Measuring spin and CP from semi-hadronic ZZ decays using jet substructure

We apply novel jet techniques to investigate the spin and CP quantum numbers of a heavy resonance X, singly produced in pp -> X -> ZZ -> l(+)l(-)jj at the LHC. We take into account all dominant background processes to show that this channel, which has been considered unobservable until now, can qualify under realistic conditions to supplement measurements of the purely leptonic decay channels X -> ZZ -> 4l. We perform a detailed investigation of spin- and CP-sensitive angular observables on the fully-simulated final state for various spin and CP quantum numbers of the state X, tracing how potential sensitivity communicates through all the steps of a subjet analysis. This allows us to elaborate on the prospects and limitations of performing such measurements with the semihadronic final state. We find our analysis particularly sensitive to a CP-even or CP-odd scalar resonance, while, for tensorial and vectorial resonances, discriminative features are diminished in the boosted kinematical regime.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, published versio

Boosting Higgs discovery - the forgotten channel

Searches for a heavy Standard Model Higgs boson focus on the 'gold plated mode' where the Higgs decays to two leptonic Z bosons. This channel provides a clean signature, in spite of the small leptonic branching ratios. We show that using fat jets the semi-leptonic ZZ mode significantly increases the number of signal events with a similar statistical significance as the leptonic mode.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Human T cells loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles retain antigen-specific TCR functionality

Background: Immunotherapy of cancer is an emerging field with the potential to improve long-term survival. Thus far, adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T cells represents an effective treatment option for tumors of the hematological system such as lymphoma, leukemia or myeloma. However, in solid tumors, treatment efficacy is low owing to the immunosuppressive microenvironment, on-target/off-tumor toxicity, limited extravasation out of the blood vessel, or ineffective trafficking of T cells into the tumor region. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can make cells magnetically controllable for the site-specific enrichment. Methods: In this study, we investigated the influence of SPION-loading on primary human T cells for the magnetically targeted adoptive T cell therapy. For this, we analyzed cellular mechanics and the T cell response after stimulation via an exogenous T cell receptor (TCR) specific for the melanoma antigen MelanA or the endogenous TCR specific for the cytomegalovirus antigen pp65 and compared them to T cells that had not received SPIONs. Results: SPION-loading of human T cells showed no influence on cellular mechanics, therefore retaining their ability to deform to external pressure. Additionally, SPION-loading did not impair the T cell proliferation, expression of activation markers, cytokine secretion, and tumor cell killing after antigen-specific activation mediated by the TCR. Conclusion: In summary, we demonstrated that SPION-loading of T cells did not affect cellular mechanics or the functionality of the endogenous or an exogenous TCR, which allows future approaches using SPIONs for the magnetically enrichment of T cells in solid tumors

Human T cells loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles retain antigen-specific TCR functionality

BackgroundImmunotherapy of cancer is an emerging field with the potential to improve long-term survival. Thus far, adoptive transfer of tumor-specific T cells represents an effective treatment option for tumors of the hematological system such as lymphoma, leukemia or myeloma. However, in solid tumors, treatment efficacy is low owing to the immunosuppressive microenvironment, on-target/off-tumor toxicity, limited extravasation out of the blood vessel, or ineffective trafficking of T cells into the tumor region. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can make cells magnetically controllable for the site-specific enrichment. MethodsIn this study, we investigated the influence of SPION-loading on primary human T cells for the magnetically targeted adoptive T cell therapy. For this, we analyzed cellular mechanics and the T cell response after stimulation via an exogenous T cell receptor (TCR) specific for the melanoma antigen MelanA or the endogenous TCR specific for the cytomegalovirus antigen pp65 and compared them to T cells that had not received SPIONs.ResultsSPION-loading of human T cells showed no influence on cellular mechanics, therefore retaining their ability to deform to external pressure. Additionally, SPION-loading did not impair the T cell proliferation, expression of activation markers, cytokine secretion, and tumor cell killing after antigen-specific activation mediated by the TCR. ConclusionIn summary, we demonstrated that SPION-loading of T cells did not affect cellular mechanics or the functionality of the endogenous or an exogenous TCR, which allows future approaches using SPIONs for the magnetically enrichment of T cells in solid tumors

Discutindo a educação ambiental no cotidiano escolar: desenvolvimento de projetos na escola formação inicial e continuada de professores

A presente pesquisa buscou discutir como a Educação Ambiental (EA) vem sendo trabalhada, no Ensino Fundamental e como os docentes desta escola compreendem e vem inserindo a EA no cotidiano escolar., em uma escola estadual do município de Tangará da Serra/MT, Brasil. Para tanto, realizou-se entrevistas com os professores que fazem parte de um projeto interdisciplinar de EA na escola pesquisada. Verificou-se que o projeto da escola não vem conseguindo alcançar os objetivos propostos por: desconhecimento do mesmo, pelos professores; formação deficiente dos professores, não entendimento da EA como processo de ensino-aprendizagem, falta de recursos didáticos, planejamento inadequado das atividades. A partir dessa constatação, procurou-se debater a impossibilidade de tratar do tema fora do trabalho interdisciplinar, bem como, e principalmente, a importância de um estudo mais aprofundado de EA, vinculando teoria e prática, tanto na formação docente, como em projetos escolares, a fim de fugir do tradicional vínculo “EA e ecologia, lixo e horta”.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Search in leptonic channels for heavy resonances decaying to long-lived neutral particles

A search is performed for heavy resonances decaying to two long-lived massive neutral particles, each decaying to leptons. The experimental signature is a distinctive topology consisting of a pair of oppositely charged leptons originating at a separated secondary vertex. Events were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC during pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV, and selected from data samples corresponding to 4.1 (5.1) fb(-1) of integrated luminosity in the electron (muon) channel. No significant excess is observed above standard model expectations, and an upper limit is set with 95% confidence level on the production cross section times the branching fraction to leptons, as a function of the long-lived massive neutral particle lifetime.BMWF ; FWF ; FNRS ; FWO ; CNPq ; CAPES ; FAPERJ ; FAPESP ; MES ; CERN ; CAS ; MoST ; NSFC ; COLCIENCIAS ; MSES ; RPF ; MoER ; ERDF ; Academy of Finland ; MEC ; HIP ; CEA ; CNRS ; BMBF ; DFG ; HGF ; GSRT ; OTKA ; NKTH ; DAE ; DST ; IPM ; SFI ; INFN ; NRF ; WCU ; LAS ; CINVESTAV ; CONACYT ; UASLP-FAI ; MSI ; PAEC ; MSHE ; NSC ; FCT ; JINR ; MON ; RosAtom ; RAS ; RFBR ; MESTD ; SEIDI ; CPAN ; Swiss Funding Agencies ; NSC ; ThEPCenter ; IPST ; STAR ; NSTDA ; TUBITAK ; TAEK ; NASU ; STFC ; DOE ; NSF.publisher versio