Measurement of the total active 8B solar neutrino flux at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with enhanced neutral current sensitivity

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory has precisely determined the total active (nu(x)) 8B solar neutrino flux without assumptions about the energy dependence of the nu(e) survival probability. The measurements were made with dissolved NaCl in heavy water to enhance the sensitivity and signature for neutral-current interactions. The flux is found to be 5.21 +/- 0.27(stat)+/-0.38(syst) x 10(6) cm(-2) s(-1), in agreement with previous measurements and standard solar models. A global analysis of these and other solar and reactor neutrino results yields Deltam(2)=7.1(+1.2)(-0.6) x 10(-5) eV(2) and theta=32.5(+2.4)(-2.3) degrees. Maximal mixing is rejected at the equivalent of 5.4 standard deviations.     

Development and optimisation of a novel genetic algorithm for studying model protein folding

Determination of the native state of a protein from its amino acid sequence is the goal of protein folding simulations, with potential applications in gene therapy and drug design. Location of the global minimum structure for a given sequence, however, is a difficult optimisation problem. In this paper, we describe the development and application of a genetic algorithm (GA) to find the lowest-energy conformations for the 2D HP lattice bead protein model. Optimisation of the parameters of our standard GA program reveals that the GA is most successful (at finding the lowest-energy conformations) for high rates of mating and mutation and relatively high elitism. We have also introduced a number of new genetic operators: a duplicate predator—which maintains population diversity by eliminating duplicate structures; brood selection—where two parent structures undergo crossover and give rise to a brood of (not just two) offspring; and a Monte Carlo based local search algorithm—to explore the neighbourhood of all members of the population. It is shown that these operators lead to significant improvements in the success and efficiency of the GA, both compared with our standard GA and with previously published GA studies for benchmark HP sequences with up to 50 beads.     

The Measurement of Ultrashort Light Pulses—Simple Devices,Complex Pulses

We review the state of the art of ultrashort-light-pulse measurement using frequency-resolved-optical-gating (FROG). Recent developments have extended the state of the art considerably. FROG devices for measuring the intensity and phase of ultrashort laser pulses have become so simple that almost no alignment is required. In addition, such devices not only operate single shot, but they also yield the two most important spatio-temporal distortions, spatial chirp and pulse-front tilt. With other FROG variations, it is now possible to measure more general ultrashort light pulses (i.e., pulses much more complex than common laser pulses), with time-bandwidth products as large as several thousand and as weak as a few hundred photons, and despite other difficulties such as random absolute phase and poor spatial coherence.     

A determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa parameter |V us| using KL decays

We present a determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa parameter |V(us)| based on new measurements of the six largest K(L) branching fractions and semileptonic form factors by the KTeV (E832) experiment at Fermilab. We find |V(us)|=0.2252+/-0.0008(KTeV)+/-0.0021(ext), where the errors are from KTeV measurements and from external sources. We also use the measured branching fractions to determine the CP violation parameter |eta(+-)|=(2.228+/-0.005(KTeV)+/-0.009(ext))x10(-3).     

Measurements of the Decay KL-->e+ e- mu+ mu-

The KTeV experiment at Fermilab has isolated a total of 132 events from the rare decay K(L)-->e+ e- mu+ mu-, with an estimated background of 0.8 events. The branching ratio of this mode is determined to be [2.69+/-0.24(stat)+/-0.12(syst)]x10(-9), with a radiative cutoff of M(2)(ee mu mu)/M(2)(K)>0.95. The first measurement using this mode of the parameter alpha from the D'Ambrosio-Isidori-Portolès (DIP) model of the K(L)gamma*gamma* vertex yields a result of -1.59+/-0.37, consistent with values obtained from other decay modes. Because of the limited statistics, no sensitivity is found to the DIP parameter beta. We use this decay mode to set limits on CP and lepton violation.     

Stereoselective synthesis of beta-(chloro)vinylsilanes using a regio- and (E)-stereoselective bis-stannylation of unsymmetrically substituted butadiynes: application to the synthesis of a masked triyne

[reaction: see text] A highly regio- and stereoselective bis-stannylation of unsymmetrically substituted butadiyne 3 provides bis-stannane 4. Selective lithiation of the internal tin residue effects a 1,4-retro-Brook rearrangement to afford vinylsilane 5. This was elaborated into the novel diethynylethene 1, which also functions as a masked triyne.     

Difluoromethylene analogues of aspartyl phosphate: the first synthetic inhibitors of aspartate semi-aldehyde dehydrogenase

The difluoromethylene analogue of aspartyl phosphate 6 has been prepared by the fluoride catalysed coupling of diethyl trimethylsilyldifluoromethyl phosphonate with an appropriate aldehyde followed by Dess-Martin oxidation and deprotection; the deprotected compound inhibited (KI 95 microM) aspartate semi-aldehyde dehydrogenase, a key enzyme involved in bacterial amino acid and peptidoglycan biosynthesis.