Measurement of the W gamma Production Cross Section in Proton-Proton Collisions at root s=13 TeV and Constraints on Effective Field Theory Coefficients

A fiducial cross section for W gamma production in proton-proton collisions is measured at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 137 fb(-1) of data collected using the CMS detector at the LHC. The W -> e nu and mu nu decay modes are used in a maximum-likelihood fit to the lepton-photon invariant mass distribution to extract the combined cross section. The measured cross section is compared with theoretical expectations at next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics. In addition, 95% confidence level intervals are reported for anomalous triple-gauge couplings within the framework of effective field theory.Peer reviewe

Search for top squark production in fully hadronic final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search for production of the supersymmetric partners of the top quark, top squarks, is presented. The search is based on proton-proton collision events containing multiple jets, no leptons, and large transverse momentum imbalance. The data were collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1). The targeted signal production scenarios are direct and gluino-mediated top squark production, including scenarios in which the top squark and neutralino masses are nearly degenerate. The search utilizes novel algorithms based on deep neural networks that identify hadronically decaying top quarks and W bosons, which are expected in many of the targeted signal models. No statistically significant excess of events is observed relative to the expectation from the standard model, and limits on the top squark production cross section are obtained in the context of simplified supersymmetric models for various production and decay modes. Exclusion limits as high as 1310 GeVare established at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the top squark for direct top squark production models, and as high as 2260 GeV on the mass of the gluino for gluino-mediated top squark production models. These results represent a significant improvement over the results of previous searches for supersymmetry by CMS in the same final state.Peer reviewe

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Wpływ rodzaju włókien na właściwości fizyczne laminatowych kompozytów polietylenu małej gęstości

In recent years, the increased interest in the design and fabrication of lightweight polymer composites with various combinations and stoichiometry is due to their enhancement of electrical, mechanical, thermal, and biological properties compared to the properties of conventional materials. With that view, the present study deals with the effects of low density polyethylene composites (LDPE) reinforced with epoxy resin, glass fiber, carbon fiber, and Kevlar towards the mechanical, thermal, and water absorption properties. The mechanical studies showed that the LDPE composite reinforced carbon fiber has the best tensile properties compared to other composites and this can be mostly due to the proper bonding and associated interaction between the polymeric matrix and the bidirectional layer of the fibers. Also, the carbon fiber reinforced composite has superior properties of impart energy compared to the other composites and the non-reinforced ones and this is attributed to the crystalline nature of carbon fiber. Further studies of the thermal properties indicated that the retention of thermal stability for all the fiber-reinforced polymer composites, while the water absorption revealed a considerable increase in the weight of Kevlar fiber-reinforced composite. From the overall analysis, the enhanced properties of LDPE matrix reinforced fibers are linked to the morphological changes that occurred and are directly affected by the nature of the fiber.Zwiększone w ostatnich latach zainteresowanie projektowaniem i wytwarzaniem lekkich kompozytów polimerowych wynika z ich lepszych właściwości elektrycznych, mechanicznych, termicznych i biologicznych w porównaniu z cechami materiałów konwencjonalnych. Zbadano wpływ rodzaju wzmocnienia (włókno szklane, włókno węglowe i włókno Kevlar) na właściwości mechaniczne, termiczne i absorpcję wody laminatowych kompozytów polietylenu małej gęstości (LDPE) z żywicą epoksydową. Stwierdzono, że kompozyt LDPE z włóknem węglowym, w porównaniu z innymi kompozytami, wykazuje najlepszą wytrzymałość na rozciąganie, co może wynikać głównie z interakcji polimerowej osnowy z dwukierunkową warstwą włókien. Ponadto kompozyt ten ma większą zdolność przenoszenia energii niż pozostałe badane kompozyty, co można przypisać krystalicznej budowie włókna węglowego. Badania właściwości termicznych wykazały stabilność termiczną wszystkich kompozytów polimerowych wzmocnionych włóknami oraz znaczną absorpcję wody kompozytu wzmocnionego włóknem Kevlar