions. The method relies on the schematization of high-pT QCD processes as 2->2 reactions made complex by sub-leading effects. The construction of libraries of hemispheres from experimental data and the definition of a suitable nearest-neighbor-based association map allow for the generation of artificial events that reproduce with surprising accuracy the kinematics of the QCD component of original data, while remaining insensitive to small signal contaminations. The method is succinctly described and its performance is tested in the case of the search for the hh->bbbb process at the LHC.Comment: 4 pages plus header, 1 figure, proceedings of EPS 2017 Venic

Caracterización preliminar de las interacciones aguas subterráneas-humedales-ser humano en Iberoamérica y en la Península Ibérica

El proyecto UNESCO IGCP 604 tiene como objetivo elaborar un marco conceptual sobre las interacciones aguas subterráneas–humedales-ser humano, y está motivado por el Programa de Evaluación de los Ecosistemas del Milenio de Naciones Unidas. Como resultados preliminares se ha elaborado información de catorce humedales en nueve países. Sus características morfológicas, hidrológicas, químicas, etc. son muy variables. Solamente los servicios de abastecimiento de agua y de regulación hídrica parecen estar ampliamente extendidos, con una tendencia dominante a mantenerse estables o a empeorar. Todos los servicios culturales son frecuentes y muestran una tendencia mayoritaria a mejorar. Entre los factores que inducen cambios en los servicios, los de impacto más extendido son: extracción de agua, cambios en el uso de suelo, contaminación y cambio climático y global. Presentan impactos variables, pero la tendencia general es a mantenerse estables o a aumentar.This paper presents the preliminary results of The UNESCO project IGCP 604, whose objec-tive is to elaborate a conceptual framework on groundwater-wetland-human beings interactions, and is moti-vated by the UNESCO Millennium Ecosystems Assessment Programme. Data from fourteen wetlands in nine countries have been elaborated. Their morphological, hydrological, chemical, etc. characteristics are highly variable. Only the water supply and water regulation services seem to be widely extended, and their general evolution trend is to be stable or to worsen. All the cultural services seem to be widely extended, and the dominant trend is to improve. The factors that most widely induce changes in wetland services are water ex-traction, biological exploitation, changes in land use, pollution, and climate and global change. They cause variable impacts, which tend to be stable or to increase

Quantum transport in quantum networks and photosynthetic complexes at the steady state

Recently, several works have analysed the efficiency of photosynthetic complexes in a transient scenario and how that efficiency is affected by environmental noise. Here, following a quantum master equation approach, we study the energy and excitation transport in fully connected networks both in general and in the particular case of the Fenna-Matthew-Olson complex. The analysis is carried out for the steady state of the system where the excitation energy is constantly "flowing" through the system. Steady state transport scenarios are particularly relevant if the evolution of the quantum system is not conditioned on the arrival of individual excitations. By adding dephasing to the system, we analyse the possibility of noise-enhancement of the quantum transport.Comment: 10 pages, single column, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Plos On

Patterning Large-Scale Nanostructured Microarrays on Coverslip for Sensitive Plasmonic Detection of Aqueous Gliadin Traces

(c) The Author/sUser-friendly devices for detecting low gliadin content in commercial foods are of extreme importance for people with gluten diseases. With this concern, the present work proposes a rapid and sensitive optical nanostructured microarrays platform for the detection of gliadin using specific anti-gliadin IgG antibodies immobilized on annealed gold nanostructures (AuNPs) obtained after the high annealing process (550◦C) of gold thin films evaporated on commercial glass coverslips. Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) immunosensing of gliadin in the range of 0.1 ppm to 1000 ppm is successfully achieved. In addition, the biofunctionalization protocol was used for gluten screening in five food complex products.Publishe

Cmah-dystrophin deficient mdx mice display an accelerated cardiac phenotype that is improved following peptide-PMO exon skipping treatment

