Evolutionary dynamics of insertion sequences in relation to the evolutionary histories of the chromosome and symbiotic plasmid genes of Rhizobium etli populations

Insertion sequences (IS) are mobile genetic elements that are distributed in many prokaryotes. In particular, in the genomes of the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria collectively known as rhizobia, IS are fairly abundant in plasmids or chromosomal islands that carry the genes needed for symbiosis. Here, we report an analysis of the distribution and genetic conservation of the IS found in the genome of Rhizobium etli CFN42 in a collection of 87 Rhizobium strains belonging to populations with different geographical origins. We used PCR to generate presence/absence profiles of the 39 IS found in R. etli CFN42 and evaluated whether the IS were located in consistent genomic contexts. We found that the IS from the symbiotic plasmid were frequently present in the analyzed strains, whereas the chromosomal IS were observed less frequently. We then examined the evolutionary dynamics of these strains based on a population genetic analysis of two chromosomal housekeeping genes (glyA and dnaB) and three symbiotic sequences (nodC and the two IS elements). Our results indicate that the IS contained within the symbiotic plasmid have a higher degree of genomic context conservation, lower nucleotide diversity and genetic differentiation, and fewer recombination events than the chromosomal housekeeping genes. These results suggest that the R. etli populations diverged recently in Mexico, that the symbiotic plasmid also had a recent origin, and that the IS elements have undergone a process of cyclic infection and expansion

Structural, electrical, and optical properties of CuGaSe2 rf sputtered thin films

Thin films of CuGaSe2 have been produced by rf sputtering. Compositional, structural, electrical, and optical properties are strongly influenced by growthtemperature. At substrate temperatures lower than 300 °C amorphous or poorly crystalline Se‐excess films are obtained, showing high resistivity (≊103 Ω cm) and optical transitions at 1.62, 1.80, and 2.4 eV (values lower than the single‐crystal counterparts). At the higher growthtemperatures,polycrystalline films are obtained (average grain size 0.7 μm) with lower values of resistivity (1 Ω cm), and optical transitions at 1.68, 1.90, and 2.55 eV (very close to the single‐crystal values). A hopping conduction mechanism has been detected at the lower measuringtemperature (T150 K). Structural and compositional characteristics are used to explain the behavior observed in the electrical and optical properties

Supersymmetry Unification Predictions for M_top V_cb and tan(beta)

We study the predictions for M_top, tan(beta) and V_cb in a popular texture ansatze for the fermion mass matrices. We do this both for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) and for the simplest model (MSSM-BRpV) where a bilinear R-Parity violating term is added to the superpotential. We find that taking the experimental values for M_top and V_cb at 99 % C.L. and the GUT relations h_b=h_tau and (V_cb)^2=h_c/h_t within 5 %, the large tan(beta) solution, characteristic in the MSSM with bottom--tau unification, becomes disallowed. In contrast the corresponding allowed region for the MSSM-BRpV is slightly larger. We also find that important modifications occur if we relax the texture conditions at the GUT scale. For example, if the GUT relations are imposed at 40 %, the large tan(beta) branch in the MSSM becomes fully allowed. In addition, in MSSM-BRpV the whole tan(beta)-M_top plane become allowed, finding unification at any value of tan(beta).Comment: 15 pages, including 6 figures. Late

Novel scalar boson decays in SUSY with broken r-parity

R parity violation can induce mixing of the supersymmetric Higgs bosons with the sneutrinos at the tree level. We study the effect of this mixing on the decays of Higgs scalars as well as sneutrinos in an effective model where the violation of R parity is included in the minimal supersymmetric model through bilinear lepton number violating superpotential terms. We show that a small violation of R parity can lead to a sizeable branching ratio for the supersymmetric Higgs boson decay mode H→χℓ (where χ denotes an electroweak gaugino and ℓ is either a tau neutrino or a tau lepton). Relevant constraints on R parity violation as well as those coming from SUSY particle searches still allow the decay H→χℓ to compete with the conventional decay H\ra b \bar{b}, at least for some ranges of parameters of the model. Moreover, the tau sneutrino will have dominant R parity violating decays to standard model fermions bb¯, τ+τ− or to the invisible mode νν¯ whenever the phase space for R parity conserving channels is closed

Unification of gauge couplings and the tau neutrino mass in Supergravity without R-parity

