Effects of intermediate scales on renormalization group running of fermion observables in an SO(10) model

In the context of non-supersymmetric SO(10) models, we analyze the renormalization group equations for the fermions (including neutrinos) from the GUT energy scale down to the electroweak energy scale, explicitly taking into account the effects of an intermediate energy scale induced by a Pati--Salam gauge group. To determine the renormalization group running, we use a numerical minimization procedure based on a nested sampling algorithm that randomly generates the values of 19 model parameters at the GUT scale, evolves them, and finally constructs the values of the physical observables and compares them to the existing experimental data at the electroweak scale. We show that the evolved fermion masses and mixings present sizable deviations from the values obtained without including the effects of the intermediate scale.Comment: Comments: 20 pages, 3 figures. Final version published in JHE

Levels of Free Granulocyte Elastase in Bronchial Secretions from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis: Effect of Antimicrobial Treatment Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Large amounts of free granulocyte elastase (GE), an enzyme capable of mediating airway damage, have been found in bronchial secretions of patients with cystic fibrosis who are infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This finding indicates an imbalance between GE and its antiproteases, α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) and bronchial mucosal inhibitor (BMI), in the airways of these individuals. The effect of intravenous antimicrobial treatment against P. aeruginosa on activity and concentration of GE, BMI, and α1-PI was evaluated in 30 treatment courses of 20 patients with cystic fibrosis. Although sputum volume and level of immunoreactive GE decreased and concentrations of α1-PI and BMI increased significantly (P < .05), a high level of free GE persisted. No active α1-PI and BMI were detectable after treatment. High levels of GE correlated with a poor pulmonary condition (rs = .98, P < .001). In vitro, elastolytic activity of bronchial secretions from patients with cystic fibrosis was significantly inhibited by eglin C and an oxidation-resistant variant of α1-PI, both compounds currently produced by recombinant DNA technolog

Damping signatures in future neutrino oscillation experiments

We discuss the phenomenology of damping signatures in the neutrino oscillation probabilities, where either the oscillating terms or the probabilities can be damped. This approach is a possibility for tests of non-oscillation effects in future neutrino oscillation experiments, where we mainly focus on reactor and long-baseline experiments. We extensively motivate different damping signatures due to small corrections by neutrino decoherence, neutrino decay, oscillations into sterile neutrinos, or other mechanisms, and classify these signatures according to their energy (spectral) dependencies. We demonstrate, at the example of short baseline reactor experiments, that damping can severely alter the interpretation of results, e.g., it could fake a value of $\sin(2\theta_{13})$ smaller than the one provided by Nature. In addition, we demonstrate how a neutrino factory could constrain different damping models with emphasis on how these different models could be distinguished, i.e., how easily the actual non-oscillation effects could be identified. We find that the damping models cluster in different categories, which can be much better distinguished from each other than models within the same cluster.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures, LaTeX. Final version published in JHE

Analytic Approximations for Three Neutrino Oscillation Parameters and Probabilities in Matter

The corrections to neutrino mixing parameters in the presence of matter of constant density are calculated systematically as series expansions in terms of the mass hierarchy \dm{21}/\dm{31}. The parameter mapping obtained is then used to find simple, but nevertheless accurate formulas for oscillation probabibilities in matter including CP-effects. Expressions with one to one correspondence to the vacuum case are derived, which are valid for neutrino energies above the solar resonance energy. Two applications are given to show that these results are a useful and powerful tool for analytical studies of neutrino beams passing through the Earth mantle or core: First, the ``disentanglement problem'' of matter and CP-effects in the CP-asymmetry is discussed and second, estimations of the statistical sensitivity to the CP-terms of the oscillation probabilities in neutrino factory experiments are presented.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure

Neutrinos and Energetics of the Earth

We estimate terrestrial antineutrino and neutrino fluxes according to different models of Earth composition. We find large variations, corresponding to uncertainties on the estimated $U$, $Th$ and $K$ abundances in the mantle. Information on the mantle composition can be derived from antineutrino flux measurements after subtracting the crust contribution. This requires a good description of the crust composition in the region of the detector site. Measurements of terrestrial antineutrinos will provide a direct insight on the main sources of Earth's heat flow.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX file. To appear on Phys. Lett. B. Addendum contains comparison with KamLAND result

Extrinsic CPT Violation in Neutrino Oscillations in Matter

We investigate matter-induced (or extrinsic) CPT violation effects in neutrino oscillations in matter. Especially, we present approximate analytical formulas for the CPT-violating probability differences for three flavor neutrino oscillations in matter with an arbitrary matter density profile. Note that we assume that the CPT invariance theorem holds, which means that the CPT violation effects arise entirely because of the presence of matter. As special cases of matter density profiles, we consider constant and step-function matter density profiles, which are relevant for neutrino oscillation physics in accelerator and reactor long baseline experiments as well as neutrino factories. Finally, the implications of extrinsic CPT violation on neutrino oscillations in matter for several past, present, and future long baseline experiments are estimated.Comment: 47 pages, 7 figures, RevTeX4. Final version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Simple models of the chemical field around swimming plankton

Background. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and we recently reported human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles showing strong associations with cervical neoplasia risk and protection. HLA ligands are recognized by killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) expressed on a range of immune cell subsets, governing their proinflammatory activity. We hypothesized that the inheritance of particular HLA-KIR combinations would increase cervical neoplasia risk. Methods. Here, we used HLA and KIR dosages imputed from single-nucleotide polymorphism genotype data from 2143 cervical neoplasia cases and 13 858 healthy controls of European decent. Results. The following 4 novel HLA alleles were identified in association with cervical neoplasia, owing to their linkage disequilibrium with known cervical neoplasia-associated HLA-DRB1 alleles: HLA-DRB3*9901 (odds ratio [OR], 1.24; P = 2.49 × 10−9), HLA-DRB5*0101 (OR, 1.29; P = 2.26 × 10−8), HLA-DRB5*9901 (OR, 0.77; P = 1.90 × 10−9), and HLA-DRB3*0301 (OR, 0.63; P = 4.06 × 10−5). We also found that homozygosity of HLA-C1 group alleles is a protective factor for human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)-related cervical neoplasia (C1/C1; OR, 0.79; P = .005). This protective association was restricted to carriers of either KIR2DL2 (OR, 0.67; P = .00045) or KIR2DS2 (OR, 0.69; P = .0006). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that HLA-C1 group alleles play a role in protecting against HPV16-related cervical neoplasia, mainly through a KIR-mediated mechanism

Type II See-Saw Mechanism, Deviations from Bimaximal Neutrino Mixing and Leptogenesis

A possible interplay of both terms in the type II see-saw formula is illustrated by presenting a novel way to generate deviations from exact bimaximal neutrino mixing. In type II see-saw mechanism with dominance of the non-canonical SU(2)_L triplet term, the conventional see-saw term can give a small contribution to the neutrino mass matrix. If the triplet term corresponds to the bimaximal mixing scheme in the normal hierarchy, the small contribution of the conventional see-saw term naturally generates non-maximal solar neutrino mixing. Atmospheric neutrino mixing is also reduced from maximal, corresponding to 1 - \sin^2 2 \theta_{23} of order 0.01. Also, small but non-vanishing U_{e3} of order 0.001 is obtained. It is also possible that the \Delta m^2 responsible for solar neutrino oscillations is induced by the small conventional see-saw term. Larger deviations from zero U_{e3} and from maximal atmospheric neutrino mixing are then expected. This scenario links the small ratio of the solar and atmospheric \Delta m^2 with the deviation from maximal solar neutrino mixing. We comment on leptogenesis in this scenario and compare the contributions to the decay asymmetry of the heavy Majorana neutrinos as induced by themselves and by the triplet.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures. Final corrections, matches version in PR

Could One Find Petroleum Using Neutrino Oscillations in Matter?

In neutrino physics, it is now widely believed that neutrino oscillations are influenced by the presence of matter, modifying the energy spectrum produced by a neutrino beam traversing the Earth. Here, we will discuss the reverse problem, i.e. what could be learned about the Earth's interior from a single neutrino baseline energy spectrum, especially about the Earth's mantle. We will use a statistical analysis with a low-energy neutrino beam under very optimistic assumptions. At the end, we will note that it is hard to find petroleum with such a method, though it is not too far away from technical feasibility.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, EPL LaTeX. Final version to be published in Europhys. Let