Net baryon-number fluctuations in magnetized quark matter

The kurtosis and skewness of net baryon-number fluctuations are studied for the magnetized phase diagram of three-flavor quark matter within the Polyakov extended Nambu$-$Jona-Lasinio model. Two models with magnetic catalysis and inverse magnetic catalysis are considered. Special attention is given to their behavior in the neighborhood of the light and strange critical end points (CEPs). Several isentropic trajectories that come close the CEPs are studied in order to analyze possible signatures of a CEP in the presence of external magnetic fields. The effect of the magnetic field on the velocity of sound, $v_s^2$, when both the light and strange CEPs are approached from the crossover region is also investigated by calculating their temperature and baryon chemical potential dependencies at fixed distances from these CEPs. Regions with large fluctuations but no CEP in nonmagnetized matter develop a CEP under the action of a strong magnetic field. Besides, the Landau quantization of the quark trajectories may result in the appearance of extra CEPs, in particular, in the strange sector for strong magnetic fields, identifiable by the net baryon-number fluctuations. Stiffer (smoother) fluctuations in the region of the CEP are characteristic of models that do not predict (do predict) the inverse magnetic catalysis at zero chemical potential. Particularly interesting is the ratio $\chi^4_B/\chi^2_B$ that has a more pronounced peak structure, indicating that it is eventually a more convenient probe for the search of a CEP. The speed of sound shows a much richer structure in magnetized quark matter and allows one to identify both chiral and deconfinement transitions.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures; PRD versio

Magnetized QCD phase diagram: critical end points for the strange quark phase transition driven by external magnetic fields

In this work we examine possible effects of an external magnetic field in the strongly interacting matter phase diagram. The study is performed using the Polyakov-Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. Possible consequences of the inverse magnetic catalysis effect on the phase diagram at both finite chemical potential and temperature are analyzed. We devote special emphasis on how the location of the multiple critical end points (CEPs) change in a magnetized medium: the presence of an external magnetic field induces several CEPs in the strange sector, which arise due to the multiple phase transitions that the strange quark undergoes. We also study the deconfinement transition which turns out to be less sensitive to the external magnetic field when compared to the quark phase transitions. The crossover nature of the deconfinement is preserved over the whole phase diagram.Comment: Contribution to the proceedings of Hadron 2017 - XVII International Conference on Hadron Spectroscopy and Structure, September 25th-29th 2017, Salamanca, Spai

Multiple critical end points in magnetized three flavor quark matter

The magnetized phase diagram for three-flavor quark matter is studied within the Polyakov extended Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model. The order parameters are analyzed with special emphasis on the strange quark condensate. We show that the presence of an external magnetic field induces several critical endpoints (CEPs) in the strange sector, which arise due to the multiple phase transitions that the strange quark undergoes. The spinodal and binodal regions of the phase transitions are shown to increase with external magnetic field strength. The influence of strong magnetic fields on the isentropic trajectories around the several CEPs is analyzed. A focusing effect is observed on the region towards the CEPs that are related with the strange quark phase transitions. Compared to the chiral transitions, the deconfinement transition turns out to be less sensitive to the external magnetic field and the crossover nature is preserved over the whole phase diagram.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures; PRD versio

Domestic Impact of Internationalisation: The case of JM

The influence of internationalisation processes in the domestic activities of firms’ has not been considered as an important issue in existing models, because they tend to focus on a partial and restricted view of the firm. The purpose of this paper is to challenge that view by attempting a dynamic view of the firm is which primal importance is given to the relationship between international and domestic activities. The main research question is whether domestic activities can be significantly affected by international activities, namely knowledge transfer. Results confirm the dynamic approach adopted by firms however there are no definitive answers in terms of the domestic impact of internationalisation. Despite clear hints of evidence for the internationaldomestic relationship, there was no confirmation of this relationship at the financial level.

Avaliação do risco-benefício dos bifosfonatos em mulheres com osteoporose da pós-menopausa

