Renormalization Group Invariants in the MSSM and Its Extensions

We derive one-loop renormalization group (RG) invariant observables and analyze their phenomenological implications in the MSSM and its \mu problem solving extensions, U(1)' model and NMSSM. We show that there exist several RG invariants in the gauge, Yukawa and soft-breaking sectors of each model. In general, RG invariants are highly useful for projecting experimental data to messenger scale, for revealing correlations among the model parameters, and for probing the mechanism that breaks supersymmetry. The Yukawa couplings and trilinear soft terms in U(1)' model and NMSSM do not form RG invariants though there exist approximate invariants in low tan(beta). In the NMSSM, there are no invariants that contain the Higgs mass-squareds. We provide a comparative analysis of RG invariants in all three models and analyze their model-building and phenomenological implications by a number of case studies.Comment: 32 pages, 5 tables; extended previous analysis to include U(1)' models and NMSSM where a comparative discussion is give

Effect of covalent and non-covalent linking of zinc(II) phthalocyanine functionalised carbon nanomaterials on the sensor response to ammonia

In this work, a comparative study of the sensor response of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) covalently and non-covalently functionalised with1-[N-(2-ethoxyethyl)-4-pentynamide]-8(11),15(18),22(25)-tris-{2-[2-(2-ethoxyethoxy) ethoxy]-1-[2-((2-ethoxy ethoxy)-ethoxy)methyl]ethyloxy}zinc(II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc) to ammonia is carried out. It was shown that in the case of SWCNT-based materials both covalent and non-covalent functionalisation with zinc(II) phthalocyanine leads to the increase of the sensor response toward NH3, while functionalisation of reduced graphene oxide causes a decrease in the response. At the same time both covalent and non-covalent linking of zinc(II) phthalocyanine leads to twofold decrease of the sensor recovery times. The sensor response of the carbon nanomaterial (single walled carbon nanotubes or reduced graphene oxide) hybrids covalently functionalised with zinc(II) phthalocyanine is several times higher than in the case of non-covalent linking of zinc(II) phthalocyanine to these nanomaterials, which is in good correlation with the number of zinc(II) phthalocyanine molecules adsorbed onto the SWCNT and rGO walls. © 2017 Elsevier B.V

Possible Medical Aetiological Factors and Characteristics of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation in a Group of Turkish Children

Svrha: Željele su se odrediti kliničke značajke i mogući medicinski uzroci molarno incizivne hipominerelizacije (MIH-a) u skupini turske djece. Materijali i metode: U ispitivanju je sudjelovalo 228 djece u dobi od 7 do 14 godina. Svi su pregledani na Odjelu za dječju dentalnu medicinu Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta Marmara u Istambulu. Prenatalni i postnatalni podatci prikupljeni su popunjavanjem upitnika. Rezultati: MIH je pronađen kod 54 (24 %) djeteta, a 41 (76 %) imalo je samo ograničena područja opaciteta (1. stupanj). Kod osam (15%) djevojčica i dječaka bile su obavljene atipične restauracije (2. stupanj), a barem jedno posteruptivno ljuštenje (3. stupanj) uočeno je kod njih pet (9 %). MIH je svima uglavnom zahvaćao kutnjake (55 %), a ne sjekutiće (45 %; p<0,001). U skupini s MIH-om bili su česti prenatalni bronhitis i hipertenzija. Nije bilo veće razlike u medicinskoj anamnezi do dobi od tri godine između skupine s MIH-om i skupine bez njega, osim duljeg uzimanja lijekova i astme u skupini s molarno incizalnom hipomineralizacijom (p<0,05). Zaključak: Premda etiologija MIH-a ostaje nejasna, čest je kod djece koja neprekidno uzimaju lijekove i oboljela su od astme u prve tri godine života.Objective: To determine the clinical characteristics and possible medical causes of molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) in a group of Turkish children. Materials and Methods: A total of 228 children aged 7–14 years were examined in the Department of Paediatric Dentistry Dental School of Marmara University. Prenatal and postnatal medical data were recorded using a questionnaire. Results: MIH was observed in 54 (24%) children, 41 (76%) of whom had only demarcated opacities (grade 1). Eight (15%) children had atypical restoration (grade 2), and at least one post-eruptive breakdown (grade 3) was observed in five (9%) children. MIH affected molars (55%) more frequently than incisors (45%; P < 0.001). Prenatal bronchitis and hypertension were frequent in the MIH group. No significant difference in medical history during the first 3 years of life was observed between the MIH and non-MIH groups, except prolonged medicament consumption and asthma in the MIH group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Although the aetiology of MIH remains unclear, constant medicament consumption and asthma during the first 3 years of life were reported frequently in children with MIH

Energy optimization of a light projection system for buildings that virtually restores artworks

