Rare Decays in LHCb

The rare B decays Bs(d)-->\mu\mu, B-->K*\mu\mu and Bs-->\phi\gamma are studied using up to \sim 0.41 fb^{-1} of pp collisions at \sqrt{s} = 7 TeV collected by the \lhcb experiment in 2010 and 2011. A search for the decays Bs(d)-->\mu\mu, is performed with 0.41 fb^{-1} . The absence of significant signal leads to BR(Bs-->\mu\mu\mu\mu<3.2 x 10^{-9} at 95% confidence level. The forward-backward asymmetry, fraction of longitudinal polarization and differential branching fraction of B-->K*\mu\mu, as a function of dimuon invariant mass, are measured in 0.31 fb^{-1}. The ratio of branching ratios of the radiative B decays B--> K*\gamma and Bs-->\phi\gamma h as been measured using 0.34fb^{-1}. The obtained value for the ratio is 1.52 \pm 0.14 (stat) \pm 0.10 (syst) \pm 0.12 (f_s/f_d). Using the HFAG value for BR(Bd --> K^*\gamma), BR(Bs-->\phi\gamma) has been found to be (2.8 \pm 0.5)\times 10^{-5}.Comment: "Presented at the 2011 Hadron Collider Physics symposium (HCP-2011), Paris, France, November 14-18 2011, 4 pages, 2 figuras.

Probing SUSY effects in KS0→μ+μ−K_S^0\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-

We explore supersymmetric contributions to the decay $K_S^0\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-$, in light of current experimental data. The Standard Model (SM) predicts $\mathcal{B}(K_S^0\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-)\approx5\times 10^{-12}$. We find that contributions arising from flavour violating Higgs penguins can enhance the branching fraction up to $\approx 35\times 10^{-12}$ within different scenarios of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), as well as suppress it down to $\approx 0.78\times 10^{-12}$. Regions with fine-tuned parameters can bring the branching fraction up to the current experimental upper bound, $8\times 10^{-10}$. The mass degeneracy of the heavy Higgs bosons in MSSM induces correlations between $\mathcal{B}(K_S^0\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-)$ and $\mathcal{B}(K_L^0\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-)$. Predictions for the $CP$ asymmetry in $K^0\rightarrow\mu^+\mu^-$ decays in the context of MSSM are also given, and can be up to eight times bigger than in the SM.Comment: 36 pages, 31 fig

Growing space in a 35-year-old Pinus taeda stand

Considering the economic importance of the Pinus species in Brazil, especially in the southern region, this study was carried out to fill some gaps and assist in the production processes of this species. The specific objective was to evaluate the influence of different growing space regimes in experimental plantations of Pinus taeda L., aged 35 years, without thinning, located in the state of Santa Catarina. Diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height data were collected, and the Gamma and Weibull (3P) probability density functions (PDF) were used to describe the structure of the diameter and height variables, respectively. Then multivariate analysis and discriminant functions were applied to identify the correlation of these variables. For qualitative variables, tree health was assessed in three classifications: 1 - Healthy, with no apparent damage; 2 - Initial stage of deterioration by pests and/or diseases; and 3 - Advanced stage of deterioration by pests and/or diseases. The trunk quality variable was also evaluated in three classifications: 1 - Trunk without apparent defects; 2 - Slightly crooked trunk, however cylindrical and devoid of considerable ramifications; and 3 - Trunk with strong tortuosity or bifurcation. The results showed that growing space directly affected the average diameter. Stands with greater space per tree maximized the variables when considering height and DBH together. Stands with less growing space, on the other hand, favored better trunk quality, and the dominant individuals in height had superior health and trunk quality compared to the others

