Search for the dark photon in pi0 decays

Abstract A sample of 1.69 7 10 7 fully reconstructed \u3c0 0 \u2192 \u3b3 e + e 12 decay candidates collected by the NA48/2 experiment at \{CERN\} in 2003\u20132004 is analyzed to search for the dark photon ( A \u2032 ) production in the \u3c0 0 \u2192 \u3b3 A \u2032 decay followed by the prompt A \u2032 \u2192 e + e 12 decay. No signal is observed, and an exclusion region in the plane of the dark photon mass m A \u2032 and mixing parameter \u3b5 2 is established. The obtained upper limits on \u3b5 2 are more stringent than the previous limits in the mass range 9 \ua0 MeV / c 2 < m A \u2032 < 70 \ua0 MeV / c 2 . The NA48/2 sensitivity to the dark photon production in the K \ub1 \u2192 \u3c0 \ub1 A \u2032 decay is also evaluated

A new measurement of the K±→π±γγ decay at the NA48/2 experiment

The NA48/2 experiment at CERN collected two data samples with minimum bias trigger conditions in 2003 and 2004. A measurement of the rate and dynamic properties of the rare decay K±→π±γγK±→π±γγ from these data sets based on 149 decay candidates with an estimated background of 15.5±0.715.5±0.7 events is reported. The model-independent branching ratio in the kinematic range z=(mγγ/mK)2>0.2z=(mγγ/mK)2>0.2 is measured to be BMI(z>0.2)=(0.877±0.089)×10−6BMI(z>0.2)=(0.877±0.089)×10−6, and the branching ratio in the full kinematic range assuming a particular Chiral Perturbation Theory description to be B(Kπγγ)=(0.910±0.075)×10−6B(Kπγγ)=(0.910±0.075)×10−6

Precise tests of low energy QCD from Ke4 decay properties

We report results from the analysis of the K\ub1 \u2192 pi+ pi 12 e\ub1 \u3bd (Ke4 ) decay by the NA48/2 collaboration at the CERN SPS, based on the total statistics of 1.13 million decays collected in 2003\u20132004. The hadronic form factors in the S- and P-wave and their variation with energy are obtained. The phase difference between the S- and P-wave states of the pion pion system is accurately measured and allows a precise determination of a00 and a02 , the I = 0 and I = 2 S-wave pion pion scattering lengths: a00 = 0.2220 \ub1 0.0128stat \ub1 0.0050syst \ub1 0.0037th , a02 = 120.0432 \ub1 0.0086stat \ub1 0.0034syst \ub1 0.0028th . Combination of this result with the other NA48/2 measurement obtained in the study of K\ub1 \u2192 pi0 pi0 pi\ub1 decays brings an improved determination of a00 and the first precise experimental measurement of a02, providing a stringent test ofChiral Perturbation Theory predictions and lattice QCD calculations. Using constraints based on analyticity and chiral symmetry, even more precise values are obtained: a00 = 0.2196 \ub1 0.0028stat \ub1 0.0020syst and a02 = 120.0444 \ub10.0007stat \ub1 0.0005syst \ub1 0.0008ChPT

Generation of flavors and fragrances through biotransformation and de novo synthesis

Flavors and fragrances are the result of the presence of volatile and non-volatile compounds, appreciated mostly by the sense of smell once they usually have pleasant odors. They are used in perfumes and perfumed products, as well as for the flavoring of foods and beverages. In fact the ability of the microorganisms to produce flavors and fragrances has been described for a long time, but the relationship between the flavor formation and the microbial growth was only recently established. After that, efforts have been put in the analysis and optimization of food fermentations that led to the investigation of microorganisms and their capacity to produce flavors and fragrances, either by de novo synthesis or biotransformation. In this review, we aim to resume the recent achievements in the production of the most relevant flavors by bioconversion/biotransformation or de novo synthesis, its market value, prominent strains used, and their production rates/maximum concentrations.We would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469 unit, COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145FEDER-006684), and BiotecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Learning new sensorimotor contingencies:Effects of long-term use of sensory augmentation on the brain and conscious perception

Theories of embodied cognition propose that perception is shaped by sensory stimuli and by the actions of the organism. Following sensorimotor contingency theory, the mastery of lawful relations between own behavior and resulting changes in sensory signals, called sensorimotor contingencies, is constitutive of conscious perception. Sensorimotor contingency theory predicts that, after training, knowledge relating to new sensorimotor contingencies develops, leading to changes in the activation of sensorimotor systems, and concomitant changes in perception. In the present study, we spell out this hypothesis in detail and investigate whether it is possible to learn new sensorimotor contingencies by sensory augmentation. Specifically, we designed an fMRI compatible sensory augmentation device, the feelSpace belt, which gives orientation information about the direction of magnetic north via vibrotactile stimulation on the waist of participants. In a longitudinal study, participants trained with this belt for seven weeks in natural environment. Our EEG results indicate that training with the belt leads to changes in sleep architecture early in the training phase, compatible with the consolidation of procedural learning as well as increased sensorimotor processing and motor programming. The fMRI results suggest that training entails activity in sensory as well as higher motor centers and brain areas known to be involved in navigation. These neural changes are accompanied with changes in how space and the belt signal are perceived, as well as with increased trust in navigational ability. Thus, our data on physiological processes and subjective experiences are compatible with the hypothesis that new sensorimotor contingencies can be acquired using sensory augmentation

Knowledge engineering rediscovered: towards reasoning patterns for the semantic web

The extensive work on Knowledge Engineering in the 1990s has resulted in a systematic analysis of task-types, and the corresponding problem solving methods that can be deployed for different types of tasks. That anal- ysis was the basis for a sound and widely accepted methodology for building knowledge-based systems, and has made it is possible to build libraries of reusable models, methods and code. In this paper, we make a first attempt at a similar analy- sis for Semantic Web applications. We will show that it is possible to identify a relatively small number of task- types, and that, somewhat surprisingly, a large set of Semantic Web applications can be described in this ty- pology. Secondly, we show that it is possible to decom- pose these task-types into a small number of primitive (“atomic”) inference steps. We give semi-formal defini- tions for both the task-types and the primitive inference steps that we identify. We substantiate our claim that our task-types are sufficient to cover the vast majority of Semantic Web applications by showing that all en- tries of the Semantic Web Challenges of the last 3 years can be classified in these task-types

Query Processing in Ontology-Based Peer-to-Peer Systems

The unstructured, heterogeneous and dynamic nature of the Web poses a new challenge to query-answering over multiple data sources. The so-called Semantic Web aims at providing more and semantically richer structures in terms of ontologies and meta-data. A problem that remains is the combined use of heterogeneous sources. In a dynamic environment, it is no longer realistic to assume that the involved data sources act as if they were a single (virtual) source, modelled as a global schema, as is done in classical data integration approaches. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach where we replace the role of a single virtual data source schema with a peer-to-peer approach relying on limited shared (or: overlapping) vocabularies between peers. Since overlaps between vocabularies of peers will be limited and the dynamic nature of the system prohibits the design of accurate mappings, query processing will have to be approximate. We provide a formal model for such approximate query processing based on limited shared vocabularies between peers, and we show how the quality of the approximation can be adjusted in a gradual manner. The result is a flexible architecture for query-processing in heterogenous and dynamic environments, based on a formal foundation. We present the approach and discuss it on the basis of a case study

Cultivable microbial ecology and aromatic profile of “mothers” for Vino cotto wine production

The aim of the present study was to assess the cultivable microbiota of “mothers” of Vino cotto collected from production of different years 1890, 1895, 1920, 1975, 2008. A total of 73 yeasts and 81 bacteria were isolated. Starmerella lactis-condensi, Starmerella bacillaris, Hanseniaspora uvarum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hanseniaspora guillermondi and Metschnikowia pulcherrima were identified. Bacteria isolates belonged to lactic acid bacteria (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus) and acetic acid bacteria (Gluconobacter oxydans). Remarkable biodiversity was observed for Starm. bacillaris, as well as L. plantarum and G. oxydans. Organic acids and volatile compounds were also determined. Malic and succinic acids were the main ones with values ranging from 8.49 g/L to 11.76 g/L and from 4.15 g/L to 7.73 g/L respectively, while citric acid was present at low concentrations (<0.2 g/L) in all samples. Esters and higher alcohols were the main volatile compounds detected followed by alkanes. This study permits to better understand the microbial communities associated to this product and could be considered a starting point for the definition of tailored starter cultures to improve the quality of Vino cotto preserving its typical traits