A self-interaction corrected pseudopotential scheme for magnetic and strongly-correlated systems

Local-spin-density functional calculations may be affected by severe errors when applied to the study of magnetic and strongly-correlated materials. Some of these faults can be traced back to the presence of the spurious self-interaction in the density functional. Since the application of a fully self-consistent self-interaction correction is highly demanding even for moderately large systems, we pursue a strategy of approximating the self-interaction corrected potential with a non-local, pseudopotential-like projector, first generated within the isolated atom and then updated during the self-consistent cycle in the crystal. This scheme, whose implementation is totally uncomplicated and particularly suited for the pseudopotental formalism, dramatically improves the LSDA results for a variety of compounds with a minimal increase of computing cost.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figure

Search for jet extinction in the inclusive jet-pT spectrum from proton-proton collisions at s=8 TeV

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published articles title, journal citation, and DOI.The first search at the LHC for the extinction of QCD jet production is presented, using data collected with the CMS detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10.7  fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The extinction model studied in this analysis is motivated by the search for signatures of strong gravity at the TeV scale (terascale gravity) and assumes the existence of string couplings in the strong-coupling limit. In this limit, the string model predicts the suppression of all high-transverse-momentum standard model processes, including jet production, beyond a certain energy scale. To test this prediction, the measured transverse-momentum spectrum is compared to the theoretical prediction of the standard model. No significant deficit of events is found at high transverse momentum. A 95% confidence level lower limit of 3.3 TeV is set on the extinction mass scale

Searches for electroweak neutralino and chargino production in channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons in pp collisions at 8 TeV

Searches for supersymmetry (SUSY) are presented based on the electroweak pair production of neutralinos and charginos, leading to decay channels with Higgs, Z, and W bosons and undetected lightest SUSY particles (LSPs). The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of about 19.5 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV collected in 2012 with the CMS detector at the LHC. The main emphasis is neutralino pair production in which each neutralino decays either to a Higgs boson (h) and an LSP or to a Z boson and an LSP, leading to hh, hZ, and ZZ states with missing transverse energy (E-T(miss)). A second aspect is chargino-neutralino pair production, leading to hW states with E-T(miss). The decays of a Higgs boson to a bottom-quark pair, to a photon pair, and to final states with leptons are considered in conjunction with hadronic and leptonic decay modes of the Z and W bosons. No evidence is found for supersymmetric particles, and 95% confidence level upper limits are evaluated for the respective pair production cross sections and for neutralino and chargino mass values

The assembly of mitochondrial Complex I. A product of nuclear-mitochondrial synergy.

Contains fulltext : 30935_asseofmic.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Mitochondria are essential to cellular energy production. Embedded in the mitochondrial inner membrane, the engine of the mitochondrial powerhouse is formed by the five enzymatic complexes of the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system. Dysfunction of this system results in mitochondrial disease, affecting organs such as brain, eyes, heart, muscle, liver and kidneys, often resulting in early childhood death. Most frequently affected is the largest multi-protein complex of the OXPHOS system, termed complex I (NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, EC 1.6.5.3). Its assembly is a formidable cellular achievement. The process encompasses the combination of 38 nuclear DNA-encoded and seven mitochondrial DNA-encoded constituents, eight iron-sulfur clusters and a noncovalently bound flavine mononucleotide, resulting in one of the most complex structures in the mitochondrion. This thesis describes studies which demonstrate key stages in the assembly process and which identify and characterize chaperone proteins which aid the process. This has led to a detailed model for complex I assembly and the identification of a new chaperone protein, Ecsit. Ecsit was previously known from its role in the immune system. Its mitochondrial function in the assembly of complex I provides yet another link between the assembly of OXPHOS complexes and cellular processes, such as previously demonstrated for regulated cell death (apoptosis) and fatty acid synthesis. Hopefully, these insights will contribute to the understanding of why mitochondrial dysfunction is so important in e.g. diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, ageing and cancer.RU Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 14 november 2007Promotor : Smeitink, J.A.M. Co-promotor : Nijtmans, L.G.J.264 p

Blue native gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometric identification of multiprotein.

Contains fulltext : 48381.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Status report I on the testing graphite-type nuclear rocket (Rover) fuel in a pulsed reactor (TREAT)

Declassified 2 Aug 1973. Six experimental Rover fuel assemblies containing an enricheduranium-bearing graphite fuel were irradiated in the TREAT reactor to various power levels in order to determine temperatere and power thresholds for the destruction of the fuel specimens. (JWR