27 research outputs found
Impact of high conductivity on particle transport to liquid droplets for liquid marble formation
This study investigates the influence of particle conductivity on the promotion of particle extraction and transport to a pendent liquid droplet in the presence of an electric field by applying a thin metal shell of nickel or gold onto polystyrene core particles. Despite significantly increasing the conductivity of the material, the addition of a metal shell to the core particles did not have a concomitant significant impact on initial particle extraction and transport behaviour. For the same applied potential, gold coated particles were extracted from a smaller separation distance than core polystyrene particles, while nickel coated particles were extracted from a slightly increased separation distance. Small separation distances correspond to a stronger electrostatic force required for extraction, so coating the polystyrene particles with gold made them more difficult to extract. Furthermore, these metal-coated particles were extracted from significantly smaller separation distances when compared to the same polystyrene core particles with conductive polymer shells. This is attributed more to increased inter-particle cohesion than from the increased particle mass as a result of the metal coating. In addition, the nickel and gold metal shell coated particles had differing particle hydrophobicity, impacting the final stability of the resultant liquid marble. Comparison is also made with glass core particles, to observe the impact of constant particle mass and changing conductivity and interparticle cohesion, highlighting that increasing conductivity is less significant than the opposing effect of cohesion. Herein, we conclude that the ability to form liquid marbles using an electrostatic extraction method is dependent on a complex interplay of fundamental particle properties of conductivity, density, and cohesion
Amphiphilic block copolymers as dual flocculation-flotation agents for rapid solid–liquid separation of radioactive wastes
The potential of poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(n-butyl acrylate) as a dual flocculant-collector in combined flotation-sedimentation dewatering operations was investigated. The amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesised with consistent hydrophilic chain lengths and varying hydrophobic chain lengths. Various techniques were employed to analyse polymer behaviour at the air–water interface, being interfacial surface tension and dilational viscoelasticity. Polymer adsorption onto Mg(OH)2 was determined differentially using UV–Vis spectroscopy. Floc structures were determined using static light scattering, and flocculation-flotation performance was analysed using settling tests and flotation cell material balances. Results showed that longer hydrophobic chains were less surface-active, reducing foamability and water entrainment. The unimer-micellar adsorption transition points were identified through viscoelastic properties and particle adsorption studies. A distinct change in floc density and structure was observed for the largest molecular weight copolymer when the dosed concentration increased into the micellar adsorption region, suggesting a pseudo-bridging flocculation mechanism. Settling rates were significantly higher for particles flocculated with the larger molecular weight polymer, correlating to their larger aggregate sizes, especially over the micellar transition point. The largest molecular weight block copolymer demonstrated superior collection efficiency compared to the traditional surfactant, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), below its micellar adsorption transition point. However, beyond this point, the lack of exposed hydrophobic blocks hindered the hydrophobisation of Mg(OH)2 particles, reducing collection efficiency. Comparing flotation cell particle size distributions, it was suggested that recovery may be hydrodynamically hindered by the largest floc sizes, though recovery was observed for particles in the order of < 600 μm
Further investigation of a relic neutralino as a possible origin of an annual-modulation effect in WIMP direct search
We analyze the annual-modulation effect, measured by the DAMA Collaboration
with the new implementation of a further two-years running, in the context of a
possible interpretation in terms of relic neutralinos. We impose over the set
of supersymmetric configurations, selected by the annual-modulation data, the
constraints derived from WIMP indirect measurements, and discuss the features
of the ensuing relic neutralinos. We critically discuss the sources of the main
theoretical uncertainties in the analysis of event rates for direct and
indirect WIMP searches.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures, typeset with ReVTeX. In order to reduce size,
the version on the archive has low resolution figures. A full version of the
