Abstract: A search for pair production of squarks or gluinos decaying via sleptons or weak bosons is reported. The search targets a final state with exactly two leptons with same-sign electric charge or at least three leptons without any charge requirement. The analysed data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb(-1) of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Multiple signal regions are defined, targeting several SUSY simplified models yielding the desired final states. A single control region is used to constrain the normalisation of the WZ + jets background. No significant excess of events over the Standard Model expectation is observed. The results are interpreted in the context of several supersymmetric models featuring R-parity conservation or R-parity violation, yielding exclusion limits surpassing those from previous searches. In models considering gluino (squark) pair production, gluino (squark) masses up to 2.2 (1.7) TeV are excluded at 95% confidence level.

Abstract: This letter presents a measurement of the nuclear modification factor of large-radius jets in root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV Pb thorn Pb collisions by the ATLAS experiment. The measurement is performed using 1.72 nb(-1) and 257 pb(-1) of Pb thorn Pb and pp data, respectively. The large-radius jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm using a radius parameter of R = 1.0, by reclustering anti-k(t) R = 0.2 jets, and are measured over the transverse momentum (p(T)) kinematic range of 158 < p(T) < 1000 GeV and absolute pseudorapidity |y| < 2.0. The large-radius jet constituents are further reclustered using the k(t) algorithm in order to obtain the splitting parameters, root d(12) and Delta R-12, which characterize the transverse momentum scale and angular separation for the hardest splitting in the jet, respectively. The nuclear modification factor, R-AA, obtained by comparing the Pb thorn Pb jet yields to those in pp collisions, is measured as a function of jet transverse momentum (p(T)) and root d(12) or Delta R-12. A significant difference in the quenching of large-radius jets having single subjet and those with more complex substructure is observed. Systematic comparison of jet suppression in terms of R-AA for different jet definitions is also provided. Presented results support the hypothesis that jets with hard internal splittings lose more energy through quenching and provide a new perspective for understanding the role of jet structure in jet suppression.

Abstract: In small clinical studies, the application of transcranial photobiomodulation (PBM), which typically delivers low-intensity near-infrared (NIR) to treat the brain, has led to some remarkable results in the treatment of dementia and several neurodegenerative diseases. However, despite the extensive literature detailing the mechanisms of action underlying PBM outcomes, the specific mechanisms affecting neurodegenerative diseases are not entirely clear. While large clinical trials are warranted to validate these findings, evidence of the mechanisms can explain and thus provide credible support for PBM as a potential treatment for these diseases. Tubulin and its polymerized state of microtubules have been known to play important roles in the pathology of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, we investigated the effects of PBM on these cellular structures in the quest for insights into the underlying therapeutic mechanisms. In this study, we employed a Raman spectroscopic analysis of the amide I band of polymerized samples of tubulin exposed to pulsed low-intensity NIR radiation (810 nm, 10 Hz, 22.5 J/cm2 dose). Peaks in the Raman fingerprint region (300-1900 cm-1)-in particular, in the amide I band (1600-1700 cm-1)-were used to quantify the percentage of protein secondary structures. Under this band, hidden signals of C=O stretching, belonging to different structures, are superimposed, producing a complex signal as a result. An accurate decomposition of the amide I band is therefore required for the reliable analysis of the conformation of proteins, which we achieved through a straightforward method employing a Voigt profile. This approach was validated through secondary structure analyses of unexposed control samples, for which comparisons with other values available in the literature could be conducted. Subsequently, using this validated method, we present novel findings of statistically significant alterations in the secondary structures of polymerized NIR-exposed tubulin, characterized by a notable decrease in alpha-helix content and a concurrent increase in beta-sheets compared to the control samples. This PBM-induced alpha-helix to beta-sheet transition connects to reduced microtubule stability and the introduction of dynamism to allow for the remodeling and, consequently, refreshing of microtubule structures. This newly discovered mechanism could have implications for reducing the risks associated with brain aging, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, through the introduction of an intervention following this transition.

Abstract: An amplitude analysis of the B-0 -> K*(0) mu(+)mu(-) decay is presented using a dataset corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb(-1) of pp collision data collected with the LHCb experiment. For the first time, the coefficients associated to short-distance physics effects, sensitive to processes beyond the standard model, are extracted directly from the data through a q(2)-unbinned amplitude analysis, where q(2) is the mu(+)mu(-) invariant mass squared. Long-distance contributions, which originate from nonfactorizable QCD processes, are systematically investigated, and the most accurate assessment to date of their impact on the physical observables is obtained. The pattern of measured corrections to the short-distance couplings is found to be consistent with previous analyses of b- to s-quark transitions, with the largest discrepancy from the standard model predictions found to be at the level of 1.8 standard deviations. The global significance of the observed differences in the decay is 1.4 standard deviations.

Abstract: 140Ce(n, gamma) is a key reaction for slow neutron -capture (s -process) nucleosynthesis due to being a bottleneck in the reaction flow. For this reason, it was measured with high accuracy (uncertainty approximate to 5%) at the n_TOF facility, with an unprecedented combination of a high purity sample and low neutron -sensitivity detectors. The measured Maxwellian averaged cross section is up to 40% higher than previously accepted values. Stellar model calculations indicate a reduction around 20% of the s -process contribution to the Galactic cerium abundance and smaller sizeable differences for most of the heavier elements. No variations are found in the nucleosynthesis from massive stars.