69 research outputs found

    Outlining a new collaborative business model as a result of the green Building Information Modelling impact in the AEC supply chain

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    BIM (Building Information Modelling) technological push has enabled to integrate the design/construction outcomes of 3D-CAD along the product/service AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) SC (supply chain) through an intelligent DMS (Data Management System) based on standard and interoperable data formats. The proposed end-to-end approach overcomes a typical AEC gap, enables the operationalisation of the sustainable/green building LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and puts together new collaborative relationships with the owner, among SC stakeholders and with new forms of BIM procurement. The outlined collaborative business model is based on the Quality Control and Assurance framework and provides conceptual consistency to the reintroduction of the owner concerns/satisfaction in the SC, as well as enables consistent and accountable relationships between (smart)materials procurement and building specification. An expert’s focus group carried out a preliminary check of the model’s interest/applicability, resulting in recommendations for its further detailing and for propositions development into a systematic enquiring process.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

    Evidence for Loss of a Partial Flagellar Glycolytic Pathway during Trypanosomatid Evolution

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    Classically viewed as a cytosolic pathway, glycolysis is increasingly recognized as a metabolic pathway exhibiting surprisingly wide-ranging variations in compartmentalization within eukaryotic cells. Trypanosomatid parasites provide an extreme view of glycolytic enzyme compartmentalization as several glycolytic enzymes are found exclusively in peroxisomes. Here, we characterize Trypanosoma brucei flagellar proteins resembling glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK): we show the latter associates with the axoneme and the former is a novel paraflagellar rod component. The paraflagellar rod is an essential extra-axonemal structure in trypanosomes and related protists, providing a platform into which metabolic activities can be built. Yet, bioinformatics interrogation and structural modelling indicate neither the trypanosome PGK-like nor the GAPDH-like protein is catalytically active. Orthologs are present in a free-living ancestor of the trypanosomatids, Bodo saltans: the PGK-like protein from B. saltans also lacks key catalytic residues, but its GAPDH-like protein is predicted to be catalytically competent. We discuss the likelihood that the trypanosome GAPDH-like and PGK-like proteins constitute molecular evidence for evolutionary loss of a flagellar glycolytic pathway, either as a consequence of niche adaptation or the re-localization of glycolytic enzymes to peroxisomes and the extensive changes to glycolytic flux regulation that accompanied this re-localization. Evidence indicating loss of localized ATP provision via glycolytic enzymes therefore provides a novel contribution to an emerging theme of hidden diversity with respect to compartmentalization of the ubiquitous glycolytic pathway in eukaryotes. A possibility that trypanosome GAPDH-like protein additionally represents a degenerate example of a moonlighting protein is also discussed

    Evolution of the TOR Pathway

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    The TOR kinase is a major regulator of growth in eukaryotes. Many components of the TOR pathway are implicated in cancer and metabolic diseases in humans. Analysis of the evolution of TOR and its pathway may provide fundamental insight into the evolution of growth regulation in eukaryotes and provide a practical framework on which experimental evidence can be compared between species. Here we performed phylogenetic analyses on the components of the TOR pathway and determined their point of invention. We find that the two TOR complexes and a large part of the TOR pathway originated before the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor and form a core to which new inputs have been added during animal evolution. In addition, we provide insight into how duplications and sub-functionalization of the S6K, RSK, SGK and PKB kinases shaped the complexity of the TOR pathway. In yeast we identify novel AGC kinases that are orthologous to the S6 kinase. These results demonstrate how a vital signaling pathway can be both highly conserved and flexible in eukaryotes

    A Comparative Structural Bioinformatics Analysis of the Insulin Receptor Family Ectodomain Based on Phylogenetic Information

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    The insulin receptor (IR), the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) and the insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) are covalently-linked homodimers made up of several structural domains. The molecular mechanism of ligand binding to the ectodomain of these receptors and the resulting activation of their tyrosine kinase domain is still not well understood. We have carried out an amino acid residue conservation analysis in order to reconstruct the phylogeny of the IR Family. We have confirmed the location of ligand binding site 1 of the IGF1R and IR. Importantly, we have also predicted the likely location of the insulin binding site 2 on the surface of the fibronectin type III domains of the IR. An evolutionary conserved surface on the second leucine-rich domain that may interact with the ligand could not be detected. We suggest a possible mechanical trigger of the activation of the IR that involves a slight ‘twist’ rotation of the last two fibronectin type III domains in order to face the likely location of insulin. Finally, a strong selective pressure was found amongst the IRR orthologous sequences, suggesting that this orphan receptor has a yet unknown physiological role which may be conserved from amphibians to mammals

    Observation of Two New Excited Ξb0 States Decaying to Λb0 K-π+

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    Two narrow resonant states are observed in the Λb0K-π+ mass spectrum using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb-1. The minimal quark content of the Λb0K-π+ system indicates that these are excited Ξb0 baryons. The masses of the Ξb(6327)0 and Ξb(6333)0 states are m[Ξb(6327)0]=6327.28-0.21+0.23±0.12±0.24 and m[Ξb(6333)0]=6332.69-0.18+0.17±0.03±0.22 MeV, respectively, with a mass splitting of Δm=5.41-0.27+0.26±0.12 MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the Λb0 mass measurement. The measured natural widths of these states are consistent with zero, with upper limits of Γ[Ξb(6327)0]<2.20(2.56) and Γ[Ξb(6333)0]<1.60(1.92) MeV at a 90% (95%) credibility level. The significance of the two-peak hypothesis is larger than nine (five) Gaussian standard deviations compared to the no-peak (one-peak) hypothesis. The masses, widths, and resonant structure of the new states are in good agreement with the expectations for a doublet of 1D Ξb0 resonances

