4,520 research outputs found
Yukawa Textures, New Physics and Nondecoupling
We point out that New Physics can play an important r\^ ole in rescuing some
of the Yukawa texture zero ans\" atze which would otherwise be eliminated by
the recent, more precise measurements of . As an example, a detailed
analysis of a four texture zero ansatz is presented, showing how the presence
of an isosinglet vector-like quark which mixes with standard quarks, can render
viable this Yukawa texture. The crucial point is the nondecoupling of the
effects of the isosinglet quark, even for arbitrary large values of its mass.Comment: 13 pages, no figure
Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Changes in the Benchmark Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Biovar Equi Exoproteome after Passage in a Murine Host
Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis biovar equi is the etiologic agent of ulcerative lymphangitis. To investigate proteins that could be related to the virulence of this pathogen, we combined an experimental passage process using a murine model and high-throughput proteomics with a mass spectrometry, data-independent acquisition (LC-MSE) approach to identify and quantify the proteins released into the supernatants of strain 258_equi. To our knowledge, this approach allowed characterization of the exoproteome of a C. pseudotuberculosis equi strain for the first time. Interestingly, the recovery of this strain from infected mouse spleens induced a change in its virulence potential, and it became more virulent in a second infection challenge. Proteomic screening performed from culture supernatant of the control and recovered conditions revealed 104 proteins that were differentially expressed between the two conditions. In this context, proteomic analysis of the recovered condition detected the induction of proteins involved in bacterial pathogenesis, mainly related to iron uptake. In addition, KEGG enrichment analysis showed that ABC transporters, bacterial secretion systems and protein export pathways were significantly altered in the recovered condition. These findings show that secretion and secreted proteins are key elements in the virulence and adaptation of C. pseudotuberculosis. Collectively, bacterial pathogenesis-related proteins were identified that contribute to the processes of adherence, intracellular growth and evasion of the immune system. Moreover, this study enhances our understanding of the factors that may influence the pathogenesis of C. pseudotuberculosis.Fil: Marques Da Silva, Wanderson. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasil. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Carvalho, Rodrigo D. De Oliveira. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Dorella, Fernanda A.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Folador, Edson L.. Universidade Federal da Paraíba. Centro de Biotecnologia; BrasilFil: Souza, Gustavo H. M. F.. Waters Corporation; BrasilFil: Pimenta, Adriano M. C.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; BrasilFil: Figueiredo, Henrique C. P.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Le Loir, Yves. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Silva, Artur. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Azevedo, Vasco. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Brasi
Symmetry Constrained Two Higgs Doublet Models
We study Two-Higgs-Doublet Models (2HDM) where Abelian symmetries have been
introduced, leading to a drastic reduction in the number of free parameters in
the 2HDM. Our analysis is inspired in BGL models, where, as the result of a
symmetry of the Lagrangian, there are tree-level scalar mediated
Flavour-Changing-Neutral-Currents, with the flavour structure depending only on
the CKM matrix. A systematic analysis is done on the various possible schemes,
which are classified in different classes, depending on the way the extra
symmetries constrain the matrices of couplings defining the flavour structure
of the scalar mediated neutral currents. All the resulting flavour textures of
the Yukawa couplings are stable under renormalisation since they result from
symmetries imposed at the Lagrangian level. We also present a brief
phenomenological analysis of the most salient features of each class of
symmetry constrained 2HDM.Comment: 30 pages, 5 Table
Remote experimentation: integrating research, education, and industrial application
This paper presents a low-cost scaled model of a silo for drying and airing cereal grains. It allows the control and monitor of several parameters associated to the silo's operation, through a remote accessible infrastructure. The scaled model consists of a 2.50 m wide × 2.10 m long plant with all control and monitor capacities provided by micro-Web servers. An application running on the micro-Web servers enables storing all parameters in a data basis for later analysis. The implemented model aims to support a remote experimentation facility for technological education, research-oriented tutorials, and industrial applications. Given the low-cost requirement, this remote facility can be easily replicated in other institutions to support a network of remote labs, which encompasses the concurrent access of several users (e.g. students)
From cheating to teaching: a path for conversion of illegal gambling machines
Video poker machines, a former symbol of fraud and gambling in Brazil, are now being
converted into computer-based educational tools for Brazilian public primary schools and also
for governmental and non-governmental institutions dealing with communities of poverty and
social exclusion, in an attempt to reduce poverty risks (decrease money spent on gambling)
and promote social inclusion (increase access and motivation to education). Thousands of
illegal gambling machines are seized by federal authorities, in Brazil, every year, and usually
destroyed at the end of the criminal apprehension process.
