Measurement of the λb 0 lifetime in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

A measurement of the λb 0 lifetime using the decay λb 0-1, was recorded with the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider using triggers that selected dimuon events in the J/ψ mass region. The λb 0 lifetime is measured to be 1.503 ± 0.052 (stat.) ± 0.031 (syst.) ps. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2013 Cern for the benefit of the CMS collaboration.

Search for microscopic black holes in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV

A search for microscopic black holes and string balls is presented, based on a data sample of pp collisions at √s=8 TeV recorded by the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12 fb-1. No excess of events with energetic multiparticle final states, typical of black hole production or of similar new physics processes, is observed. Given the agreement of the observations with the expected standard model background, which is dominated by QCD multijet production, 95% confidence level limits are set on the production of semiclassical or quantum black holes, or of string balls, corresponding to the exclusions of masses below 4.3 to 6.2 TeV, depending on model assumptions. In addition, model-independent limits are set on new physics processes resulting in energetic multiparticle final states. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the CMS collaboration.

Search in leptonic channels for heavy resonances decaying to long-lived neutral particles

A search is performed for heavy resonances decaying to two long-lived massive neutral particles, each decaying to leptons. The experimental signature is a distinctive topology consisting of a pair of oppositely charged leptons originating at a separated secondary vertex. Events were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV, and selected from data samples corresponding to 4.1 (5.1) fb-1 of integrated luminosity in the electron (muon) channel. No significant excess is observed above standard model expectations, and an upper limit is set with 95% confidence level on the production cross section times the branching fraction to leptons, as a function of the long-lived massive neutral particle lifetime. Copyright CERN.

Estimates of genetic parameters and eigenvector indices for milk production of Holstein cows

The objectives of the present study were to estimate genetic parameters of monthly test-day milk yield (TDMY) of the first lactation of Brazilian Holstein cows using random regression (RR), and to compare the genetic gains for milk production and persistency, derived from RR models, using eigenvector indices and selection indices that did not consider eigenvectors. The data set contained monthly TDMY of 3,543 first lactations of Brazilian Holstein cows calving between 1994 and 2011. The RR model included the fixed effect of the contemporary group (herd-month-year of test days), the covariate calving age (linear and quadratic effects), and a fourth-order regression on Legendre orthogonal polynomials of days in milk (DIM) to model the population-based mean curve. Additive genetic and nongenetic animal effects were fit as RR with 4 classes of residual variance random effect. Eigenvector indices based on the additive genetic RR covariance matrix were used to evaluate the genetic gains of milk yield and persistency compared with the traditional selection index (selection index based on breeding values of milk yield until 305 DIM). The heritability estimates for monthly TDMY ranged from 0.12 ± 0.04 to 0.31 ± 0.04. The estimates of additive genetic and nongenetic animal effects correlation were close to 1 at adjacent monthly TDMY, with a tendency to diminish as the time between DIM classes increased. The first eigenvector was related to the increase of the genetic response of the milk yield and the second eigenvector was related to the increase of the genetic gains of the persistency but it contributed to decrease the genetic gains for total milk yield. Therefore, using this eigenvector to improve persistency will not contribute to change the shape of genetic curve pattern. If the breeding goal is to improve milk production and persistency, complete sequential eigenvector indices (selection indices composite with all eigenvectors) could be used with higher economic values for persistency. However, if the breeding goal is to improve only milk yield, the traditional selection index is indicated. © 2013 American Dairy Science Association.

Chameleonic inflation

We attempt to incorporate inflation into a string theory realization of the chameleon mechanism. Previously, it was found that the volume modulus, stabilized by the supersymmetric potential used by Kachru, Kallosh, Linde and Trivedi (KKLT) and with the right choice of parameters, can generically work as a chameleon. In this paper, we ask whether inflation can be realized in the same model. We find that we need a large extra dimensions set-up, as well as a semi-phenomenological deformation of the Kähler potential in the quantum region. We also find that an additional KKLT term is required so that there are now two pieces to the potential, one which drives inflation in the early universe, and one which is responsible for chameleon screening at late times. These two pieces of the potential are separated by a large flat desert in field space. The scalar field must dynamically traverse this desert between the end of inflation and today, and we find that this can indeed occur under the right conditions. © 2013 SISSA, Trieste, Italy.

