Determination of Chargino and Neutralino Masses in high-mass SUSY scenarios at CLIC

This note reports the results of a study of the accuracy in the determination of chargino and neutralino masses in two high-mass supersymmetric scenarios through kinematic endpoints and threshold scans at a multi-TeV e+e- collider. The effects of initial state radiation, beamstrahlung and parton energy resolution are studied in fully hadronic final states of inclusive SUSY samples. Results obtained at generator level are compared to those from fully simulated and reconstructed events for selected channels.Comment: 26 pages, 25 figure

Development of alkali activated adhesive applicable for alkali activated panels

The overall goal of InnoWEE project (Innovative pre‑fabricated components including different waste construction materials reducing building energy and minimising environmental impacts), is the development of optimized reuse of construction and demolition waste - CDW (concrete, bricks, mortars, glass, and wood) into prefabricated alkali‑activated panels to be used in energy‑efficient buildings. Moreover, one of the tasks is the development of an alkali‑activated adhesive that would bond together different types of alkali‑activated panels (high‑density panel - HDG and low density, wood‑based alkali‑activated panels - WGD). The following parameters are important for the efficiency of the adhesive: - chemical bonding between the AAM layer and the adhesive; - matching between shrinkage and expansion, and - mechanical interlocking (improved by a roughsurface). For alkali‑activated adhesives it is known that the adherence of alkali‑activated mortars to the cement‑based substrate is poor (Vanconcelos et al., 2011). It was assumed that if the sand‑to‑binder ratio was low, then high shrinkage caused micro cracks on the contact surface, which decreased the bond strength. Zhang (Zhang et al., 2010) has also proposed a mechanism of chemical bonding where the dissolution of hydrated cement takes place and a new alkali‑activated gel containing calcium is formed so that good adherence is achieved. Within the present study, the precursors selected for the adhesive preparation were slag and fly ash. KOH and K‑silicate were applied as alkali activators. Samples were mixed using the standard procedure for ceramic tile adhesives and then evaluated for shrinkage and compressive strength. Other parameters important for its application in real conditions are consistency and open time, were also determined. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Towards the de\ufb01nition of a new river water line for North-Eastern Italy

In the last decades there has been active research on the relation between the stable isotopic composition of precipitation and climate variations at the regional scale. Particularly, the analysis of meteoric water lines is an important tool to understand climate processes at the local/regional scale. In this view, considering the strict relation between the isotopic composition of river water and the one of precipitation, surface running waters (i.e. rivers, streams, creeks) and their catchments can be considered as \u201cnatural pluviometers\u201d. In this study the analysis of the isotopic composition of surface waters was carried out in order to develop a new meteoric water line of North-East Italy. The dataset includes samples collected between 2012 and 2016 from i) small catchments, typically < 30 Km2 (Ressi Creek, Bridge Creek and Vauz Creek, Noce Bianco stream, Posina river), where it is easier to relate the stream water isotopic composition to distinct meteoric end-members (e.g., rainfall,snowmeltandglaciermelt);andii)largebasins(Adige:12,100Km2 andPo:71,000Km2)whichintegrate multiple components giving information at the regional scale. Preliminary results show that distinct river water lines are characterized by different slopes and intercepts. The slopes vary between 5.46 and 8.02, whereas the intercepts vary between -9.15 and 11.82. In particular river meteoricwaterlinesde\ufb01nedforRessiCreek(\u3b4Dh\uaf7.48 \u3b418O+10.27,n=831;R2 =0.88)andNoceBiancostream (\u3b4Dh\uaf7.66 \u3b418O+7.27, n=484; R2 = 0.95) con\ufb01rm the similarity with the meteoric line developed for northern Italy. On the contrary, the isotopic composition of streams in small (< 10 Km2) snow-dominated catchments (Bridge Creek and Vauz Creek) deviate from the North Italy meteoric line due to the important contribution of snowmelt that is typically characterized by a different isotopic signature compared to the precipitation input. River water lines for large basins (Po and Adige) are characterized by slopes and intercepts in the range of the Global Meteoric Water Line. Finally, it is important to emphasize that the current dataset, progressively updated, represents a snapshot of a short monitoring period and that future investigations are useful to highlight seasonal variations and on-going environmental changes

