Circular economy in biocomposite development: State-of-the-art, challenges and emerging trends

Biocomposites being environmentally-friendly alternative to synthetic composites are gaining increasing demand for various applications. Hence, biocomposite development should be integrated within a circular economy (CE) model to ensure a sustainable production that is simultaneously innocuous towards the environment. This review presents an overview of the state-of-the-art technologies for the adoption of the CE concept in biocomposite development. The study outlined the properties, environmental and economic impacts of biocomposites. A critical review of the life-cycle assessment of biocomposite for evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints was conducted. In addition, the opportunities and challenges pertaining to the implementation of CE have been discussed in detail. Recycling and utilisation of bio-based constituents were identified as the critical factors in embracing CE. Therefore, the development of innovative recycling technologies and an enhanced use of novel biocomposite constituents could lead to a reduction in material waste and environmental footprints. This article is one of the first studies to review the circularity of biocomposites in detail that will stimulate further research in enhancing the sustainability of these polymeric materials. © 202

Measurement of the production cross section of prompt J/ψ mesons in association with a W ± boson in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The process pp → W ± J/ψ provides a powerful probe of the production mechanism of charmonium in hadronic collisions, and is also sensitive to multiple parton interactions in the colliding protons. Using the 2011 ATLAS dataset of 4.5 fb−1 of s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at the LHC, the first observation is made of the production of W ± + prompt J/ψ events in hadronic collisions, using W ± → μν μ and J/ψ → μ + μ −. A yield of 27.4+7.5−6.5 W ± + prompt J/ψ events is observed, with a statistical significance of 5.1σ. The production rate as a ratio to the inclusive W ± boson production rate is measured, and the double parton scattering contribution to the cross section is estimate

Search for a Standard Model Higgs boson in the mass range 200-600GeV in the H→ZZ→ℓ+ℓqq̄ decay channel with the ATLAS detector

286

Search for Direct Top Squark Pair Production in Final States with One Isolated Lepton, Jets, and Missing Transverse Momentum in s = 7 TeV p p Collisions Using 4.7 fb − 1 of ATLAS Data

A search is presented for direct top squark pair production in final states with one isolated electron or muon, jets, and missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV. ..

Measurement of the cross-section of high transverse momentum vector bosons reconstructed as single jets and studies of jet substructure in pp collisions at sqrtssqrt{s} = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This article presents a measurement of the cross-section for high transverse momentum W and Z bosons produced in pp collisions and decaying to all-hadronic final states. The data used in the analysis were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of $$sqrt{s}=7;{rm Te}{rm V}$$ and correspond to an integrated luminosity of $$4.6;{rm f}{{{rm b}}{-1}}$$. The measurement is performed by reconstructing the boosted W or Z bosons in single jets. The reconstructed jet mass is used to identify the W and Z bosons, and a jet substructure method based on energy cluster information in the jet centre-of-mass frame is used to suppress the large multi-jet background. The cross-section for events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson, with transverse momentum $${{p}_{{rm T}}}gt 320;{rm Ge}{rm V}$$ and pseudorapidity $$eta lt 1.9$$, is measured to be $${{sigma }_{W+Z}}=8.5pm 1.7$$ pb and is compared to next-to-leading-order calculations. The selected events are further used to study jet grooming techniques

Measurement of the production of a W boson in association with a charm quark in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√ = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96+0.26−0.30 at Q 2 = 1.9 GeV2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio σ(W + +c¯¯)/σ(W − + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s−s¯¯¯ quark asymmetry

Search for a standard model Higgs boson in the H→ZZ→ ℓ+ ℓ−ν ̄ν decay channelusing 4.7fb−1of√s=7 TeV data with the ATLAS detector

A search for a Standard Model Higgs boson decaying via H→ZZ→ ℓ+ ℓ−ν ̄ν, where ℓ represents electrons or muons, is presented. It is based on proton-proton collision data at √s=7 TeV, collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC during 2011 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7fb−1. The data agree with the expected Standard Model backgrounds. Upper limits on the Higgs boson production crosssection are derived for Higgs boson masses between 200 GeV and 600 GeV and the production of a Standard Model Higgs boson with a mass in the range 319–558 GeV is excluded at the 95% confidence leve

Of cattle, sand flies and men : a systematic review of risk factor analyses for South Asian visceral leishmaniasis and implications for elimination

Background: Studies performed over the past decade have identified fairly consistent epidemiological patterns of risk factors for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent. Methods and Principal Findings: To inform the current regional VL elimination effort and identify key gaps in knowledge, we performed a systematic review of the literature, with a special emphasis on data regarding the role of cattle because primary risk factor studies have yielded apparently contradictory results. Because humans form the sole infection reservoir, clustering of kala-azar cases is a prominent epidemiological feature, both at the household level and on a larger scale. Subclinical infection also tends to show clustering around kala-azar cases. Within villages, areas become saturated over a period of several years; kala-azar incidence then decreases while neighboring areas see increases. More recently, post kalaazar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases have followed kala-azar peaks. Mud walls, palpable dampness in houses, and peridomestic vegetation may increase infection risk through enhanced density and prolonged survival of the sand fly vector. Bed net use, sleeping on a cot and indoor residual spraying are generally associated with decreased risk. Poor micronutrient status increases the risk of progression to kala-azar. The presence of cattle is associated with increased risk in some studies and decreased risk in others, reflecting the complexity of the effect of bovines on sand fly abundance, aggregation, feeding behavior and leishmanial infection rates. Poverty is an overarching theme, interacting with individual risk factors on multiple levels. Conclusions: Carefully designed demonstration projects, taking into account the complex web of interconnected risk factors, are needed to provide direct proof of principle for elimination and to identify the most effective maintenance activities to prevent a rapid resurgence when interventions are scaled back. More effective, short-course treatment regimens for PKDL are urgently needed to enable the elimination initiative to succeed