On the Potential of Leptonic Minimal Flavour Violation

Minimal Flavour Violation can be realized in several ways in the lepton sector due to the possibility of Majorana neutrino mass terms. We derive the scalar potential for the fields whose background values are the Yukawa couplings, for the simplest See-Saw model with just two right-handed neutrinos, and explore its minima. The Majorana character plays a distinctive role: the minimum of the potential allows for large mixing angles -in contrast to the simplest quark case- and predicts a maximal Majorana phase. This points in turn to a strong correlation between neutrino mass hierarchy and mixing pattern.Comment: 6 pages; version published on Physics Letters

Revisiting Minimal Lepton Flavour Violation in the Light of Leptonic CP Violation

The Minimal Lepton Flavour Violation (MLFV) framework is discussed after the recent indication for CP violation in the leptonic sector. Among the three distinct versions of MLFV, the one with degenerate right-handed neutrinos will be disfavoured, if this indication is confirmed. The predictions for leptonic radiative rare decays and muon conversion in nuclei are analysed, identifying strategies to disentangle the different MLFV scenarios. The claim that the present anomalies in the semi-leptonic $B$-meson decays can be explained within the MLFV context is critically re-examined concluding that such an explanation is not compatible with the present bounds from purely leptonic processes.Comment: 36 pages, 4 figures. V2: References added; version accepted for publication on JHE

El programa de mejora genética de Pinus pinaster en Galicia

El pino marítimo es una de las especies más importantes del sector forestal gallego. Fruto de esta importancia, desde los años 80 se lleva a cabo un programa de mejora cuyo fin último es el abastecimiento de semilla de alta calidad genética pasa su uso en repoblación. En este trabajo se revisan las actuaciones realizadas al respecto tanto en la zona costera como en el interior de Galicia. Se describe el dispositivo experimental del programa, los objetivos y la estrategia de mejora, los resultados más relevantes alcanzados hasta la fecha, así como la planificación de las actuaciones futuras. Aunque el programa se centra en caracteres clásicos como la productividad y la rectitud del fuste, se discuten también los resultados obtenidos y las posibilidades de mejora de otros caracteres de interés como la resistencia a patologías y plagas, la eficiencia nutricional o la calidad de madera._____________________________________Maritime pine is one the most important forest-tree species in Galicia. A breeding program was started in the 80’s with the aim to provide genetic improved seed to be use in reforestation. In the present paper we review all the activities done to date, both in the coastal and interior area of Galicia, describing the experimental device, the breeding objectives and breeding strategy, presenting the main results achieved, and advancing further activities of the program. Although the breeding program was focused on classical traits such productivity and stem straightness, results and breeding possibilities of other traits such as pest and disease resistance, nutritional efficiency and wood quality are also discussed

Study of thermal protection requirements for a lifting body entry vehicle suitable for near-earth missions Final report

Reentry and abort trajectory analyses, and thermal protection requirements for lifting body entry vehicle

External Validation of Voter Turnout Models by Concealed Parameter Recovery

We conduct a model validation analysis of several behavioral models of voter turnout, using laboratory data. We call our method of model validation concealed parameter recovery, where estimation of a model is done under a veil of ignorance about some of the experimentally controlled parameters — in this case voting costs. We use quantal response equilibrium as the underlying, common structure for estimation, and estimate models of instrumental voting, altruistic voting, expressive voting, and ethical voting. All the models except the ethical model recover the concealed parameters reasonably well. We also report the results of a counterfactual analysis based on the recovered parameters, to compare the policy implications of the different models about the cost of a subsidy to increase turnout

Multiple Components in Narrow Planetary Rings

The phase-space volume of regions of regular or trapped motion, for bounded or scattering systems with two degrees of freedom respectively, displays universal properties. In particular, drastic reductions in the volume (gaps) are observed at specific values of a control parameter. Using the stability resonances we show that they, and not the mean-motion resonances, account for the position of these gaps. For more degrees of freedom, exciting these resonances divides the regions of trapped motion. For planetary rings, we demonstrate that this mechanism yields rings with multiple components.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures (some in colors

Novel Cellular and Molecular Interactions During Limb Development, Revealed from Studies on the Split Hand Foot Congenital Malformation

The embryonic development of the limbs is widely used as a paradigm for the comprehension of the cellular processes and molecular mechanisms underlying organogenesis and pattern formation. The chick, mouse and (recently), zebrafish embryos are excellent models, for the ease of experimental manipulation and the availability of several mutant strains with limb malformation defects