Minimal R-parity violating supergravity predicts a value for $alpha_s(M_Z)$ smaller than in the case with conserved R-parity, and therefore closer to the experimental world average. We show that the R-parity violating effect on the $alpha_s$ prediction comes from the larger two-loop b-quark Yukawa contribution to the renormalization group evolution of the gauge couplings which characterizes R-parity violating supergravity. The effect is correlated to the tau neutrino mass and is sensitive to the initial conditions on the soft supersymmetry breaking parameters at the unification scale. We show how a few percent effect on $alpha_s(M_Z)$ may naturally occur even with tau neutrino masses as small as indicated by the simplest neutrino oscillation interpretation of the atmospheric neutrino data from Super-Kamiokande.Comment: Latex, 21 pages including 2 figure

A Supersymmetric Solution to the Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Problems

The simplest unified extension of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with bi-linear R--Parity violation provides a predictive scheme for neutrino masses which can account for the observed atmospheric and solar neutrino anomalies in terms of bi-maximal neutrino mixing. The maximality of the atmospheric mixing angle arises dynamically, by minimizing the scalar potential, while the solar neutrino problem can be accounted for either by large or by small mixing oscillations. One neutrino picks up mass by mixing with neutralinos, while the degeneracy and masslessness of the other two is lifted only by loop corrections. Despite the smallness of neutrino masses R-parity violation is observable at present and future high-energy colliders, providing an unambiguous cross-check of the model.Comment: 5 pages, final version published in Phys. Rev. D61, 2000, 071703(R

R-parity Conserving Supersymmetry, Neutrino Mass and Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

We consider contributions of R-parity conserving softly broken supersymmetry (SUSY) to neutrinoless double beta (\znbb) decay via the (B-L)-violating sneutrino mass term. The latter is a generic ingredient of any weak-scale SUSY model with a Majorana neutrino mass. The new R-parity conserving SUSY contributions to \znbb are realized at the level of box diagrams. We derive the effective Lagrangian describing the SUSY-box mechanism of \znbb-decay and the corresponding nuclear matrix elements. The 1-loop sneutrino contribution to the Majorana neutrino mass is also derived. Given the data on the \znbb-decay half-life of $^{76}$Ge and the neutrino mass we obtain constraints on the (B-L)-violating sneutrino mass. These constraints leave room for accelerator searches for certain manifestations of the 2nd and 3rd generation (B-L)-violating sneutrino mass term, but are most probably too tight for first generation (B-L)-violating sneutrino masses to be searched for directly.Comment: LATEX, 29 pages + 4 (uuencoded) figures appende

Role of deep levels and interface states in the capacitance characteristics of all‐sputtered CuInSe2/CdS solar cell heterojunctions

All‐sputtered CuInSe2/CdS solar cellheterojunctions have been analyzed by means of capacitance‐frequency (C‐F) and capacitance‐bias voltage (C‐V) measurements. Depending on the CuInSe2 layer composition, two kinds of heterojunctions were analyzed: type 1 heterojunctions (based on stoichiometric or slightly In‐rich CuInSe2 layers) and type 2 heterojunctions (based on Cu‐rich CuInSe2 layers). In type 1 heterojunctions, a 80‐meV donor level has been found. Densities of interface states in the range 101 0–101 1 cm2 eV− 1 (type 1) and in the range 101 2–101 3 cm− 2 eV− 1 (type 2) have been deduced. On the other hand, doping concentrations of 1.6×101 6 cm− 3 for stoichiometric CuInSe2 (type 1 heterojunction) and 8×101 7 cm− 3 for the CdS (type 2 heterojunction) have been deduced from C‐Vmeasurements

Neutrino Masses and Mixings from Supersymmetry with Bilinear R--Parity Violation: A Theory for Solar and Atmospheric Neutrino Oscillations

The simplest unified extension of the MSSM with bi-linear R--Parity violation naturally predicts a hierarchical neutrino mass spectrum, in which one neutrino acquires mass by mixing with neutralinos, while the other two get mass radiatively. We have performed a full one-loop calculation of the neutralino-neutrino mass matrix in the bi-linear \rp MSSM, taking special care to achieve a manifestly gauge invariant calculation. Moreover we have performed the renormalization of the heaviest neutrino, needed in order to get meaningful results. The atmospheric mass scale and maximal mixing angle arise from tree-level physics, while solar neutrino scale and oscillations follow from calculable one-loop corrections. If universal supergravity assumptions are made on the soft-supersymmetry breaking terms then the atmospheric scale is calculable as a function of a single \rp violating parameter by the renormalization group evolution due to the non-zero bottom quark Yukawa coupling. The solar neutrino problem must be accounted for by the small mixing angle (SMA) MSW solution. If these assumptions are relaxed then one can implement large mixing angle solutions, either MSW or just-so. The theory predicts the lightest supersymmetic particle (LSP) decay to be observable at high-energy colliders, despite the smallness of neutrino masses indicated by experiment. This provides an independent way to test this solution of the atmospheric and solar neutrino anomalies.Comment: 46 pages, references added + several misprints correcte