Vanishing effective mass of the neutrinoless double beta decay including light sterile neutrinos

Light sterile neutrinos with masses at the sub-eV or eV scale are hinted by current experimental and cosmological data. Assuming the Majorana nature of these hypothetical particles, we discuss their effects in the neutrinoless double beta decay by exploring the implications of a vanishing effective Majorana neutrino mass. Allowed ranges of neutrino masses, mixing angles and Majorana CP-violating phases are illustrated in some instructive cases for both normal and inverted mass hierarchies of three active neutrinos.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, more discussions and references added, accepted for publication in PL

Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases Are Essential for Virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium

Production of reactive oxygen species represents a fundamental innate defense against microbes in a diversity of host organisms. Oxidative stress, amongst others, converts peptidyl and free methionine to a mixture of methionine-S- (Met-S-SO) and methionine-R-sulfoxides (Met-R-SO). To cope with such oxidative damage, methionine sulfoxide reductases MsrA and MsrB are known to reduce MetSOs, the former being specific for the S-form and the latter being specific for the R-form. However, at present the role of methionine sulfoxide reductases in the pathogenesis of intracellular bacterial pathogens has not been fully detailed. Here we show that deletion of msrA in the facultative intracellular pathogen Salmonella (S.) enterica serovar Typhimurium increased susceptibility to exogenous H2O2, and reduced bacterial replication inside activated macrophages, and in mice. In contrast, a ΔmsrB mutant showed the wild type phenotype. Recombinant MsrA was active against free and peptidyl Met-S-SO, whereas recombinant MsrB was only weakly active and specific for peptidyl Met-R-SO. This raised the question of whether an additional Met-R-SO reductase could play a role in the oxidative stress response of S. Typhimurium. MsrC is a methionine sulfoxide reductase previously shown to be specific for free Met-R-SO in Escherichia (E.) coli. We tested a ΔmsrC single mutant and a ΔmsrBΔmsrC double mutant under various stress conditions, and found that MsrC is essential for survival of S. Typhimurium following exposure to H2O2, as well as for growth in macrophages, and in mice. Hence, this study demonstrates that all three methionine sulfoxide reductases, MsrA, MsrB and MsrC, facilitate growth of a canonical intracellular pathogen during infection. Interestingly MsrC is specific for the repair of free methionine sulfoxide, pointing to an important role of this pathway in the oxidative stress response of Salmonella Typhimurium

The Majorana Demonstrator Status and Preliminary Results

The Majorana Collaboration is using an array of high-purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in Ge. Searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay are understood to be the only viable experimental method for testing the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Observation of this decay would imply violation of lepton number, that neutrinos are Majorana in nature, and provide information on the neutrino mass. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of p-type point-contact Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in Ge) surrounded by a low-background shield system. The experiment achieved a high efficiency of converting raw Ge material to detectors and an unprecedented detector energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Q . The Majorana collaboration began taking physics data in 2016. This paper summarizes key construction aspects of the Demonstrator and shows preliminary results from initial data. 76 76 β

Search for trinucleon decay in the Majorana Demonstrator

The Majorana Demonstrator is an ultra-low-background experiment searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in Ge76. The heavily shielded array of germanium detectors, placed nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, also allows searches for new exotic physics. We present the first limits for trinucleon decay-specific modes and invisible decay modes for Ge isotopes. We find a half-life limit of 4.9×1025 yr for the decay Ge76(ppn)→Zn73 e+π+ and 4.7×1025 yr for the decay Ge76(ppp)→Cu73 e+π+π+. The half-life limit for the invisible triproton decay mode of Ge76 was found to be 7.5×1024 yr

The Majorana Demonstrator Status and Preliminary Results

The Majorana Collaboration is using an array of high-purity Ge detectors to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay in 76Ge. Searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay are understood to be the only viable experimental method for testing the Majorana nature of the neutrino. Observation of this decay would imply violation of lepton number, that neutrinos are Majorana in nature, and provide information on the neutrino mass. The Majorana Demonstrator comprises 44.1 kg of p-type point-contact Ge detectors (29.7 kg enriched in 76Ge) surrounded by a low-background shield system. The experiment achieved a high efficiency of converting raw Ge material to detectors and an unprecedented detector energy resolution of 2.5 keV FWHM at Qββ. The Majorana collaboration began taking physics data in 2016. This paper summarizes key construction aspects of the Demonstrator and shows preliminary results from initial data

Agronomic characteristics and yield of organic maize straw intercropped with perennial green manures

Maize intercropped with perennial green manure is an option to promote soil coverage, control weeds and recycle soil nutrients, in an organic system. This study aimed at evaluating the agronomic characteristics and yield of grains and organic maize straw intercropped with perennial green manures sown at different maize growth stages. A 3 x 2 + 1 factorial design was used, with three perennial species of green manure - calopogonium (Calopogonium mucunoides Desv.), tropical kudzu [Pueraria phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth] and perennial soy [Neonotonia wightii (Wight & Arn) Lackey] - and two green manure sowing times - at the maize V4 (four expanded leaves) and VT (bolting) stages - plus a control treatment (maize monoculture). A randomized blocks design, with four replications, was used. Soil coverage, production of green manures dry matter and weeds, and maize growth and production variables were evaluated. The sowing of green manures at the V4 stage had a higher percentage of soil coverage, in relation to the VT stage. Calopogonium, when compared to the other green manure species, had the highest percentage of soil coverage (35.63 %) and dry matter (1.0 Mg ha-1). Perennial green manures grown intercropped with maize did not affect growth, grain yield and maize straw. However, they were not effective in suppressing weeds