    Search for dark photons produced in 13 TeV pppp collisions

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    Searches are performed for both promptlike and long-lived dark photons, A 0 , produced in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, using A 0 → μ þ μ − decays and a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1 . 6 fb − 1 collected with the LHCb detector. The promptlike A 0 search covers the mass range from near the dimuon threshold up to 70 GeV, while the long-lived A 0 search is restricted to the low-mass region 214 <m ð A 0 Þ < 350 MeV. No evidence for a signal is found, and 90% confidence level exclusion limits are placed on the γ – A 0 kinetic-mixing strength. The constraints placed on promptlike dark photons are the most stringent to date for the mass range 10 . 6 <m ð A 0 Þ < 70 GeV, and are comparable to the best existing limits for m ð A 0 Þ < 0 . 5 GeV. The search for long-lived dark photons is the first to achieve sensitivity using a displaced-vertex signature

    First measurement of the CPCP-violating phase φsddφ_s^{d\overline{d}} in Bs0(K+π)(Kπ+)B_s^0\to(K^+π^-)(K^-π^+) decays

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    A flavour-tagged decay-time-dependent amplitude analysis of Bs0(K+π)(Kπ+)B_s^0\to(K^+\pi^-)(K^-\pi^+) decays is presented in the K±πK^{\pm}\pi^{\mp} mass range from 750 to 1600 MeV/c2/c^2. The analysis uses pppp collision data collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 77 and 88 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.03.0 fb1^{-1}. Several quasi-two-body decay modes are considered, corresponding to K±πK^{\pm}\pi^{\mp} combinations with spin 0, 1 and 2, which are dominated by the K0(800)0K_0^*(800)^0 and K0(1430)0K_0^*(1430)^0, the K(892)0K^*(892)^0 and the K2(1430)0K_2^*(1430)^0 resonances, respectively. The longitudinal polarisation fraction for the Bs0K(892)0K(892)0B_s^0\to K^*(892)^0\overline{K}^*(892)^0 decay is measured as fL=0.208±0.032±0.046f_L=0.208 \pm 0.032 \pm 0.046, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The first measurement of the mixing-induced CPCP-violating phase, ϕsdd\phi_s^{d\overline{d}}, in bddsb\to d\overline{d}s transitions is performed, yielding a value of ϕsdd=0.10\phi_s^{d\overline{d}}=-0.10 ±\pm 0.130.13 (stat) ±\pm 0.140.14 (syst) rad

    Measurement of the Ratio of the B-0 -> D*(-)iota(+)v(iota) and B-0 -> D*(-) mu(+)v(mu) Branching Fractions Using Three-Prong tau-Lepton Decays

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    The ratio of branching fractions R(D)B(B0Dτ+ντ)/B(B0Dμ+νμ){\cal{R}}(D^{*-})\equiv {\cal{B}}(B^0 \to D^{*-} \tau^+ \nu_{\tau})/{\cal{B}}(B^0 \to D^{*-} \mu^+\nu_{\mu}) is measured using a data sample of proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 Tev, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 ~fb1^{-1}. For the first time R(D){\cal{R}}(D^{*-}) is determined using the τ\tau lepton decays with three charged pions in the final state. The B0Dτ+ντB^0 \to D^{*-} \tau^+\nu_{\tau} yield is normalized to that of the B0Dπ+ππ+B^0\to D^{*-} \pi^+\pi^-\pi^+ mode, providing a measurement of B(B0Dτ+ντ)/B(B0Dπ+ππ+)=1.97±0.13±0.18{\cal{B}}(B^0\to D^{*-}\tau^+\nu_{\tau})/{\cal{B}}(B^0\to D^{*-}\pi^+\pi^-\pi^+) = 1.97 \pm 0.13 \pm 0.18, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The value of B(B0Dτ+ντ)=(1.42±0.094±0.129±0.054)%{\cal{B}}(B^0 \to D^{*-} \tau^+ \nu_{\tau}) = (1.42 \pm 0.094 \pm 0.129 \pm 0.054)\% is obtained, where the third uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the branching fraction of the normalization mode. Using the well-measured branching fraction of the B0Dμ+νμB^0 \to D^{*-} \mu^+\nu_{\mu} decay, a value of R(D)=0.291±0.019±0.026±0.013{\cal{R}}(D^{*-}) = 0.291 \pm 0.019 \pm 0.026 \pm 0.013 is established, where the third uncertainty is due to the limited knowledge of the branching fractions of the normalization and B0Dμ+νμB^0\to D^{*-}\mu^+\nu_{\mu} modes. This measurement is in agreement with the Standard Model prediction and with previous results.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2017-017.htm

    Measurement of the electron reconstruction efficiency at LHCb

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    The single electron track-reconstruction efficiency is calibrated using a sample corresponding to 1.3 fb−1 of pp collision data recorded with the LHCb detector in 2017. This measurement exploits B+→ J/ψ(e+e−)K+ decays, where one of the electrons is fully reconstructed and paired with the kaon, while the other electron is reconstructed using only the information of the vertex detector. Despite this partial reconstruction, kinematic and geometric constraints allow the B meson mass to be reconstructed and the signal to be well separated from backgrounds. This in turn allows the electron reconstruction efficiency to be measured by matching the partial track segment found in the vertex detector to tracks found by LHCb's regular reconstruction algorithms. The agreement between data and simulation is evaluated, and corrections are derived for simulated electrons in bins of kinematics. These correction factors allow LHCb to measure branching fractions involving single electrons with a systematic uncertainty below 1%
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