New Strongly Coupled Sector at the Tevatron and the LHC

We examine the possibility that a new strong interaction is accessible to the Tevatron and the LHC. In an effective theory approach, we consider a scenario with a new color-octet interaction with strong couplings to the top quark, as well as the presence of a strongly coupled fourth-generation which could be responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking. We apply several constraints, including the ones from flavor physics. We study the phenomenology of the resulting parameter space at the Tevatron, focusing on the the forward-backward asymmetry in top pair production, as well as in the production of the fourth-generation quarks. We show that if the excess in the top production asymmetry is indeed the result of this new interaction, the Tevatron could see the first hints of the strongly coupled fourth-generation quarks. Finally, we show that the LHC with $\sqrt{s}=7~$TeV and $1~{\rm fb}^{-1}$ integrated luminosity should observe the production of fourth-generation quarks at a level at least one order of magnitude above the QCD prediction for the production of these states.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figure

Relationships between Status Perception and Pro-Environmental Behaviors

This study explores the perceived social status associated with a variety of environmentally-friendly behaviors among individuals in groups who differ in their environmental orientation. Individuals in both the environmental and non-environmental group included in the study noted two major factors influencing whether or not a behavior is associated with high status or low status, which were (i) the motivation behind a behavior and (ii) observability. Furthermore, only six of nineteen behaviors showed significant differences in average status ratings between the two groups. Contrary to expectations, the environmental group provided higher status ratings for more costly, consumptive-intensive behaviors (i.e. buying a fuel efficient car, installing solar panels, and installing attic/wall insulation), while the non-environmental sample did so for more consumption-reducing behaviors (i.e. eating vegetarian food, composting, and riding the bus instead of a car). These results highlight the importance of contextual information in perceiving status related to environmentally-friendly behaviors. In addition, the results provide insights into subtle differences in how different social groups view environmental behaviors which has implications for whether and why these behaviors might be adopted by individuals in both groups.No embargoAcademic Major: Natural Resources Managemen

N-Relaxion: Large Field Excursions from a Few Site Relaxion Model

Relaxion models are an interesting new avenue to explain the radiative stability of the Standard Model scalar sector. They require very large field excursions, which are difficult to generate in a consistent UV completion and to reconcile with the compact field space of the relaxion. We propose an N-site model which naturally generates the large decay constant needed to address these issues. Our model offers distinct advantages with respect to previous proposals: the construction involves non-abelian fields, allowing for controlled high energy behaviour and more model building possibilities, both in particle physics and inflationary models, and also admits a continuum limit when the number of sites is large, which may be interpreted as a warped extra dimension.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; v2: version to appear in PR

A equação de Ramanujan-Nagell e algumas de suas generalizações

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Departamento de Matemática, 2013.O objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar algumas técnicas para resolução de equações diofantinas. Métodos algébricos são ferramentas de grande utilidade para a resolução da equação equation x2 + 7 = yn, em que y = 2 ou Y é ímpar. O uso do método hipergeométrico traz um resultado recente (de 2008) no estudo da equação x2 + 7 =2n. m e técnicas algébricas garantem uma condição necessária para que essa última equação tenha solução. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThe objective of this work is to show some techniques for solving Diophantine equations. Algebraic methods are useful tools for solving the equation x2 + 7 = yn, where y = 2 or y is odd. The use of the hypergeometric method brings a recent result (from 2008) in the study of the equation x2 + 7 = 2n.m and algebraic techniques ensure a necessary condition for the last equation to have a solution

TMPRSS2 e outras serino proteases transmembrana tipo II (TTSPS) : sinal de uma corrida armamentista de longo periodo entre vírus e mamíferos placentários

