Density profiles of supernova matter and determination of neutrino parameters

The flavor conversion of supernova neutrinos can lead to observable signatures related to the unknown neutrino parameters. As one of the determinants in dictating the efficiency of resonant flavor conversion, the local density profile near the MSW resonance in a supernova environment is, however, not so well understood. In this analysis, variable power-law functions are adopted to represent the independent local density profiles near the locations of resonance. It is shown that the uncertain matter density profile in a supernova, the possible neutrino mass hierarchies, and the undetermined 1-3 mixing angle would result in six distinct scenarios in terms of the survival probabilities of $\nu_{e}$ and $\bar{\nu_{e}}$. The feasibility of probing the undetermined neutrino mass hierarchy and the 1-3 mixing angle with the supernova neutrinos is then examined using several proposed experimental observables. Given the incomplete knowledge of the supernova matter profile, the analysis is further expanded to incorporate the Earth matter effect. The possible impact due to the choice of models, which differ in the average energy and in the luminosity of neutrinos, is also addressed in the analysis.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures. text and figures revised, references added, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Rephasing invariance and the neutrino mu-tau symmetry

The vacuum neutrino mixing is known to exhibit an approximate $\mu-\tau$ symmetry, which was shown to be preserved for neutrino propagating in matter. This symmetry reduces the neutrino transition probabilities to very simple forms when expressed in a rephasing invariant parametrization introduced earlier. Applications to long baseline experiments are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Solutions of the Ginsparg-Wilson Relation

We analyze general solutions of the Ginsparg-Wilson relation for lattice Dirac operators and formulate a necessary condition for such operators to have non-zero index in the topologically nontrivial background gauge fields.Comment: 6 pages, latex, no figures, set T to 1 in eqs. (10)--(13

Regioselective hydrostannation of activated alkynes catalyzed by in situ generated copper hydride

The hydrostannation of activated alkynes proceed in good yields and high regioselectivities catalyzed by CuCl, in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide, triphenylphosphine, and tributylstannane, by generating copper hydride in situ. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

Interplay between antiferromagnetic order and spin polarization in ferromagnetic metal/electron-doped cuprate superconductor junctions

Recently we proposed a theory of point-contact spectroscopy and argued that the splitting of zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in electron-doped cuprate superconductor point-contact spectroscopy is due to the coexistence of antiferromagnetic (AF) and d-wave superconducting orders [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 76}, 220504(R) (2007)]. Here we extend the theory to study the tunneling in the ferromagnetic metal/electron-doped cuprate superconductor (FM/EDSC) junctions. In addition to the AF order, the effects of spin polarization, Fermi-wave vector mismatch (FWM) between the FM and EDSC regions, and effective barrier are investigated. It is shown that there exits midgap surface state (MSS) contribution to the conductance to which Andreev reflections are largely modified due to the interplay between the exchange field of ferromagnetic metal and the AF order in EDSC. Low-energy anomalous conductance enhancement can occur which could further test the existence of AF order in EDSC. Finally, we propose a more accurate formula in determining the spin polarization value in combination with the point-contact conductance data.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Neuro-immune interactions in inflammation and host defense: Implications for transplantation

© 2017 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons Sensory and autonomic neurons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) play a critical role in regulating the immune system during tissue inflammation and host defense. Recent studies have identified the molecular mechanisms underlying the bidirectional communication between the nervous system and the immune system. Here, we highlight the studies that demonstrate the importance of the neuro-immune interactions in health and disease. Nociceptor sensory neurons detect immune mediators to produce pain, and release neuropeptides that act on the immune system to regulate inflammation. In parallel, neural reflex circuits including the vagus nerve-based inflammatory reflex are physiological regulators of inflammatory responses and cytokine production. In transplantation, neuro-immune communication could significantly impact the processes of host-pathogen defense, organ rejection, and wound healing. Emerging approaches to target the PNS such as bioelectronics could be useful in improving the outcome of transplantation. Therefore, understanding how the nervous system shapes the immune response could have important therapeutic ramifications for transplantation medicine

A Measurement of the Absorption of Liquid Argon Scintillation Light by Dissolved Nitrogen at the Part-Per-Million Level

We report on a measurement of the absorption length of scintillation light in liquid argon due to dissolved nitrogen at the part-per-million (ppm) level. We inject controlled quantities of nitrogen into a high purity volume of liquid argon and monitor the light yield from an alpha source. The source is placed at different distances from a cryogenic photomultiplier tube assembly. By comparing the light yield from each position we extract the absorption cross section of nitrogen. We find that nitrogen absorbs argon scintillation light with strength of $(1.51\pm 0.15)\times10^{-4} \;\mathrm{cm^{-1} ppm^{-1}}$, corresponding to an absorption cross section of $(7.14 \pm 0.74)\times10^{-21}\;\mathrm{cm^{2} molecule^{-1}}$. We obtain the relationship between absorption length and nitrogen concentration over the 0 to 50 ppm range and discuss the implications for the design and data analysis of future large liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) detectors. Our results indicate that for a current-generation LArTPC, where a concentration of 2 parts per million of nitrogen is expected, the attenuation length due to nitrogen will be $30 \pm 3$ meters.Comment: v2: Correct mistake in molecular absorption cross section calculation, and a minor typo in fig

Poly-arginine peptide R18D reduces neuroinflammation and functional deficits following traumatic brain injury in the Long-Evans rat

We have previously demonstrated that the poly-arginine peptide R18 can improve histological and functional outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the Sprague–Dawley rat. Since D-enantiomer peptides are often exploited in pharmacology for their increased stability and potency, the present study compared the effects of R18 and its D-enantiomer, R18D, following TBI in the Long-Evans rat. Following a closed-head impact delivered via a weight-drop apparatus, peptide was administered at a dose of 1000 nmol/kg at 30 min after TBI. Treatment with R18D, but not R18 resulted in significant reductions in sensorimotor (p = 0.026) and vestibulomotor (p = 0.049) deficits as measured by the adhesive tape removal and rotarod tests. Furthermore, treatment with R18 and R18D resulted in a significant reduction in brain protein levels of the astrocytic marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (p = 0.019 and 0.048, respectively). These results further highlight the beneficial effects of poly-arginine peptides in TBI, however additional studies are required to confirm these positive effects

Influence of retardation effects on 2D magnetoplasmon spectrum

Within dissipationless limit the magnetic field dependence of magnetoplasmon spectrum for unbounded 2DEG system found to intersect the cyclotron resonance line, and, then approaches the frequency given by light dispersion relation. Recent experiments done for macroscopic disc-shape 2DEG systems confirm theory expectations.Comment: 2 pages,2 figure

Probing neutrino mass hierarchies and ϕ13\phi_{13} with supernova neutrinos

We investigate the feasibility of probing the neutrino mass hierarchy and the mixing angle $\phi_{13}$ with the neutrino burst from a future supernova. An inverse power-law density $\rho \sim r^{n}$ with varying $n$ is adopted in the analysis as the density profile of a typical core-collapse supernova. The survival probabilities of $\nu_{e}$ and $\bar{\nu}_{e}$ are shown to reduce to two-dimensional functions of $n$ and $\phi_{13}$. It is found that in the $n-\sin^{2} \phi_{13}$ parameter space, the 3D plots of the probability functions exhibit highly non-trivial structures that are sensitive to the mass hierarchy, the mixing angle $\phi_{13}$, and the value of $n$. The conditions that lead to observable differences in the 3D plots are established. With the uncertainty of $n$ considered, a qualitative analysis of the Earth matter effect is also included.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures. Ref [11] added, and some typos correcte