Published March 2022: Erratum regarding missing Declaration of Competing Interest statements in previously published articles - Part 1 (Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, Volume 24, March 2022, Pages e00209). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.daach.2021.e00209; Erratum incluido en el documentoThe need to achieve energy efficiency standards in the lighting systems of buildings makes it necessary to optimize all aspects of them. Here, the development of a light projection system that achieves this goal by studyingand modifying the spectral output, compared to conventional illumination, is described. A lighting system thatestimates the reflectance characteristics of artwork and emits optimized lighting can reduce light absorption. Adamage-minimizing point-by-point light projection system is developed using an optimization algorithm, toimprove the appearance of the surfaces of artworks whose color has faded. In this case, a simulation of an aged oilpainting was made by manipulating the original photograph, which was printed and to which the proposedsystem was applied. The results show that, when the aged printed image is illuminated with the optimized lightsource, it appears indistinguishable from the non-aged oil painting.This research was supported by project RTI2018-097633-A-I00 from the Spanish Ministry funding "Proyectos I + D Retos de Investigación" entitled Photonic restoration applied to cultural heritage: application to Dali's picture "Dos Figuras

Diagnostic and prognostic role of TFF3, Romo-1, NF-кB and SFRP4 as biomarkers for endometrial and ovarian cancers: a prospective observational translational study

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (sFRP4), reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (Romo1) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) as diagnostic and prognostic markers of endometrial cancer (EC) and ovarian cancer (OC). Methods: Thirty-one patients with EC and 30 patients with OC undergone surgical treatment were enrolled together with 30 healthy controls in a prospective study. Commercial ELISA kits determined serum TFF-3, Romo-1, NF-кB and sFRP-4 concentrations. Results: Serum TFF-3, Romo-1 and NF-кB levels were significantly higher in patients with EC and OC than those without cancer. Regarding EC, none of the serum biomarkers differs significantly between endometrial and non-endometrioid endometrial carcinomas. Mean serum TFF-3 and NF-кB levels were significantly higher in advanced stages. Increased serum levels of TFF-3 and NF-кB were found in those with a higher grade of the disease. Regarding OC, none of the serum biomarkers differed significantly among histological subtypes. Significantly increased serum levels of NF-кB were observed in patients with advanced-stage OC than those with stage I and II diseases. No difference in serum biomarker levels was found between those who had a recurrence and those who had not. The sensibility and specificity of these four biomarkers in discriminating EC and OC from the control group showed encouraging values, although no one reached 70%. Conclusions: TFF-3, Romo-1, NF-кB and SFRP4 could represent new diagnostic and prognostic markers for OC and EC. Further studies are needed to validate our results

Portable Microfluidic Integrated Plasmonic Platform for Pathogen Detection

Timely detection of infectious agents is critical in early diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Conventional pathogen detection methods, such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), culturing or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) require long assay times, and complex and expensive instruments, which are not adaptable to point-of-care (POC) needs at resource-constrained as well as primary care settings. Therefore, there is an unmet need to develop simple, rapid, and accurate methods for detection of pathogens at the POC. Here, we present a portable, multiplex, inexpensive microfluidic-integrated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) platform that detects and quantifies bacteria, i.e., Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) rapidly. The platform presented reliable capture and detection of E. coli at concentrations ranging from ∼105 to 3.2 × 107 CFUs/mL in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluid. The multiplexing and specificity capability of the platform was also tested with S. aureus samples. The presented platform technology could potentially be applicable to capture and detect other pathogens at the POC and primary care settings. © 2015, Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved

Tetrasubstituted copper phthalocyanines : correlation between liquid crystalline properties, films alignment and sensing propertie

Copper phthalocyanines (CuPc) containing alkylthio (-S(CH2)nCH3, n=7 and 15), alkyloxy- (-O(CH2)nCH3, n=7 and 15) and polyoxo (-O(CH2CH2O)3CH3 and -S(CH2CH2O)3CH3) substituents were synthesized and investigated to reveal the effects of substituents type (alkylthio, alkyloxy and polyoxo) and the type of the connecting heteroatom (oxygen or sulphur) on the mesogenic properties, films alignment and sensing behaviour. The liquid crystalline properties of these phthalocyanines were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The structure and morphology of spun thin films of copper phthalocyanine derivatives were studied by the UV-Vis and Raman spectroscopies as well atomic force microscopy. The sensing properties of CuPc films were studied by the measurement of conductivity change upon interaction with ammonia in the range 10-50 ppm. All investigated films of CuPc derivatives display thermotropic columnar mesomorphism. It was shown that the films with polyoxo- (-O(CH2CH2O)3CH3 and -S(CH2CH2O)3CH3) substituents as well as with alkylthio -S(CH2)nCH3 (n=7) substituents, which are liquid crystalline at room temperature, form ordered films with a random planar alignment of columns. Their films exhibit the better sensor performance with the maximal sensor response for the films of CuPc containing (-S(CH2CH2O)3CH3) substituents