The strong K − p scattering length is extracted within chiral SU(3) unitary approaches from a very large variety of fits to low-energy K − p scattering data. Very good overall agreement with available scattering data is obtained and the resulting scattering length is compared with the new accurate kaonic hydrogen data from DEAR. The pole structures of the obtained fits to experiment are critically examined.

TheKN system close to threshold is analyzed in view of the new accurate DEAR kaonic hydrogen data. The calculations are performed using chiral SU(3) effective field theory in combination with non-perturbative schemes based on coupled channels. Several variants of such approaches are compared with experimental data and the differences in the results are discussed. Coulomb and isospin breaking effects turn out to be important and are both taken into account. The pole structure of the Λ(1405) resonance close to theKN threshold is critically examined.

Chiral SU(3) effective field theory in combination with a relativistic coupled-channels approach is used to perform a novel analysis of the strong-interaction shift and width in kaonic hydrogen in view of the new accurate DEAR measurements. Questions of consistency with previous K(-)p data are examined. Coulomb and isospin breaking effects turn out to be important and are both taken into account in this work.

Near-infrared (nIR) fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were designed and interfaced with leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana plants to report hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a key signaling molecule associated with the onset of plant stress. The sensor nIR fluorescence response (>900 nm) is quenched by H2O2 with selectivity against other stress-associated signaling molecules and within the plant physiological range (10–100 H2O2 μM). In vivo remote nIR imaging of H2O2 sensors enabled optical monitoring of plant health in response to stresses including UV-B light (−11%), high light (−6%), and a pathogen-related peptide (flg22) (−10%), but not mechanical leaf wounding (<3%). The sensor’s high biocompatibility was reflected on similar leaf cell death (<5%) and photosynthetic rates to controls without SWCNT. These optical nanosensors report early signs of stress and will improve our understanding of plant stress communication, provide novel tools for precision agriculture, and optimize the use of agrochemicals in the environment.