O gene da Serina Protease Transmembrana 2 (TMPRSS2), localizado no cromossomo 21q22.3, codifica uma proteína com o mesmo nome, sendo membro da família das Serino Proteases Transmembrana Tipo II (TTSPs). A TMPRSS2 humana é normalmente relacionada a resposta a andrógenos, mas foi cooptada pelo SARS-CoV-2 para clivar a glicoproteína viral Spike, e assim permitir a infecção da célula hospedeira. Apesar da existência de outras proteases cooptadas pelo SARS-CoV-2 para realizar essa função, recentes estudos funcionais mostram uma ativação e penetração mais velozes do SARS-CoV-2 em células expressando TMPRSS2 que naquelas dependentes de outras proteases. De forma a avaliar os padrões evolutivos que moldaram a relação entre a TMPRSS2 do Homo sapiens e a Spike do SARS-CoV-2, buscamos identificar todas as TTSPs presentes no genoma do Homo sapiens, visto que o último estudo sobre o tema foi publicado em 2009. Foram encontradas 18 TTSPs pertencentes a 4 subfamílias, resgatando a relação filogenética original das subfamílias TTSPs. Porém quando foram analizados somente os 30 sítios que interagem com a Spike do SARS-CoV-2 um padrão filogenético distinto foi encontrado. Também investigamos a região codificante dos ortólogos do TMPRSS2 de 182 espécies de mamíferos placentários. A variabilidade interespecífica em 33 sítios pode ser explicada por seleção positiva de acordo com a análise no pacote MEME, sendo que seis desses sítios (299, 340, 389, 413, 431, 438), ou seja, 15%, são reconhecidos como importantes para a interação com o vírus. Esses resultados podem indicar um sinal de uma corrida armamentista entre os coronavirus e os seus potenciais hospedeiros mamíferos. Em outras palavras, esse padrão de variação sugere que a maior parte da variação entre espécies seja resultados de pressões seletivas que potencialmente vêm moldando a função normal da TMPRSS2 humana e de seus ortólogos nas células das espécies correspondentes. Por outro lado, a Spike viral estaria sendo moldada evolutivamente para se ligar em posições nas proteases dos hospedeiros mamíferos com menos propensão a terem variação promovida por ação de seleção positiva, o que conferiria vantagem ao vírus, pois ele teria menos chance de perder afinidade com o hospedeiro ao mesmo tempo que daria mais chances para saltos zoonóticos.The Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2) gene, located at human chromosome 21q22.3, encodes a protein with the same name member from the type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSPs). TMPRSS2 is usually related to the response to androgens but is co-opted by the SARS-CoV2 to cleave the viral Spike glycoprotein to infect the host cell. Despite the existence of other proteases co-opted by SARS-CoV2 to that function, recent functional studies show a more rapid activation and penetration of SARS-CoV2 in cells expressing TMPRSS2 than with those in which infection depends on other proteases. In order to assess the evolutionary patterns that shaped the relationship between the Homo sapiens TMPRSS2 and SARS-CoV2 Spike, we aimed to identify all TTSPs present in the Homo sapiens genome since the previous study with this purpose was published in 2009. One of our goals is to understand better why TMPRSS2 has been evolutionarily co-opted and is preferentially used to cleave Spike. Eighteen canonic Homo sapiens TTSPs, grouped in 4 clades were found, rescuing the original phylogenetic relationship of the TTSPs subfamilies. However, when only 30 sites that interact with the Spike of SARS-CoV-2 were used, a distinct phylogenetic pattern was found. We also investigated the coding region of TMPRSS2 orthologs of the 182 species of placental mammals. Using the MEME package, our evolutionary analysis shows that the interspecific variability in 33 sites can be explained by positive selection, six of them (299, 340, 389, 413, 431, 438), that is, 15%, with importance for the interaction with SARS- CoV-2. These results may be a sign of the biological arms race between coronaviruses and their potential mammalian hosts. In other words, this pattern of variation suggests that most of the variation between species is the result of selective pressures that have been shaping the normal function of human TMPRSS2 and its orthologs in the cells of the corresponding species. On the other hand, the virtal Spike would be evolutionarily shaped to bind at positions in the proteases of mammalian hosts that are less likely to have variation promoted by positive selection action, which would give the virus an advantage, as it would have less chance of losing affinity with the host while giving more chances for zoonotic jumps

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY: an analysis for latin american countries (1990-2010)