Evidence of a low-temperature dynamical transition in concentrated microgels

A low-temperature dynamical transition has been reported in several proteins. We provide the first observation of a `protein-like' dynamical transition in nonbiological aqueous environments. To this aim we exploit the popular colloidal system of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) microgels, extending their investigation to unprecedentedly high concentrations. Owing to the heterogeneous architecture of the microgels, water crystallization is avoided in concentrated samples, allowing us to monitor atomic dynamics at low temperatures. By elastic incoherent neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulations, we find that a dynamical transition occurs at a temperature $T_d\sim250$~K, independently from PNIPAM mass fraction. However, the transition is smeared out on approaching dry conditions. The quantitative agreement between experiments and simulations provides evidence that the transition occurs simultaneously for PNIPAM and water dynamics. The similarity of these results with hydrated protein powders suggests that the dynamical transition is a generic feature in complex macromolecular systems, independently from their biological function

Copia and Gypsy retrotransposons activity in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Retrotransposons are heterogeneous sequences, widespread in eukaryotic genomes, which refer to the so-called mobile DNA. They resemble retroviruses, both in their structure and for their ability to transpose within the host genome, of which they make up a considerable portion. <it>Copia</it>- and <it>Gypsy</it>-like retrotransposons are the two main classes of retroelements shown to be ubiquitous in plant genomes. Ideally, the retrotransposons life cycle results in the synthesis of a messenger RNA and then self-encoded proteins to process retrotransposon mRNA in double stranded extra-chromosomal cDNA copies which may integrate in new chromosomal locations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The RT-PCR and IRAP protocol were applied to detect the presence of <it>Copia </it>and <it>Gypsy </it>retrotransposon transcripts and of new events of integration in unstressed plants of a sunflower (<it>Helianthus annuus </it>L.) selfed line. Results show that in sunflower retrotransposons transcription occurs in all analyzed organs (embryos, leaves, roots, and flowers). In one out of sixty-four individuals analyzed, retrotransposons transcription resulted in the integration of a new element into the genome.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that the retrotransposon life cycle is firmly controlled at a post transcriptional level. A possible silencing mechanism is discussed.</p

Improving whole tomato transformation for prostate health: benign prostate hypertrophy as an exploratory model

It is well-established that the beneficial properties of single phytonutrients can be better attained when they are taken with the complex of the molecules present in their natural milieu. Tomato, the fruit providing the most comprehensive complex of prostate-health-preserving micronutrients, has been shown to be superior to its single-nutrient counterparts in decreasing the incidence of age-related prostate diseases. Herein, we describe a novel tomato food supplement enriched with olive polyphenols, containing cis-lycopene concentrations far exceeding those present in industry-produced tomato commodities. The supplement, endowed with antioxidant activity comparable to that of N-acetylcysteine, significantly reduced, in experimental animals, the blood levels of prostate-cancer-promoting cytokines. In prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies performed on patients affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia, its uptake significantly improved urinary symptoms and quality of life. Therefore, this supplement can complement and, in some cases, be an alternative to current benign prostatic hyperplasia management. Furthermore, the product suppressed carcinogenesis in the TRAMP mouse model of human prostate cancer and interfered with prostate cancer molecular signaling. Thus, it may offer a step forward in exploring the potential of tomato consumption to delay or prevent the onset of age-related prostate diseases in high-risk individuals

Self-assembling of calcium salt of the new DNA base 5-carboxylcytosine

Supramolecular architectures involving DNA bases can have a strong impact in several fields such as nanomedicine and nanodevice manufacturing. To date, in addition to the four canonical nucleobases (adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine), four other forms of cytosine modified at the 5 position have been identified in DNA. Among these four new cytosine derivatives, 5-carboxylcytosine has been recently discovered in mammalian stem cell DNA, and proposed as the final product of the oxidative epigenetic demethylation pathway on the 5 position of cytosine. In this work, a calcium salt of 5-carboxylcytosine has been synthesized and deposited on graphite surface, where it forms self-assembled features as long range monolayers and up to one micron long filaments. These structures have been analyzed in details combining different theoretical and experimental approaches: X-ray single-crystal diffraction data were used to simulate the molecule-graphite interaction, first using molecular dynamics and then refining the results using density functional theory (DFT); finally, data obtained with DFT were used to rationalize atomic force microscopy (AFM) results

