Probing wrong-sign Yukawa couplings at the LHC and a future linear collider

We consider the two-Higgs-doublet model as a framework in which to evaluate the viability of scenarios in which the sign of the coupling of the observed Higgs boson to down-type fermions (in particular, $b$-quark pairs) is opposite to that of the Standard Model (SM), while at the same time all other tree-level couplings are close to the SM values. We show that, whereas such a scenario is consistent with current LHC observations, both future running at the LHC and a future $e^+ e^-$ linear collider could determine the sign of the Higgs coupling to $b$-quark pairs. Discrimination is possible for two reasons. First, the interference between the $b$-quark and the $t$-quark loop contributions to the $ggh$ coupling changes sign. Second, the charged-Higgs loop contribution to the $\gamma \gamma h$ coupling is large and fairly constant up to the largest charged-Higgs mass allowed by tree-level unitarity bounds when the $b$-quark Yukawa coupling has the opposite sign from that of the SM (the change in sign of the interference terms between the $b$-quark loop and the $W$ and $t$ loops having negligible impact).Comment: 28 pages, 21 figure

Assessing patterns of geographic dispersal of Gelidium sesquipedale (Rhodophyta) through RAPD differentiation of populations

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) of bulked genomic DNA samples were used to analyse the genetic differentiation of Gelidium sesquipedale populations. They reflect the pat terns of gene flow, which in turn depend on the dispersal mechanisms of the species and on near-shore ocean currents. Fourteen populations were sampled from northern France to Morocco, covering the geographical distribution of the species. A single bulk DNA sample (from 15 individuals) was used in each population, under the assumption that the resulting patterns represent the populations' most common genetic features. To test this, we investigated the genetic variability among 5 bulk samples within a single population. Genetic distances among bulks were very low (average = 0.065) and were signifi- cantly lower than those observed between geographically separated populations (average = 0.241). Neighbour-joining analysis of the distance matrix of populations separated a well-supported group including populations of northern Spain and of northern France, and a less-supported group containing populations of northern Portugal. Multidimensional scaling of the genetic distance matrix revealed 2 isolated populations, Sao Rafael in southern Portugal and Algeciras in southern Spain. These patterns of genetic differentiation are discussed under the available data on the near-shore ocean currents. Results suggest that the genetic differentiation of G. sesquipedale populations may be used as a biological tracer of prevailing flows and barriers of the near-shore currents. A positive correlation between geographical and genetic distances of G. sesquipedale populations along the species geographical dis tribution was found, suggesting that a continuous transport of detached fronds and their reattachment to new substrate must be an effective dispersal mechanism of the species, sustaining the gene flow among populations

The CP-conserving 2HDM after the 8 TeV run

We confront the most common CP-conserving 2HDM with the LHC data analysed so far while taking into account all previously available experimental data. A special allowed corner of the parameter space is analysed - the so-called wrong-sign scenario where the Higgs coupling to down-type quarks changes sign relative to the Standard Model while the coupling to the massive vector bosons does not.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the 22nd International Workshop on Deep-Inelastic Scattering and Related Subjects (DIS 2014), 28 April - 2 May 2014 Warsaw (Poland

The Wrong Sign limit in the 2HDM

A sign change in the Higgs couplings to fermions and massive gauge bosons is still allowed in the framework of two-Higgs doublet models (2HDM). In this work we discuss the possible sign changes in the Higgs couplings to fermions and gauge bosons, while reviewing the status of the 8-parameter CP-conserving 2HDM after the Large Hadron Collider 8 TeV run.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Proceedings of the Second Annual Conference on Large Hadron Collider Physics, Columbia University, New York, U.S.A, June 2-7, 2014. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1407.439

Mass-degenerate Higgs bosons at 125 GeV in the Two-Higgs-Doublet Model

The analysis of the Higgs boson data by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations appears to exhibit an excess of h --> gamma\gamma events above the Standard Model (SM) expectations; whereas no significant excess is observed in h --> ZZ* --> {four lepton} events, albeit with large statistical uncertainty due to the small data sample. These results (assuming they persist with further data) could be explained by a pair of nearly mass-degenerate scalars, one of which is a SM-like Higgs boson and the other is a scalar with suppressed couplings to W+W- and ZZ. In the two Higgs doublet model, the observed \gamma\gamma and ZZ* --> {four lepton} data can be reproduced by an approximately degenerate CP-even (h) and CP-odd (A) Higgs boson for values of \sin(\beta-\alpha) near unity and 0.7 < \tan\beta < 1. An enhanced \gamma\gamma signal can also arise in cases where m_h ~ m_H, m_H ~ m_A, or m_h ~ m_H ~ m_A. Since the ZZ* --> {four lepton} signal derives primarily from a SM-like Higgs boson whereas the \gamma\gamma signal receives contributions from two (or more) nearly mass-degenerate states, one would expect a slightly different invariant mass peak in the ZZ* --> {four lepton} and \gamma\gamma channels. The phenomenological consequences of such models can be tested with additional Higgs data that will be collected at the LHC in the near future.Comment: 18 pages, 19 pdf figures, v2: references added, v3&v4: added refs and explanation

