Nonfactorization and the decays Ds+→ϕπ+,ϕρ+D_s^+ \to \phi \pi^+, \phi \rho^+ and ϕl+νl\phi l^+ \nu_l

In six chosen scenarios for the $q^2$ dependence of the form factors involved in $D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi$ transition, we have determined the allowed domain of $x = A_2(0) / A_1(0)$ and $y = V(0)/A_1(0)$ from the experimentally measured ratios $R_{sl} = \Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi l^+ \nu_l)/\Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi \pi^+)$ and $R_h = \Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi \rho^+)/\Gamma(D_s^+ \rightarrow \phi \pi^+)$ in a scheme that uses the $N_c =3$ value of the phenomenological parameter $a_1$ and includes nonfactorized contribution. We find that the experimentally measured values of $x$ and $y$ from semileptonic decays of $D_s^+$ favor solutions which have significant nonfactorized contribution, and, in particular, $R_{sl}$ favors solutions in scenarios where $A_1(q^2)$ is either flat or decreasing with $q^2$.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, four figure (available on request)

Stability Of Gluten Free Sweet Biscuit Elaborated With Rice Bran, Broken Rice And Okara

A challenge to the food sector has been the development of new products incorporating co-products from the food processing industry with minimal impact on their pre-determined structures and adding nutritional quality. In order to add value and develop alternatives for the use of co-products generated during the agroindustrial processing, this work aimed to study the stability of gluten-free sweet biscuits developed with soybean okara, rice bran and broken rice. The formulations were elaborated with increasing percentages of these ingredients and compared with the standard (commercial sweet biscuit) for ten months. The analyses were: weight, diameters (internal and external), thickness, specific volume, instrumental parameters of color, texture, scanning electron microscopy, water activity, proximal composition and isoflavones. The experimental sweet biscuits had characteristics of color, weight, volume and diameters (internal and external) very similar to the commercial, whereas texture, lipids and energy value decreased, and aw, moisture and protein increased during storage. The sweet biscuits showed the same stability when compared to the standard, and the. © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Ciencia e Tecnologia de Alimentos, SBCTA. All rights reserved.36229630

The development of a prototype solution for detecting wear and tear in pedestrian crossings

Crosswalks play a fundamental role in road safety. However, over time, many suffer wear and tear that makes them difficult to see. This project presents a solution based on the use of computer vision techniques for identifying and classifying the level of wear on crosswalks. The proposed system uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) to analyze images of crosswalks, determining their wear status. The design includes a prototype system mounted on a vehicle, equipped with cameras and processing units to collect and analyze data in real time as the vehicle traverses traffic routes. The collected data are then transmitted to a web application for further analysis and reporting. The prototype was validated through extensive tests in a real urban environment, comparing its assessments with manual inspections conducted by experts. Results from these tests showed that the system could accurately classify crosswalk wear with a high degree of accuracy, demonstrating its potential for aiding maintenance authorities in efficiently prioritizing interventions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Photoactivatable prodrugs of butyric acid based on new coumarin fused oxazole heterocycles

New coumarin fused oxazoles were investigated as photosensitive units for carboxylic acid groups using butyric acid as a model compound. 6-Oxo-6H-benzopyrano[6,7-d]oxazol-8-yl)methyl derivatives possessing various (hetero)aromatic substituents at position 2 of the heterocyclic system were used in the synthesis of ester conjugates of butyric acid. Photolysis at selected wavelengths in methanol/HEPES buffer (80:20) solutions, monitored by HPLC/UV and 1H NMR, produced the complete release of butyric acid. The shorter irradiation times for cleavage at longer wavelengths occurred for the conjugate with a 4-oxo-4H-benzopyran-2-yl substituent and thus (6-oxo-2-(4-oxo-4H-benzopyran-2-yl)-6H-benzopyrano[6,7-d]oxazol-8-yl)methyl has potential as a candidate photosensitive moiety for butyric acid prodrugs.Thanks are due to the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the NMR portuguese network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETE-QREN-EU for financial support to the research centre CQ/UM [PEst-C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-022716)] and a PhD grant to A.M.S.S. (SFRH/BD/80813/2011) is also acknowledged

Participatory management of a reservoir fishery in northeastern Brazil

Consensus, compromise and cooperation. That was how more than 100 fishers reached agreement on how they would manage their own fishery in a small reservoir in northeastern Brazil. The long hard road that led to the agreement, the final congress in which fishers made minor history and the lessons that others may draw from the experience are described in this article. The fishers agreed on a nonfishing period of protected areas and a seasonal ban on certain nets in the face of a government department that told them the measures were non-building and essentially illegal

CONCEITO DA PROFUNDIDADE DE MISTURA GERADA PELA AÇÃO DE ONDAS APLICADO À LAGOA DA MANGUEIRA

O termo profundidade de mistura é definido como a profundidade máxima afetada pela onda ao se propagar. Esse conceito é aplicado à lagoa Mangueira, uma lagoa costeira rasa, fechada e sem efeito de maré. Como a profundidade máxima é de 6m e que vento de intensidade superior a 5m/s atingem profundidades superiores a 4,7m na direção mais desfavorável, conclui-se tratar-se de local que dificilmente atinge uma condição de estratificação térmica, devendo ser comum a ressuspensão de sedimentos do fundo