Trabalho final de mestrado integrado em Medicina, área cientifica de Ginecologia, apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de CoimbraA osteoporose da pós-menopausa é um problema major de saúde pública que pode afectar cerca de 20 % destas mulheres. A maioria destes casos carece de tratamento farmacológico, e os bifosfonatos são, actualmente, os agentes de primeira linha no tratamento deste distúrbio esquelético. Este trabalho tem por objectivo proceder à avaliação do perfil risco-benefício dos bifosfonatos na terapêutica da osteoporose da pós-menopausa. Para isso, procedeu-se à análise de artigos científicos e de revisão acerca desta temática. Os artigos consultados foram publicados entre 2004-2010. Os bifosfonatos são uma classe de fármacos, podendo ser agrupados em bifosfonatos não-aminados e aminados (alendronato, risendronato, ibandronato, pamidronato e ácido zolendrónico). Apenas estes últimos têm interesse farmacológico e clínico, em virtude da sua maior potência relativa. São fármacos cuja absorção gastrointestinal é muito reduzida; contudo, a biodisponibilidade após administração endovenosa é muito maior. São inibidores da actividade osteoclástica, actuando especificamente nestas células. Assim, ao reduzirem a reabsorção óssea, promovem o aumento subsequente da sua densidade mineral. Segundo diversos estudos, os bifosfonatos previnem a perda de massa óssea, preservam a estrutura do osso, reduzem a sua fragilidade e o risco de fracturas. Revelaram-se mais eficazes que os restantes tratamentos alternativos para a osteoporose da pós-menopausa. Estão disponíveis bifosfonatos orais (alendronato, risendronato e ibandronato) e endovenosos (ibandronato, pamidronato, ácido zolendrónico). Existem formulações orais diárias, orais intermitentes e infusões endovenosas. Estas duas últimas formulações estão associadas a uma maior adesão a longo prazo e, por conseguinte, maior redução do risco de fracturas: associam menor frequência das administrações, menor incómodo e menor incidência de efeitos secundários digestivos. São, portanto, os esquemas preferidos pelas doentes. Apresentam alguns efeitos secundários, principalmente do foro gastrointestinal. Estes afectam negativamente a adesão ao tratamento, mas podem ser minimizados se administrados correctamente, ou optando pelos esquemas intermitentes ou endovenosos. A osteonecrose dos maxilares foi recentemente reconhecida como um efeito secundário dos bifosfonatos, e a relação de causa-efeito está bem estabelecida. É um efeito adverso grave que tem limitado a prescrição dos bifosfonatos a estas mulheres. Contudo, de uma forma geral, são fármacos seguros e bem tolerados. São igualmente os agentes com a melhor relação custo-benefício. Os bifosfonatos são geralmente os agentes terapêuticos de primeira linha para a maioria das mulheres em pós-menopausa com osteoporose, devido à sua elevada potência, eficácia, bom perfil de segurança e boa relação custo-benefício.Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major public health problem. It affects 20 % of postmenopausal women. Most of these cases require pharmacological intervention, and bisphosphonates are now the primary agents for the treatment of this skeletal disorder. This report aims to evaluate the risks and the benefits of bisphosphonates in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. So, I analyzed scientific and revision articles concerned on this theme that were published between 2004 and 2010. Bisphosphonates are drugs that can be classified in two distinct groups: non-nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates and nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (alendronate, risendronate, ibandronate, pamidronate and zolendronic acid). Given the fact that the latter ones are more potent than the former, only nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates are used in clinical practice. Their gastrointestinal absorption is very poor; however, their bioavailability, after intravenous administration, is very high. Bisphosphonates are potent osteoclasts inhibitors, reducing bone resorption, and increasing bone mineral density. According to various studies, bisphosphonates prevent bone mass loss, preserve its structure and reduce the fracture risk in vertebral and non-vertebral sites. They are considered as the more efficient drugs for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. There are oral bisphosphonates (alendronate, risendronate, ibandronate) and intravenous bisphosphonates (ibandronate, pamidronate, zolendronic acid). These drugs may be administrated in daily oral, intermittent oral and intermittent intravenous regimens. Intermittent regimens are more convenient for most of postmenopausal women than daily oral regimens: they require a less number of complex administrations and limit the risk of digestive adverse effects. Bisphosphonates have some side effects; gastrointestinal adverse effects are the most common ones, and they reduce patient’s adherence to the treatment. Nevertheless, their prevalence can be reduced if they are taken correctly, or eliminated if intravenous bisphosphonates are given. The osteonecrosis of the jaws is a well recognized adverse effect that was recently attributed to the use of these drugs. It’s a severe undisarable effect that has limited the prescription of bisphosphonates for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. However, bisphosphonates are considered safe and well tolerated drugs. They are the most cost-effective drugs for this disorder, providing the most benefit at the lowest cost. Bisphosphoantes are now a standard treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis, due to their high potency, effectiveness, safety and good cost-effectiveness relation

A pattern language for parallelizing irregular algorithms

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia InformáticaIn irregular algorithms, data set’s dependences and distributions cannot be statically predicted. This class of algorithms tends to organize computations in terms of data locality instead of parallelizing control in multiple threads. Thus, opportunities for exploiting parallelism vary dynamically, according to how the algorithm changes data dependences. As such, effective parallelization of such algorithms requires new approaches that account for that dynamic nature. This dissertation addresses the problem of building efficient parallel implementations of irregular algorithms by proposing to extract, analyze and document patterns of concurrency and parallelism present in the Galois parallelization framework for irregular algorithms. Patterns capture formal representations of a tangible solution to a problem that arises in a well defined context within a specific domain. We document the said patterns in a pattern language, i.e., a set of inter-dependent patterns that compose well-documented template solutions that can be reused whenever a certain problem arises in a well-known context