Cryptic complexity in felid vertebral evolution: shape differentiation and allometry of the axial skeleton

Members of the mammalian family Felidae (extant and extinct cats) are grossly phenotypically similar, but display a 300-fold range in body size, from less than 1 kg to more than 300 kg. In addition to differences in body mass, felid species show dietary and locomotory specializations that correlate to skull and limb osteological measurements, such as shape or cross-sectional area. However, ecological correlates to the axial skeleton are yet untested. Here, we build on previous studies of the biomechanical and morphological evolution of the felid appendicular skeleton by conducting a quantitative analysis of morphology and allometry in the presacral vertebral column across extant cats. Our results demonstrate that vertebral columns of arboreal, scansorial and terrestrial felids significantly differ in morphology, specifically in the lumbar region, while no distinction based on dietary specialization was found. Body size significantly influences vertebral morphology, with clear regionalization of allometry along the vertebral column, suggesting that anterior (cervicals and thoracics) and posterior (lumbar) vertebrae may be independently subjected to distinct selection pressures

Effective lagrangian for the tbH^+ interaction in the MSSM and charged Higgs phenomenology

In the framework of a 2HDM effective lagrangian for the MSSM, we analyse important phenomenological aspects associated with quantum soft SUSY-breaking effects that modify the relation between the bottom mass and the bottom Yukawa coupling. We derive a resummation of the dominant supersymmetric corrections for large values of \tb to all orders in perturbation theory. With the help of the operator product expansion we also perform the resummation of the leading and next-to-leading logarithms of the standard QCD corrections. We use these resummation procedures to compute the radiative corrections to the \tbH, \Htb decay rates. In the large \tb regime, we derive simple formulae embodying all the dominant contributions to these decay rates and we compute the corresponding branching ratios. We show, as an example, the effect of these new results on determining the region of the \mH--\tb plane excluded by the Tevatron searches for a supersymmetric charged Higgs boson in top quark decays, as a function of the MSSM parameter space.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 17 figures, revised version submitted to Nuc. Phys.

LHC Discovery Potential for Non-Standard Higgs Bosons in the 3b Channel

In a variety of well motivated models, such as two Higgs Doublet Models (2HDMs) and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), there are neutral Higgs bosons that have significantly enhanced couplings to b-quarks and tau leptons in comparison to those of the SM Higgs. These so called non-standard Higgs bosons could be copiously produced at the LHC in association with b quarks, and subsequently decay into b-quark pairs. However, this production channel suffers from large irreducible QCD backgrounds. We propose a new search strategy for non-standard neutral Higgs bosons at the 7 TeV LHC in the 3b's final state topology. We perform a simulation of the signal and backgrounds, using state of the art tools and methods for different sets of selection cuts, and conclude that neutral Higgs bosons with couplings to b-quarks of about 0.3 or larger, and masses up to 400 GeV, could be seen with a luminosity of 30 fb^{-1}. In the case of the MSSM we also discuss the complementarity between the 3b channel and the inclusive tau pair channel in exploring the supersymmetric parameter space.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, references added, published versio

A 125 GeV SM-like Higgs in the MSSM and the γγ\gamma \gamma rate

We consider the possibility of a Standard Model (SM)-like Higgs in the context of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), with a mass of about 125 GeV and with a production times decay rate into two photons which is similar or somewhat larger than the SM one. The relatively large value of the SM-like Higgs mass demands stops in the several hundred GeV mass range with somewhat large mixing, or a large hierarchy between the two stop masses in the case that one of the two stops is light. We find that, in general, if the heaviest stop mass is smaller than a few TeV, the rate of gluon fusion production of Higgs bosons decaying into two photons tends to be somewhat suppressed with respect to the SM one in this region of parameters. However, we show that an enhancement of the photon decay rate may be obtained for light third generation sleptons with large mixing, which can be naturally obtained for large values of $\tan\beta$ and sizable values of the Higgsino mass parameter.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures. Corrected small typos and added reference

Prospective acceptability of digital phenotyping among pregnant and parenting people with opioid use disorder: A multisite qualitative study

BackgroundWhile medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) effectively treat OUD during pregnancy and the postpartum period, poor treatment retention is common. Digital phenotyping, or passive sensing data captured from personal mobile devices, namely smartphones, provides an opportunity to understand behaviors, psychological states, and social influences contributing to perinatal MOUD non-retention. Given this novel area of investigation, we conducted a qualitative study to determine the acceptability of digital phenotyping among pregnant and parenting people with opioid use disorder (PPP-OUD).MethodsThis study was guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA). Within a clinical trial testing a behavioral health intervention for PPP-OUD, we used purposeful criterion sampling to recruit 11 participants who delivered a child in the past 12  months and received OUD treatment during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Data were collected through phone interviews using a structured interview guide based on four TFA constructs (affective attitude, burden, ethicality, self-efficacy). We used framework analysis to code, chart, and identify key patterns within the data.ResultsParticipants generally expressed positive attitudes about digital phenotyping and high self-efficacy and low anticipated burden to participate in studies that collect smartphone-based passive sensing data. Nonetheless, concerns were noted related to data privacy/security and sharing location information. Differences in participant assessments of burden were related to length of time required and level of remuneration to participate in a study. Interviewees voiced broad support for participating in a digital phenotyping study with known/trusted individuals but expressed concerns about third-party data sharing and government monitoring.ConclusionDigital phenotyping methods were acceptable to PPP-OUD. Enhancements in acceptability include allowing participants to maintain control over which data are shared, limiting frequency of research contacts, aligning compensation with participant burden, and outlining data privacy/security protections on study materials