Nonfactorization and Color-Suppressed B→ψ(ψ(2S))+K(K∗)B \to \psi (\psi(2S))+K(K^*) Decays

Using $N_c=3$ value of the parameter $a_2=0.09$ but including a modest nonfactorized amplitude, we show that it is possible to understand all data, including polarization, for color-suppressed $B\to\psi(\psi(2S))+K(K^*)$ decays in all commonly used models of form factors. We show that for $B\to\psi +K$ decay one can define an effective $a_2$, which is process-dependent and, in general, complex; but it is not possible to define an effective $a_2$ for $B\to\psi +K^*$ decay. We also explain why nonfactorized amplitudes do not play a significant role in color-favored B decays.Comment: 13 pages, Latex, one figure (not included

Fungal Communities of the Pine Wilt Disease Complex: Studying the Interaction of Ophiostomatales With Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Original ResearchConsidered one of the most devastating plant–parasitic nematodes worldwide, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (commonly known as pinewood nematode, PWN) is the causal agent of the pine wilt disease in the Eurasian coniferous forests. This migratory parasitic nematode is carried by an insect vector (Monochamus spp.) into the host tree (Pinus species), where it can feed on parenchymal cells and reproduce massively, resulting in the tree wilting. In declining trees, PWN populations are strongly dependent on fungal communities colonizing the host (predominantly ophiostomatoid fungi known to cause sapwood blue-staining, the blue-stain fungi), which not only influence their development and life cycle but also the number of individuals carried by the insect vector into a new host. Our main aim is to understand if PWN-associated mycobiota plays a key role in the development of PWD, in interaction with the PWN and the insect vector, and to what extent it can be targeted to disrupt the disease cycle. For this purpose, we characterized the fungal communities of Pinus pinaster trees infected and non-infected with PWN in three collection sites in Continental Portugal with different PWD temporal incidences. Our results showed that non-infected P. pinaster mycoflora is more diverse (in terms of abundance and fungal richness) than PWN-infected pine trees in the most recent PWD foci, as opposed to the fungal communities of long-term PWD history sites. Then, due to their ecological importance for PWN survival, representatives of the main ophiostomatoid fungi isolated (Ophiostoma, Leptographium, and Graphilbum) were characterized for their adaptative response to temperature, competition in-between taxa, and as food source for PWN. Under the conditions studied, Leptographium isolates showed promising results for PWN control. They could outcompete the other species, especially O. ips, and significantly reduce the development of PWN populations when compared to Botrytis cinerea (routinely used for PWN lab culturing), suggesting this to be a natural antagonist not only for the other blue-stain species but also for the PWNinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Differential gene expression profiles of hepatocellular carcinomas associated or not with viral infection

Chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections are the most important factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but tumor prognosis remains poor due to the lack of diagnostic biomarkers. In order to identify novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets, the gene expression profile associated with viral and non-viral HCC was assessed in 9 tumor samples by oligo-microarrays. The differentially expressed genes were examined using a z-score and KEGG pathway for the search of ontological biological processes. We selected a non-redundant set of 15 genes with the lowest P value for clustering samples into three groups using the non-supervised algorithm k-means. Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis was then applied in an exhaustive search of trios of genes that could be used to build classifiers for class distinction. Different transcriptional levels of genes were identified in HCC of different etiologies and from different HCC samples. When comparing HBV-HCC vs HCV-HCC, HBV-HCC/HCV-HCC vs non-viral (NV)-HCC, HBC-HCC vs NV-HCC, and HCV-HCC vs NV-HCC of the 58 non-redundant differentially expressed genes, only 6 genes (IKBKβ, CREBBP, WNT10B, PRDX6, ITGAV, and IFNAR1) were found to be associated with hepatic carcinogenesis. By combining trios, classifiers could be generated, which correctly classified 100% of the samples. This expression profiling may provide a useful tool for research into the pathophysiology of HCC. A detailed understanding of how these distinct genes are involved in molecular pathways is of fundamental importance to the development of effective HCC chemoprevention and treatment

ANALYSIS OF POOR FAMILIES WELFARE AND POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES IN TIMOR-LESTE

Poverty is often cited as the main problem experienced by developing countries, and Timor-Leste is no exception. Timor-Leste is a country that is still struggling with poverty. This indicates that poverty alleviation programs must continue to be promoted to create sustainable community welfare. Efforts and cooperation of various parties are needed to find ways for the community to get out of poverty and realize the welfare they want. This research aims to obtain an in-depth picture of low-income families' welfare and study poverty reduction strategies in Timor-Leste. The research method used in this study is a literature review. The results show that there are still many poor families in Timor-Leste, and the unequal distribution of public facilities and infrastructure in each district in Timor-Leste indicates that family welfare has not been fully realized. The poverty alleviation strategies that the Government can implement can be divided into two major parts, namely first protecting families and community groups that experience temporary poverty, and second helping people who experience chronic poverty by empowering and preventing new poverty. The strategy is then outlined in three programs that are directly directed at the poor, namely: (1) provision of basic needs; (2) development of a social security system, and (3) development of a business culture