Three-loop anomalous dimensions for squarks in supersymmetric QCD

In this Letter we evaluate the renormalization constants and anomalous dimensions for the squark wave function and mass within supersymmetric QCD. These results complement the ones obtained in Harlander et al. (2009) [1] and thus provide further confirmation on the applicability of dimensional reduction to supersymmetric QCD at three-loop order. The three-loop anomalous dimension constitute important input to precision predictions of the supersymmetric mass spectrum as obtained from the evolution from the GUT to the TeV energy scale.     

Synthesis of ionic polyurethanes with pyrene rings: Spectral properties and fluorescence quenching study

Hydrophilic ionic polyurethanes with 4‐chloromethylphenylcarbamoyl‐1‐oxymethylpyrene located on the quaternary ammonium structure from a polymer based on poly(ethylene glycol), isophorone diisocyanate, and N‐methyldiethanolamine were prepared by a quaternization reaction, in which the amount of pyrene covalently attached to the polymeric backbone ranged from 1.14 to 19.82 mmol of fluorophore/100 g of polymer. It was interesting to compare the photoluminescence of the pyrene polyurethane carrying a few mole percent of pyrene moieties with that of a third polymer resulting from its subsequent quaternization with benzyl chloride up to a concentration of ionic groups as in the latter (quaternization degree = 14.15%). The process of excimer formation between the pyrene molecules attached to the ionic polyurethane was investigated in tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethylformamide, film, and THF/H₂O to illustrate the expected differences in the polymer behavior compared with that of the starting pyrene derivative. The formation of aggregates or core–shell micelles was sustained by the fluorescence data, which indicated the existence of pyrene units in the ground state of the molecule, giving rise thus to an explanation for the high excimer‐to‐monomer intensity ratio. The fluorescence decay of pyrene polyurethanes in the presence of various concentrations of nitrobenzene used as a quencher was analyzed too when the fluorescence quenching in the polymer solution normally followed Stern–Volmer kinetics. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3945–3956, 2005     

PAN composite membrane with different solvent affinities controlled by surface modification methods

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite membranes with surface properties designed by either a chemical modification with ethylenediamine (EDA), or layer‐by‐layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte adsorption were investigated in this paper. Fourier‐transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and streaming potential measurements showed that the first step of the reaction with EDA in gas phase was the formation of ammonium salts with the reactive carboxylic groups present on the surface of the starting membrane. Part of the ammonium carboxylate groups was transformed in secondary amide linkages by a heat‐induced reaction. Poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (NaPSS) and a polycation containing about 95 mol % of N,N‐dimethyl‐2‐hydroxypropyleneammonium chloride units in the backbone (PCA₅) were used as opposite polyions in the LbL film construction. The adsorbed polyion amount per every layer was controlled by the nature and concentration of the supporting electrolyte in polyelectrolyte deposition solution (NaBr and KBr). An almost linear increase of the adsorbed polyion amount versus the layer pair number was observed. The swelling degree (SD) in pure alcohols of the LbL‐modified PAN composite membrane decreased with the increase of the solvent polarity and with the decrease of the pore volume by pore filling with polyelectrolyte complex multilayer. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4161–4171, 2005     

Photocatalytically-assisted electrochemical degradation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-aminophenol in aqueous solutions using zeolite-supported TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst

This paper reports the results of an investigation into enhancement of the electrochemical oxidation of p-aminophenol (4-AP) in an aqueous solution with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode, assisted by photocatalysis using a zeolite-supported TiO₂ (Z-TiO₂) catalyst. The BDD electrode was characterised in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄-supporting electrolyte and the presence of 4-AP by open-circuit potential behaviour (OCP) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The electrode behaviour was investigated in the dark and following UV irradiation and in the absence/presence of the Z-TiO₂ catalyst. The electro-oxidation process was carried out using chronoamperometry (CA) and multiple-pulsed amperometry (MPA) at the selected potential under potentiostatic conditions. The electrochemical degradation process of 4-AP on the BDD electrode was improved by the application of a pulsed potential, which allowed both in-situ electrochemical cleaning of the electrode and indirect oxidation of 4-AP by oxygen evolution. The application of photocatalysis using Z-TiO₂ in the 4-AP electrochemical degradation exhibited an enhanced effect when the anodic potential was set at +1.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl in the water stability region, close to the oxygen evolution potential.     