Chameleons on the racetrack

We modify the ansatz for embedding chameleon scalars in string theory proposed in [1] by considering a racetrack superpotential with two KKLT-type exponentials e ia instead of one. This satisfies all experimental constraints, while also allowing for the chameleon to be light enough on cosmological scales to be phenomenologically interesting. © 2013 SISSA, Trieste, Italy.

Los cruceros turísticos y el comercio de servicios: tendencias recientes en los países de la Cuenca del Caribe

La presente edición del Boletín revisa las principales tendencias del comercio de bienes y servicios en los países de la Asociación de Estados del Caribe (AEC) en el 2004. Se destaca la fuerte recuperación del comercio de bienes y la robusta expansión del comercio de servicios, subrayándose el aumento del peso de los servicios en las exportaciones totales de las economías menores del Caribe, hasta más de un 80%.Un análisis detallado del comportamiento del componente turismo, especialmente en los viajes, indicó que en el 2004 se produjo un auge en la llegada de cruceros, situación que plantea en algunas islas un verdadero desafío para garantizar la permanencia del flujo de turistas y para aprovechar las principales ventajas comparativas - sol, mar y playas-, y los encadenamientos posibles con el resto de la economía como el turismo hotelero, los restaurantes, los centros de negocios y diversión, las excursiones guiadas, el transporte, yates, entre otros. En algunas islas, la proporción de pasajeros de crucero por habitantes es particularmente elevada, llegando a representar un factor importante de cerca de 11 turistas por cada habitante para Bahamas, 8 para Aruba, 7 para Antigua y Barbuda y 5 para Dominica, y alrededor de 4 para una muestra de once países.Uno de los principales retos para varias islas caribeñas es capitalizar en dichos encadenamientos mediante el desarrollo de un turismo sustentable que minimice los posibles impactos adversos sobre el medioambiente y la normalidad ciudadana.

As repercussões da interiorização da UFPA no trabalho dos docentes da rede estadual de ensino nas décadas de 1980 e 1990

O estudo teve por objetivo analisar o modelo brasileiro de expansão da educação superior (ES) a partir das reformas e políticas públicas destinadas a essa educação, ocorridas no Brasil, com atenção às décadas de 1980 e 1990, a fim de compreender a dinâmica do processo de instalação, materialização e consolidação da interiorização da UFPA, no período do estudo, com vista a identificar e desvelar possíveis repercussões dessa experiência no trabalho dos docentes da Rede Estadual de Ensino no Estado do Pará. A expansão da ES é tema central e as repercussões da Interiorização da UFPA, no trabalho dos docentes da Rede de Educação Pública no Pará, o objeto amplo de estudo. O lócus da investigação foi o Campus Universitário da UFPA instalado no Município de Santarém, na Região Oeste do Pará, na Amazônia Brasileira. Buscou-se saber: como se apresentava a expansão da ES pública no Brasil no período do estudo? Quais eram os seus condicionantes? Quais fatores contribuíram para a UFPA tornar o acesso à ES pública realidade no Pará? Quais as repercussões da Interiorização da UFPA no trabalho dos docentes da Rede Estadual de Ensino? O estudo envolveu pesquisa bibliográfica e empírica, seu caráter é teórico-analítico exploratório e os pressupostos teórico-metodológicos se pautaram no materialismo histórico dialético. Para capturar, analisar e desvelar os indicadores que dão materialidade ao objeto de estudo, procurou-se articular o conhecimento teórico já produzido com o conteúdo de documentos oficiais e os dados coletados a partir dos depoimentos concedidos pelos quinze sujeitos entrevistados. A coleta de dados abrangeu Santarém, Óbidos, Alenquer e Itaituba, primeiros Núcleos vinculados ao Campus. O estudo mostrou que há uma estreita relação entre as mudanças ocorridas no mundo capitalista e as reformas políticas públicas, educacionais e trabalhistas, no país, influenciando a Educação Brasileira, o trabalho docente e a decisão da UFPA em expandir e consolidar suas atividades no interior do Pará, desde a experiência inicial. Em função dos condicionantes estruturais, a Interiorização da UFPA recebeu muitas críticas pertinentes, em função do modelo adotado no país que impôs e interpôs limitações à ES Brasileira e seu processo de expansão/interiorização, contudo, como mostram os depoimentos, repercutiu favoravelmente no trabalho dos docentes da Rede Estadual de Ensino no Oeste Paraense, nas décadas de 1980 e 1990, em relação à formação em nível de graduação; aquisição de novos conhecimentos; definição de uma nova postura profissional; melhorias salariais; possibilidade de ascensão de profissionais da educação para outros níveis de ensino; além de representar condição inicial para instalação e consolidação da oferta de ES (pública e privada) na região. A própria UFPA foi criada na primeira experiência formal de interiorização ocorrida no país, decretada pelo presidente Getúlio Vargas, sob a influência da Reforma Francisco Campos, na década de 1930. A expansão de sua atuação para o interior ocorreu a partir de acordos locais, regionais, nacionais e internacionais firmados a partir do final da década de 1960, como parte das políticas de expansão da ditadura militar ocorrida no país (1964-1985).

