Establishing a protocol for trace element determinations in serum samples from healthy elderly population in São Paulo city, SP, Brazil

Summary In this study a protocol for blood serum analysis was defined and the concentrations for Br, Ca, Cl, Fe, Na, Rb, Se and Zn were obtained by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Blood samples were collected from healthy elderly volunteers who were selected based on the SENIEUR protocol. Contamination of blood by the collection procedure was also evaluated and found negligible. The serum was separated by centrifugation, then freeze-dried and analyzed. Most of results obtained were within the acceptable value ranges used by physicians for normal population. The certified reference material, NIST SRM 1566b Oyster Tissue was analyzed for quality control.     

Lorentz-violating Yang–Mills theory: discussing the Chern–Simons-like term generation

We analyze the Chern–Simons-like term generation in the CPT-odd Lorentz-violating Yang–Mills theory interacting with fermions. Moreover, we study the anomalies of this model as well as its quantum stability. The whole analysis is performed within the algebraic renormalization theory, which is independent of the renormalization scheme. In addition, all results are valid to all orders in perturbation theory. We find that the Chern–Simons-like term is not generated by radiative corrections, just like its Abelian version. Additionally, the model is also free of gauge anomalies and quantum stable.     

Renormalizability of a quark–gluon model with soft BRST breaking in the infrared region

We prove the renormalizability of a quark–gluon model with soft breaking of the BRST symmetry, which accounts for the modification of the large distance behavior of the quark and gluon correlation functions. The proof is valid to all orders of perturbation theory, by making use of softly broken Ward identities.