This paper describes a project developed by the University of Southern Santa Catarina, Brazil,
responsible for the conversion process of gambling machines, and the social inclusion
opportunities derived from it. All project members worked on a volunteer basis, seeking to
promote social inclusion of Brazilian young boys and girls, namely through digital inclusion. So
far, the project has been able to convert over 200 gambling machines and install them in over
40 public primary schools, thus directly benefiting more than 12,000 schoolchildren.
The initial motivation behind this project was technology based, however the different options
arising from the conversion process of the gambling machines have also motivated a rather
innovative and unique experience in allowing schoolchildren and young people with special
(educational) needs to access to computer-based pedagogical applications. The availability of these converted machines also helps to place Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) in the very daily educational environment of these children
and youngsters, thus serving social and cultural inclusion aspects, by establishing a dialogue
with the community and their technological expectations, and also directly contributing to their
digital literacy
A novel methodology for the concurrent test of partial and dynamically reconfigurable SRAM-based FPGAs
This poster presents the first truly non-intrusive structural concurrent test approach, with the objective of testing partially and dynamically reconfigurable SRAM-based FPGAs without disturbing their operation. This is accomplished by using a new methodology to carry out the replication of active Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs), i.e. CLBs that are part of an implemented function that is actually being used by the system, releasing it to be tested in a way that is completely transparent to the system
Run-time management of logic resources on reconfigurable systems
Dynamically reconfigurable systems based on partialand dynamically reconfigurable FPGAs may have theirfunctionality partially modified at run-time withoutstopping the operation of the whole system.The efficient management of the logic space availableis one of the biggest problems faced by these systems.When the sequence of reconfigurations to be performed isnot predictable, resource allocation decisions have to bemade on-line. A rearrangement may be necessary to getenough contiguous space to implement incomingfunctions, avoiding the spreading of their components andthe resulting degradation of system performance.A new software tool that helps to handle the problemsposed by the consecutive reconfiguration of the same logicspace is presented in this paper. This tool uses a novel on--line rearrangement procedure to solve fragmentationproblems and to rearrange the logic space in a waycompletely transparent to the applications currentlyrunnin
Programmable logic devices: a test approach for the Input / Output blocks and Pad-to-Pin interconnections
Dynamically reconfigurable systems based on partial and dynamically reconfigurable FPGAs may have their functionality partially modified at run-time without stopping the operation of the whole system. The efficient management of the logic space available is one of the biggest problems faced by these systems. When the sequence of reconfigurations to be performed is not predictable, resource allocation decisions have to be made on-line. A rearrangement may be necessary to get enough contiguous space to implement incoming functions, avoiding the spreading of their components and the resulting degradation of system performance.A new software tool that helps to handle the problems posed by the consecutive reconfiguration of the same logic space is presented in this paper. This tool uses a novel on-line rearrangement procedure to solve fragmentation problems and to rearrange the logic space in a way completely transparent to the applications currently running
Genetic mapping of a new heart rate QTL on chromosome 8 of spontaneously hypertensive rats
BACKGROUND: Tachycardia is commonly observed in hypertensive patients, predominantly mediated by regulatory mechanisms integrated within the autonomic nervous system. The genetic loci and genes associated with increased heart rate in hypertension, however, have not yet been identified. METHODS: An F2 intercross of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) × Brown Norway (BN) linkage analysis of quantitative trait loci mapping was utilized to identify candidate genes associated with an increased heart rate in arterial hypertension. RESULTS: Basal heart rate in SHR was higher compared to that of normotensive BN rats (365 ± 3 vs. 314 ± 6 bpm, p < 0.05 for SHR and BN, respectively). A total genome scan identified one quantitative trait locus in a 6.78 cM interval on rat chromosome 8 (8q22–q24) that was responsible for elevated heart rate. This interval contained 241 genes, of which 65 are known genes. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that an influential genetic region located on the rat chromosome 8 contributes to the regulation of heart rate. Candidate genes that have previously been associated with tachycardia and/or hypertension were found within this QTL, strengthening our hypothesis that these genes are, potentially, associated with the increase in heart rate in a hypertension rat model
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