Avaliação do efeito trombogênico da perfusão regional intravenosa com gentamicina em equinos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Non-renormalization conditions for four-gluon scattering in supersymmetric string and field theory

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Hilbert space of curved βγ systems on quadric cones

We clarify the structure of the Hilbert space of curved βγ systems defined by a quadratic constraint. The constraint is studied using intrinsic and BRST methods, and their partition functions are shown to agree. The quantum BRST cohomology is non-empty only at ghost numbers 0 and 1, and there is a one-to-one mapping between these two sectors. In the intrinsic description, the ghost number 1 operators correspond to the ones that are not globally defined on the constrained surface. Extension of the results to the pure spinor superstring is discussed in a separate work.

Pure spinor partition function using Padé approximants

In a recent paper, the partition function (character) of ten-dimensional pure spinor worldsheet variables was calculated explicitly up to the fifth mass-level. In this letter, we propose a novel application of Padé approximants as a tool for computing the character of pure spinors. We get results up to the twelfth mass-level. This work is a first step towards an explicit construction of the complete pure spinor partition function.

A new limit of the AdS(5) x S-5 sigma model

Using the pure spinor formalism, a quantizable sigma model has been constructed for the superstring in an AdS(5) X S-5 background with manifest PSU(2,2 vertical bar 4) invariance. The PSU(2,2 vertical bar 4) metric g(AB) has both vector components gab and spinor components g, 3, and in the limit where the spinor components g, 3 are taken to infinity, the AdS5 X S5 sigma model reduces to the worldsheet action in a flat background. In this paper, we instead consider the limit where the vector components g(ab) are taken to infinity. In this limit, the AdS5 X S5 sigma model simplifies to a topological A-model constructed from fermionic N=2 superfields whose bosonic components transform like twistor variables. Just as d=3 Chern-Simons theory can be described by the open string sector of a topological A-model, the open string sector of this topological A-model describes d=4 N=4 super-Yang-Mills. These results might be useful for constructing a worldsheet proof of the Maldacena conjecture analogous to the Gopakumar-Vafa-Ooguri worldsheet proof of Chern-Simons/conifold duality.

Perturbative super-Yang-Mills from the topological AdS 5 × S 5 sigma model

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Drag force in a strongly coupled anisotropic plasma

We calculate the drag force experienced by an in finitely massive quark propagating at constant velocity through an anisotropic, strongly coupled N = 4 plasma by means of its gravity dual. We find that the gluon cloud trailing behind the quark is generally misaligned with the quark velocity, and that the latter is also misaligned with the force. The drag coefficient mu can be larger or smaller than the corresponding isotropic value depending on the velocity and the direction of motion. In the ultra-relativistic limit we find that generically mu proportional to p. We discuss the conditions under which this behaviour may extend to more general situations.