Investigation of the interface in silica-encapsulated liposomes by combining solid state NMR and first principles calculations

In the context of nanomedicine, liposils (liposomes and silica) have a strong potential for drug storage and release schemes: such materials combine the intrinsic properties of liposome (encapsulation) and silica (increased rigidity, protective coating, pH degradability). In this work, an original approach combining solid state NMR, molecular dynamics, first principles geometry optimization, and NMR parameters calculation allows the building of a precise representation of the organic/inorganic interface in liposils. {(1)H-(29)Si}(1)H and {(1)H-(31)P}(1)H Double Cross-Polarization (CP) MAS NMR experiments were implemented in order to explore the proton chemical environments around the silica and the phospholipids, respectively. Using VASP (Vienna Ab Initio Simulation Package), DFT calculations including molecular dynamics, and geometry optimization lead to the determination of energetically favorable configurations of a DPPC (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine) headgroup adsorbed onto a hydroxylated silica surface that corresponds to a realistic model of an amorphous silica slab. These data combined with first principles NMR parameters calculations by GIPAW (Gauge Included Projected Augmented Wave) show that the phosphate moieties are not directly interacting with silanols. The stabilization of the interface is achieved through the presence of water molecules located in-between the head groups of the phospholipids and the silica surface forming an interfacial H-bonded water layer. A detailed study of the (31)P chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) parameters allows us to interpret the local dynamics of DPPC in liposils. Finally, the VASP/solid state NMR/GIPAW combined approach can be extended to a large variety of organic-inorganic hybrid interfaces.     

Weak-operator Continuity and the Existence of Adjoints

It is shown, within constructive mathematics, that the unit ball B₁(H) of the set of bounded operators on a Hilbert space H is weak-operator totally bounded. This result is then used to prove that the weak-operator continuity of the mapping T → AT on B₁(H) is equivalent to the existence of the adjoint of A.     

Segmentation under geometrical conditions using geodesic active contours and interpolation using level set methods

Let I: be a given bounded image function, where is an open and bounded domain which belongs to ⁿ. Let us consider n=2 for the purpose of illustration. Also, let S={x_i}_i be a finite set of given points. We would like to find a contour , such that is an object boundary interpolating the points from S. We combine the ideas of the geodesic active contour (cf. Caselles et al. [7,8]) and of interpolation of points (cf. Zhao et al. [40]) in a level set approach developed by Osher and Sethian [33]. We present modelling of the proposed method, both theoretical results (viscosity solution) and numerical results are given. AMS subject classification 49L25, 74G65, 68U10     

Modifications Induced by UV-Vis Irradiation on DNA Extract of Kiwifruit Investigated by Spectroscopic and Statistic Methods

ABSTRACT

Revealing molecular alterations induced on kiwifruit under UV-Vis irradiation requires a discussion of biochemical-cell infrared (IR) fingerprint (900 cm^?1–1800 cm^?1) bands characteristic of nucleic acids. FTIR-ATR spectroscopy and statistics and nondestructive methods for screening exposure effects induced by irradiation were used. There the irradiation influence on the main molecular bonds (i.e., ν(C-C), ν_s(PO₂?) and ν_as(PO₂?)) can be observed. Regression methods were used for statistical investigations. Two categories of variables were used: the absorbance measured at fixed wavenumber variables and the exposure dose. The bivariate correlations, partial correlations, and polynomial regression methods from SPSS were used for statistical investigations. The obtained results show that FTIR-ATR, in correlation with statistics techniques, might be useful to assess immediate radiation and oxidative-induced damage to nucleic acids. In this case IR spectroscopy can be used successfully to study conformational changes during DNA reversible denaturation especially on the sugar-phosphate vibrations domain.