A search for time-integrated CP violation in D0→h−h+D^{0} \rightarrow h^{-}h^{+} decays

The LHCb Collaboration has recently observed evidence of CP violation in neutral D meson decays. CP violation in the charm sector is generically expected to be very small in the Standard Model, but can be enhanced in many models of new physics. In this document we will present the results of a search for time-integrated \CP violation in $D^0 \rightarrow h^- h^+$ with $(h=K,\pi)$ decays, performed with around 0.6 fb$^{-1}$ of data collected by LHCb in 2011. The difference in CP asymmetry between $D^0 \rightarrow K^- K^+$ and $D^0 \rightarrow \pi^- \pi^+$, $\Delta A_{CP} = A_{CP}(K^- K^+) - A_{CP}(\pi^- \pi^+)$ is measured to be $\Delta A_{CP} = [-0.82 \pm 0.21 (stat.) \pm 0.11 (syst.)]$ . This differs from the hypothesis of CP conservation by 3.5 sigma.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of The 5th International Workshop on Charm Physics (Charm 2012

\u3ci\u3e\u3cb\u3eElla Enchanted:\u3c/b\u3e\u3c/i\u3e Reclaiming Fairy Tales / Perpetuating Hollywood Standards

Feminists often denounce traditional fairy tales because they perpetuate the ideals of a patriarchal society by encouraging girls to behave like proper princesses and wait for charming princes to take charge and save the day. In response to these traditional fairy tales, many authors have tried to reclaim the realm of fairy tales for girls. These retellings feature active protagonists who are not scared of taking charge and do not need princes to save them. One example of this new fairy tale genre is the 1998 children\u27s novel Ella Enchanted by Gail Garson Levine, an untraditional feminist retelling of the story of Cinderella. This paper examines why, when it was adapted into a movie in 2004, this story is, shockingly, no longer an effective feminist text

Measuring the angle γ\gamma from penguin decays at LHCb

In this paper we present first LHCb results on charmless charged two- and three-body $B$ meson decays. In particular, using the first picobarn of integrated luminosity, LHCb observed the $B^{0}\rightarrow K^{+}\pi^{-}$ and $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ decays. Such decays provide an interesting way to determine the angle $\gamma$ of the Unitary Triangle, thanks to the possible presence of New Physics in the penguin loops.Comment: Proceedings of CKM2010, the 6th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle, University of Warwick, UK, 6-10 September 201

Regulatory T cell proliferative potential as novel marker to investigate immune tolerance and clinical progression in Multiple Sclerosis

In autoimmune disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) one of the determining alteration is the breakdown of self-antigen immune-tolerance. Peripheral immune tolerance is maintained, at least in part, by Regulatory T cells (Treg). Several studies have shown that either defects in the frequency or the suppressive capacity of Treg cells can contribute to the development of break of self-tolerance, and that in animal models of autoimmunity, adoptive transfer of Treg cells was able to stop disease process. Treg cells are known to be anergic in vitro to T cell receptor-induced (TCR) stimulation and this state correlates with their in vitro suppressive capacity. It has been reported that there are differences in the number of Treg cells in MS patients when compared with healthy controls. However there is also extensive evidence indicating a defect in the suppressive function of Treg cells from MS patients. In previous studies we showed that Treg cells produce an higher amount of leptin when compared with effector T cells and that leptin acts as a negative signal for the proliferation of Treg cells. In vitro leptin neutralization results in Treg cells proliferation. Although in last few years several studies have been performed to understand the molecular mechanism leading to autoimmune disorders development, there are no surrogate markers to predict the clinical progression of autoimmune diseases and the clinical response to the classical therapeutic regimes

Emerging pluralist politics in Mozambique: the Frelimo-Renamo party system

In 1992, the Mozambican civil war was brought to a close, marking the beginning of a 'pacted' and fundamentally successful process of democratic change. Despite the extreme poverty of the country, Mozambique has managed to introduce a formally competitive electoral regime, in which movements that were formerly in violent opposition to one another have moved towards fragile pluralist practices, in marked contrast to, for example, Angola, whose peace process quickly unravelled. This paper examines the emergence of a two party system in Mozambique, in which the former Renamo guerrilla fighters appear to have embraced the possibilities of peace. Ultimately, however, Carbone warns against undue optimism, and highlights the weaknesses of the system that are still to be resolved. For all that the country has adopted a formally competitive political system, it continues to fall short of fully democratic and liberal practices