Philippe Busson

IntroductionThis registry evaluated the 24-month safety and efficacy of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients under routine clinical care.MethodsMotor fluctuations, dyskinesia, non-motor symptoms, quality of life, and safety were evaluated. Observations were fully prospective for treatment-naïve patients (60% of patients) and partially retrospective for patients with ≤12 months of pre-treatment with LCIG (40% of patients). Hours of “On” and “Off” time were assessed with a modified version of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part IV items 32 and 39.ResultsOverall, 375 patients were enrolled by 75 movement disorder centers in 18 countries and 258 patients completed the registry. At 24 months LCIG treatment led to significant reductions from baseline in “Off” time (hours/day) (mean ± SD = −4.1 ± 3.5, P < 0.001), “On” time with dyskinesia (hours/day) (−1.1 ± 4.8, P = 0.006), Non-Motor Symptom Scale total (−16.7 ± 43.2, P < 0.001) and individual domains scores, and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8 item total score (−7.1 ± 21.0, P < 0.001). Adverse events deemed to have a possible/probable causal relationship to treatment drug/device were reported in 194 (54%) patients; the most frequently reported were decreased weight (6.7%), device related infections (5.9%), device dislocations (4.8%), device issues (4.8%), and polyneuropathy (4.5%).ConclusionsLCIG treatment led to sustained improvements in motor fluctuations, non-motor symptoms particularly sleep/fatigue, mood/cognition and gastrointestinal domains, as well as quality of life in advanced PD patients over 24 months. Safety events were consistent with the established safety profile of LCIG.

The study of oxygen-uranium reactions at 200 GeV/nucleon shows a significant transverse energy dependence of the yield of JΨ's relative to muon pairs produced in the mass continuum. This feature, observed for the first time, is in agreement with predictions from quark-gluon plasma formation, although alternative explanations by hadronic effects cannot be ruled out at this stage.

In a search for quark-gluon plasma formation, the production of J/ψ and muon pairs in the mass continuum region is studied in oxygen-uranium and sulphur-uranium interactions. The yield of J/ψ relative to the continuum is measured to be a decreasing function of the neutral transverse energy produced in the collision, i.e. of the energy density. A comparison is made with proton-uranium reactions.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVCommunicationNEXTSynthesis of a Novel Dendritic Liquid Crystalline Polymer Showing a Ferroelectric SmC* PhaseP. Busson, H. Ihre, and A. HultView Author Information Department of Polymer Technology Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden Cite this: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 35, 9070–9071Publication Date (Web):August 20, 1998Publication History Received21 April 1998Published online20 August 1998Published inissue 1 September 1998https://doi.org/10.1021/ja9813562Copyright © 1998 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views518Altmetric-Citations66LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit Read OnlinePDF (36 KB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Dendrons,Liquid crystals,Liquids,Polarization,Polymers Get e-Alerts

The dimuon production in 200 GeV/nucleon oxygen-uranium interactions is studied by the NA 38 Collaboration. The production ofJ/ψ, correlated with the transverse energyET, is investigated and compared to the continuum, as a function of the dimuon massM and transverse momentumPT. A value of 0.64±0.06 is found for the ratio (ψ/Continuum at highET)/(ψ/Continuum at lowET), from which theJ/ψ relative suppression can be extracted. This suppression is enhanced at lowPT.

Muon-pair production has been measured in pCu, pU, OCu, OU and SU collisions at 200 GeV per nucleon. The cross sections are compatible with the atomic number dependence (Aproj.Atarg.)α where α=0.91±0.04 for the J/ψ resonance and α=1.01±0.04 for muon pairs produced in the mass continuum between 1.7 and 2.7 GeV/c2.

We have prepared a new type of anion exchanger, which effectively discriminates between RNA and plasmid DNA. The material is based on a Sephacryl S-500 HR matrix provided with quartenary amine anion-exchange groups. A distinguishing feature of the beads is that a thin (2-3 microm) outer layer of the beads lacks ion-exchange groups. In the synthesis of these beads the vinyl groups in the outer layer of vinylalkyl substituted Sephacryl S-500 HR beads are reacted with bromine. The resulting layer of bromoalkyl groups are hydrolysed, creating an inert outer layer of hydroxyalkyl groups. Finally, bromination and trimethylamine reactions of the inner vinyl groups provide the beads with a core of cationic groups. Large plasmid molecules will not bind to such beads since they are too large to enter the pores and therefore cannot come into contact with the charged matrix in the inner parts of the beads. RNA and protein molecules present in a cleared lysate, on the other hand, readily enter the pores and become adsorbed. A two-column strategy was developed for plasmid purification (recombinant pBluescript, 5.9 kilo base pairs, kbp). The first column was packed with the restricted access anion-exchanger beads (lid beads) and the second column with normal ion-exchange material (same ligand density as the lid beads). Diluted (3x), cleared lysate was pumped through the tandem columns. The first column was subsequently disconnected from the system and the purified plasmid adsorbed on the second column was eluted in a concentrated form (6x) and with 89% recovery. The two-column procedure removed 99.5% of the RNA and 96% of the proteins.

The transverse energy ET distributions of nucleus-nucleus collisions are studied in the framework of a simple geometrical model. The distributions for inclusive production of Jψ and muon pairs in the mass continuum are analyzed. The shape of the ET distribution of the continuum agreed with the model. The previously oberved decrease of the ratio (Jψ)/continuum with increasing ET is due to the behavior of the Jψ.

The amplitude of the signal collected from the PbWO4 crystals of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter is reconstructed by a digital filtering technique. The amplitude reconstruction has been studied with test beam data recorded from a fully equipped barrel supermodule. Issues specific to data taken in the test beam are investigated, and the implementation of the method for CMS data taking is discussed.

Supercoiled plasmid DNA was selectively purified from its open circular form by thiophilic interaction chromatography, performed in the presence of high concentrations of water-structuring salts. To identify optimal conditions for purification, various aromatic thioether ligands were coupled to a chromatographic support and screened for their ability to separate plasmid isoforms from each other and from other host cell contaminants, including RNA, genomic DNA, protein, and endotoxins. Selectivity of the chromatographic medium depended on the structure of the ligands, with characteristics of the substituents on the aromatic ring determining the resolution between the different plasmid DNA isoforms. Optimal resolution was obtained with ligands consisting of an thioaromate, substituted with highly electronegative groups. When 2-mercaptopyridine was used as a ligand, the difference in conductivity for eluting open circular and supercoiled plasmid DNA is only 6 mS/cm. However, with 4-nitrothiophol the resolution for plasmid DNA separation on the media increased, resulting in a 20 mS/cm difference. When used in combination with a prior group separation step, these aromatic thioether ligands facilitated the isolation of highly purified supercoiled plasmid DNA, suitable for use in gene therapy and DNA vaccine applications.

The response of the CMS barrel calorimeter (electromagnetic plus hadronic) to hadrons, electrons and muons over a wide momentum range from 2 to 350 GeV/c has been measured. To our knowledge, this is the widest range of momenta in which any calorimeter system has been studied. These tests, carried out at the H2 beam-line at CERN, provide a wealth of information, especially at low energies. The analysis of the differences in calorimeter response to charged pions, kaons, protons and antiprotons and a detailed discussion of the underlying phenomena are presented. We also show techniques that apply corrections to the signals from the considerably different electromagnetic (EB) and hadronic (HB) barrel calorimeters in reconstructing the energies of hadrons. Above 5 GeV/c, these corrections improve the energy resolution of the combined system where the stochastic term equals 84.7±1.6% and the constant term is 7.4±0.8%. The corrected mean response remains constant within 1.3% rms.

Calibration of the relative response of the individual channels of the barrel electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS detector was accomplished, before installation, with cosmic ray muons and test beams. One fourth of the calorimeter was exposed to a beam of high energy electrons and the relative calibration of the channels, the intercalibration, was found to be reproducible to a precision of about 0.3%. Additionally, data were collected with cosmic rays for the entire ECAL barrel during the commissioning phase. By comparing the intercalibration constants obtained with the electron beam data with those from the cosmic ray data, it is demonstrated that the latter provide an intercalibration precision of 1.5% over most of the barrel ECAL. The best intercalibration precision is expected to come from the analysis of events collected in situ during the LHC operation. Using data collected with both electrons and pion beams, several aspects of the intercalibration procedures based on electrons or neutral pions were investigated.

Liquid crystalline dendrimers with peripheral mesogen-containing units have been prepared. Multistep synthesis with several selective reactions was used in the preparation of the mesogen-containing molecules, 4‘ ‘-[10-(hydroxycarbonyl)decyloxy]phenyl 4-[4‘-(2-(R)-octyloxy)-3‘-nitrophenyl]benzoate and 4‘ ‘-[10-(hydroxycarbonyl)decyloxy]biphenyl 4-[4‘-(2-(R)-octyloxy)-3‘-nitrophenyl]benzoate. Both molecules possessed an electron-accepting nitro group placed perpendicular to the long axis of the molecules in order to enhance the nonlinear optical activity. A second generation hydroxyl functional aliphatic dendrimer based on the dihydroxy acid, 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid, was used as dendritic scaffold and was subsequently functionalized with the aforementioned groups. The purity and structure of the two liquid crystalline dendrimers were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and elemental analysis. The synthesis of both the mesogen-containing units and the liquid crystalline dendrimers is described in detail. Investigation of the liquid crystalline properties of the materials by differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy showed that they exhibited different mesophases, including the chiral smectic C phase. Ferroelectric switching was observed in this tilted phase, and electrooptical properties, including tilt angle and spontaneous polarization measurements, were investigated. Finally, the nonlinear optical properties of one of the materials were preliminary characterized.

Low mass muon pair production at high PT and low XF studied in pU, OU and SU 200 GeV per nucleon react ions. When energy density or projectile mass are increased, φ production is enhanced as compared with the yield of muon pairs in the mass continuum (1.7<Mμμ< 2.4 GeV/c2), whereas the production of ω and ϱ, experimentally unresolved, remains approximately constant. This φ enhancement is in agreement with predictions based on quark-gluon plasma formation and, together with the previously reported J/Ψ suppression, puts severe constraints on a purely hadronic description of nucleus-nucleus collisions.

Ensuring the radiation hardness of PbWO4 crystals was one of the main priorities during the construction of the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS experiment at CERN. The production on an industrial scale of radiation hard crystals and their certification over a period of several years represented a difficult challenge both for CMS and for the crystal suppliers. The present article reviews the related scientific and technological problems encountered.

The mean squared transverse momentum of J/ψ's measured in pCu, pU, OCu, OU and SU collisions at 200 GeV/ nucleon is analyzed in terms of initial state interactions. Taking this effect into account, the mechanism which suppresses the J/ψ production in ion-induced collisions would only have a weak PT dependence.

The preparation and characterization of a series of novel ferroelectric liquid crystalline dendrimers are presented. End-capping of 1-, 2-, and 3-generation dendrimers based on 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid with mesogens gave surface-functionalized liquid crystalline compounds with 6, 12, and 24 mesogen-containing units, respectively. 4‘ ‘-((R)-1-Methylheptyloxy)phenyl 4-{4‘-[10-(hydroxycarbonyl)decyloxy]phenyl}benzoate was synthesized and used as a mesogen-containing unit. The purity and structure of each compound were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and elemental analysis. Differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy were used to investigate the mesomorphic properties of the mesogen-functionalized dendrimers. The materials displayed a variety of mesophases, including the smectic C* phase. All the liquid crystalline dendrimers showed ferroelectricity, and tilt angle and spontaneous polarization measurements were performed. The obtained results show that the ferroelectric properties of the materials are independent of the generation number of the dendritic scaffold.

The performance of electromagnetic calorimeter modules made of proton-irradiated PbWO4 crystals has been studied in beam tests. The modules, similar to those used in the Endcaps of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL), were formed from 5×5 matrices of PbWO4 crystals, which had previously been exposed to 24 GeV protons up to integrated fluences between 2.1× 1013 and 1.3× 1014 cm−2. These correspond to the predicted charged-hadron fluences in the ECAL Endcaps at pseudorapidity η = 2.6 after about 500 fb−1 and 3000 fb−1 respectively, corresponding to the end of the LHC and High Luminosity LHC operation periods. The irradiated crystals have a lower light transmission for wavelengths corresponding to the scintillation light, and a correspondingly reduced light output. A comparison with four crystals irradiated in situ in CMS showed no significant rate dependence of hadron-induced damage. A degradation of the energy resolution and a non-linear response to electron showers are observed in damaged crystals. Direct measurements of the light output from the crystals show the amplitude decreasing and pulse becoming faster as the fluence increases. The latter is interpreted, through comparison with simulation, as a side-effect of the degradation in light transmission. The experimental results obtained can be used to estimate the long term performance of the CMS ECAL.

A search is performed for the production of a massive W′ boson decaying to a top and a bottom quark. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb−1 collected with the CMS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at $$ \sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV. The hadronic decay products of the top quark with high Lorentz boost from the W′ boson decay are detected as a single top flavoured jet. The use of jet substructure algorithms allows the top quark jet to be distinguished from standard model QCD background. Limits on the production cross section of a right-handed W′ boson are obtained, together with constraints on the left-handed and right-handed couplings of the W′ boson to quarks. The production of a right-handed W′ boson with a mass below 2.02 TeV decaying to a hadronic final state is excluded at 95% confidence level. This mass limit increases to 2.15 TeV when both hadronic and leptonic decays are considered, and is the most stringent lower mass limit to date in the tb decay mode.

We present a generic approach for quantitative differential proteomics that reduces data complexity in proteome analysis by automated selection of peptides for MS/MS analysis according to their isotope-labeling ratio. Isotopic reagents were developed that give products which fragment easily to generate a unique pair of signature ions. Using the ion-pair ratio, we show that it is possible to select only BSA peptides (with a 3:1 light heavy isotope ratio) for MS/MS when spiked in a whole yeast extract using Parent (precursor) Ion Quantitation Scanning (PIQS) for MS/MS.

True phase-matched second-harmonic generation in a waveguide of crosslinkable ferroelectric liquid crystals is demonstrated. These materials allow the formation of macroscopically polar structures whose order can be frozen by photopolymerization. Homeotropic alignment was chosen which offers decisive advantages compared to other geometries. All parameters contributing to the conversion efficiency are maximized by deliberately controlling the supramolecular arrangement. The system has the potential to achieve practical level of performances as a frequency doubler for low power laser diodes.

M-line measurements have been performed on thin films of pyroelectric liquid crystalline polymers (PLCP), in order to determine the magnitude and anisotropy of the refractive index. The films, polymerized under various conditions, are based on materials exhibiting a chiral smectic C phase. The results of the measurements were analyzed and compared with a new numerical method to model the optical properties of anisotropic multilayered thin films. In the model, which is an extension of the analytical approach of Berreman, the eigenmodes and boundary conditions of refracted light waves are handled and solved by numerical matrix manipulations. Model calculations of total reflection measurements for various multi-layered systems were used to investigate the effect of ITO and polyimide aligning layers to the apparent effective index of m-lines.

We report second harmonic generation in a ferroelectric liquid crystalline trimer and ferroelectric liquid crystalline dendrimers of first, second and third generation. Thin cells were filled with the compounds by capillary forces at elevated temperature, and cooled from the surface stabilized ferroelectric state to below the glass transition temperature, while kept in an electric field. The cone motion viscosity and the threshold electric field for unwinding of the helix axis of the chiral tilted smectic mesophases were studied separately at elevated temperature, and these data were used to optimize the preparation of the films. The measured response time was between 0.3 and 3ms, which corresponds to a cone motion viscosity between 0.5 and 50 Pa s. Second harmonic generation was studied both at elevated temperature with an electric field and at room temperature with and without electric field. The first generation dendrimer exhibited a strong increase in the second order non-linear optical response with time at room temperature. The d 23-coefficient of this dendrimer was approximately four times larger than for the other macromolecules and was 0.045 pm V-1. The relatively large d-coefficient of the first generation dendrimer is ascribed to crystallization, which improved the orientation of the molecular dipoles.

The dielectric relaxation was determined in a time-domain spectrometer between 100 and 295 K and from 0.1 to 1000 Hz for series of dendritic liquid crystalline polymers with scaffolds based on 2,2- ...

A binary mixture of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) was used for the design of a channel waveguide. The FLCs possess two important functionalities: a chromophore with a high hyperpolarizability and photoreactive groups. The smectic liquid crystal is aligned in layers parallel to the glass plates in a sandwich geometry. This alignment offers several advantages, such as that moderate electric fields are sufficient to achieve a high degree of polar order. The arrangement was then permanently fixed by photopolymerization which yielded a polar network possessing a high thermal and mechanical stability which did not show any sign of degradation within the monitored period of several months. The linear and nonlinear optical properties have been measured and all four independent components of the nonlinear susceptibility tensor have been determined. The off-resonant d-coefficients are remarkably high and comparable to those of the best known inorganic materials. The alignment led to an inherent channel waveguide for p-polarized light without additional preparation steps. The photopolymerization did not induce scattering sites in the waveguide and the normalized losses were less than 2 dB/cm. The material offers a great potential for the design of nonlinear optical devices such as frequency doublers of low-power laser diodes.

Monofunctional ferroelectric liquid crystalline monomers and a blend of monofunctional/bifunctional ferroelectric liquid crystalline monomers were photopolymerized, yielding a side-chain liquid crystalline polymer and a cross-linked polymer, respectively. The cross-linked polymer exhibited higher thermal stability than the side-chain liquid crystalline polymer and was pyroelectric up to 170 °C, whereas the side-chain liquid crystalline polymer lost most of its pyroelectricity at 38 °C. It is shown by electrooptic and birefringence measurements that cross-linking in the unwound SmC* phase prevented the reoccurrence of the helical superstructure.

Second harmonic generation in novel pyroelectric liquid crystal polymers (PLCP) made from a series binary mixtures, was studied using 1100 nm as the fundamental wavelength. The PLCPs were prepared by photo-polymerization of binary mixtures of two monomers which exhibit a smectic C∗ phase, A2c (4″-(R)-(−)-2-[(10-acrylo-yloxy)decyl]oxy-3-nitrophenyl 4-{4′-[(11-acryloyloxy)-undecyloxy]phenyl}benzoate) and Alb (4″-((R)-(+)-2-octyloxy)-3″-nitrophenyl 4-(4′-(11-acryloyloxy)undecyloxy)-phenyl)-benzoate). The highest d16 and d23 coefficients were found to be in the range 0.65–0.8 pm/V, and differed depending on the detailed preparation of the sample. All cases of polymers formed from the chiral smectic C∗ phase showed an SHG-signal with no external field present, indicating that polar order became fixed. The SHG-signal was found to increase with the tilt angle of the FLC molecules.

A search for massive resonances decaying to a Z boson and a photon is performed in events with a hadronically decaying Z boson candidate, separately in light-quark and b quark decay modes, identified using jet substructure and advanced b tagging techniques. Results are based on samples of proton-proton collisions collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at center-of-mass energies of 8 and 13 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 19.7 and 2.7 inverse femtobarns, respectively. The results of the search are combined with those of a similar search in the leptonic decay modes of the Z boson, based on the same data sets. Spin-0 resonances with various widths and with masses in a range between 0.2 and 3.0 TeV are considered. No significant excess is observed either in the individual analyses or the combination. The results are presented in terms of upper limits on the production cross section of such resonances and constitute the most stringent limits to date for a wide range of masses.

The inelastic hadronic cross section in proton-lead collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of 5.02 TeV is measured with the CMS detector at the LHC. The data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 12.6 +/- 0.4 inverse nanobarns, has been collected with an unbiased trigger for inclusive particle production. The cross section is obtained from the measured number of proton-lead collisions with hadronic activity produced in the pseudorapidity ranges 3<abs(eta)<5 and/or -5<abs(eta)<-3, corrected for photon-induced contributions, experimental acceptance, and other instrumental effects. The inelastic cross section is measured to be sigma[inel,pPb]=2061 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 34 (syst) +/- 72 (lum) mb. Various Monte Carlo generators, commonly used in heavy ion and cosmic ray physics, are found to reproduce the data within uncertainties. The value of sigma[inel,pPb] is compatible with that expected from the proton-proton cross section at 5.02 TeV scaled up within a simple Glauber approach to account for multiple scatterings in the lead nucleus, indicating that further net nuclear corrections are small.

Abstract A binary mixture of crosslinkable ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) was used for the design of a channel waveguide. The liquid crystal was aligned in layers parallel to the glass plates (homeotropic) in a sandwich geometry and then the arrangement was permanently fixed by photopolymerization which yielded a polar network possessing a high thermal and mechanical stability. The linear and nonlinear optical properties have been measured and all four independent components of the nonlinear susceptibility tensor d have been determined. The off-resonant d-coefficients are remarkably high and comparable to those of the best known inorganic materials. Phase-matching was achieved by taking advantage of the modal dispersion of the waveguide. A reversal of sign of χ(2) at the nodal plane of the electric field distribution of the first-order mode was needed to maximize the overlap integral between the fundamental and the second-harmonic (SH) light. In samples with χ(2) inversion the SH signal was 1000 larger that in samples without χ(2) inversion.

A measurement of the ttbar production cross section at sqrt(s)=13 TeV is presented using proton-proton collisions, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.3 inverse femtobarns, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. Final states with one isolated charged lepton (electron or muon) and at least one jet are selected and categorized according to the accompanying jet multiplicity. From a likelihood fit to the invariant mass distribution of the isolated lepton and a jet identified as coming from the hadronization of a bottom quark, the cross section is measured to be sigma(ttbar)= 835 +/- 3 (stat) +/- 23 (syst) +/- 23 (lum) pb, in agreement with the standard model prediction. Using the expected dependence of the cross section on the pole mass of the top quark (m[t]), the value of m[t] is found to be 172.7+2.4-2.7 GeV.

Abstract Highly oriented pyroelectric liquid‐crystalline polymers were prepared by photopolymerization under the influence of a static electric field from binary mixtures of two acrylate monomers exhibiting chiral smectic C mesomorphism. Both monomers contained nitro groups to yield second order nonlinear optical properties (second harmonic generation) and one of the monomers had two functional groups to yield a crosslinked polymer. The room temperature second order nonlinear susceptibility of the polymers showed during the first two hours a 10 % decrease after which it remained constant during the next 48 days. At elevated temperatures there was a significant difference in the nonlinear optical properties over time between crosslinked and uncrosslinked polymers. The uncrosslinked polymer showed a pronounced loss of second order nonlinear optical activity with time at ≥38°C. The crosslinked polymer showed a much smaller and basically a temperature independent decrease rate in the second order nonlinear optical properties at all the ageing temperatures (23‐130°C). Both the loss in mesogen order parameter, very evident for the uncrosslinked polymer, and conformational changes occurring within the mesogens (β mechanism), may account for the observations made.

Pyroelectric Liquid Crystal Polymers (PLCP), a novel class of material with intrinsic polar order developed in our laboratory, are discussed. Thin films (2-4µm) of PLCP were prepared by photopolymerization of ferroelectric liquid crystalline monomers in the chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase. The poly(acrylate) materials have been structurally modified in order to improve their nonlinear optical and thermal properties. Further are their longterm nonlinear optical properties discussed based on results from second harmonic generation (SHG), spontaneous polarization (Ps), and dielectric spectroscopy.

Results are presented on the production of low mass resonances (ρ, ω, ϑ) in 200 GeV/n SU and OU interactions. The ratio ϑ/(ρ + ω) is studied as a function of the transverse neutral energy et of the collision. For a transverse momentum PT of the dimuon larger than 1.3 GeV/c, the ratio increases with et, while the ratio (ρ + ω)/continuum remains constant. A similar analysis performed on p−U data shows a strong increase of the ion ratio compared to that of the proton. These increases are in agreement with predictions based on quark-gluon plasma formation although alternative explanations based on hadronic effects cannot be ruled out.

Efficiency and precision in electron reconstruction is of ultimate importance for Higgs boson search at LHC through Higgs decay to four electrons. Main problems in electron reconstruction at CMS are reviewed and solution proposed