Vibrational and AFM studies of adsorption of glycine on DLC and silicon-doped DLC

A better understanding of protein adsorption onto surfaces of materials is required to control biocompatibility and bioactivity. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is known to have excellent biocompatibility. Various samples of a-C:H and silicon-doped a-C:H thin films (Si-DLC) were deposited onto silicon substrates using plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Subsequently, the adsorption of the simplest amino acid glycine onto the surfaces of the thin films was investigated to elucidate the mechanisms involved in protein adhesion. The physicochemical characteristics of the surfaces, before and after adsorption of glycine, were investigated using Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Raman study highlighted a slight decrease in the I D/I G ratio with increasing the silicon dopant levels. Following exposure to glycine solutions, the presence of bands at ~1735 and ~1200 cm−1 indicates that the adsorption of glycine onto the surfaces has taken place. Glycine was bound to the surfaces via both deprotonated carboxyl and protonated amino groups whilst, as the silicon content in the DLC film increased the adsorption of glycine decreased. AFM analysis showed that the surface roughness increased following exposure to glycine. These results show that at low silicon doping the adsorption of the amino acid was enhanced whilst increased doping levels led to a reduced adsorption compared to undoped DLC. Therefore, doping of DLC may provide an approach to control the protein adsorption

Search for a standard model Higgs boson in the H -> ZZ -> l(+)l(-) nu(nu)over-bar decay channel using 4.7 fb(-1) of root s=7 TeV data with the ATLAS detector

A search for a Standard Model Higgs boson decaying via H -> ZZ -> l(+)l(-) nu(nu) over bar, where l represents electrons or muons, is presented. It is based on proton-proton collision data at root s = 7 TeV, collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC during 2011 and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1). The data agree with the expected Standard Model backgrounds. Upper limits on the Higgs boson production cross section 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 level. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Measurement of W(+/-)Z production in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A study of W(+/-)Z production in proton-proton collisions at root s = 7 TeV is presented using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb(-1) collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2011. In total, 317 candidates, with a background expectation of 68 +/- 10 events, are observed in double-leptonic decay final states with electrons, muons and missing transverse momentum. The total cross-section is determined to be sigma(tot)(WZ) = 19.0(-1.3)(+1.4)(stat.) +/- 0.9(syst.) +/- 0.4(lumi.) pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation of 17.6(-1.0)(+1.1) pb. Limits on anomalous triple gauge boson couplings are derived using the transverse momentum spectrum of Z bosons in the selected events. The cross-section is also presented as a function of Z boson transverse momentum and diboson invariant mass

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb(-1) of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector ATLAS Collaboration

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: sigma < (22-129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, sigma < (27-91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and sigma < (15-27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale Lambda and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum in 1 fb(-1) of 7 TeV proton-proton collision data with the ATLAS detector ATLAS Collaboration

A search for diphoton events with large missing transverse momentum has been performed using 1.07 fb(-1) of proton-proton collision data at root s = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. No excess of events was observed above the Standard Model prediction and 95% Confidence Level (CL) upper limits are set on the production cross section for new physics. The limits depend on each model parameter space and vary as follows: sigma < (22-129) fb in the context of a generalised model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (GGM) with a bino-like lightest neutralino, sigma < (27-91) fb in the context of a minimal model of gauge-mediated supersymmetry breaking (SPS8), and sigma < (15-27) fb in the context of a specific model with one universal extra dimension (UED). A 95% CL lower limit of 805 GeV, for bino masses above 50 GeV, is set on the GGM gluino mass. Lower limits of 145 TeV and 1.23 TeV are set on the SPS8 breaking scale Lambda and on the UED compactification scale 1/R, respectively. These limits provide the most stringent tests of these models to date. (C) 2012 CERN. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. RI Sivoklokov, Sergey/D-8150-2012; Li, Xuefei/C-3861-2012; Smirnov, Sergei/F-1014-2011; Gladilin, Leonid/B-5226-2011; Barreiro, Fernando/D-9808-2012; Prokoshin, Fedor/E-2795-2012; Fazio, Salvatore /G-5156-2010; Orlov, Ilya/E-6611-2012; Doyle, Anthony/C-5889-2009; Alexa, Calin/F-6345-2010; Moorhead, Gareth/B-6634-2009; Livan, Michele/D-7531-2012; Takai, Helio/C-3301-2012; Petrucci, Fabrizio/G-8348-2012; Jones, Roger/H-5578-2011; Fabbri, Laura/H-3442-2012; Kurashige, Hisaya/H-4916-2012; Villa, Mauro/C-9883-2009; Delmastro, Marco/I-5599-201

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

The jet energy scale (JES) and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb−1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R = 0.4 or R = 0.6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pT ≥ 20 GeV and pseudorapidities |h| < 4.5. The JES systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The JES uncertainty is less than 2.5% in the central calorimeter region (|h| < 0.8) for jets with 60 ≤ pT < 800 GeV, and is maximally 14% for pT < 30 GeV in the most forward region 3.2 ≤ |h| < 4.5. The uncertainty for additional energy from multiple proton-proton collisions in the same bunch crossing is less than 1.5% per additional collision for jets with pT > 50 GeV after a dedicated correction for this effect. The JES is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, providing an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The JES systematic uncertainty determined from a combination of in situ techniques are consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined