A test of lepton universality, performed by measuring the ratio of the branching fractions of the B 0 → K * 0 µ + µ − and B 0 → K * 0 e + e − decays, R K * 0 , is presented. The K * 0 meson is reconstructed in the final state K + π − , which is required to have an invariant mass within 100 MeV/c 2 of the known K * (892) 0 mass. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 3 fb −1 , collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The ratio is measured in two regions of the dilepton invariant mass squared, q 2 , to be− 0.07 (stat) ± 0.03 (syst) for 0.045 < q 2 < 1.1 GeV 2 /c 4 , 0.69 + 0.11 − 0.07 (stat) ± 0.05 (syst) for 1.1 < q 2 < 6.0 GeV 2 /c 4 .The corresponding 95.4% confidence level intervals are [0.52, 0.89] and [0.53, 0.94]. The results, which represent the most precise measurements of R K * 0 to date, are compatible with the Standard Model expectations at the level of 2.1-2.3 and 2.4-2.5 standard deviations in the two q 2 regions, respectively.

A measurement of the ratio of branching fractions of the decays B þ → K þ μ þ μ − and B þ → K þ e þ e − is presented. The proton-proton collision data used correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb −1 recorded with the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV. For the dilepton mass-squared range 1.1 < q 2 < 6.0 GeV 2 =c 4 the ratio of branching fractions is measured to be R K ¼ 0.846 þ0.060 −0.054 þ0.016 −0.014 , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This is the most precise measurement of R K to date and is compatible with the standard model at the level of 2.5 standard deviations.

Uniaxial compression stress-strain tests were carried out on three commercial amorphous polymers: polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and polyamideimide (PAI). The experiments were conducted under a wide range of temperatures (À40°C to 180°C) and strain rates (0.0001 s À1 up to 5000 s À1 ). A modified split-Hopkinson pressure bar was used for high strain rate tests. Temperature and strain rate greatly influence the mechanical response of the three polymers. In particular, the yield stress is found to increase with decreasing temperature and with increasing strain rate. The experimental data for the compressive yield stress were modeled for a wide range of strain rates and temperatures according to a new formulation of the cooperative model based on a strain rate/temperature superposition principle. The modeling results of the cooperative model provide evidence on the secondary transition by linking the yield behavior to the energy associated to the b mechanical loss peak. The effect of hydrostatic pressure is also addressed from a modeling perspective.

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