The forward physics facility at the high-luminosity LHC

High energy collisions at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produce a large number of particles along the beam collision axis, outside of the acceptance of existing LHC experiments. The proposed Forward Physics Facility (FPF), to be located several hundred meters from the ATLAS interaction point and shielded by concrete and rock, will host a suite of experiments to probe standard model (SM) processes and search for physics beyond the standard model (BSM). In this report, we review the status of the civil engineering plans and the experiments to explore the diverse physics signals that can be uniquely probed in the forward region. FPF experiments will be sensitive to a broad range of BSM physics through searches for new particle scattering or decay signatures and deviations from SM expectations in high statistics analyses with TeV neutrinos in this low-background environment. High statistics neutrino detection will also provide valuable data for fundamental topics in perturbative and non-perturbative QCD and in weak interactions. Experiments at the FPF will enable synergies between forward particle production at the LHC and astroparticle physics to be exploited. We report here on these physics topics, on infrastructure, detector, and simulation studies, and on future directions to realize the FPF's physics potential

Ultrasonic assisted synthesis of a novel ternary nanocomposite based on carbon nanotubes/zeolitic imidazolate framework-67/polyaniline for solid-phase microextraction of organic pollutants

In the present research, a new nanoporous composite coating of polyaniline (PANI), modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) was successfully fabricated by a layer-by-layer strategy through electrodeposition method on a stainless steel wire and ultrasonic-assisted. The optimization of the coating was done with design expert 10.0.7.0 software, while the crucial factors were optimized using a central composite design (CCD). The characteristics of the nanocomposite were examined by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The applicability of this home-made coating fiber was assessed for the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) of trace amounts of some organic pollutants in aqueous samples followed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The significant parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as desorption and sorption conditions along with ionic strength, were also investigated. Validation experiments showed that the optimized method has wide linear ranges from 0.005 to 1000 μg L�1, very low limits of detection (0.0003�0.0008 μg L�1) and excellent repeatability (0.2�9.7). The relative recoveries obtained by spiking the target analytes in aqueous samples were in the range 83.4�111.2. The combination of modified CNTs, ZIF-67, and aniline in the nanocomposite create attractive opportunities for the development a new coating fiber with a porous structure, strong adhesion to the surface of the wire, excellent thermal stability, long lifespan and high extraction efficiency suggesting the potential of this SPME fiber for routine analysis in real samples. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Cerium-doped flower-shaped ZnO nano-crystallites as a sensing component for simultaneous electrochemical determination of epirubicin and methotrexate

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with cerium-doped ZnO nanoflowers (Ce-ZnO/GCE) to obtain a sensor for direct simultaneous detection of the cancer drugs epirubicin and methotrexate. XRD, SEM and EDX techniques were used to characterize their morphology and structure. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was applied to characterize the electrochemical features of the modified GCE. The experimental conditions were optimized. Diffusion coefficients and heterogeneous rate constants were determined for the oxidation of epirubicin. The differential pulse voltammetric response to epirubicin has a peak near 0.7 V (vs. Ag/AgCl at a scan rate of 50 mV s�1) and is linear in the 0.01 to 600 μM concentration range, and the detection limit is 2.3 nM (S/N = 5). The differential pulse voltammetric response to methotrexate has a peak near 0.75 V (vs. Ag/AgCl and the same scan rate) and is linear in the 0.01 to 500 μM concentration range, and the detection limit is 6.3 nM (S/N = 5). The method was applied to the simultaneous determination of epirubicin and methotrexate in pharmaceutical injections and in spiked diluted blood specimens. Figure not available: see fulltext.. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature

Applications of nano-materials in diverse dentistry regimes

Research and development in the applied sciences at the atomic or molecular level is the order of the day under the domain of nanotechnology or nano-science with enormous influence on nearly all areas of human health and activities comprising diverse medical fields such as pharmacological studies, clinical diagnoses, and supplementary immune system. The field of nano-dentistry has emerged due to the assorted dental applications of nano-technology. This review provides a brief introduction to the general nanotechnology field and a comprehensive overview of the synthesis features and dental uses of nano-materials including current innovations and future expectations with general comments on the latest advancements in the mechanisms and the most significant toxicological dimensions. This journal is © 2020 The Royal Society of Chemistry

The synthesis, characterization, DNA/BSA/HSA interactions, molecular modeling, antibacterial properties, and: In vitro cytotoxic activities of novel parent and niosome nano-encapsulated Ho(iii) complexes

Based on the importance of metal-centered complexes that can interact with DNA, this research focused on the synthesis of a new Ho(iii) complex. This complex was isolated and characterized via elemental analysis, and FT-IR, fluorescence, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Additional confirmation of the Ho(iii) complex structure was obtained via single-crystal X-ray diffraction. DNA interaction studies were carried out via circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, viscosity measurements and emission spectroscopy; it was proposed that the metal complex acts as an effective DNA binder based on studies in the presence of fish DNA (FS-DNA), showing high binding affinity to DNA in the presence of hydrophobic and electron donating substituents. Also, the interactions of this complex with human (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) proteins were studied via fluorescence spectroscopy techniques and the obtained results reveal an excellent propensity for binding in both cases. Furthermore, the interactions of the Ho(iii) complex with DNA, BSA and HSA were confirmed via molecular docking analysis. The antimicrobial activities of the Ho(iii) complex were tested against Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria. In addition, a niosome nano-encapsulated Ho(iii) complex was synthesized, and the parent and encapsulated complexes were evaluated as potential antitumor candidates. The main structure of the Ho(iii) complex is maintained after encapsulation using niosome nanoparticles. The MTT method was used to assess the anticancer properties of the Ho(iii) complex and its encapsulated form toward human lung carcinoma and breast cancer cell lines. The anticancer activity in the encapsulated form was more than that of the parent Ho(iii) complex. In conclusion, these compounds could be considered as new antitumor candidates. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry

A review: Recent advances in ultrasensitive and highly specific recognition aptasensors with various detection strategies

One of the most studied topics in analytical chemistry and physics is to develop bio-sensors. Aptamers are small single-stranded RNA or DNA oligonucleotides (5�25 kDa), which have advantages in comparison to their antibodies such as physicochemical stability and high binding specificity. They are able to integrate with proteins or small molecules, including intact viral particles, plant lectins, gene-regulation factor, growth factors, antibodies and enzymes. The aptamers have reportedly shown some unique characteristics, including long shelf-life, simple modification to provide covalent bonds to material surfaces, minor batch variation, cost-effectiveness and slight denaturation susceptibility. These features led important efforts toward the development of aptamer-based sensors, known as apta-sensors classified into optical, electrical and mass-sensitive based on the signal transduction mode. This review provided a number of current advancements in selecting, development criteria, and aptamers application with the focus on the effect of apta-sensors, specifically for disease-associated analyses. The review concentrated on the current reports of apta-sensors that are used for evaluating different food and environmental pollutants. © 2020 Elsevier B.V