Lepton Flavor Violation and Collider Searches in a Type I + II Seesaw Model

Neutrino are massless in the Standard Model. The most popular mechanism to generate neutrino masses are the type I and type II seesaw, where right-handed neutrinos and a scalar triplet are augmented to the Standard Model, respectively. In this work, we discuss a model where a type I + II seesaw mechanism naturally arises via spontaneous symmetry breaking of an enlarged gauge group. Lepton flavor violation is a common feature in such setup and for this reason, we compute the model contribution to the $\mu \rightarrow e\gamma$ and $\mu \rightarrow 3e$ decays. Moreover, we explore the connection between the neutrino mass ordering and lepton flavor violation in perspective with the LHC, HL-LHC and HE-LHC sensitivities to the doubly charged scalar stemming from the Higgs triplet. Our results explicitly show the importance of searching for signs of lepton flavor violation in collider and muon decays. The conclusion about which probe yields stronger bounds depends strongly on the mass ordering adopted, the absolute neutrino masses and which much decay one considers. In the 1-5 TeV mass region of the doubly charged scalar, lepton flavor violation experiments and colliders offer orthogonal and complementary probes. Thus if a signal is observed in one of the two new physics searches, the other will be able to assess whether it stems from a seesaw framework.Comment: 41 pages, 1 figure, 2 table

Scapular dynamic muscular stiffness assessed through myotonometry: a narrative review

Several tools have been used to assess muscular stiffness. Myotonometry stands out as an accessible, handheld, and easy to use tool. The purpose of this review was to summarize the psychometric properties and methodological considerations of myotonometry and its applicability in assessing scapular muscles. Myotonometry seems to be a reliable method to assess several muscles stiffness, as trapezius. This method has been demonstrated fair to moderate correlation with passive stiffness measured by shear wave elastography for several muscles, as well as with level of muscle contraction, pinch and muscle strength, Action Research Arm Test score and muscle or subcutaneous thickness. Myotonometry can detect scapular muscles stiffness differences between pre- and post-intervention in painful conditions and, sometimes, between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Academic Achievement in Physics-Chemistry: The Predictive Effect of Attitudes and Reasoning Abilities

Science education plays a critical role as political priority due to its fundamental importance in engaging students to pursue technological careers considered essential in modern societies, in order to face scientific development challenges. High-level achievement on science education and positive attitudes toward science constitutes a crucial challenge for formal education. Several studies indicate close relationships between students’ attitudes, cognitive abilities, and academic achievement. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of student’s attitudes toward the school discipline of Physics and Chemistry and their reasoning abilities on academic achievement on that school subject, among Portuguese 9th grade students using the data collected during the Project Academic Performance and Development: a longitudinal study on the effects of school transitions in Portuguese students (PTDC/CPE-CED/104884/2008). The participants were 470 students (267 girls – 56.8% and 203 boys – 43.2%), aged 14–16 years old (m D 14.3 0.58). The attitude data were collected using the Attitude toward Physics-Chemistry Questionnaire (ATPCQ) and, the Reasoning Test Battery (RTB) was used to assess the students reasoning abilities. Achievement was measured using the students’ quarterly (9-week) grades in the physics and chemistry subject. The relationships between the attitude dimensions toward Physics-chemistry and the reasoning dimensions and achievement in each of the three school terms were assessed by multiple regression stepwise analyses and standardized regression coefficients (b), calculated with IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software. Both variables studied proved to be significant predictor variables of school achievement. The models obtained from the use of both variables were always stronger accounting for higher proportions of student’s grade variations. The results show that ATPCQ and RTB had a significantly positive relationship with student’s achievement in Physics-chemistry, indicating that both attitudinal and cognitive variables should be taken into account on science education as well as in educative intervention

Conformal prediction for frequency-severity modeling

We present a nonparametric model-agnostic framework for building prediction intervals of insurance claims, with finite sample statistical guarantees, extending the technique of split conformal prediction to the domain of two-stage frequency-severity modeling. The effectiveness of the framework is showcased with simulated and real datasets. When the underlying severity model is a random forest, we extend the two-stage split conformal prediction procedure, showing how the out-of-bag mechanism can be leveraged to eliminate the need for a calibration set and to enable the production of prediction intervals with adaptive width

Distribuição dos moluscos terrestres da ilha do Pico (Açores) e variabilidade de Oxychilus (Droutia) minor (Morelet, 1860)