OS NOVOS MOVIMENTOS SOCIAIS: o caso do Movimento ODS Santa Catarina

O presente estudo busca compreender a realidade constitutiva de uma ação coletiva voltada para construção do movimento pelos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) em Santa Catarina. A investigação se apoia no paradigma dos novos movimentos sociais e se propõe a analisar a composição e a identidade coletiva, descrever as ações e objetivos do movimento. É um estudo de caso, desenvolvido a partir da realização de observação participante e entrevistas semiestruturadas. O Movimento possui como identidade coletiva a ação voltada para o desenvolvimento sustentável, a partir da transformação cultural da sociedade. O alcance de atuação do movimento é considerado positivo, apesar de ainda ser um desafio atingir a plenitude de mudança cultural e do reforço à solidariedade, por meio do envolvimento de organizações e pessoas

Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease With Visual Hallucinations and Subjective Cognitive Complaints

Cognitive impairment; Parkinson's disease; Visual hallucinationsDeterioro cognitivo; Enfermedad de Parkinson; Alucinaciones visualesDeteriorament cognitiu; Malaltia de Parkinson; Al·lucinacions visualsBackground and Purpose Visual hallucinations (VH) and subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) are associated with cognitive impairment (CI) in Parkinson’s disease. Our aims were to determine the association between VH and SCC and the risk of CI development in a cohort of patients with Parkinson’s disease and normal cognition (PD-NC). Methods Patients with PD-NC (total score of >80 on the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Rating Scale [PD-CRS]) recruited from the Spanish COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were followed up after 2 years. Subjects with a score of ≥1 on domain 5 and item 13 of the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale at baseline (V0) were considered as “with SCC” and “with VH,” respectively. CI at the 2-year follow-up (plus or minus 1 month) (V2) was defined as a PD-CRS total score of <81. Results At V0 (n=376, 58.2% males, age 61.14±8.73 years [mean±SD]), the frequencies of VH and SCC were 13.6% and 62.2%, respectively. VH were more frequent in patients with SCC than in those without: 18.8% (44/234) vs 4.9% (7/142), p<0.0001. At V2, 15.2% (57/376) of the patients had developed CI. VH presenting at V0 was associated with a higher risk of CI at V2 (odds ratio [OR]=2.68, 95% confidence interval=1.05–6.83, p=0.0.039) after controlling for the effects of age, disease duration, education, medication, motor and nonmotor status, mood, and PD-CRS total score at V0. Although SCC were not associated with CI at V2, presenting both VH and SCC at V0 increased the probability of having CI at V2 (OR=3.71, 95% confidence interval=1.36–10.17, p=0.011). Conclusions VH were associated with the development of SCC and CI at the 2-year follow-up in patients with PD-NC.The resources obtained for the development of this project have been obtained by the Degen Foundation (https://fundaciondegen.org/). A part of the Project is financed with grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [PI16/01575] co-founded by ISCIII (Concesión de subvenciones de Proyectos de Investigación en Salud de la convocatoria 2020 de la Acción Estratégica en Salud 2017-2020 por el proyecto “PROGRESIÓN NO MOTORA E IMPACTO EN LA CALIDAD DE VIDA EN LA ENFERMEDAD DE PARKINSON”)

Textures and Semi-Local Strings in SUSY Hybrid Inflation

Global topological defects may account for the large cold spot observed in the Cosmic Microwave Background. We explore possibilities of constructing models of supersymmetric F-term hybrid inflation, where the waterfall fields are globally SU(2)-symmetric. In contrast to the case where SU(2) is gauged, there arise Goldstone bosons and additional moduli, which are lifted only by masses of soft-supersymmetry breaking scale. The model predicts the existence of global textures, which can become semi-local strings if the waterfall fields are gauged under U(1)_X. Gravitino overproduction can be avoided if reheating proceeds via the light SU(2)-modes or right-handed sneutrinos. For values of the inflaton- waterfall coupling >=10^-4, the symmetry breaking scale imposed by normalisation of the power spectrum generated from inflation coincides with the energy scale required to explain the most prominent of the cold spots. In this case, the spectrum of density fluctuations is close to scale-invariant which can be reconciled with measurements of the power spectrum by the inclusion of the sub-dominant component due to the topological defects.Comment: 29 page

Study of genotype x environment interaction in progenies of Pinus taeda by analysis of genetic parameters

