Partially resolved ultraviolet rotational band contours associated with the S 1 r S 0 origin bands of the six most populated conformers of jet-cooled phenylalanine have been recorded via resonant two-photon ionization. The strong dependence of their transition moment orientation on the conformation of the alanyl side chain has facilitated their structural assignment through simulations based upon ab initio computation. The S 1 lifetimes of all six conformers, measured through pump-probe delayed ionization, reveal an efficient nonradiative decay pathway in the most stable conformer, which is stabilized through a chain of intramolecular hydrogen bonds linking the side chain to the benzene ring.

Nanotechnology is a cutting-edge field of science with the potential to revolutionize today’s technological advances including industrial applications. It is being utilized for the welfare of mankind; but at the same time, the unprecedented use and uncontrolled release of nanomaterials into the environment poses enormous threat to living organisms. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used in several industries and its continuous release may hamper many physiological and biochemical processes in the living organisms including autotrophs and heterotrophs. The present review gives a concentric know-how of the effects of AgNPs on the lower and higher autotrophic plants as well as on heterotrophic microbes so as to have better understanding of the differences in effects among these two groups. It also focuses on the mechanism of uptake, translocation, accumulation in the plants and microbes, and resulting toxicity as well as tolerance mechanisms by which these microorganisms are able to survive and reduce the effects of AgNPs. This review differentiates the impact of silver nanoparticles at various levels between autotrophs and heterotrophs and signifies the prevailing tolerance mechanisms. With this background, a comprehensive idea can be made with respect to the influence of AgNPs on lower and higher autotrophic plants together with heterotrophic microbes and new insights can be generated for the researchers to understand the toxicity and tolerance mechanisms of AgNPs in plants and microbes.

A search for low mass narrow vector resonances decaying into quark-antiquark pairs is presented. The analysis is based on data collected in 2017 with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.1 fb −1. The results of this analysis are combined with those of an earlier analysis based on data collected at the same collision energy in 2016, corresponding to 35.9 fb −1. Signal candidates will be recoiling against initial state radiation and are identified as energetic, large-radius jets with two pronged substructure. The invariant jet mass spectrum is probed for a potential narrow peaking signal over a smoothly falling background. No evidence for such resonances is observed within the mass range of 50-450 GeV. Upper limits at the 95% confidence level are set on the coupling of narrow resonances to quarks, as a function of the resonance mass. For masses between 50 and 300 GeV these are the most sensitive limits to date. This analysis extends the earlier search to a mass range of 300-450 GeV, which is probed for the first time with jet substructure techniques.

Magnetic polymer microspheres composed of magnetite, styrene, and divinylbenzene were prepared by suspension polymerization to produce magnetic ion-exchange resins (MIEXs). The magnetite was grafted with oleic acid to improve the magnetic properties of the MIEXs and to prevent the magnetite from flushing out of the MIEXs. The shape and magnetic properties of the magnetic microspheres were investigated with scanning electron microscopy and vibrating-sample magnetometry. The average diameter of the prepared magnetic polymer microspheres was about 219 m. The two types of MIEXs were prepared, magnetic cation-exchange resins (MCEXs) and magnetic anion-exchange resins (MAEXs). MCEX was prepared by sulfonation of magnetic polymer microspheres, and MAEX was made by a quaternization reaction with triethylamine of chloromethylated magnetic polymer microspheres. With diffuse-reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and acid-base titration, the degree of substitution and ion-exchange capacity of the MIEXs were assessed. The efficiency of each MCEX and MAEX for the purification of contaminated water was examined with Co 2ϩ and NO 3 Ϫ solutions, respectively.

Results are reported for the B 0 s → µ + µ − branching fraction and effective lifetime and from a search for the decay B 0 → µ + µ −. The analysis uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions accumulated by the CMS experiment in 2011, 2012, and 2016, with center-of-mass energies (integrated luminosities) of 7 TeV (5 fb −1), 8 TeV (20 fb −1), and 13 TeV (36 fb −1). The branching fractions are determined by measuring event yields relative to B + → J/ψK + decays (with J/ψ → µ + µ −), which results in the reduction of many of the systematic uncertainties. The decay B 0 s → µ + µ − is observed with a significance of 5.6 standard deviations. The branching fraction is measured to be B(B 0 s → µ + µ −) = [2.9 ± 0.7(exp) ± 0.2(frag)] × 10 −9 , where the first uncertainty combines the experimental statistical and systematic contributions, and the second is due to the uncertainty in the ratio of the B 0 s and the B + fragmentation functions. No significant excess is observed for the decay B 0 → µ + µ − , and an upper limit of B(B 0 → µ + µ −) < 3.6 × 10 −10 is obtained at 95% confidence level. The B 0 s → µ + µ − effective lifetime is measured to be τ µ + µ − = 1.70 +0.61 −0.44 ps. These results are consistent with standard model predictions.

We report the first observation and analysis of rotational band contours of the jet-cooled DNA base adenine for three vibronic bands at 36,062, 36,105, and 36,248 cm(-1). The lowest npi* and pipi* states have been labeled with their excited-state vibronic symmetry, and a strong pipi*-npi* vibronic coupling via an out-of-plane vibrational mode has been revealed. The rotational band contours have been recorded by resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) and analyzed by a genetic algorithm (GA) based fit to obtain the optimum band parameters. The vibronic band at 36,062 cm(-1) shows dominant c-type character with transition dipole moment (TDM) components mu(a)2:mu(b)2:mu(c)2 = 0.09:0.17:0.74 and those at 36 105 and 36 248 cm(-1) show abc-hybrid character with predominantly in-plane TDM components. The band at 36,062 cm(-1) has been assigned as the n --> pi* transition, and the 36,105 cm(-1) band as the pi --> pi* transition by the symmetry analysis. The band at 36,248 cm(-1) provides evidence of the strong pipi*-npi* vibronic coupling via an out-of-plane vibrational mode.

Well-defined surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active systems were fabricated by single-crystalline noble metal nanowires. Crossed and parallel nanowire pairs were constructed by using a nanomanipulator to create SERS hot spots in the form of nanowire junction. SERS spectra of brilliant cresyl blue (BCB), p-mercaptoaniline (pMA), and p-mercaptobenzoic acid (pMBA) were observed at the junction of two nanowires. The SERS enhancement and polarization dependence are correlated well with the enhanced electric field intensities calculated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method for specific nanowire geometries. These simple and effective SERS active systems have a practical advantage that the hot spots can be readily located and visualized by an optical microscope. These well-defined SERS active systems based on noble metal nanowires can be further developed to find applications in a variety of biological and chemical sensing.

A search for phenomena beyond the standard model in final states with two oppositely charged same-flavor leptons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The search uses a data sample of proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s} $$ s = 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb−1, collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. Three potential signatures of physics beyond the standard model are explored: an excess of events with a lepton pair, whose invariant mass is consistent with the Z boson mass; a kinematic edge in the invariant mass distribution of the lepton pair; and the nonresonant production of two leptons. The observed event yields are consistent with those expected from standard model backgrounds. The results of the first search allow the exclusion of gluino masses up to 1870 GeV, as well as chargino (neutralino) masses up to 750 (800) GeV, while those of the searches for the other two signatures allow the exclusion of light-flavor (bottom) squark masses up to 1800 (1600) GeV and slepton masses up to 700 GeV, respectively, at 95% confidence level within certain supersymmetry scenarios.