XII Expedição Científica do Departamento de Biologia - Pico 2005.Os moluscos terrestres da ilha do Pico têm sido objecto de estudos vários, mas sobre eles de facto pouco se tem publicado. Arthur Morelet, na sua expedição aos Açores em companhia de Henri Drouët, visitou a ilha em 1857 e, em 1860, naquela que foi a primeira grande obra sobre a malacologia açoriana, elencou as espécies encontradas naquela visita. Ali Morelet (1860) descreveu Pupa [= Leiostyla] rugulosa com base num único indivíduo encontrado no Pico, tornando-se esta a primeira espécie endémica de moluscos terrestres adstrita àquela ilha. Se bem que trabalhos posteriores hajam registado esta espécie em outras ilhas (veja Cunha et al., 2005), impõe-se uma revisão deste grupo com base não apenas em caracteres conquiológicos mas sobretudo anatómicos e moleculares no intuito de serem compreendidas as posições taxonómicas e relações filogenéticas destes taxa nas várias ilhas. Para além desta espécie, aquele naturalista francês menciona para o Pico uma variedade â de Limax rufus [Arion lusitanicus], espécie espalhada por outras ilhas açorianas. Morelet (1860) serviu-se ainda das suas observações no Pico para a descrição de outras espécies que reconheceu estarem distribuídas pelas restantes ilhas; tal foi o caso dos ellobiídeos halofílicos Auricula [=Ovatella] vulcani, endemismo açórico, e Auricula bicolor e Auricula vespertina que são consideradas sinónimos de Myosotella myosotis. Para além do que acima foi indicado, apenas mais quatro espécies terrestres mereceram para Morelet menção expressa da ilha do Pico: Helix [= Caracollina] lenticula, uma introdução da Europa então ainda raramente observada nos Açores, Helix [= Heterostoma] paupercula, uma introdução da Madeira igualmente rara, e Bulimus [= Macaronapaeus] forbesianus, um endemismo circunscrito ao Grupo Central. No início do século XX, o barão W. Rothschild realizou uma expedição aos Açores cujas recolhas depositou no Natural History Museum, Londres; entre o material recolhido, mas nunca trabalhado, figuram sete exemplares de Macaronapaeus imaculadamente brancos (BMNH 1903-10-8.175-181), que se crê relacionados com o endemismo terceirense Macaronapaeus alabastrinus, mas cuja decisão aguarda revisão taxonómica apropriada. Nobre (1924) recolheu esta espécie nos arredores do Cais do Pico e menciona-a como Bulimus pruninus mas Backhuys (1975), ciente embora da lista de Nobre, nem se lhe refere; estes autores, porém, se bem que hajam contribuído imensamente para o conhecimento da malacofauna açórica, pouco acrescentaram à lista de Morelet em matéria de novidade endémica para a ilha do Pico

An alternative conformation of ERβ bound to estradiol reveals H12 in a stable antagonist position

FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOThe natural ligand 17β-estradiol (E2) is so far believed to induce a unique agonist-bound active conformation in the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the estrogen receptors (ERs). Both subtypes, ERα and ERβ, are transcriptionally activated in the presence o7FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOCNPQ - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO2014/22007-02013/08293-72012/24750-6301981/2011-6This work was supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation FAPESP (grants 2014/22007-0, 2013/08293-7, 2012/24750-6) and by CNPq (grant 301981/2011-6

Impact of a Pretreatment Step on the Acidogenic Fermentation of Spent Coffee Grounds

This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020), Paulo C. Lemos acknowledges the support by FCT/MCTES for contract IF/01054/2014/CP1224/CT0005.Acidogenic fermentation (AF) is often applied to wastes to produce short-chain organic acids (SCOAs)—molecules with applications in many industries. Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are a residue from the coffee industry that is rich in carbohydrates, having the potential to be valorized by this process. However, given the recalcitrant nature of this waste, the addition of a pretreatment step can significantly improve AF. In this work, several pretreatment strategies were applied to SCGs (acidic hydrolysis, basic hydrolysis, hydrothermal, microwave, ultrasounds, and supercritical CO2 extraction), evaluated in terms of sugar and inhibitors release, and used in AF. Despite the low yields of sugar extracted, almost all pretreatments increased SCOAs production. Milder extraction conditions also resulted in lower concentrations of inhibitory compounds and, consequently, in a higher concentration of SCOAs. The best results were obtained with acidic hydrolysis of 5%, leading to a production of 1.33 gSCOAs/L, an increase of 185% compared with untreated SCGs.publishersversionpublishe

Fajã dos Milagres : o desvendar da formação de fajãs detríticas com sistemas lagunares

A secção UAciência é coordenada pelo Professor Universitário Armindo Rodrigues.Fajãs detríticas costeiras com sistemas lagunares constituem locais de elevada riqueza geológica, biológica e paisagística. E do conhecimento geral que a formação de fajãs detríticas costeiras esta intrinsecamente ligada a evolução de vertentes litorais alcantiladas, típicas em ilhas vulcânicas, e aos processos de desmonte associados a esta evolução (e.g. ‘quebradas’). Não obstante este conhecimento, pouco se conhece acerca dos processos que concorrem para a génese de fajãs detríticas costeiras que exibem sistemas lagunares, nomeadamente qual o papel que a interação entre processos de colapso gravítico das vertentes e os processos inerentes à dinâmica costeira assumem nessa génese, e como e que essa interação se processa. […].info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fajã dos Milagres: o desvendar da formação de fajãs detríticas com sistemas lagunares

Fajãs detríticas costeiras com sistemas lagunares constituem locais de elevada riqueza geológica, biológica e paisagística. E do conhecimento geral que a formação de fajãs detríticas costeiras esta intrinsecamente ligada a evolução de vertentes litorais alcantiladas, típicas em ilhas vulcânicas, e aos processos de desmonte associados a esta evolução (e.g. ‘quebradas’). Não obstante este conhecimento, pouco se conhece acerca dos processos que concorrem para a génese de fajãs detríticas costeiras que exibem sistemas lagunares, nomeadamente qual o papel que a interação entre processos de colapso gravítico das vertentes e os processos inerentes à dinâmica costeira assumem nessa génese, e como e que essa interação se processa