 O presente estudo objetivou avaliar parâmetros genéticos associados à heterogeneidade de variâncias e interação genótipos x ambientes, comparando-se os resultados obtidos pelos procedimentos Blup e Blup-Het, em testes de progênies de Pinus taeda L.. Os experimentos foram instalados sob delineamento de blocos ao acaso com 150 tratamentos, sendo três locais em Santa Catarina e dois no Paraná, com 5 e 9 blocos por local, respectivamente, 6 plantas por parcela em linhas simples. Aos 6 anos de idade, foram avaliados altura e diâmetro. No geral, os resultados mostraram que as variâncias residuais elevadas conduziram à heterogeneidade de variâncias, que, associadas às altas correlações genéticas entre os caracteres altura e diâmetro, apesar de semelhantes, indicam que o procedimento Blup-Het deve ser utilizado, pois a estimativa de parâmetros genéticos usando herdabilidade individual por progênie é mais precisa. A interação genótipos x ambientes foi baixa, em função das semelhanças entre os componentes de variância e das progênies selecionadas por critérios de adaptabilidade, estabilidade e produtividade. O programa de melhoramento genético pode ser conduzido em apenas um dos locais, tendo em vista a similaridade dos ambientes, demonstrado pelos baixos valores de coeficiente de determinação dos efeitos da interação genótipos x ambientes. This study evaluated genetic parameters, heterogeneity of residual variances and genotype x environment interaction, comparing the results obtained by Blup and Blup-Het procedures in Pinus taeda L. progeny tests. Experiments were set in random blocks with 150 treatments. Three experiments were located in Santa Catarina state and two were set in Paraná state, Brazil, with 5 and 9 blocks per site, respectively, and six plants per plot. At 6 years old, the progenies were evaluated for height and diameter. In general, results demonstrated that high residual variance lead to variance heterogeneity. When variances are associated to high genetic correlations among height and diameter characters, they indicate that Blup-Het procedure should be used, even if they present similar results, because genetic parameters estimated based on individual heritability for progeny is more accurate. Genotype x environment interaction was low, given similarities among progeny variance and similarity components, selected by adaptability, stability and productivity criteria. The genetic improvement program may be conducted at one site, due to the environments similarities, as demonstrated by effects from genotype x environment interaction determination coefficient and genetic correlations across sites

Ecological flow methodology based on environmental and management restrictions

[EN] Many rules of dam operation aims at regulating the river flow on a seasonal and daily scale in order to supply energy in the demands peaks as well as in the dry season. This regulation changes the water characteristics and the aquatic ecosystems, producing alterations in matter and energy cycle, habitat availability, and in the integrity of the ecosystems. This study proposed an environmental flow regime in order to improve the ecological status of the Rio Grande downstream of the Itutinga Hydropower Plant (Minas Gerais, Brasil). The development of the environmental flow regime was based on different techniques; i) time series analysis of mean daily discharge; ii) biological response of fish and macroinvertebrates to several experiments of flow releases downstream of the hydropower plant; iii) analysis of the actual flow regime with Indicators of Hydrological Alteration (IHA). The annual hydrograph of monthly flows, with an interval of variability, for the environmental flow regime was built with an autoregressive model, whose restrictions were obtained by analyses of the main five flow components (magnitude, frequency, duration, seasonality and rate of change) of the period pre-dam (1934- 1954) and post-dam construction (1990-2011). Besides the IHA, the magnitude of monthly flows was proposed considering the biological responses of fish and macroinvertebrates; additionally, the hydropower company reported some operational limits to be considered. The process presented here showed a new approach for environmental flows in Latin America, based on multidisciplinary analyses which integrate hydrological, biological and real data of dam operation.[ES] La operación de numerosas presas se realiza con el propósito de regular el caudal de los ríos a escala temporal diaria y estacional, para poder aportar energía tanto en picos de consumo como en épocas de bajo caudal o de sequías. Dicha regulación cambia las características del agua y de los ecosistemas acuáticos, alterando la dinámica de materia y energía, la disponibilidad de hábitat físico, y en conjunto la integridad de los ecosistemas. Este estudio propuso un régimen ecológico de caudales para mejorar el estado ecológico del Río Grande bajo la central hidroeléctrica de Itutinga (Minas Gerais, Brasil). En el diseño del régimen ecológico de caudales se combinaron las siguientes herramientas: i) Series temporales de caudales medios diarios; ii) análisis de la respuesta biológica de las comunidades de peces y macroinvertebrados acuáticos ante un experimento de manipulación de los picos de caudales, aguas abajo de la misma central; iii) análisis del régimen actual de caudales mediante Indicadores de Alteración Hidrológica (IHA). La representación del régimen ecológico anual, con un rango de variabilidad, fue construido a partir de un modelo autorregresivo cuyas restricciones fueron obtenidas mediante análisis de cinco componentes fundamentales del régimen hidrológico (magnitud, frecuencia, duración, temporalidad y tasas de cambio) del período anterior (1934-1954) y posterior a la construcción de la presa (1990-2011). Además de los IHA, para la magnitud del caudal se consideró la respuesta biológica de las comunidades de peces y macroinvertebrados acuáticos, así como algunos límites de operación de la central indicados por la empresa hidroeléctrica. El método desarrollado aporta una perspectiva novedosa para los caudales ecológicos en América Latina, debido a su enfoque multidisciplinar, ya que integra información hidrológica, biológica, y datos sobre la operación de presas.Soares, L.; Santos, H.; Martinez-Capel, F.; Callisto, M.; Tupinambás, T.; Castro, D.; França, J.... (2015). Metodología para la propuesta de caudales ecológicos en función de restricciones ambientales. Aqua-Lac. 7(2):17-28. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/70377S17287

