Central Diffraction at the LHCb

The LHCb experiment is shown to be ideal for studies of exclusive final states from central diffractive reactions. The gluon-rich environment of the central system allows detailed QCD studies and searches for exotic meson states, such as glueballs, molecules, hybrids and new charmonium-like states. It would also provide a good testing ground for detailed studies of heavy quarkonia. Due to its distinct design features, the LHCb can accurately measure the low-mass central systems with good purity. The efficiency of the FSC system for detecting rapidity gaps is shown to be adequate for the proposed studies. With this detector arrangement, valuable new data can be obtained by tagging central diffractive processes

The event generator DECAY4 for simulation of double beta processes and decay of radioactive nuclei

The computer code DECAY4 is developed to generate initial energy, time and angular distributions of particles emitted in radioactive decays of nuclides and nuclear (atomic) deexcitations. Data for description of nuclear and atomic decay schemes are taken from the ENSDF and EADL database libraries. The examples of use of the DECAY4 code in several underground experiments are described.Comment: 8 pages, 1 fi

Synthesis and Antiviral Evaluation of 3′-Fluoro-5′-norcarbocyclic Nucleoside Phosphonates Bearing Uracil and Cytosine as Potential Antiviral Agents

Carbocyclic nucleoside analogues are an essential class of antiviral agents and are commonly used in the treatment of viral diseases (hepatitis B, AIDS). Recently, we reported the racemic synthesis and the anti-human immunodeficiency virus activities (HIV) of 3′-fluoro-5′-norcarbocyclic nucleoside phosphonates bearing purines as heterocyclic base. Based on these results, the corresponding racemic norcarbocyclic nucleoside phosphonates bearing pyrimidine bases were synthesized. The prepared compounds were evaluated against HIV, but none of them showed marked antiviral activity compared to their purine counterparts

AN IMPACT TO US NAVAL OPERATIONS: PREDICTING JELLYFISH BLOOMS IN THE ARABIAN SEA

Operations of two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea were inhibited by the Crambionella orsini (c. orsini) jellyfish bloom in 2020, causing degradation to their propulsion systems. C. orsini bloom also occurred in 2002 but did not impact naval operations. We compared the two bloom years by calculating Ekman transport to characterize upwelling using Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis to detect oceanic variability patterns and analyzing temperature, chlorophyll-a, and mixed layer depth as potential bloom predictors. This research found no single cause but a combination of environmental conditions, which include upwelling-favorable monsoonal winds and moderate sea surface temperature (SST). Upwelled nutrient-rich waters cause increased primary productivity of mixed diatoms eaten by dinoflagellates, a food source for C. orsini. The jellyfish and their food source are advected to moderate temperature regions by the monsoonal circulation. It was shown that when SST is below 25C or above 30C, c. orsini cease blooming as their food source diminishes. To forecast a bloom, c. orsini must be present in coastal waters with an overabundance of nutrients during either monsoon season. The main environmental driver of a c. orsini bloom is the monsoon season, and the limiting factor is the SST. The blooms although rare can jeopardize our effectiveness to prevail in day-to-day competition; understanding these blooms allows warfighters to maintain the Navy’s advantage at sea.Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, United States Nav

Synthesis of aminoalcohols assisted by a chiral sulfoxide

Les travaux présentés dans ce mémoire décrivent une nouvelle voie de synthèse d'aminoalcools 1,2 à partir de γ-bromo-β-cétosulfoxydes, dans lesquels seul le centre stéréogène du soufre est défini. Cette synthèse s'appuie sur deux processus hautement stéréocontrôlés dirigés par le groupement sulfoxyde : le dédoublement cinétique dynamique lors de la substitution nucléophile du brome par la dibenzylamine et la réduction diastéréosélective du carbonyle. Les syn-γ-N,N-dibenzylamino-β-hydroxysulfoxydes correspondants ont été obtenus avec des excès diastéréoisomériques supérieurs à 95%. Les syn-γ-N,N-dibenzylamino-β-hydroxysulfoxydes se sont avérés être des intermédiaires très intéressants pour la synthèse de produits comportant le motif aminoalcool 1,2. Ainsi, nous avons décrit la préparation d'un 3-N,N-dibenzylamino-1,2-diol et son utilisation dans une nouvelle stratégie de déprotection régiodivergente d'acétals cycliques. Nous avons également décrit un nouvel accès aux cis-2-méthyl-6-alkylpipéridin-3-ols, via l'ouverture de cycle d'un 3-N,N-dibenzylamino-1,2-époxyde par l'azaénolate dérivé d'une hydrazone, et l'avons appliqué à la synthèse d'un alcaloïde, la (+)-déoxocassine. Parallèlement, nous avons débuté une étude de synthèse d'aminoalcools 1,3 par la réduction diastéréosélective d'une oxime dérivée d'un δ-céto-β-hydroxysulfoxyde.In this thesis manuscript, we report on a new pathway to 1,2-aminoalcohols starting from chiral nonracemic γ-bromo-β-ketosulfoxides. This two-step approach, where the stereo control is provided by the sulfoxide group, relies on a highly stereocontrolled nucleophilic substitution of the bromine by dibenzylamine, combined with a dynamic kinetic resolution process, and the reduction of the carbonyl group. The corresponding syn-γ-N,N-dibenzylamino-β-hydroxysulfoxides were obtained with more than 95% diasteroisomeric excess. These syn-γ-N,N-dibenzylamino-β-hydroxysulfoxides turned out to be very useful intermediates for the synthesis of aminoalcohol containing products. Thus, we described the preparation of a 3-N,N-dibenzylamino-1,2-diol, and its use in an original strategy of regiodivergent cyclic acetals deprotection. We also developed a new access to "all cis"-2-methyl-6-alkylpiperidin-3-ols, by the mean of a 3-N,N-dibenzylamino-1,2-epoxide ring opening reaction with the azaenolate derived from an hydrazone. We applied this methodology to the synthesis of an alkaloid, (+)-deoxocassine. In addition, we studied a synthesis of 1,3-aminoalcohols using a diasteroselective reduction of a δ-keto-β-hydroxysulfoxyde-derived oxime