Measurement of the Atmospheric Muon Spectrum from 20 to 3000 GeV

The absolute muon flux between 20 GeV and 3000 GeV is measured with the L3 magnetic muon spectrometer for zenith angles ranging from 0 degree to 58 degree. Due to the large exposure of about 150 m2 sr d, and the excellent momentum resolution of the L3 muon chambers, a precision of 2.3 % at 150 GeV in the vertical direction is achieved. The ratio of positive to negative muons is studied between 20 GeV and 500 GeV, and the average vertical muon charge ratio is found to be 1.285 +- 0.003 (stat.) +- 0.019 (syst.).Comment: Total 32 pages, 9Figure

Measurement of Mass and Width of the W Boson at LEP

We report on measurements of the mass and total decay width of the W boson with the L3 detector at LEP. W-pair events produced in $\mathrm{e^+e^-}$ interactions between 161 GeV and 183 GeV centre-of-mass energy are selected in a data sample corresponding to a total luminosity of 76.7 pb$^{-1}$. Combining all final states in W-pair production, the mass and total decay width of the W boson are determined to be $\mathrm{M_W}=80.61\pm0.15$ GeV and $\Gamma_{\mathrm{W}}=1.97\pm0.38$ GeV, respectively

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Influence of pH on the Stability of 2-Substituted 1,3-Thiazolidine-4-Carboxylic Acids in Model Solutions

Upon beer storage, the levels of staling aldehydes increase, which coincides with the appearance of characteristic off-flavors. Bound-state aldehydes have been reported as potential sources of off-flavor appearance in aging beer. This study investigated the stability of cysteinylated aldehydes, also referred to as 2-substituted 1,3-thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids, and the release of aldehyde compounds from cysteine adducts in model solutions at different pH values that are relevant in malting and brewing. The cysteinylated aldehydes were initially synthesized for their use as reference compounds in model solutions. Confirmation of their chemical structure was obtained by 1H-NMR. The results from the stability tests showed that degradation of cysteine-bound aldehydes results in concomitant release of the free aldehydes. The rate of degradation is highly dependent on the 2-substitution pattern of the thiazolidine ring, as well as on the pH of the model solution. At malting and brewing relevant pH values (pH 4.4, 5.2, 6.0), degradation of cysteine-bound aldehydes is observed, in particular at pH 4.4, which is representative of the beer pH. © 2018, © 2018 American Society of Brewing Chemists, Inc

Measurement of hadron and lepton-pair production at 130 GeV<root s<140 GeV at LEP

Contains fulltext : 26240.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Search for the Decays B-D(0)-]Gamma-Gamma and B-S(0)-]Gamma-Gamma

Contains fulltext : 26235.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Observation of multiple hard photon final states at root s=130-140 GeV at LEP

Contains fulltext : 28593.pdf (preprint version ) (Open Access

Measurement of the Weak Charged Current Structure in Semileptonic B-Hadron Decays at the Z-Peak

Contains fulltext : 26230.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access