Blood pressure and lipid profile in young women: the role of anthropometric measurement

Body composition has fundamental importance in the quality of life and is a powerful predictor of mortality and morbidity in humans. The identification and monitoring of the amount of body fat have been receiving special attention in aspects related to health promotion, not just for its actions in the prevention and in the control of cardiovascular diseases but also for their induction and association with risk factors, especially in the plasmatic lipid levels and arterial pressure. It was investigated the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (%BF) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) with the blood pressure levels (systolic and diastolic) and serum lipids (TC, HDL-c, LDL-c, VLDL-c, TG). In a group of fifty seven women (aged 18 to 26 years old ), obesity was detected in 5 and 19 women by BMI (≥ 30 kg/m2) and %BF (≥ 30%), respectively. BMI and % BF were positively correlated with blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and highly significant in the obese group by %BF. Moreover, BMI and % BF were significantly correlated with all lipids and lipoprotein fractions VLDL-c and triglyceride, respectively. These results suggest that %BF is a good indicator of “occult obesity” in subjects with normal body mass index. The associated use of BMI and %BF to better evaluate obesity may improve the study of blood pressure levels and serum lipid changes that are commonly associated with obesity.

Measurement of the pp → ZZ production cross section and constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings in four-lepton final states at √s = 8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of J/ψ and ψ(2S) Prompt Double-Differential Cross Sections in pp Collisions at s√=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of diffractive dissociation cross sections in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of the W boson helicity in events with a single reconstructed top quark in p p collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of the inclusive 3-jet production differential cross section in proton-proton collisions at 7 TeV and determination of the strong coupling constant in the TeV range

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Measurement of differential cross sections for the production of a pair of isolated photons in pp collisions at root s=7TeV

A measurement of differential cross sections for the production of a pair of isolated photons in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb(-1) collected with the CMS detector. A data-driven isolation template method is used to extract the prompt diphoton yield. The measured cross section for two isolated photons, with transverse energy above 40 and 25 GeV respectively, in the pseudorapidity range vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.5, vertical bar eta vertical bar (sic) [1.44, 1.57] and with an angular separation Delta R > 0.45, is 17.2 +/-0.2 (stat) +/-1.9 (syst) +/- 0.4 (lumi) pb. Differential cross sections are measured as a function of the diphoton invariant mass, the diphoton transverse momentum, the azimuthal angle difference between the two photons, and the cosine of the polar angle in the Collins-Soper reference frame of the diphoton system. The results are compared to theoretical predictions at leading, next-to-leading, and next-to-next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics.

Measurement of pseudorapidity distributions of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV by the CMS and TOTEM experiments

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Feasibility of Intralaminar, Lateral Mass, or Pedicle Axis Vertebra Screws in Children Under 10 Years of Age: A Tomographic Study

BACKGROUND: There are several techniques for screw insertion in upper cervical spine surgery, and the use of the 3.5-mm screw is usually the standard. However, there is no consensus regarding the feasibility of using these screws in the pediatric population. OBJECTIVE: To determine the measurement of the lamina angle, lamina and pedicle length and thickness, and lateral mass length of the topographic axial view of the axis vertebra of 2- to 10-year-old children to guide the use of surgical screws. METHODS: Seventy-five computed tomography scans from 24- to 120-month-old patients were studied. Measurements were taken in an axial view of C2 and correlated with 2 age groups and both sexes. Statistical analysis was performed with the Student t test. RESULTS: In the 24- to 48-month age group, only 5.5% of the lamina and 8.3% of the pedicles had thicknesses < 3.5 mm. In the 49- to 120-month age group, there were no lamina thickness values < 3.5 mm, and 1.2% of pedicle thicknesses were < 3.5 mm. Both age groups had no lamina and pedicle lengths < 12 mm and no lateral mass lengths > 12 mm. CONCLUSION: In the majority of cases, the use of 3.5-mm lamina and pedicle screws in children is feasible. A base value of 45 degrees for the spinolaminar angle can be adopted as a reference for insertion of screws in the C2 lamina. This information can be particularly useful for decision making during preoperative planning for C1-C2 or craniocervical arthrodesis in children.

Measurement of the proton-air cross section at root s=57 TeV with the Pierre Auger Observatory

We report a measurement of the proton-air cross section for particle production at the center-of-mass energy per nucleon of 57 TeV. This is derived from the distribution of the depths of shower maxima observed with the Pierre Auger Observatory: systematic uncertainties are studied in detail. Analyzing the tail of the distribution of the shower maxima, a proton-air cross section of [505 +/- 22(stat)(-36)(+28)(syst)] mb is found.

Measurement of the K + - pi + pi - e + - (-) v e form factors and of the pi pi scattering length a 0 0

The quark condensate is a fundamental free parameter of Chiral Perturbation Theory ($chi PT$), since it determines the relative size of the mass and momentum terms in the power expansion. In order to confirm or contradict the assumption of a large quark condensate, on which $chi PT$ is based, experimental tests are needed. In particular, the $S$-wave $pipi$ scattering lengths $a_0^0$ and $a_0^2$ can be predicted precisely within $chi PT$ as a function of this parameter and can be measured very cleanly in the decay $K^{pm} to pi^{+} pi^{-} e^{pm} stackrel{mbox{tiny(---)}}{nu_e}$ ($K_{e4}$). About one third of the data collected in 2003 and 2004 by the NA48/2 experiment were analysed and 342,859 $K_{e4}$ candidates were selected. The background contamination in the sample could be reduced down to 0.3% and it could be estimated directly from the data, by selecting events with the same signature as $K_{e4}$, but requiring for the electron the opposite charge with respect to the kaon, the so-called ``wrong sign'' events. This is a clean background sample, since the kaon decay with $Delta S=-Delta Q$, that would be the only source of signal, can only take place through two weak decays and is therefore strongly suppressed. The Cabibbo-Maksymowicz variables, used to describe the kinematics of the decay, were computed under the assumption of a fixed kaon momentum of 60 GeV/$c$ along the $z$ axis, so that the neutrino momentum could be obtained without ambiguity. The measurement of the form factors and of the $pipi$ scattering length $a_0^0$ was performed in a single step by comparing the five-dimensional distributions of data and MC in the kinematic variables. The MC distributions were corrected in order to properly take into account the trigger and selection efficiencies of the data and the background contamination. The following parameter values were obtained from a binned maximum likelihood fit, where $a_0^2$ was expressed as a function of $a_0^0$ according to the prediction of chiral perturbation theory: f'_s/f_s = 0.133+- 0.013(stat)+- 0.026(syst) f''_s/f_s = -0.041+- 0.013(stat)+- 0.020(syst) f_e/f_s = 0.221+- 0.051(stat)+- 0.105(syst) f'_e/f_s = -0.459+- 0.170(stat)+- 0.316(syst) tilde{f_p}/f_s = -0.112+- 0.013(stat)+- 0.023(syst) g_p/f_s = 0.892+- 0.012(stat)+- 0.025(syst) g'_p/f_s = 0.114+- 0.015(stat)+- 0.022(syst) h_p/f_s = -0.380+- 0.028(stat)+- 0.050(syst) a_0^0 = 0.246+- 0.009(stat)+- 0.012(syst)}+- 0.002(theor), where the statistical uncertainty only includes the effect of the data statistics and the theoretical uncertainty is due to the width of the allowed band for $a_0^2$.

Continuous geochemical monitoring by mass-spectometer in the Campi Flegrei geothermal area. An application at Pisciarelli-Solfatara (diffuse and fumarolic gases) and at the mud gases during drilling of the CFDDP pilot hole

