Platinum assay by neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy in cisplatin treated pregnant mice

Cisplatin (CDDP) is an antineoplastic drug used in the treatment of a wide variety of tumors. This paper describes an investigation carried out on pregnant mice after intragastric or intraperitoneally treatment with CDDP from day 11 to 13 of gestation. Platinum content in different tissues, namely liver, kidney, placenta and brain, was determined at 18 day of pregnancy. Two analytical techniques were used, i.e. neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results of both techniques are presented and discussed in terms of precision, accuracy and sensitivity. Neutron activation analysis appears to provide results better correlated with the drug treatment.     

Nanosphere lithography with variable deposition angle for the production of one‐directional transparent conductors

The production of high quality and cheap transparent electrodes is a fundamental step for a variety of optoelectronic devices. We present a method for the production of transparent conducting films optimised for electrical conduction in one direction. The deposition of a metal film through a perfectly aligned nanosphere‐lithography mask at variable incidence angle gave origin to parallel nanowires with thin interconnections. This structure showed excellent conductivity in one direction and high optical transparency.

Glass substrates under the crystalline areas of the polystyrene‐nanospheres mask.     

Measurement of the branching fraction and CP content for the decay B0-->D(*+)D(*-)

We report a measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B0-->D(*+)D(*-) and of the CP-odd component of its final state using the BABAR detector. With data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.4 fb (-1) collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance during 1999-2000, we have reconstructed 38 candidate signal events in the mode B0-->D(*+)D(*-) with an estimated background of 6.2+/-0.5 events. From these events, we determine the branching fraction to be B(B0-->D(*+)D(*-))=[8.3+/-1.6(stat)+/-1.2(syst)]x10(-4). The measured CP-odd fraction of the final state is 0.22+/-0.18(stat)+/-0.03(syst).     

Search for T and CP violation in B0-B-0 mixing with inclusive dilepton events

We report the results of a search for T and CP violation in B0-B-0 mixing using an inclusive dilepton sample collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II B Factory. The asymmetry between l+l+ and l-l- events allows us to compare the probabilities for B-0-->B0 and B0-->B-0 oscillations and thus probe T and CP invariance. Using a sample of 23 x 10(6) BB- pairs, we measure a same-sign dilepton asymmetry of A(T/CP) = [0.5+/-1.2(stat)+/-1.4(syst)]%. For the modulus of the ratio of complex mixing parameters p and q, we obtain q/p = 0.998+/-0.006(stat)+/-0.007(syst).     

Study of B+/ --> J/psi pi+/- and B+/ -->J/psi K+/- decays: measurement of the ratio of branching fractions and search for direct CP violation

We study B+/ --> J/psi pi(+/-) and B+/ --> J/psi K+/- decays in a sample of about 89 x 10(6) BB pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B factory at SLAC. We observe a signal of 244+/-20 B+/ --> J/psi pi(+/-) events and determine the ratio B(B+/ --> J/psi pi(+/-))/B(B+/ --> J/psi K+/-) to be [5.37+/-0.45(stat)+/-0.11(syst)]%. The charge asymmetries for the B+/ --> J/psi pi(+/-) and B+/ --> J/psi K+/- decays are determined to be A(pi)=0.123+/-0.085(stat)+/-0.004(syst) and A(K)=0.030+/-0.015(stat)+/-0.006(syst), respectively.     

Search for flavor-changing neutral current and Lepton-flavor violating decays of D0-->l+l-

We report on a search for the flavor-changing neutral current decays D0-->e(+)e(-) and D0-->mu(+)mu(-), and the lepton-flavor violating decay D0-->e(+/-)mu(-/+). The measurement is based on 122 fb(-1) of data collected by the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric e(+)e(-) collider. No evidence is found for any of the decays. The upper limits on the branching fractions, at the 90% confidence level, are 1.2x10(-6) for D0-->e(+)e(-), 1.3x10(-6) for D0-->mu(+)mu(-), and 8.1x10(-7) for D0-->e(+/-)mu(-/+).     

Branching fractions and CP asymmetries in B0-->K+ K- K0 S and B+-->K+ K0 S K0 S

We measure the branching fractions and CP asymmetries in the decays B0-->K(+)K(-)K(0)(S) and B+-->K(+)K(0)(S)K(0)(S) using a sample of approximately 122x10(6) BB pairs collected by the BABAR detector. From a time-dependent analysis of the K(+)K(-)K(0)(S) sample that excludes phiK(0)(S), the values of the CP-violation parameters are S=-0.56+/-0.25+/-0.04 and C=-0.10+/-0.19+/-0.10, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We confirm that the final state is nearly purely CP even and extract the standard model parameter sin(2beta=0.57+/-0.26+/-0.04(+0.17)(-0) where the last error is due to uncertainty on the CP content. We present the first measurement of the CP-violating charge asymmetry A(CP)(B+-->K(+)K(0)(S)K(0)(S))=-0.04+/-0.11+/-0.02. The branching fractions are B(B0-->K+K-K0)=(23.8+/-2.0+/-1.6)x10(-6) and B(B+-->K(+)K(0)(S)K(0)(S))=(10.7+/-1.2+/-1.0)x10(-6).     

Study of B-->D(*)sJ +-D(*) decays

We report a study of D(*)(sJ)(2317)(+) and D(sJ)(2460)(+) meson production in B decays. We observe the decays B+-->D((*)+)(sJ)D ((*)0) and B0-->D((*)+)(sJ)D((*)-) with the subsequent decays D(*)(sJ)(2317)(+)-->D(+)(s)pi(0), D(sJ)(2460)(+)-->D(+)(s)gamma, and D(sJ)(2460)(+)-->D(*+)(s)pi(0). Based on a data sample of 122.1 x 10(6) BB pairs collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II B factory, we obtain branching fractions for these modes, including the previously unseen decays B-->D((*)+)(sJ)D(*). In addition, we perform an angular analysis of D(sJ)(2460)(+)-->D(+)(s)gamma decays to test the different D(sJ)(2460)(+) spin hypotheses.     

Direct CP violating asymmetry in B0-->K+pi- decays

We present a measurement of the direct CP violating asymmetry in the decay B0-->K+pi(-) using a data sample of 227x10(6) Upsilon(4S)-->BB decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider at SLAC. We observe a total signal yield of nK-(pi(+))+nK+(pi(-))=1606+/-51 decays and measure the asymmetry (nK-(pi(+))-nK+(pi(-)))/(nK-(pi(+))+nK+(pi(-)))=-0.133+/-0.030(stat)+/-0.009(syst). The probability of observing such an asymmetry in the absence of direct CP violation is 1.3x10(-5), corresponding to 4.2 standard deviations.