Regional differentiation of felid vertebral column evolution: a study of 3D shape trajectories

Recent advances in geometric morphometrics provide improved techniques for extraction of biological information from shape and have greatly contributed to the study of ecomorphology and morphological evolution. However, the vertebral column remains an under-studied structure due in part to a concentration on skull and limb research, but most importantly because of the difficulties in analysing the shape of a structure composed of multiple articulating discrete units (i.e. vertebrae). Here, we have applied a variety of geometric morphometric analyses to three-dimensional landmarks collected on 19 presacral vertebrae to investigate the influence of potential ecological and functional drivers, such as size, locomotion and prey size specialisation, on regional morphology of the vertebral column in the mammalian family Felidae. In particular, we have here provided a novel application of a method—phenotypic trajectory analysis (PTA)—that allows for shape analysis of a contiguous sequence of vertebrae as functionally linked osteological structures. Our results showed that ecological factors influence the shape of the vertebral column heterogeneously and that distinct vertebral sections may be under different selection pressures. While anterior presacral vertebrae may either have evolved under stronger phylogenetic constraints or are ecologically conservative, posterior presacral vertebrae, specifically in the post-T10 region, show significant differentiation among ecomorphs. Additionally, our PTA results demonstrated that functional vertebral regions differ among felid ecomorphs mainly in the relative covariation of vertebral shape variables (i.e. direction of trajectories, rather than in trajectory size) and, therefore, that ecological divergence among felid species is reflected by morphological changes in vertebral column shape

A Global chi^2 Analysis of Electroweak Data in SO(10) SUSY GUTs

We present the details of a global $\chi^2$ analysis of electroweak data, including fermion masses and mixing angles, in SO(10) SUSY GUTs. Just as precision electroweak data is used to test the Standard Model, the well determined Standard Model parameters are the precision electroweak data for testing theories beyond the Standard Model. In this paper we use the latest experimentally measured values for these parameters. We study several models discussed in the literature. One of these models provides an excellent fit to the low energy data with $\chi^2 \sim 1$ for 3 degrees of freedom. We present graphs of constant $\chi^2$ contours as functions of position in soft SUSY breaking parameter space, as well as our predictions for a few selected points in parameter space. We also study the sensitivity of our results to changes in various parameters. Finally, we discuss the consequences of our work in the context of a general MSSM analysis at the Z scale.Comment: 37 pages, Latex, 14 figures included in separate file

Quantificação de fatores de crescimento na pele de equinos tratada com plasma rico em plaquetas

O plasma rico em plaquetas (PRP) é um produto derivado da centrifugação do sangue total, sendo rico em fatores bioativos, como os de crescimento. Apesar da ampla utilização em processos cicatriciais, há controvérsia sobre a eficácia da terapia na cicatrização cutânea. O objetivo desse estudo foi quantificar e comparar a concentração dos fatores TGF-β1 e PDGF-BB no PRP, plasma sanguíneo e pele, durante diferentes fases do processo de cicatrização da pele tratada ou não com PRP. Foram utilizados sete equinos machos castrados, mestiços, hígidos, com idade entre 16 e 17 (16,14±0,63) anos. Três lesões em formato quadrangular (6,25cm²) foram produzidas cirurgicamente nas regiões glúteas direita e esquerda de todos os animais. Doze horas após indução das feridas, 0,5mL do PRP foi administrado em cada uma das quatro extremidades das feridas de uma das regiões glúteas (Grupo tratado = GT), escolhida aleatoriamente. A região contralateral foi utilizada como controle (GC). As feridas foram submetidas à limpeza diária com água Milli Q, e amostras foram obtidas mediante biópsias realizadas com Punch de 6mm. Foram obtidas seis biópsias de pele, sendo a primeira realizada logo após a produção da ferida (T0), e as demais com 1 (T1) 2 (T2) 7 (T3) e 14 (T4) dias após a indução da lesão. A sexta biópsia (T5) foi obtida após completo fechamento da pele, que ocorreu aproximadamente aos 37 dias (36,85±7,45, GC; 38,85±6,46, GT). Também foram obtidas amostras de sangue com EDTA em todos os tempos mencionados. A quantificação dos fatores de crescimento TGF-β1 e PDGF-BB na pele, PRP e plasma sanguíneo foi realizada pela técnica ELISA. Os dados foram analisados estatisticamente pelo teste t, correlação de Pearson e regressão, utilizando nível de significância de 5%. Não houve diferença entre os grupos, nos valores dos dois fatores de crescimento mensurados na pele, nos diferentes tempos. Também não houve correlação entre a quantidade dos fatores de crescimento presentes na pele e no plasma. Por outro lado, correlação positiva foi observada entre PRP e pele no grupo tratado, para os fatores de crescimento TGF-β1 (r=0,31) e PDGF-BB (r=0,38), bem como entre ambos os fatores de crescimento presentes no PRP (r=0,81). Considerando as concentrações dos fatores de crescimento no T0, os maiores valores cutâneos (p<0,05) do TGF-β1, em ambos os grupos, ocorreram nos tempos T3 e T5. Valores mais elevados (p<0,05) do PDGF-BB ocorreram no T4 (GT) e T5 (GC). No plasma não houve alteração nas concentrações desses fatores em relação ao T0, o que sugere que o PRP não acarreta efeito sistêmico, quando os procedimentos adotados na presente pesquisa são utilizados. A administração local de PRP no volume estudado, 12 h após indução cirúrgica de ferida cutânea na região glútea de equinos não ocasiona maiores concentrações dos fatores de crescimento TGF-β1 e PDGF-BB no plasma sanguíneo e pele, durante o processo de cicatrização