Differential cross sections of electron silver scattering at varying energies

The differential scattering cross sections of electron - silver atom are calculated using the Eikonal approximation at incident energies of 50 eV,60 eV and 70 eV, with the Lenz-Jensen potential. Results obtained are ingood agreement with the NIST SRD 64 at scattering angles of about 80 to180 degrees; and are in very good agreement with the Born approximationbetween 30 to 180 degrees.Keywords: Differential cross section, Silver, Eikonal, Born approximatio

The role of SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 protein ARKS motif on novobiocin binding

The discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the COVID-19 pandemic required scientists to develop medical solutions to reduce infectivity, severity of symptoms, and death. Although vaccines and drugs provided urgent assistance, the need to continue developing better drugs is necessary long term, and understanding the structure of the virus and finding potential inhibitors would prove vital to discovering solutions to this worldwide health problem. This experimental project focuses on targeting the unique accessory protein, Open Reading Frame 8 (ORF8) in SARS-CoV-2 through studying its interactions with a repurposable drug, novobiocin. Importantly, ORF8 specializes in helping evade immune system checks by downregulating major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) after infection, and is also involved in inflammatory responses from the cytokine storm, the most prominent cause of fatalities from the virus. Additionally, the ORF8 protein has been proposed to act as a histone mimic at the histone-H3 ARKS motif that causes post-translational changes in chromatin, further worsening these problems through gene transcription. Previous in silico and in vitro work from our lab has shown that novobiocin [Kd = 54.5 ± 3.14 μM] and three other computationally verified ligands (iohexol [Kd = 1185 ± 193 μM], kaempferol-7-O-glucoside [Kd = 135 ± 10.9 μM] & lercanidipine hydrochloride [Kd = 52.7 ± 5.71 μM]) bind to. To probe the role of Arg in the histone-H3 ARKS motif, specific mutation was done in position 52 from Arg to Met, Glu and Leu respectively. The above results in drastic changes in intermolecular forces such as opposing charge, polarity and different sizes of these side chains that negatively affect novobiocin’s ability to bind to the ORF8 pocket , which this research aims to experimentally prove this hypothesis. In silico analyses for the mutagenic ORF8 were initially found to require more energy to bind novobiocin to the ARKS motif than wild-type, but was still possible to dock according to Swissdock. Primers for the ORF8 R52 mutants were then designed and mutagenic plasmids were constructed and sequence verified. Each of the mutant ORF8 proteins was overexpressed, purified, and Kd values for binding to novobiocin were determined via intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy and compared with wild-type binding. This data will help further understand the role of SARS-CoV-2 ORF8 protein ARKS motif and how its interactions affected novobiocin binding, potentially benefitting future studies attempting to repurpose novobiocin and other ligands for treatment of the spreading virus

Magnetism and its microscopic origin in iron-based high-temperature superconductors

High-temperature superconductivity in the iron-based materials emerges from, or sometimes coexists with, their metallic or insulating parent compound states. This is surprising since these undoped states display dramatically different antiferromagnetic (AF) spin arrangements and N$\rm \acute{e}$el temperatures. Although there is general consensus that magnetic interactions are important for superconductivity, much is still unknown concerning the microscopic origin of the magnetic states. In this review, progress in this area is summarized, focusing on recent experimental and theoretical results and discussing their microscopic implications. It is concluded that the parent compounds are in a state that is more complex than implied by a simple Fermi surface nesting scenario, and a dual description including both itinerant and localized degrees of freedom is needed to properly describe these fascinating materials.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Review article, accepted for publication in Nature Physic

Adjunctive mood stabilizer treatment for hospitalized schizophrenia patients: Asia psychotropic prescripton study (2001-2008)

Recent studies indicate relatively high international rates of adjunctive psychotropic medication, including mood stabilizers, for patients with schizophrenia. Since such treatments are little studied in Asia, we examined the frequency of mood-stabilizer use and its clinical correlates among hospitalized Asian patients diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2001-2008. We evaluated usage rates of mood stabilizers with antipsychotic drugs, and associated factors, for in-patients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenia in 2001, 2004 and 2008 in nine Asian regions: China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore. Overall, mood stabilizers were given to 20.4% (n=1377/6761) of hospitalized schizophrenia patients, with increased usage over time. Mood-stabilizer use was significantly and independently associated in multivariate logistic modeling with: aggressive behaviour, disorganized speech, year sampled (2008 vs. earlier), multiple hospitalizations, less negative symptoms, younger age, with regional variation (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore>Taiwan or China). Co-prescription of adjunctive mood stabilizers with antipsychotics for hospitalized Asian schizophrenia patients increased over the past decade, and was associated with specific clinical characteristics. This practice parallels findings in other countries and illustrates ongoing tension between evidence-based practice vs. individualized, empirical treatment of psychotic disorders.published_or_final_versio

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Search for direct pair production of the top squark in all-hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for direct pair production of the scalar partner to the top quark using an integrated luminosity of 20.1fb−1 of proton–proton collision data at √s = 8 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC are reported. The top squark is assumed to decay via t˜→tχ˜01 or t˜→ bχ˜±1 →bW(∗)χ˜01 , where χ˜01 (χ˜±1 ) denotes the lightest neutralino (chargino) in supersymmetric models. The search targets a fully-hadronic final state in events with four or more jets and large missing transverse momentum. No significant excess over the Standard Model background prediction is observed, and exclusion limits are reported in terms of the top squark and neutralino masses and as a function of the branching fraction of t˜ → tχ˜01 . For a branching fraction of 100%, top squark masses in the range 270–645 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 30 GeV. For a branching fraction of 50% to either t˜ → tχ˜01 or t˜ → bχ˜±1 , and assuming the χ˜±1 mass to be twice the χ˜01 mass, top squark masses in the range 250–550 GeV are excluded for χ˜01 masses below 60 GeV