Preparation and properties of adhesives based on phenolic resin containing lignin micro and nanoparticles: A comparative study

This work investigated, for the first time, the role of nanosized lignin (LNP), in comparison with microlignin (LMP), when introduced at two different weight amounts (5% and 10 wt%) in bulk phenol–formaldehyde resol as adhesive. Morphological analysis was performed to check out the dispersion and interfacial bonding of lignin in the phenolic resin. The curing process has been examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), while the thermal stability of the composites has been evaluated by using thermogravimetric (TGA) and thermo-mechanical (TMA) analysis. Results exhibited that small amount of lignin could both favor the thermal cure reaction, due to its abundance of phenylpropane units, and the initial thermal resistance could be consequently improved, especially when the nano-sized lignin was used. Meanwhile, the effect of micro- and nano-modification on tensile shear strength of wood lap joints based on lignin-phenol–formaldehyde resol adhesives was also analyzed. Results showed that 5 wt% of LNP could positively increase the shear strength from 8.7 to 10.9 MPa, opening the possibility of using environmental friendly nanoscale lignin in cross linked traditional phenol wood adhesives with enhanced adhesion performance, strongly related to nanoparticles higher specific surface area and reactivity. Keywords: A. Resol resin, A. Lignin micro/nanoparticles, B. Thermal properties, D. Shear tes

Diseño, construcción e Implementación de un detector de fugas para los sistemas: control de emisiones evaporativas, lubricación, admisión y escape, para la Escuela de Ingeniería Automotriz de la ESPOCH.

El objetivo principal de este proyecto es Diseñar, Construir e Implementar un Detector de Fugas para los Sistemas: Control de Emisiones Evaporativas (EVAP), Admisión, Lubricación y Escape, se investigó el funcionamiento, sus componentes y los mantenimientos correctivos a realizarse del motor de combustión interna a gasolina, sus sistemas básicos, sistemas de anticontaminación de los que se encuentra compuesto y su respectivo análisis de fugas. El análisis de los gases contaminantes producidos por los vehículos que utilizan motores de combustión interna como medio de propulsión, y sus efectos dañinos hacia el medio ambiente, seres humanos y socio-económicos, debido a lo antes mencionado se realizó la investigación de los diferentes métodos usados en la detección de fugas, seleccionando la opción de generación de humo mediante la combustión de Aceite de Vaselina, dando como consecuencia un humo fácilmente perceptible a la vista humana y el uso de aire comprimido que presurizara el humo hacia los sistemas del motor de combustión interna. El resultado es un Detector de Fugas útil y versátil que ayudara al diagnóstico de fugas en los sistemas de Control de Emisiones, Lubricación, Admisión y Escape; además se realizó las pruebas de funcionamiento en diferentes tipos de vehículos dando como resultado la generación de varias recomendaciones basadas en los resultados obtenidas de las pruebas realizadas. Además se elaboró un manual de procedimiento y guías de prácticas para el correcto uso del equipo de diagnóstico por parte de los estudiantes de Ingeniería Automotriz de la ESPOCHThe main objective of this project is to design, build and implement a leak detection system for evaporative emission control (EVAP), admission, lubricating and exhaust. We investigated its operation, its components and corrective maintenance to take place from internal combustion engine fuel. Their basic systems, anti-pollution system which compose it and its respective leak analysis. The analysis of gaseous pollutants produced by vehicles using internal combustion engines as a means of propulsion, and its harmful effects to the environment, human and socio-economic, due to the above research, was conducted of the different methods used in leak detection, selecting smoke generation by combustion of Vaseline oil, giving as a result, smoke easily visible to the human eye and the use of compressed air pressurizes the smoke into the systems of internal combustion engine. The result is a leak detector useful and versatile that will help the diagnosis of leaks in the emission control systems, lubrication, intake and exhaust, also underwent the test runs on different types of vehicles resulting in the generation of several recommendations based on the results of tests performed. In addition, a manual of procedures and practice guidelines for the proper use of diagnostic equipment from Automotive engineering students of the ESPOCH