NLRC4 -mediated activation of CD1c+ dendritic cells contributes to perpetuation of synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis.

The individual contribution of specific myeloid subsets such as CD1c+ conventional dendritic cells (cDC) to perpetuation of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) pathology remains unclear. In addition, the specific innate sensors driving pathogenic activation of CD1c+ cDCs in RA patients and their functional implications have not been characterized. Here, we assessed phenotypical, transcriptional and functional characteristics of CD1c+ and CD141+ cDCs and monocytes from the blood and synovial fluid of RA patients. Increased levels of CCR2 and the IgG receptor CD64 on circulating CD1c+ cDC associated with the presence of this DC subset in the synovial membrane in RA patients. Moreover, synovial CD1c+ cDCs are characterized by increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and high abilities to induce pathogenic IFNγ+IL-17+ CD4+ T cells in vitro. Finally, we identified the crosstalk between Fcγ Receptors and NLRC4 as a new potential molecular mechanism mediating pathogenic activation, CD64 upregulation and functional specialization of CD1c+ cDCs in response to dsDNA-IgG in RA patients.E.M.G. was supported by Comunidad de Madrid Talento Program (2017-T1/BMD5396), Ramón y Cajal Program (RYC2018-024374-I), the MINECO RETOS program (RTI2018-097485-A-I00), La Caixa Foundation (HR20-00218), CIBERINF (CB21/13/00107) and the TV3 Marató (REDINCOV). C.D.A. was supported by Comunidad de Madrid Talento Program (2017-T1/BMD-5396). M.C.M was supported by the NIH (R21AI140930). HR17-00016 grant from “La Caixa Banking Foundation to F.S.M also supported the study. D.C-F. is supported by the Fellowship “la Caixa” Foundation LCF/BQ/DR19/11740010. A.T.M. was supported by a PhD fellowship from the Autonomous Region of Madrid (PEJD-2019-PRE/BMD-16851) and the RD21/0002/0027 grant. R.L. and G.H.B. were supported by PI18/00261 AND PI20/00349 grants from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, respectively. O.P. was supported by the TV3 Marató (REDINCOV) and I.T. was funded by grant for the promotion of research studies master-UAM 2021. S.C. was supported by PI21/01474 grant from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). I.G.A was supported by RD21/0002/0027 and PI21/00526 grants from the Spanish MINECO and Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “A way to make Europe.S