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by loss of dystrophin protein, leading to progressive muscle weakness and premature death due to respiratory and/or cardiac complications. Cardiac involvement is characterized by progressive dilated cardiomyopathy, decreased fractional shortening and metabolic dysfunction involving reduced metabolism of fatty acids—the major cardiac metabolic substrate. Several mouse models have been developed to study molecular and pathological consequences of dystrophin deficiency, but do not recapitulate all aspects of human disease pathology and exhibit a mild cardiac phenotype. Here we demonstrate that Cmah (cytidine monophosphate-sialic acid hydroxylase)-deficient mdx mice (Cmah−/−;mdx) have an accelerated cardiac phenotype compared to the established mdx model. Cmah−/−;mdx mice display earlier functional deterioration, specifically a reduction in right ventricle (RV) ejection fraction and stroke volume (SV) at 12 weeks of age and decreased left ventricle diastolic volume with subsequent reduced SV compared to mdx mice by 24 weeks. They further show earlier elevation of cardiac damage markers for fibrosis (Ctgf), oxidative damage (Nox4) and haemodynamic load (Nppa). Cardiac metabolic substrate requirement was assessed using hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicating increased in vivo glycolytic flux in Cmah−/−;mdx mice. Early upregulation of mitochondrial genes (Ucp3 and Cpt1) and downregulation of key glycolytic genes (Pdk1, Pdk4, Ppara), also denote disturbed cardiac metabolism and shift towards glucose utilization in Cmah−/−;mdx mice. Moreover, we show long-term treatment with peptide-conjugated exon skipping antisense oligonucleotides (20-week regimen), resulted in 20% cardiac dystrophin protein restoration and significantly improved RV cardiac function. Therefore, Cmah−/−;mdx mice represent an appropriate model for evaluating cardiac benefit of novel DMD therapeutics

A study of top polarization in single-top production at the LHC

This paper complements the study of single top production at the LHC aiming to estimate the sensitivity of different observables to the magnitude of the effective couplings. In a previous paper the dominant $W$-gluon fusion mechanism was considered, while here we extend the analysis to the subdominant (10% with our set of experimental cuts) s-channel process. In order to distinguish left from right effective couplings it is required to consider polarized cross-sections and/or include $m_b$ effects. The spin of the top is accessible only indirectly by measuring the angular distribution of its decay products. We show that the presence of effective right-handed couplings implies necessarily that the top is not in a pure spin state. We discuss to what extent quantum interference terms can be neglected in the measurement and therefore simply multiply production and decay probabilities clasically. The coarsening involved in the measurement process makes this possible. We determine for each process the optimal spin basis where theoretical errors are minimized and, finally, discuss the sensitivity in the s-channel to the effective right-handed coupling. The results presented here are all analytical and include $m_b$ corrections. They are derived within the narrow width approximation for the top.Comment: 30 pages, 14 figure

Quartz crystal microbalance genosensing of brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast in wine using a rapid and efficient drop and collect protocol

A miniaturized quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) genosensor is proposed for sensitive and real-time detection of short ssDNA sequences (53 bp) or DNA extracted from Brettanomyces bruxellensis (Brett) yeast cells. The presence of Brett yeast causes a depreciation of the quality of aged fine wines, producing molecules of unpleasant odors and biogenic amines that are harmful to human health. More specifically, standard quartz crystal (S-QCM) and homemade 4 nm gold transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-grid patterned quartz (multi-TEM QCM) are herein proposed for biofunctionalization steps with different ssDNA sequences. By employing a rapid and efficient drop and collect protocol, the specific detection of 1 pg/\ub5L ssDNA Brett of a short sequence and 100 ng/\ub5L DNA of B. bruxellensis extracted from a wine sample (VR2008) is reported

Acoustic multi-detection of Gliadin using QCM crystals patterned with controlled sectors of tem grid and annealed Nanoislands on gold electrode

Celiac diseases are a group of gluten ingestion-correlated pathologies that are widespread and, in some cases, very dangerous for human health. The only effective treatment is the elimination of gluten from the diet throughout life. Nowadays, the food industries are very interested in cheap, easy-to-handle methods for detecting gluten in food, in order to provide their consumers with safe and high-quality food. Here, for the first time, the manufacture of controlled micropatterns of annealed gold nanoislands (AuNIs) on a single QCM crystal (QCM-color) and their biofunctionalization for the specific detection of traces of gliadin is reported. In addition, the modified quartz crystal with a TEM grid and 30 nm Au (Q-TEM grid crystal) is proposed as an acoustic sensitive biosensing platform for the rapid screening of the gliadin content in real food products

Análise do perfil de ácidos graxos no contra-filé bovino pela RMN de 13C em alta resolução.

bitstream/CNPDIA-2010/12621/1/BPD26-2009.pd

Oscillatory coupling between a monolithic whispering-gallery resonator and a buried bus waveguide

We report on a combined theoretical and experimental study of the optical coupling between a microdisk resonator and a waveguide laying on different planes. While the lateral coupling between a planar resonator and a waveguide is characterized by a unique distance at which the resonant waveguide transmission vanishes because of destructive interference, the vertical coupling geometry exhibits an oscillatory behavior in the coupling amplitude as a function of the vertical gap. This effect manifests experimentally as oscillations in both the waveguide transmission and the mode quality factor. An analytical description based on coupled-mode theory and a two-port beam-splitter model of the waveguide-resonator coupling is developed, which compares successfully both to experimental data and numerical simulations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure