University of Coimbra

About: University of Coimbra is a education organization based out in Coimbra, Portugal. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Mitochondrion. The organization has 14318 authors who have published 43067 publications receiving 994733 citations. The organization is also known as: UC & Universidade dos Estudos Gerais.

The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment

Abstract: The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) collaboration has designed and constructed a dual-phase xenon detector, in order to conduct a search for Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), a leading dark matter candidate. The goal of the LUX detector is to clearly detect (or exclude) WIMPS with a spin independent cross-section per nucleon of 2 × 10 − 46 cm 2 , equivalent to ∼ 1 event / 100 kg / month in the inner 100-kg fiducial volume (FV) of the 370-kg detector. The overall background goals are set to have 1 background events characterized as possible WIMPs in the FV in 300 days of running. This paper describes the design and construction of the LUX detector.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer: from local to systemic treatment

Abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) requires a medical device, a photosensitizing drug and adequate use of both to trigger biological mechanisms that can rapidly destroy the primary tumour and provide long-lasting protection against metastasis. We present a multidisciplinary view of the issues raised by the development of PDT. We show how spectroscopy, photophysics, photochemistry and pharmacokinetics of photosensitizers determine the mechanism of cell death and clinical protocols. Various examples of combinations with chemotherapies and immunotherapies illustrate the opportunities to potentiate the outcome of PDT. Particular emphasis is given to the mechanisms that can be exploited to establish PDT as a systemic treatment of solid tumours and metastatic disease.

Experimental verification of plasmonic cloaking at microwave frequencies with metamaterials.

Abstract: Plasmonic cloaking is a scattering-cancellation technique based on the local negative polarizability of metamaterials. Here we report its first experimental realization and measurement at microwave frequencies. An array of metallic fins embedded in a high-permittivity fluid has been used to create a metamaterial plasmonic shell capable of cloaking a dielectric cylinder, yielding over 75% reduction of total scattering width.

Symmetry numbers and chemical reaction rates

Abstract: This article shows how to evaluate rotational symmetry numbers for different molecular configurations and how to apply them to transition state theory. In general, the symmetry number is given by the ratio of the reactant and transition state rotational symmetry numbers. However, special care is advised in the evaluation of symmetry numbers in the following situations: (i) if the reaction is symmetric, (ii) if reactants and/or transition states are chiral, (iii) if the reaction has multiple conformers for reactants and/or transition states and, (iv) if there is an internal rotation of part of the molecular system. All these four situations are treated systematically and analyzed in detail in the present article. We also include a large number of examples to clarify some complicated situations, and in the last section we discuss an example involving an achiral diasteroisomer.