Study of the electronic structure of short chain oligothiophenes

The electronic structure of short-chain thiophenes (thiophene, 2,2'-bithiophene and 2,2':5',2'-terthiophene) in the gas phase has been investigated by combining the outcomes of Near-Edge X-ray-Absorption Fine-Structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) at the C K-edge with those of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The calculated NEXAFS spectra provide a comprehensive description of the main experimental features and allow their attribution. The evolution of the C1s NEXAFS spectral features is analyzed as a function of the number of thiophene rings; a tendency to a stabilization for increasing chain length is found. The computation of the binding energy allows to assign the experimental XPS peaks to the different carbon sites on the basis of both the inductive effects generated by the presence of the S atom as well as of the differential aromaticity effects

Illness experiences due to communicable chronic conditions: integrative literature review

The objective of this article is to identify and describe the illness experiences of people living with communicable chronic conditions. An integrative literature review was carried out in May 2015 in the PubMed, the Literature in the Health Sciences in Latin America and the Caribbean (LILACS) and in the Scopus databases. Through the intersection of keywords and controlled descriptors, eight search strategies were conducted and resulted in the final selection of 12 articles, which were catalogued into two theme categories, in order to group matching themes: (1) experiences with communicable chronic conditions(2) coping strategies for communicable chronicle diseases. Stigma was identified as the most impacting experience in subjects' lives, which reverberated negatives feelings. In spite of their illness, subjects adopted healthy lifestyle habits and found support on religiosity/spirituality and on the dimensionality of time as a way to live harmoniously with diseases. We also noticed that the support network (family, health services) plays a key role in the process of living with communicable chronicle diseases. Since the diagnostic, the subjects experience negative feelings and sensations not only because of the fragileness that the disease imposes on their body but also because of the maintenance of the condition, which make them more vulnerable to discrimination, prejudice and stigma. It becomes necessary to strengthen the support network around the subject, in order to encourage improvements in the quality of life of people living with communicable diseases.O objetivo deste artigo é identificar e descrever as experiências de adoecimento de pessoas que vivem com condições crônicas transmissíveis. Revisão integrativa da literatura foi realizada em maio de 2015 nas bases de dados PubMed, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (Lilacs) e Scopus. A partir do cruzamento de palavras-chave e de descritores controlados, foram adotadas oito estratégias de busca, que resultaram na seleção final de 12 artigos. Realizou-se fichamento dos artigos, sendo elaboradas duas categorias temáticas, tendo em vista o agrupamento de temas coincidentes: (1) experiências com as condições crônicas transmissíveis; e (2) estratégias de enfrentamento das condições crônicas transmissíveis. Identificou-se o estigma como sendo a experiência de maior impacto na vida dos sujeitos, o qual reverberou em sentimentos negativos. Apesar disso, os sujeitos adoecidos adotaram hábitos de vida saudáveis, bem como apoiaram-se na religiosidade/espiritualidade e no dimensionamento do tempo como forma de harmonizar sua convivência com as doenças. Observou-se, ainda, que a rede de apoio (família, serviços de saúde) tem papel fundamental na vivência das condições crônicas transmissíveis. Os sujeitos experimentam sensações e sentimentos negativos desde o diagnóstico, seja pela fragilidade que a doença impõe ao seu organismo, seja pela manutenção da condição que os torna mais vulneráveis à discriminação, ao preconceito e ao estigma. Torna-se necessário fortalecer a rede de apoio em torno do sujeito, no sentido de favorecer a melhoria na qualidade de vida das pessoas que vivem com condições crônicas transmissíveis.Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Enfermagem Ribeirao Preto, Ribeirao Preto, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Enfermagem, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Enfermagem, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Measurement of the Lifetime Difference Between B_s Mass Eigenstates

We present measurements of the lifetimes and polarization amplitudes for B_s --> J/psi phi and B_d --> J/psi K*0 decays. Lifetimes of the heavy (H) and light (L) mass eigenstates in the B_s system are separately measured for the first time by determining the relative contributions of amplitudes with definite CP as a function of the decay time. Using 203 +/- 15 B_s decays, we obtain tau_L = (1.05 +{0.16}/-{0.13} +/- 0.02) ps and tau_H = (2.07 +{0.58}/-{0.46} +/- 0.03) ps. Expressed in terms of the difference DeltaGamma_s and average Gamma_s, of the decay rates of the two eigenstates, the results are DeltaGamma_s/Gamma_s = (65 +{25}/-{33} +/- 1)%, and DeltaGamma_s = (0.47 +{0.19}/-{0.24} +/- 0.01) inverse ps.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; as published in Physical Review Letters on 16 March 2005; revisions are for length and typesetting only, no changes in results or conclusion

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

CUBES : the Cassegrain U-band Efficient Spectrograph

In the era of Extremely Large Telescopes, the current generation of 8-10m facilities are likely to remain competitive at ground-UV wavelengths for the foreseeable future. The Cassegrain U-Band Efficient Spectrograph (CUBES) has been designed to provide high-efficiency (> 40%) observations in the near UV (305-400 nm requirement, 300-420 nm goal) at a spectral resolving power of R >20, 000 (with a lower-resolution, sky-limited mode of R ~7, 000). With the design focusing on maximizing the instrument throughput (ensuring a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) ~20 per high-resolution element at 313 nm for U ~18.5 mag objects in 1h of observations), it will offer new possibilities in many fields of astrophysics, providing access to key lines of stellar spectra: a tremendous diversity of iron-peak and heavy elements, lighter elements (in particular Beryllium) and light-element molecules (CO, CN, OH), as well as Balmer lines and the Balmer jump (particularly important for young stellar objects). The UV range is also critical in extragalactic studies: the circumgalactic medium of distant galaxies, the contribution of different types of sources to the cosmic UV background, the measurement of H2 and primordial Deuterium in a regime of relatively transparent intergalactic medium, and follow-up of explosive transients. The CUBES project completed a Phase A conceptual design in June 2021 and has now entered the detailed design and construction phase. First science operations are planned for 2028