Nas ultimas duas décadas importantes mudanças políticas e econômicas ocorreram na América Latina. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é analisar a relação existente entre a evolução da democracia e desenvolvimento econômico para as principais economias dessa região. O marco teórico se origina em Lipset (1959) o qual afirma que dentre os fatores da sociedade que se ligam ao sistema político nenhum é tão amplamente aceito quando a relação existente entre democracia e nível de desenvolvimento econômico. A metodologia usada foi à técnica econometria de dados em painel com efeito fixo.Os resultados demonstram que a evolução do PIB per capita teve um papel determinante no processo de evolução dasdemocracias dos países estudados. Destarte os resultados do trabalho permitem concluir que o desenvolvimento econômico amplia a possibilidade de consolidação da democracia na América Latina.Palavras-chave: Democracia; desenvolvimento econômico; economias Latino AmericanasAbstract: In the last two decades, important political changes occurred in Latin America. Thus the objective of this study is toanalyze the relationship between the evolution of democracy and economic development for the major economies of thisregion. The theoretical framework is based on Lipset (1959) which states that, among the factors in society related to political system, none is so accepted as the relation between democracy and level of economic development. The methodology used was the econometric technique of panel data with fixed effects. The results show that the evolution of GDP per capita had a role in the process of evolution of democracies in the studied countries. Thus the results of the study allow concluding that economic development increases the possibility of consolidating democracy in Latin America.Keywords: Democracy, economic development, Latin American economies

State of the art of money laundering and corruption mitigation : the example of brazilian compliance with international standards

Mestrado em Economia Internacional e Estudos EuropeusO branqueamento de capitais e a corrupção estão profundamente ligados porque os rendimentos da corrupção devem ser branqueados e integrados no mercado. Estes crimes também têm uma dimensão internacional. Na ausência de cooperação e normas internacionais, o processo de luta contra o branqueamento de capitais e a mitigação da corrupção está em risco nas jurisdições nacionais. Esta tese apresenta o estado da arte neste domínio, nomeadamente, como as políticas anti-branqueamento de capitais podem prevenir a corrupção, com base no exemplo da jurisdição brasileira na sua aplicação de normas internacionais. O Brasil ganhou atenção com casos de corrupção como "Mensalão" ou "Lava Jato", que afetaram a forma como era percebida internacionalmente. Analisamos primeiro os conceitos e contextos de corrupção, branqueamento de capitais e conformidade. Analisamos também vários documentos referenciados como Convenções e as "Quarenta Recomendações", uma vez que se tratam de códigos internacionais para criminalizar o branqueamento de capitais. Estes documentos permitiram o desenvolvimento do anti-branqueamento de capitais numa lógica de conformidade. Depois, usamos o Brasil como um exemplo prático para ilustrar como os padrões podem ser implementados, bem como os desafios associados. Ao destacar a importância de uma cultura de conformidade, esta tese contribui para a compreensão de como as normas internacionais podem ajudar um país a superar a corrupção e explicar o que pode falhar no processo de mitigação em resultado de desafios políticos e sociais nacionais.Money laundering and corruption are deeply connected because the proceeds from corruption must be laundered and integrated into the market. Those crimes also have an international dimension. In the absence of international cooperation and standards, the process of anti-money laundering and corruption mitigation is at risk in domestic jurisdictions. This thesis presents the state of the art in this field, namely, how anti-money laundering policies can prevent corruption, based on the example of Brazilian jurisdiction in its application of international standards. Brazil gained attention with corruption cases as "Mensalão" or "Lava Jato", which affected how it was perceived internationally. We first analyse the concepts and contexts of corruption, money laundering, and compliance. We also analyse several referenced documents as Conventions and the Forty recommendations as these are international codes to criminalize money laundering. These documents allowed the development of anti-money laundering in a logic of compliance. Then, we use Brazil as a practical example to illustrate how standards can be implemented, as well as the associated challenges. By highlighting importance of a culture of compliance, this thesis contributes to the understanding of how international standards can help a country overcome corruption and to explain what can fail in the process of mitigation as a result of national political and societal behavioural challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio