Heavy neutral gauge bosons at the LHC in an extended MSSM

Searching for heavy neutral gauge bosons Z^′$Z^{\prime }$, predicted in extensions of the Standard Model based on a U(1)^′$\mathrm{U}{(1)}^{\prime }$ gauge symmetry, is one of the challenging objectives of the experiments carried out at the Large Hadron Collider. In this paper, we study Z^′$Z^{\prime }$ phenomenology at hadron colliders according to several U(1)^′$\mathrm{U}{(1)}^{\prime }$-based models and in the Sequential Standard Model. In particular, possible Z^′$Z^{\prime }$ decays into supersymmetric particles are included, in addition to the Standard Model modes so far investigated. We point out the impact of the U(1)^′$\mathrm{U}{(1)}^{\prime }$ group on the MSSM spectrum and, for a better understanding, we consider a few benchmarks points in the parameter space. We account for the D-term contribution, due to the breaking of U(1)^′$\mathrm{U}{(1)}^{\prime }$, to slepton and squark masses and investigate its effect on Z^′$Z^{\prime }$ decays into sfermions. Results on branching ratios and cross sections are presented, as a function of the MSSM and U(1)^′$\mathrm{U}{(1)}^{\prime }$ parameters, which are varied within suitable ranges. We pay special attention to final states with leptons and missing energy and make predictions on the number of events with sparticle production in Z^′$Z^{\prime }$ decays, for a few values of integrated luminosity and centre-of-mass energy of the LHC.     

Submicron particles removal by charged sprays. Fundamentals

New regulations regarding the PM1 emission by power plants and transport vehicles require novel technical solutions for the abatement of particulate matter emission in submicron size range. Particles of this size are difficult to remove by conventional methods, and therefore various variants of wet electrostatic scrubbers have been developed. In such devices, the electrostatic forces between charged particles and collectors (water droplets) are used to permanently remove them from the gas. The paper focuses on the state-of-the-art of wet electrostatic scrubbing technique used for the removal of submicron particulate matter from exhaust gases with particular emphasis upon marine Diesel engines.     

Probing the molecular interactions in the diffusion of water through epoxy and epoxy–bismaleimide networks

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the near‐infrared (NIR) frequency range was used to investigate the molecular interactions occurring between absorbed water molecules and networks based on a tetrafunctional epoxy resin. One of these networks was a typical formulation containing 4,4′‐diamino diphenylsulfone as a hardener, and the other was a modified resin containing 4,4′‐bismaleimide‐diphenylmethane (BMI) as a coreactive monomer. Molecular spectroscopy analysis confirmed the existence of mobile water localized into network defects (microvoids) that did not interact with the networks and water molecules bound to the networks through hydrogen‐bonding interactions. In the BMI‐containing system, the fraction of bound water decreased significantly with respect to the unmodified epoxy resin. This was a relevant result because the bound water was primarily responsible for the plasticization of the network and for the consequent worsening of mechanical performance. Water diffusion was investigated with gravimetric sorption measurements and time‐resolved Fourier transform NIR spectroscopy measurements. These showed that the presence of BMI decreased the water uptake at equilibrium, enhanced the diffusivity, and reduced the activation energy for diffusion. A dual‐mode model for diffusion was found to be suitable for accurately describing the mass‐transport process in both investigated systems. The results of the model simulations allowed us to estimate the ratio of free and bound water, which was in good agreement with that obtained from the spectroscopic analysis. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 922–938, 2002     

Effect of water on BINOL/Ti(OPr)4 solution mixtures: The nature of a catalytic precursor of enantioselective sulfoxidation

The solution mixtures of (R)-BINOL, Ti(OⁱPr)₄ and H₂O in 1:0.5:10 proportion in CCl₄, corresponding to the conditions employed for catalyzing the enantioselective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides, contain a single titanium BINOLate species. NMR, CD and MS characterization allowed us to identify this species as (BINOLate)₆Ti₄(μ₃-OH)₄ with tetrahedric symmetry consistent with a known crystallographic structure. By varying sample preparation conditions, some aspects of the catalytic behavior could be rationalized. Using racemic BINOL, several heterochiral species were observed in accord with reported non-linear effects in catalysis.     

Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to study the dissociation of the p53·MDM2/X complex by potentially anticancer compounds

A new analytical method to study the dissociation of the complexes between the oncosuppressor p53 and its negative modulators murine double‐minute protein 2 (MDM2) or MDMX, is proposed. This technique is reliable to determine the dissociative power exerted by small molecules on the complex taking advantage of the appearance of migrating MDM2 or MDMX in a native polyacrylamide gel, when inhibitors are added to the complex mixture. Therefore, we propose this new approach to easily screen library of compounds, with potential pharmacological anticancer activity.     

Simplified Electrochemically Mediated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization using a Sacrificial Anode

Simplification of electrochemically mediated atom transfer radical polymerization was achieved efficiently under either potentiostatic or galvanostatic conditions using an aluminum wire sacrificial anode (seATRP) immersed directly into the reaction flask without separating the counter electrode. seATRP polymerizations were carried out under different applied potentials, E_apps=E_1/2, E_pc, E_pc ?40 mV, and E_pc ?80 mV. As the rate of polymerization (R_p) can be modulated by applying different E_app potentials, more reducing conditions resulted in faster R_p. The polymerization results showed similar narrow molecular‐weight distribution throughout the reactions, similar to results observed for n‐butyl acrylate (BA) polymerization under conventional eATRP. High‐molecular‐weight PBA and diblock copolymers were synthesized by seATRP with more than 90 % monomer conversion. Furthermore, galvanostatic conditions were developed for synthesizing PBA with the two‐electrode system.     

Structure of Nanobody Nb23

Background: Nanobodies, or VHHs, are derived from heavy chain-only antibodies (hcAbs) found in camelids. They overcome some of the inherent limitations of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and derivatives thereof, due to their smaller molecular size and higher stability, and thus present an alternative to mAbs for therapeutic use. Two nanobodies, Nb23 and Nb24, have been shown to similarly inhibit the self-aggregation of very amyloidogenic variants of β2-microglobulin. Here, the structure of Nb23 was modeled with the Chemical-Shift (CS)-Rosetta server using chemical shift assignments from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments, and used as prior knowledge in PONDEROSA restrained modeling based on experimentally assessed internuclear distances. Further validation was comparatively obtained with the results of molecular dynamics trajectories calculated from the resulting best energy-minimized Nb23 conformers. Methods: 2D and 3D NMR spectroscopy experiments were carried out to determine the assignment of the backbone and side chain hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon resonances to extract chemical shifts and interproton separations for restrained modeling. Results: The solution structure of isolated Nb23 nanobody was determined. Conclusions: The structural analysis indicated that isolated Nb23 has a dynamic CDR3 loop distributed over different orientations with respect to Nb24, which could determine differences in target antigen affinity or complex lability.     

Investigation into thin films under microgravity

Thin films are interesting for practical as well as for theoretical reasons. As fluid science and materials science in space have been developing rapidly in recent years, investigation into thin films under microgravity conditions grants this classical topic new research ideas and new application possibilities. This paper first gives an overview about the investigation into thin liquid films and its solidification in the past. Then a discussion leads to microgravity in relevance to thin film research; specially, the influence of gravity on the thin film drainage. Some results from our research program are then presented. Finally, the authors tried to point out several possible directions in the research on thin films under microgravity in the near future. in memory of Prof. L. G. Napolitano