Optimization of peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH) method for the detection of bacteria: the effect of pH, dextran sulfate and probe concentration

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) appeared in the 1980’s and is nowadays widely used in the field of microbiology. FISH is affected by a wide variety of abiotic and biotic variables and their interplay. This is translated into a wide variability of FISH procedures that can be found in the literature. The aim of this work is to study the effects of pH, probe and dextran sulphate concentration in the FISH protocol. For this, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize FISH protocol for gram-negative (E. coli and P. fluorescens) and gram-positive bacteria (L. innocua, S. epidermidis and B. cereus), for these 3 parameters. The obtained results show a clear distinction between the two groups: higher pH (>9) combined with lower dextran sulphate concentration (7% [w/v]), for Gram-positive bacteria. The optimal probe concentration was the same for both groups (300 nM). These results seem to result from an interplay of pH and dextran sulphate ability to influence the probe concentration and migration inside the bacteria

Modelo espacial de avaliação do uso do solo em ambiente SIG: o caso da localização industrial

O planeamento do território, no qual se insere a localização industrial, obedece a um processo de classificação do uso do solo. Este diferencia o espaço territorial para um determinado tempo de vigência, devidamente regulamentado, possibilitando controlar as intervenções sobre o território. A localização de novas unidades industriais no território assume grande importância, quer do ponto de vista da sua estruturação, quer do ponto de vista do impacto ambiental causado. Assim, a escolha da sua localização deverá harmonizar diversos factores relativos às características físicas, políticas e sócio-económicas de uma dada região, de forma a conciliar os interesses dos investidores com os de uma gestão adequada do uso do solo. A apreciação da aptidão do uso do solo, quer qualitativa quer quantitativa, para a localização de novas indústrias, envolve a selecção e avaliação de um conjunto de critérios associados à decisão em causa. O modelo espacial de avaliação do Uso do Solo desenvolvido, e aqui apresentado, considera na sua formulação a perspectiva dos empresários industriais e do ordenamento do território permitindo desenvolver mapas de aptidão para um território em análise. O modelo espacial é implementado em ambiente SIG o que permite modelar e visualizar a contribuição de cada critério no processo de decisão e possibilita a identificação das áreas mais aptas para o uso industrial por comparação das diferentes alternativas espaciais existentes. O facto do modelo ser implementado em ambiente SIG torna fácil qualquer reavaliação da aptidão do território devido a alterações que impliquem variações na importância relativa dos critérios avaliados para o território em análise. A metodologia apresentada permite ainda que se obtenham diferentes mapas de acordo com diferentes estratégias associadas ao processo de decisão, alterando a importância relativa dos critérios, fazendo variar a trade-off entre critérios ou admitindo diferentes tipos de atitude perante o risco associado à decisão. Será ainda apresentado um Caso de Estudo aplicado ao município de Vieira do Minho que permitirá validar a metodologia apresentada, bem como identificar as suas potencialidades

COMFORT SEAT MODULE - FIRST CLASS COMFORT FOR ALL

The Comfort Seat Module (CSM) is a project developed in the scope of the EDAM focus area of the MIT – Portugal program, within the Product Design and Development course. The team members involved in the project come from several Engineering backgrounds and includes research students and engineering professionals, from different geographical origins. In this project the team had the purpose of designing and developing a solution, from idea into concept and then onto a valid product that could potentially be produced and even marketed. In parallel, the objective was to train the product development competences and team’s working skills as much as possible, considering the physical distance between the team members.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Complex network model for COVID-19: human behavior, pseudo-periodic solutions and multiple epidemic waves

We propose a mathematical model for the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in a homogeneously mixing non constant population, and generalize it to a model where the parameters are given by piecewise constant functions. This allows us to model the human behavior and the impact of public health policies on the dynamics of the curve of active infected individuals during a COVID-19 epidemic outbreak. After proving the existence and global asymptotic stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibrium points of the model with constant parameters, we consider a family of Cauchy problems, with piecewise constant parameters, and prove the existence of pseudo-oscillations between a neighborhood of the disease-free equilibrium and a neighborhood of the endemic equilibrium, in a biologically feasible region. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this pseudo-periodic solutions are related to the emergence of epidemic waves. Then, to capture the impact of mobility in the dynamics of COVID-19 epidemics, we propose a complex network with six distinct regions based on COVID-19 real data from Portugal. We perform numerical simulations for the complex network model, where the objective is to determine a topology that minimizes the level of active infected individuals and the existence of topologies that are likely to worsen the level of infection. We claim that this methodology is a tool with enormous potential in the current pandemic context, and can be applied in the management of outbreaks (in regional terms) but also to manage the opening/closing of borders.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, submitted 5-Oct-202