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In recent years, experiments have discovered an exotic new state of
matter known as the strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma (sQGP),
which seems to behave like a nearly perfect fluid. At present, it
seems that standard theoretical tools, such as perturbation theory
and lattice gauge theory, are poorly suited to understand this new
phase. At the same time, progress in superstring theory has provided
us with a theoretical laboratory for studying the hydrodynamic
properties of plasmas in certain strongly interacting gauge
theories. This surprising new perspective may allow us to extract
the fluid properties of the sQGP from physical processes in a black
hole spacetime. Hence we may find the answers to difficult particle
physics questions about the sQGP from straightforward calculations
in classical general relativity.

Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) represent special class of viscoelastic polymers forming strong adhesive joints with various substrates under application of slight contact pressure (1-10 Pa) over short contact time (1-5 s). Existing PSAs are mainly hydrophobic elastomers, common disadvantage of which is a lack of adhesion toward wet substrates. Meantime, many areas of industry and, especially, medicine need in development of hydrophilic PSAs, maintaining high adhesion with hydrated biological tissues.
Rational design of new PSAs requires an insight into molecular and supramolecular structures of polymers possessing PSA properties. As has been recently shown [1], at most fundamental, molecular level, pressure-sensitive adhesion results from specific balance between high energy of intermolecular cohesion and large free volume, arising owing to heat motion of macromolecules. Since these properties are usually incompatible, creation of new PSAs is difficult problem. Nevertheless, these conflicting properties can be realized in interpolymer complexes, wherein high cohesion strength results from noncovalent bonding of complementary functional groups of polymer chains (hydrogen or electrostatic bonding) and free volume is a result of loop formation [2]. Polymer complexes with oligomers bearing complementary reactive functional groups at both ends of their short chains, typically exemplified by polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) – poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) H-bonded complex, demonstrate excellent pressure sensitive adhesion [2]. Essential feature of innovative technology of PSA production is that the PSAs with tailored performance properties can be obtained by simple mixing of a wide range of hydrophilic functionalized polymers, which are not necessary to be tacky in unblended state.
As comparison of the structure of model PSAs with their adhesive properties has shown, the PSAs can be regarded as nanostructured polymer composites. The best adhesion is observed as the radius of free volume is between 2.95 and 3.08 Å, and the free volume content is 6.3 – 7.0 %. At the same time, the energy of interpolymer bonds should be in the range of 40.7 – 79.4 kJ/mol.
Adhesive, mechanical and water-absorbing properties of PSAs based on polyelectrolyte and polymer – oligomer complexes can be easily controlled by the change of their composition [2]. Polycomplex hydrophilic PSAs find currently increasing application in pharmacy, cosmetic products and industry.

Observations of gamma-ray bursts by the Fermi satellite, capable of detecting photons in a very broad energy band: 8keV to >300GeV, have opened a new window for the study of these enigmatic explosions. It is widely assumed that photons of energy larger than 100 MeV are produced by the same source that generated lower energy photons - at least whenever the shape of the spectrum is a Band function. We report here a surprising result - the Fermi data for a bright burst, GRB 080916C, unambiguously shows that the high-energy photons (>~102MeV) were generated in the external shock via the synchrotron process, and the lower energy photons had a distinctly different source. The magnetic field in the region where high-energy photons were produced (and also the late-time afterglow emission region) is found to be consistent with shock compressed magnetic field of the circum-stellar medium. This result sheds light on the important question of the origin of magnetic fields required for gamma-ray burst afterglows. The external shock model for high-energy radiation makes a firm prediction that can be tested with existing and future observations.

I present an extension of the MSSM, where the global symmetry
breaking structure will imply the presence of a light pseudo-scalar particle
eta, to which the higgs will preferentially decay. Depending on the choice
of the fermionic matter content the eta will either decay to two gluons or
two charm quarks leading to h->4 jet decays. This decay channel is currently
not strongly constrained, and the Higgs could be as light as ~90 GeV,
thereby solving the little hierarchy problem. While lots of superpartners
and little partners should be detectable at the LHC, the Higgs might remain
buried under the QCD background.