During this work has been developed an innovative methodology for continuous and in situ gas monitoring (24/24 h) of fumarolic and soil diffusive emissions applied to the geothermal and volcanic area of Pisciarelli near Agnano inside the Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc). In literature there are only scattered and in discrete data of the geochemical gas composition of fumarole at Campi Flegrei; it is only since the early ’80 that exist a systematic record of fumaroles with discrete sampling at Solfatara (Bocca Grande and Bocca Nuova fumaroles) and since 1999, even at the degassing areas of Pisciarelli. This type of sampling has resulted in a time series of geochemical analysis with discontinuous periods of time set (in average 2-3 measurements per month) completely inadequate for the purposes of Civil Defence in such high volcanic risk and densely populated areas. For this purpose, and to remedy this lack of data, during this study was introduced a new methodology of continuous and in situ sampling able to continuously detect data related and from its soil diffusive degassing. Due to its high sampling density (about one measurement per minute therefore producing 1440 data daily) and numerous species detected (CO2, Ar, 36Ar, CH4, He, H2S, N2, O2) allowing a good statistic record and the reconstruction of the gas composition evolution of the investigated area. This methodology is based on continuous sampling of fumaroles gases and soil degassing using an extraction line, which after undergoing a series of condensation processes of the water vapour content - better described hereinafter - is analyzed through using a quadrupole mass spectrometer

Measurement of the ZZ production cross section and limits on anomalous neutral triple gauge couplings with ATLAS

The main work of this thesis concerns the measurement of the production cross section using LHC 2011 data collected at a center-of-mass energy equal to 7 TeV by the ATLAS detector and resulting in a total integrated luminosity of 4.6 inverse fb. The ZZ total cross section is finally compared with the NLO prediction calculated with modern Monte Carlo generators. In addition, the three differential distributions (∆φ(l,l), ZpT and M4l) are shown unfolded back to the underlying distributions using a Bayesian iterative algorithm. Finally, the transverse momentum of the leading Z is used to provide limits on anoumalus triple gauge couplings forbidden in the Standard Model.

Measurement of the differential cross section of tt pairs in pp collision at sqrt(s) = 7TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

In this thesis three measurements of top-antitop differential cross section at an energy in the center of mass of 7 TeV will be shown, as a function of the transverse momentum, the mass and the rapidity of the top-antitop system. The analysis has been carried over a data sample of about 5/fb recorded with the ATLAS detector. The events have been selected with a cut based approach in the "one lepton plus jets" channel, where the lepton can be either an electron or a muon. The most relevant backgrounds (multi-jet QCD and W+jets) have been extracted using data driven methods; the others (Z+ jets, diboson and single top) have been simulated with Monte Carlo techniques. The final, background-subtracted, distributions have been corrected, using unfolding methods, for the detector and selection effects. At the end, the results have been compared with the theoretical predictions. The measurements are dominated by the systematic uncertainties and show no relevant deviation from the Standard Model predictions.

Measurement of the oscillation frequency of B s mesons in the hadronic decay mode B s pi D s (phi pi) X with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider

The standard model (SM) of particle physics is a theory, describing three out of four fundamental forces. In this model the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix describes the transformation between the mass and weak eigenstates of quarks. The matrix properties can be visualized as triangles in the complex plane. A precise measurement of all triangle parameters can be used to verify the validity of the SM. The least precisely measured parameter of the triangle is related to the CKM element |Vtd|, accessible through the mixing frequency (oscillation) of neutral B mesons, where mixing is the transition of a neutral meson into its anti-particle and vice versa. It is possible to calculate the CKM element |Vtd| and a related element |Vts| by measuring the mass differences Dmd (Dms ) between neutral Bd and bar{Bd} (Bs and bar{Bs}) meson mass eigenstates. This measurement is accomplished by tagging the initial and final state of decaying B mesons and determining their lifetime. Currently the Fermilab Tevatron Collider (providing pbar{p} collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV) is the only place, where Bs oscillations can be studied. The first selection of the "golden", fully hadronic decay mode Bs->Ds pi(phi pi)X at DØ is presented in this thesis. All data, taken between April 2002 and August 2007 with the DØ detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of int{L}dt=2.8/fb is used. The oscillation frequency Dms and the ratio |Vtd|/|Vts| are determined as Dms = (16.6 +0.5-0.4(stat) +0.4-0.3(sys)) 1/ps, |Vtd|/|Vts| = 0.213 +0.004-0.003(exp)pm 0.008(theor). These results are consistent with the standard model expectations and no evidence for new physics is observable.