paper can be found at http://www.to.infn.it/~fornengo/papers
Search for Colour Reconnection Effects in e+e- -> W+W- -> hadrons through Particle-Flow Studies at LEP
A search for colour reconnection effects in hadronic decays of W pairs is
performed with the L3 detector at centre-of-mass energies between 189 and 209
GeV. The analysis is based on the study of the particle flow between jets
associated to the same W boson and between two different W bosons in qqqq
events. The ratio of particle yields in the different interjet regions is found
to be sensitive to colour reconnection effects implemented in some
hadronisation models. The data are compared to different models with and
without such effects. An extreme scenario of colour reconnection is ruled out
Measurement of Bose-Einstein Correlations in e+e- -> W+W- at root(s)=189GeV
We investigate Bose-Einstein correlations (BEC) in W-pair production at
root(s)=189GeV using the L3 detector at LEP. We observe BEC between particles
from a single W decay in good agreement with those from a light-quark Z decay
sample. We investigate their possible existence between particles coming from
different W's. No evidence for such inter-W BEC is found
Measurement of the Cross Section of W-boson pair production at LEP
The cross section of W-boson pair-production is measured with the L3 detector
at LEP. In a data sample corresponding to a total luminosity of 629.4/pb,
collected at centre-of-mass energies ranging from 189 to 209 GeV, 9834
four-fermion events with W bosons decaying into hadrons or leptons are
selected. The total cross section is measured with a precision of 1.4 % and
agrees with the Standard Model expectation. Assuming charged-lepton
universality, the branching fraction for hadronic W-boson decays is measured to
be: Br(W-->hadrons) = 67.50 +- 0.42 (stat.) +- 0.30(syst.) %, in agreement with
the Standard Model. Differential cross sections as a function of the W-
production angle are also measured for the semi-leptonic channels qqev and
qqmv
CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 attenuates microglial proliferation and neurodegeneration in P301S mice
Neuroinflammation and microglial activation are significant processes in Alzheimer's disease pathology. Recent genome-wide association studies have highlighted multiple immune-related genes in association with Alzheimer's disease, and experimental data have demonstrated microglial proliferation as a significant component of the neuropathology. In this study, we tested the efficacy of the selective CSF1R inhibitor JNJ-40346527 (JNJ-527) in the P301S mouse tauopathy model. We first demonstrated the anti-proliferative effects of JNJ-527 on microglia in the ME7 prion model, and its impact on the inflammatory profile, and provided potential CNS biomarkers for clinical investigation with the compound, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics and efficacy assessment by TSPO autoradiography and CSF proteomics. Then, we showed for the first time that blockade of microglial proliferation and modification of microglial phenotype leads to an attenuation of tau-induced neurodegeneration and results in functional improvement in P301S mice. Overall, this work strongly supports the potential for inhibition of CSF1R as a target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other tau-mediated neurodegenerative diseases
Studies of Hadronic Event Structure in e+e- Annihilation from 30 GeV to 209 GeV with the L3 Detector
In this Report, QCD results obtained from a study of hadronic event structure
in high energy e^+e^- interactions with the L3 detector are presented. The
operation of the LEP collider at many different collision energies from 91 GeV
to 209 GeV offers a unique opportunity to test QCD by measuring the energy
dependence of different observables. The main results concern the measurement
of the strong coupling constant, \alpha_s, from hadronic event shapes and the
study of effects of soft gluon coherence through charged particle multiplicity
and momentum distributions.Comment: To appear in Physics Report
Inclusive Sigma+ and Sigma0 Production in Hadronic Z Decays
We report on measurements of the inclusive production rate of Sigma+ and
Sigma0 baryons in hadronic Z decays collected with the L3 detector at LEP. The
Sigma+ baryons are detected through the decay Sigma+ -> p pi0, while the Sigma0
baryons are detected via the decay mode Sigma0 -> Lambda gamma. The average
numbers of Sigma+ and Sigma0 per hadronic Z decay are measured to be: <
N_Sigma+ > + = 0.114 +/- 0.011 (stat) +/- 0.009 (syst), <
N_Sigma0 > + = 0.095 +/- 0.015 (stat) +/- 0.013 (syst). These
rates are found to be higher than the predictions from Monte Carlo
hadronization models and analytical parameterizations of strange baryon
production
Variations in properties of atomic force microscope cantilevers fashioned from the same wafer
10.1088/0957-4484/19/10/105709Nanotechnology1910-NNOT