Investigation of experimental observables in search of the chiral magnetic effect in heavy-ion collisions in the STAR experiment

The chiral magnetic effect(CME)is a novel transport phenomenon,arising from the interplay between quantum anomalies and strong magnetic fields in chiral systems.In high-energy nuclear collisions,the CME may survive the expansion of the quark-gluon plasma fireball and be detected in experiments.Over the past two decades,experimental searches for the CME have attracted extensive interest at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider(RHIC)and the Large Hadron Collider(LHC).The main goal of this study is to investigate three pertinent experimental approaches:the$\gamma$correlator,the R correlator,and the signed balance functions.We exploit simple Monte Carlo simulations and a realistic event generator(EBE-AVFD)to verify the equivalence of the core components among these methods and to ascertain their sensitivities to the CME signal and the background contributions for the isobar collisions at the RHIC.     

Crystal engineering via C—H⋯F and C—H⋯π interactions in two substituted indoles

The crystal structures of 1‐(4‐fluoro­phenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐4,5,6,7‐tetra­hydro‐1H‐indole, C₂₀H₁₈FN, and 1‐(4‐fluoro­phenyl)‐6,6‐di­methyl‐2‐phenyl‐4,5,6,7‐tetra­hydro‐1H‐indole, C₂₂H₂₂FN, have been determined in order to study the role of `organic fluorine' in crystal engineering. These mol­ecules pack in the crystal structure via different types of molecular motifs utilizing weak C—H⋯F and C—H⋯π interactions.     

Investigation of nuclear quantum effect on the hydrogen bonds of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate using single-crystal neutron diffraction and theoretical modelling

The heterostructure of patterned CdS / CdTe thin films with back contact have been devised with electron beam lithography and fabricated using sputter deposition technique. The metallic contacts for n-CdS and p-CdTe are patterned such that both are placed at the bottom of the cell. This avoids losses due to contact shading and increases absorption in the window layer. Patterning of the device surface helps in increasing the junction area which can modulate the absorption of more number of photons due to total internal reflection. Computing the surface area between a planar and a patterned device has revealed 133% increase in the junction area. The physical and optical properties of the sputter-deposited CdS / CdTe layers are also presented. J–V characteristics of the solar cell showed the fill factor to be 25.9%, open circuit voltage to be 17 mV and short-circuit current density to be \(113.68~\hbox {A}/\hbox {m}^{2}\). The increase in surface area is directly related to the increase in the short circuit current of the photovoltaic cell, which is observed from the results of simulated model in Atlas / Silvaco.     

Isolation and In Silico Prediction of Potential Drug-like Compounds with a New Dimeric Prenylated Quinolone Alkaloid from Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Roxb.) Root Extracts Targeted against SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro)

A new dimeric prenylated quinolone alkaloid, named 2,11-didemethoxy-vepridimerine A, was isolated from the root bark of Zanthoxylum rhetsa, together with twelve known compounds. The structure of the new compound was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic investigations (NMR and Mass). The interaction of the isolated compounds with the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro) was evaluated using molecular docking followed by MD simulations. The result suggests that 2,11-didemethoxy-vepridimerine A, the new compound, has the highest negative binding affinity against the Mpro with a free energy of binding of −8.5 Kcal/mol, indicating interaction with the Mpro. This interaction was further validated by 100 ns MD simulation. This implies that the isolated new compound, which can be employed as a lead compound for an Mpro-targeting drug discovery program, may be able to block the action of Mpro.     

Modulation of Biophysical Cues in Nature Inspired Patterning of Porous Silk Fibroin Scaffold for Replenishable Controlled Drug Delivery

While a sticking plasteris enough for healing of most of the minor cuts they may get routinely, critical situations like surgical, gunshot, accidental or diabetic wounds;lacarations and other cutaneous deep cuts may require implants and simultaneous medications for healing. From the biophysical standpoint, an internal force-based physical surface stimulusis crucial for cellular sensing during wound repair. In this paper, the authors report the fabrication of a porous, biomimmetically patterned silk fibroin scaffold loaded with ampicillin, which exhibits controlled release of the drug along with possible replenishment of the same. In vitro swelling study reveals that the scaffolds with hierarchical surface patterns exhibit lower swelling and degradation than other types of scaffolds. The scaffolds, that show remarkable broad–spectrum antibacterial efficacy, exhibit Korsemeyer–Peppas model for the ampicillin release patterns due to the structural hydrophobicity imparted by the patterns. Four distinct cell-matrix adhesion regimes are investigated for the fibroblasts to eventually form cell sheets all over the hierarchical surface structures. 4',6–diamidino–2–phenylindole (DAPI) and Fluorescein Diacetate (FDA) fluorescent staining clearly demonstrate the superiority of patterned surface over its other variants. A comparative immunofluorescence study among collagen I, vinculin, and vimentin expressions substantiated the patterned surface to be superior to others.     

Crystal and molecular structure of 2,6‐bis(4‐chlorophenyl)‐3‐phenylpiperidin‐4‐one

The crystal structure of the title compound is described. The chemical formula of the compound is C₂₃H₁₉Cl₂NO. The compound is found to crystallize in monoclinic system with space group P2₁/c, Z = 4. The unit cell dimensions are a = 15.137(3) Å, b = 8.9171(18) Å, c = 14.779(3) Å, β = 91.461(4)° and V = 1994.2(7) ų, D_calc = 1.320 gcm^‐3. The final R factor is 4.4%. The central piperidone ring of the molecule adopts a slightly distorted chair conformation, the mean torsion angle being 52.3°; the phenyl rings are planar. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)