Sao Paulo State University

About: Sao Paulo State University is a education organization based out in São Paulo, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 55715 authors who have published 100436 publications receiving 1375332 citations.

Search for massive resonances in dijet systems containing jets tagged as W or Z boson decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV

Abstract: A search is reported for massive resonances decaying into a quark and a vector boson (W or Z), or two vector bosons (WW, WZ, or ZZ). The analysis is performed on an inclusive sample of multijet events corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 inverse femtobarns, collected in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC. The search uses novel jet-substructure identification techniques that provide sensitivity to the presence of highly boosted vector bosons decaying into a pair of quarks. Exclusion limits are set at a confidence level of 95% on the production of: (i) excited quark resonances q* decaying to qW and qZ for masses less than 3.2 TeV and 2.9 TeV, respectively, (ii) a Randall-Sundrum graviton G[RS] decaying into WW for masses below 1.2 TeV, and (iii) a heavy partner of the W boson W' decaying into WZ for masses less than 1.7 TeV. For the first time mass limits are set on W' to WZ and G[RS] to WW in the all-jets final state. The mass limits on q* to qW, q* to qZ, W' to WZ, G[RS] to WW are the most stringent to date. A model with a "bulk" graviton G[Bulk] that decays into WW or ZZ bosons is also studied.

Yolk-shelled ZnCo2O4 microspheres: surface properties and gas sensing application

Abstract: The need to improve the sensitivity, selectivity and stability of ozone gas sensors capable of monitoring the environment to prevent hazard to humans has sparked research on binary metal oxides. Here we report on a novel ozone gas sensor made with ca. 0.5 μm yolk-shelled ZnCo2O4 microstructures synthesized via an eco-friendly, co-precipitation method and subsequent annealing. With these ZnCo2O4 microspheres, ozone concentrations down to 80 parts per billion (ppb) could be detected with a.c. and d.c. electrical measurements. The sensor worked within a wide range of ozone concentrations, from 80 to 890 ppb, being also selective to ozone compared to CO, NH3 and NO2. The high performance could be attributed to the large surface area to volume ratio inherent in yolk-shell structures. Indeed, ozone molecules adsorbed on the ZnCo2O4 surface create a layer of holes that affect the conductivity, as in a p-type semiconductor. Since this mechanism of detection is generic, ZnCo2O4 microspheres can be further used in other environment monitoring devices.

Screening and HPLC methods for carotenoids in sweetpotato, cassava and maize for plant breeding trials.

Abstract: Analytical methods for sweetpotato, cassava and maize were developed. In orange and salmon-fleshed sweetpotatoes, (all-E)-?-carotene predominated and results of spectrophotometric screening and HPLC quantification did not differ significantly. In yellow-fleshed sweetpotato and cassava, however, spectrophotometric screening overestimated the HPLC values because of the presence of several minor carotenoids. Aside from (all-E)-?-carotene, Z-isomers were present in cassava in appreciable amounts. For both crops, extraction with acetone or tetrahydrofuran:methanol (1:1), using a mortar and pestle or a Polytron homogenizer, gave equivalent results. Rehydration of dry maize at room temperature for 30 min or at 85 °C for 5, 10 or 15 min gave equivalent results. Concentrations obtained with the C18 and C30 columns did not differ significantly for zeaxanthin, lutein, ?-cryptoxanthin and ?-carotene in the all-E-configuration, but their Z-isomers were difficult to locate in the chromatogram obtained with the C30 column. Extraction with tetrahydrofuran:methanol (1:1) gave significantly lower results for zeaxanthin and lutein.

Runs of homozygosity: current knowledge and applications in livestock.

Abstract: Summary This review presents a broader approach to the implementation and study of runs of homozygosity (ROH) in animal populations, focusing on identifying and characterizing ROH and their practical implications. ROH are continuous homozygous segments that are common in individuals and populations. The ability of these homozygous segments to give insight into a population's genetic events makes them a useful tool that can provide information about the demographic evolution of a population over time. Furthermore, ROH provide useful information about the genetic relatedness among individuals, helping to minimize the inbreeding rate and also helping to expose deleterious variants in the genome. The frequency, size and distribution of ROH in the genome are influenced by factors such as natural and artificial selection, recombination, linkage disequilibrium, population structure, mutation rate and inbreeding level. Calculating the inbreeding coefficient from molecular information from ROH (FROH) is more accurate for estimating autozygosity and for detecting both past and more recent inbreeding effects than are estimates from pedigree data (FPED). The better results of FROH suggest that FROH can be used to infer information about the history and inbreeding levels of a population in the absence of genealogical information. The selection of superior animals has produced large phenotypic changes and has reshaped the ROH patterns in various regions of the genome. Additionally, selection increases homozygosity around the target locus, and deleterious variants are seen to occur more frequently in ROH regions. Studies involving ROH are increasingly common and provide valuable information about how the genome's architecture can disclose a population's genetic background. By revealing the molecular changes in populations over time, genome-wide information is crucial to understanding antecedent genome architecture and, therefore, to maintaining diversity and fitness in endangered livestock breeds.

Condições associadas ao grau de satisfação com a vida entre a população de idosos

Abstract: OBJETIVO: Com o aumento geral da sobrevida da populacao, torna-se importante garantir aos idosos nao apenas maior longevidade, mas felicidade e satisfacao com a vida. O objetivo do estudo foi descrever os fatores associados ao grau de satisfacao com a vida entre a populacao de idosos. METODOS: Foram entrevistados 365 idosos no municipio de Botucatu, SP, em 2003, selecionados por meio de amostragem estratificada proporcional e aleatoria. Utilizou-se uma composicao dos questionarios de Flanagan, de Nahas e o WHOQOL-100. Para complementar o inquerito, foram acrescentadas questoes sobre atividade fisica do Questionario Internacional de Atividade Fisica; perguntas sobre morbidade referida e avaliacao emocional, situacao sociodemografica, alem de uma pergunta aberta. O grau de satisfacao com a vida foi medido numa escala de um a sete, utilizando reconhecimento visual. Foi realizada analise de regressao logistica hierarquizada, considerando como variavel dependente a "satisfacao com a vida" e variaveis independentes aquelas que compuseram o questionario final, em blocos. RESULTADOS: A maioria dos idosos estava satisfeita com sua vida em geral e em aspectos especificos. Associou-se com o grau de satisfacao com a vida: conforto domiciliar (OR=11,82; IC 95%: 3,27; 42,63); valorizar o lazer como qualidade de vida (OR=3,82; IC 95%: 2,28; 6,39); acordar bem pela manha (OR=2,80; IC 95%: 1,47; 5,36); nao referir solidao (OR=2,68; IC 95%: 1,54; 4,65); fazer tres ou mais refeicoes diarias (OR=2,63; IC 95%: 1,75; 5,90) e referencia de nao possuir Diabetes Mellitus (OR=2,63; IC 95%: 1,31; 5,27). CONCLUSOES: Os idosos, em sua maioria, estavam satisfeitos com a vida e isso se associou a situacoes relacionadas com o "bem-estar" e a nao referencia de Diabetes Mellitus.