A complete $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_{\mathrm{S}}^{2})$ calculation of the signal–background interference for the Higgs diphoton decay channel

We analyze a noncommutative model of BTZ spacetime based on deformation of the standard symplectic structure of phase space, i.e., a modification of the standard commutation relations among coordinates and momenta in phase space. We find a BTZ-like solution that is nonperturbative in the non-trivial noncommutative structure. It is shown that the use of deformed commutation relations in the modified non-canonical phase space eliminates the horizons of the standard metric.     

Novel Biopolymer Matrices for Microencapsulation of Phages: Enhanced Protection Against Acidity and Protease Activity

Phage therapy by oral administration requires enhanced resistance of phages to the harsh gastric conditions. The aim of this work is the microencapsulation of phages in natural biopolymeric matrices as a protective barrier against the gastric environment. Alginate and pectin are used as base polymers. Further emulsification with oleic acid or coating with a different biopolymer is also studied. Emulsified pectin shows the maximum encapsulation efficiency and the highest protection against acidity, leaving more than 10³ active phages after 30 min exposure at pH = 1.6, and protects phage from pepsin activity (4.2 mg mL^?1). Non‐encapsulated phages are fully inactivated at pH = 1.6 or with pepsin (0.5 mg mL^?1) after 10 min.

     

Size effects under a strong magnetic field: Hall effect induced by electron-surface scattering on thin gold films deposited onto mica substrates under high vacuum

We report measurements of the Hall effect performed on 4 gold films evaporated onto mica substrates where the signal arises primarily from electron-surface scattering. The measurements were performed at low temperatures T (4 K < or = T < or = 50 K) under high magnetic field strengths B (1.5 T < or = B < or = 9 T), with B oriented perpendicular to the films.     

Landau levels and Riemann zeros

The number N(E) of complex zeros of the Riemann zeta function with positive imaginary part less than E is the sum of a "smooth" function N[over ](E) and a "fluctuation." Berry and Keating have shown that the asymptotic expansion of N[over ](E) counts states of positive energy less than E in a "regularized" semiclassical model with classical Hamiltonian H=xp. For a different regularization, Connes has shown that it counts states "missing" from a continuum. Here we show how the "absorption spectrum" model of Connes emerges as the lowest Landau level limit of a specific quantum-mechanical model for a charged particle on a planar surface in an electric potential and uniform magnetic field. We suggest a role for the higher Landau levels in the fluctuation part of N(E).     

Influence of the ligand on the coupling between the metal-based electrons in face-shared [M2X9]3- (M = Mo,W; X = F,Cl, Br,I) systems

Orbital overlap and spin polarization effects in Mo and W [M(2)X(9)](3)(-) halide and in [M(2)X'(3)X' '(6)](3)(-) mixed-halide systems have been investigated by means of density-functional calculations performed on the S = 0, S = 3, and reference states of these species. For the regular [M(2)X(9)](3)(-) systems, a strong linear correlation between the two factors has been obtained, and decreasing trends in both the overlap energy and the spin polarization energy upon descending the halide group have been observed. These trends can be related to the changes in the size and covalency of the ligands and in the nature of the metal-bridge interaction. For the mixed-ligand [M(2)X'(3)X' '(6)](3)(-) systems, important deviations (from the behavior of the regular systems), which are apparently the result of particular structural and energetic characteristics, have been observed.     

Determination of pesticide residues by GC-MS using analyte protectants to counteract the matrix effect.

An analytical method was developed to determine pesticides of various chemical classes in soil, juice and honey using analyte protectants to counteract the enhancement of the chromatographic response produced by the presence of matrix components (matrix effect). This effect was more pronounced for soil and honey samples than for juice samples; regarding the pesticide chemical class, organochlorine pesticides were less affected by the presence of matrix components than triazines and organophosphorus pesticides. Several analyte protectants (2,3-butanediol, L-gulonic acid gamma-lactone, corn oil and olive oil) were tested for counteracting the observed matrix effect. L-Gulonic acid gamma-lactone was an effective protecting agent for most of the pesticides studied in soil and honey samples, whereas olive oil was very effective for juice samples. The combination of these two protectants was found to be an effective analyte protectant for all compounds in soil and honey samples.     

Density functional investigation of metal-metal interactions in d4d4 face-shared [M2Cl9]3 - (M = Mn, Tc, Re) systems

The molecular and electronic structures of the d(4)d(4) face-shared [M(2)Cl(9)](3)(-) (M = Mn, Tc, Re) dimers have been calculated by density functional methods in order to investigate metal-metal bonding in this series. The electronic structures of these systems have been analyzed using potential energy curves for the broken-symmetry and other spin states arising from the various d(4)d(4) coupling modes, and closed energy cycles have been utilized to identify and quantify the parameters which are most important in determining the preference for electron localization or delocalization and for high-spin or low-spin configurations. In [Tc(2)Cl(9)](3)(-) and [Re(2)Cl(9)](3)(-), the global minimum has been found to be a spin-triplet state arising from the coupling of metal centers with low-spin configurations, and characterized by delocalization of the metal-based electrons in a double (sigma and delta(pi)) bond with a metal-metal separation of 2.57 A. In contrast, high-spin configurations and electron localization are favored in [Mn(2)Cl(9)](3)(-), the global minimum for this species being the ferromagnetic S = 4 state with a rather long metal-metal separation of 3.43 A. These results are consistent with metal-metal overlap and ligand-field effects prevailing over spin polarization effects in the Tc and Re systems, but with the opposite trend being observed in the Mn complex. The ground states and metal-metal bonding observed for the d(4)d(4) systems in this study parallel those previously found for the analogous d(2)d(2) complexes of V, Nb, and Ta, and can be rationalized on the basis that the d(4)d(4) dimer configuration is the hole equivalent of the d(2)d(2) configuration.